Ford Mavericks - are they feeling the love yet?

Every so often I see Ford Mavericks for sale on eBay. Such as this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1972...4?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4170413bf8#v4-41

I never thought much of the Maverick when it was new. The Maverick and the Mustang II of the early 70's I thought were a low point for Ford.

What do you all think? Will the Maverick ever be a collectible car? (Note, I would shoot myself in the :Blasting_anim: head before I would call myself a "collector". But I have nothing against collectors. As long as they don't drive up the price of cars that I want to buy and drive. )

 

One of my best friends has a green Maverick that he turned into a Grabber model. Stock 302 under the hood. Car is spotless and he loves it. To each his own!

 

The "Grabber" versions are desirable, but there aren't many nice ones around in the U.S.
If you ever go on line to check out the car scene in Brazil, you'll find that the Maverick was Ford's muscle car offering for Brazil. Along with the Brazilian Dodge Charger (which was based on the 69 Dodge Dart), the Maverick is one of Brazil's most collected muscle cars. There are likely alot more beautifully resored or preserved Mavericks in Brazil than in all of North America.

 

There will always be those who might want to own one for sentimental reasons ("I had one in high school" or that sort of thing). But the Maverick will never be, in my opinion, a sought-after collector car. My best friends' family had one when I was in high school, so I got a chance to ride around in one once in a while. The styling wasn't particularly attractive. They weren't peppy and fun to drive. They were just designed-with-economy-in-mind, plain-jane grocery-getters of the day.

 

I kinda liked them. Pretty much a larger version of the Pinto. Very basic in un-optioned form.

Wife and I took my mother-in-law's '72 4-door Maverick on our honeymoon up the Coast in January, '74. . Got decent gas mileage with the 200 c.i. 6. Adequate power. I would imagine it as pretty reliable.

 

If you're waiting for Mavericks to get cheaper, it ain't gonna happen - they're on their way up in price and the trend will only continue. '69 to '72 Mavericks are already sought after - no 5 mph bumpers, no catalytic converters. Long hood, fastback styling, short deck - what's not to like? Buy one and watch how many :2_thumbs_up_-_anima you get!

 

I have a friend that owns a '71 Comet that is pro street car with 33x19.50-15 tucked,tubbed and shoved under it. Dual 4 bbl setup ect. It was featured in the 90's in car craft magazine. His uncle passed away a few years ago and left it to him. The way him and I became friends was when I had my tire shop he was a customer and would stop by and look at our hot rods my dad and I would park out front.He told me about the car his uncle left him and he was going to have it shipped from Pensacola, Florida.Can't recall the shipping quote he was given but it wasn't cheap. I told him Pensacola isn't but a 4 hour drive, buy my diesel and you and I will go get it. He wasn't sure what to think but decided since I had a few cars I was probably capable of hauling it and took me up on the offer. Been friends ever since.

 

I can't say that I've seen a Maverick in Ontario for a long, long, time ... then I see this ad for a car for sale in Quebec:

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-classic-cars-1972-Ford-maverickl-302-W0QQAdIdZ436405829

$15k is a bit much, when there's this one for $5,800:

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-classic-cars-1977-Ford-Maverick-W0QQAdIdZ392298407

and this one for $8,500:

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-classic-cars-classic-1975-Maverick-W0QQAdIdZ440832172

but I think I'll stay away from the Mavericks and keep searching for my elusive '64 Galaxie Country Squire.

 

Mavericks and the Mercury Comet are okay cars. 72 and earlier definitely look better with the fitted bumpers. The 73 is a close second, as it used the 72 bumper, but extended on shock absorbers. The 74 and up look clunky with those heavy bumpers. Ford did minimal restyling to fit the bumpers, and it shows. At least on the Dart and Valiant, Chrysler spent a bit of money to make the bumpers look like they belong. Get one with the 302 if you are getting one, and them put a decent dual exhaust on it. The stock exhaust was the same diameter as the smallest of the 6 cylinder cars used, and it was very restrictive. They dual will free up a good 20 to 30 horsepower and at least 5 mpg.

 

I'll also bet that white one was originally a 6 cyl.

 

I have posted this one in the past...it is one of my favorite wagons. It has a Mustang rear rear body parts. These were made up by a Brazilian auto dealer! He had a good eye!

 

Man thats a cool unit appears a little Stang goes a long way