I'm looking for some advice on what I should pay for a maverick. Granted, I want one, they are selling one so they have the upper hand but some of these prices are more than they ever sold for from the showroom. I'm just hoping for some words of wisdom, what I should look out for while continuing to shop. Havent had much luck with the last 2 vehicles I went to look at.
Without car to inspect, it's hard to pin a price on any car. But for a good solid car, it's easy to spend two or three times(in today's monies) over original price. I paid 2x orig price($3600.) for my Comet but it had just been painted, bumpers rechromed, all new glass, plus numerous other NOS parts. Main issue, engine was tired(and I knew that). Converting to disc brakes, rebuilding front suspension restoring engine compartment, doing work myself pushed price to approx 3x of original. I just paid 3x of original sticker($3050) for my '69 Fairlane and feel like I got a steal. I bought it on ebay and was prepared to pay 4x if necessary.
What to pay for a car is a tough question as it all depends on your expectations of want you desire in the car you want. For a turn key car all ready restored or low mileage car that has been taken care of expect to pay a big premium of at least $10,000 or higher mostly higher by today prices. For a project car it is hard to find one for under $5,000 any more even 4 door cars are demanding more money than ever before. For me a car that would be in a respectable price range would be around $8,000 but would need some work at that price . I think the market is as high as it is going to get for a restored car as I see several on ebay that are in the higher range that have been there for awhile and have not been sold and new ones every day that are not sold. Off course the ones demanding the most money are 71=72 Grabbers and 71=72 Comet GTs There are bargains to be found but be prepared to wait and search and expect to have to travel to see them or have them shipped. I have scanned all the avenues for finding Mavericks and Comets since 2002 and have seen the price of the cars sky rocket to the point that a parts car go for more than $1,000 the one advantage of buying a fixer upper is that there are many more parts aftermarket to help now a days Good luck with your quest and perhaps someone on this forum has what you are looking for. What are your expectations for a reasonable price to pay ?
Take a gallon of water with you when you inspect the car and pour it on the windshield near the bottom and some into the slotted air vents located at the base of the windshield at the cowl. Have someone INSIDE the car with a flashlight and look for leakage on the INNER areas of the cowl under the dash . These cars are known for rusting conditions in the cowl area and repairs to this area could be expensive. Other than that .. Just look everything over carefully . Hope you're successful with your purchase. Chip
Its difficult to say. My 72 grabber I bought in the late 80's was a whopping $850.00. It is a little difficult to accept paying some of the asking prices but....I went a looked at another one today.
Very good idea, I did not think of the water idea but did examine the firewall on the one pictured above. It seems to be intact with no rust showing. The floor pan in the front is rust free, the rear panel on the drivers side has some rust. As far as I can tell, that's the only rust spot other than the front lip of the hood. It is starting to bubble on the outside and the inside.
Thanks. I pick it up tomorrow. I'm paying $2500 for it. It does run and drive although I havent driven it yet. His first asking price was 5k so I'm a little surprised he dropped down to half. Until it is on my trailer, I'm not counting my chickens.
How much to pay really depends on you. How mechanically inclined are you now? How is your funds after purchasing? Are you willing to learn and do the work yourself? I tend to be willing to buy on the ratty side. I enjoy tinkering in my garage.
that car looks to be in GREAT shape I would grab it for $2500 clean it up make it run drive and stop safely and enjoy it as is if the rest of it is as clean as what we can see as far as the big price drop goes Ive found that people throw a number out there to see if it sticks then depending on how they perceive you theyll drastically reduce the price for a real offer from a serious buyer that will pay a price thats inline with what its actually worth but even at $5000 I think you wouldnt go wrong if its registered running and driving that car in california wouldve been sold already
Thankfully not all of us live in the rust belt! In my area you can count on lower quarters and front fenders as normal for a car that spent its entire life here. There are plenty that don't even have that rust, just surface rust on any unpainted metal.
An old mechanic once told me, "If you are buying a classic car, buy the cleanest one you can afford." Here are two 1974 Maverick 2 doors on Craigslist in Northern California right now, differing in price by $3,000. $8,500 -- V8 Maverick with 30k miles, one-family, updated mechanicals. Nice original red paint and black upholstery. All around excellent. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/san-pablo-1974-ford-maverick/7025399799.html $5,500 Another 1974 2-door, this one with a six. No hood, no gas cap(!); all around rough. "Starts and runs great" (translation, better check the brakes). Rat's nest upholstery. Body rust-through showing on driver door. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/hercules-1974-ford-maverick/7007831513.html Once could easily spend $15,000 fixing up the $5,500 Maverick and it would still not be as nice a car as the $8,500 one. You likely got a tremendous bargain in today's market with a $2,500 runner. If the car ends up being more work than you anticipated, you could resell it for a profit. Win, win. Let us know how it goes.
Of the 3, I'd get the blue. The red. 30k original miles??? Then he said 1k on rebuilt???......new this and new that. A 30 k original mile car should not need all that. Correct me if i'm wrong. The white. Original motor and trans and garaged for past 15 years. Expect to do some work from it sitting. Gonna need a motor and trans after you buy. See my earlier post.
Okay just realized CA189 is just giving advice. Make sure and read the ad carefully and look car over as best possible. People post a bunch of crap just for a sale.