Well, I travel a lot and in my travels I am always looking for grabbers. easing my way throught the back woods of tennessee I saw a glimse of a mav. I turned around for a closer look. Wow! there it was! Exactly what I have been looking for. A 72 grabber with hood, spoiler and 302 package! The car was in poor condition but not wrecked. So I proceded to the front door of this small hillbilly home (a little bit like mine) and asked if it was for sale. The middle aged man said, "I don't know? I want to fix it up some day". I knew this car would never see the road. I thought he was trying to high ball me. So I made him an offer for the rust infected tireless heap, $100 bucks. He pondered this for some time as if to tease me. Then he said " Naw". To make a long story short, I got him up to $300 and still he said no. The grabber hood was in poor shape. The spoiler was fine, the motor was screwed up and the tranny was gone. Two weeks later I found another grabber in similar condition. The thing had been plowed in the rear leaving the spoiler trashed. The hood was undented but rusted badly. Same old story. The owner said he was going to fix it up some day. I can bet my last dollar that both these cars will rot to nothing and wind up at the crusher. Do the owners realize the thousands it takes to get these things drivable? Heck, i got 3.5 grand in mine and its still in the driveway! LOL What a sad story. I wish I could rescue these cars. I regret not taking pictures of these basket cases to post here. Is this a common story, to find an abandoned grabber only to hear the words...NOT FOR SALE!?
It's a pretty common problem everywhere I think. There are quite a few really great restorable cars sitting these parts that are rotting into the ground because the owners will do nothing with them. One guy up here has a Cyclone that is slowly sinking into the mud up to it's frame, but he will not part with it. He will never do anything with it. It has so much junk piled up on it I think he's just using it to keep the other junk off the ground. It's a real shame too. It's almost as if they have the idea that it's thiers and no one else can have it, even if it means it ends up turning into a pile of junk someday. What a waste.
I just don't get it? Those cars will rot away! Judging from the looks of the rest of the owners property...house, other cars and horticulture those dang things will see nothing but "car hell" aka the crusher! Dang it! Dang it! dang it! LOL
A few years back, I had a brother crush his '72 Maverick Sprint (in fair shape) - because he said IT REMINDED HIM OF HIS EX-WIFE!! Hell, send the ex-wife to the crusher! NOT THE SPRINT! Obviously it was too late by the time I heard the news. That was also the first car I ever ran down the quarter mile track. I'm ill now.
I've bought a few parts off of cars like that. I always take my mav with me and show them that it will go towards a good cause, that really helps. If you talk long enough most will give in but there will always be the stubborn ones. Some of the cheapest parts I have ever bought though. $35 grabber spoiler, $100 grabber hood (paint matched), free interior pieces! Are you drooling yet?
I've read many articles (Mustangs & Fords, Mustang Monthly, etc.) where the same thing happened. While it would be nice to be able to buy these treasures, I can understand how the owners feel. It's easy to daydream about restoring a Maverick, but sometimes the obstacles are insurmountable. Lack of money, never worked on cars before, no time, etc. I like to read the success stories where a guy keeps going back, and finally convinces the owner to sell. We can always dream too -- of finding a mint Grabber (with a V-8!!!!!!) in an old barn, that is bought for next to nothing. Maybe we'll even find one of those ultra-rate Maverick convertibles like Craig's "prototype". Later. Tom
wow craigs prototype convertible? is there pics? I wanna see well anyways I know how u guys feel I have been one of those owners that always says "NO I'm going to restore it" but u know what.....I am yay... and true it does cost about EVERYTHING u got out of your pocket to fix em I've put a little over 5,000 $$ in it in these last three years!!!! but at least it's getting done and I'm having fun but u wouldn't believe how many people would come up to the house and asked how much I wanted for it and one guys was like "Your young what r u gonna do with it it looks like it's just gonna sit there" and I said "Y do u say that?" and he said "Just look at all that bird doo doo on it" so I told him to get off my property and I cleaned the doo doo off it and u know what no more people coming over to try and buy it. I have alot of stories like that.
