The Kids Are All Right
The student parking lot of my oldest son's high school presents an interesting mix of vehicles: the expected hand-me-down Hondas and Toyotas, battle-fatigued Lumina Euros and Cutlass Cieras with terminal rust, two or three work-in-progress tuner cars, and the occasional New Beetle or 3-series Bimmer with the Daddy's Little Princess accessory package.
And then, the other morning, I noticed this fellow. A Ford Maverick, of all things. Not only is this car older than its driver by a couple of decades, it's probably older than the driver's parents.
To tell the truth, I'd probably been passing it by for weeks before I realized what it was. The Maverick's fastback roofline and high tail, which was pretty racy in its day, doesn't stand out against a background of late-model coupes with their wind-tunnel styling. If it hadn't been for the chrome-edged vinyl roof treatment, I'd have missed it.
The cell phone photo here really does not do this car justice. It is absolutely solid--good paint, no visible rust. It's also, on the outside at least, utterly stock--no side pipes or slotted mags or any other indicia of being hot-rodded. It isn't a 100-point car-show restoration, either, but it is well-maintained. I would have seen a dozen like it every day when I was in junior high or high school.
How did it get here? Was it found under some old bedsheets in Great Aunt Lurlene's garage after the funeral? (I kinda doubt that; Great Aunt Lurlene was always more the Mercury Monarch type.) Is this an example of teenage Car Lust fulfilled? I'd like to think so.
However it got there, the fact that one of my son's peers is driving a lovingly-maintained honest-to-Richard-M-Nixon early-1970s museum piece to school every day somehow makes me optimistic for the future of our civilization.
--Cookie the Dog's Owner
That Car Guy on March 11, 2010 at 01:06 PM
I like the Maverick's roofline. I could live with the vinyl roof and hubcaps. But puh-leeze find me a set of earlier, smaller bumpers!
Chris Mallow on March 11, 2010 at 01:46 PM
Hear, hear. I am trying to train my boys to appreciate nice iron...as they help me get my '83 Mustang GT going again. They've helped me do compression tests...change the oil and other fluids...bolt the new transmission in...
They'll be ready...oh yes.
John B on March 11, 2010 at 02:48 PM
The first mavericks were in the showroom when my father bought his 1969 LTD four-door hardtop. I recall a advertised basic price of $1999 (a couple of years later the Pinto would debut at $1995) and some unique features and options.
-Plaid fabric seat inserts,
-houndstooth vinyl roofs my junior high school principal had a god one with that option,
-a semi-automatic transmission option (for $60) that did away with the clutch pedal but left the actual shifting to the driver (wonder if any of those are left) and in early cars, no door on the glove box.
I also recal sending Ford $1 and receiving a red plastic promo model.
A neat and good looking car for its day.
PS. I agree about the big bumpers...
Elliot T on March 11, 2010 at 07:23 PM
I'm 19 this year, and I am very pleased to say I fulfilled my car lust late last year when I bought a 1979 Fiat X1/9. I just wish I could have had it in time to be taking it to high school.
SpaniardinTexas on March 12, 2010 at 12:02 AM
I will always have a soft spot for these 60/70's American cars.
Steaming Pile on March 12, 2010 at 07:04 AM
With those battering-ram bumpers, I'd date this particular Maverick as Ford-era, not Nixon-era. With a Nixon-era car, you'd get, in addition to the now-moot ability to run on leaded gas, the much smaller, nicer bumpers @TCG is talking about.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on March 12, 2010 at 08:53 AM
@SP -- Point taken, but somehow the phrase "honest-to-Gerald-R-Ford" doesn't quite flow the same. :-)
wutdhec on March 12, 2010 at 09:16 AM
The Maverick my parents (who didn't have much money at the time) bought around '72 or so was such a lemon my parents will not buy Fords to this day. Somehow I overcame this traumatic consumer experience in the family and have since bought two Fords (Windstar and F150) in my lifetime with pretty good experiences (and would consider buying another).
kenny heggem on March 12, 2010 at 09:28 AM
I almost bought a straight 6 automatic mint green 74 Maverick with 12,000 original miles when I already had a 1972 2 liter Pinto sedan with 15000 orig miles in 2003. Under 2 grand and a small dent in back from when the gentleman's aunt bumped the side of a garage backing it out. Otherwise it was near showroom shape.
Would have been worth money, no doubt.
I drove it around a bit before almost accepting his offer at $1800, down from $2300. I recall it having the worst steering I ever encountered. No feel to be found, just spun around and around.
My girlfriend at the time felt pretty strongly that "a Pinto is enough, you dont need a Maverick too".
Sometimes I miss that saddle bronze Pinto.... then I recall the locking brakes, low power, small trunk, tendency to eat alternators and popping decel valves, shitty carb, the locked up silly smog pump, etc...
That Car Guy on March 12, 2010 at 09:43 AM
Actually, the 1974 model Mavericks, the first with the huge bumpers, would have been sold in the Fall of 1973. Milhouse left office in August, 1974, so either the Nixon or Ford era would be correct.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on March 12, 2010 at 09:57 AM
If we associate it with Ford rather than Nixon, would we have to say it's "made of WIN (Whip Inflation Now)?"
(You youngsters who don't get the joke can look here for enlightenment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whip_inflation_now. Now get off my lawn.)
Alan Schwarz on March 12, 2010 at 07:14 PM
Let's not forget that McCain and Palin claimed they were a couple of Mavericks
John Bono on March 14, 2010 at 07:38 AM
My brother and sister shared a 1970ish Mercury Comet(a Ford Maverick with chrome trim). I got to drive that car for a year or so, and it was terrifying at speed. You would think with that fastback styling, etc, it might behave a little better at speed, but at 55mph+, the car would start to get squirrely, and the steering developed the sensation that wheels were only in contact with the pavement about half the time. I never pushed it, but I am certain that once the car hit 70mph, it would take flight.