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HomePick of the DayPick of the Day: 1973 Ford Maverick low-mileage, one-owner original

Pick of the Day: 1973 Ford Maverick low-mileage, one-owner original

The V8-powered 2-door is an unusually preserved compact classic

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A 1973 Ford Maverick is not one those cars you expect to find in near-pristine low-mileage condition after a half century, but the Pick of the Day is just that, and a V8-powered version, too.

The Maverick is a one-owner Tennessee car showing just 53,000 miles on its odometer and in original unrestored condition, according to the Clarkston, Michigan, dealer advertising the 2-door sedan on ClassicCars.com.  A rare find for a Ford that was designed primarily for daily driver duty and not much else.

maverick

What makes this one special, aside from its fine condition, is the matching-numbers 302cid V8 under the hood, linked with an automatic transmission and rated at 210 horsepower with its 2-barrel carburetor and factory intake and exhaust.  Most of these cars were sold with inline-6-cylinder engines, and the extra V8 oomph should make this lightweight compact come alive.

maverick

Ford introduced the Maverick in 1970 to replace the Falcon, and the new car’s sporty styling made it a popular choice as an alternative to the growing wave of Japanese imports. While there were various trim and performance options during the Maverick’s 1970-77 run, such as the Grabber, this car looks to be a standard-issue version, albeit with the V8, Flowmaster dual exhaust and 15-inch Magnum 500 wheels with white-letter radials.

The buyer of this Maverick will be faced with the choice of preserving the car as a show piece (although with the correctly reupholstered front seat), driving and enjoying it as a rare untouched original, or upgrading it with modern performance gear.

I’d be in favor of option No. 2, even though clocking up miles would lower its value; it’s not a high-priced collector car to begin with, so no harm done.

Speaking of which, this Maverick is priced at $23,900.

To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day

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Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.

8 COMMENTS

  1. Your pick of the day looks great, but there is no contact info. Email nor phone. How do you expect to get results without this info?

  2. I remember when Ford came out with The Maverick and a companion The Comet. During high school (1971-74) a friend of mine’s family had both (Maverick & Comet). The cars were standard transmission with a column shift.

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