Is It Worth It

So far I've been restoring my '72 Maverick and lots of the body work, cleaning up the engine compartment, fixing all the damage from a accident it was in before I owned it. Over the summer I intend to do a minor engine restoration. Unfortunatly, my dad is suggesting that I sell it for a profit and get a new car with fuel injection. Personally I want a car with a little more performance too since I will still be paying for gas. Now I really like the car and have already put in a fair amount of work. I guess what I'm looking for is a Maverick/Comet success story. Can anybody help??

 

You just summed up my situation exactly, we even have the same year of car. I am not a patient person and it is killing me that my Maverick is needing so much work before its gonig to be my every day car. But i just look at it like this................ I have MAVERICK!!!!! Mwa hahahahaha Ahha hahahah a hahahah!!!!!!!

Just look at it as an oppertunity to make it exactly how you want it.

 

To see the aggrevated look on my wife's face everytime I talk about my maverick.........makes it ALL worth it!!!!!

 

I doubt you would be able to sell it for a profit big enough to make it worth your time.

If you are not restoring the out of a complete passion and love for the vehicle, then it is not worth it, financially and mechanically.

A newer fuel injected car will get much better gas milage, and be more reliable, it is just that you have lost your distinction there.

No reason to sell it to get a newer car, I would never drive a 30 year old car for transportation anymore---they deserve weekend duty, keep it as a project car and buy a newer one for transportation---Just my opinion

 

So your Dad wants you to have a fuel injected more modern car??? Well, show him what's in my Maverick. I did this for under $5000!

 

Power your Mav like GS's along with an AOD, or if you like to bang gears like me, a T5. You'll get knock out performance along with excellent mileage, providing you can keep your foot out of it. I'd go no lower than a 3:55 rear for real good gas mileage.

 

Maverick5946, I wish my wife didn't turn up her nose every time I talked about the mav. Why can't they be supportive? I just got my 55 f-100 home thinking that she would like that, turns out she doesn't like that body style either, funny she never said that when we went to the Pigeon Forge, Tn. during the F-100 Nats!

Gsjohnson, I would have to rate that work right up there with Mavaholic, true perfectionist's of this auto art.

 

Excellent work i have to say gsjohnson however, I have one question for you how long did it take you to put that engine in your car?

 

theres a couple more things you should know about this situation.

I am 15 years old and so buying a second car isnt an option, also even though it may not have seemed evident I do have passion for the car.

Second of all i bought the car for 1000 and have only spent 450 on it and that was basically all for new rims and tires.

My dad and I figured that it would be able to sell for about 2-3000 since it is an original 302 with a/c and power steering all of which are still working just fine.

 

Sounds to me like....

you already have a good fondation for a nice little street cruiser! A maverick with a sound, solid 302 will be plenty fast for your first car. If you want to pep it up, change the rear end gear, put a good igniton system on it and a good exhaust and that little car will fly and still get good gas mileage. One thing to remember about the new ricer's is they do get good gas mileage, as long as they are not hopped up. My little Focus with the Ztec gets really crappy fuel mileage, cause it poors so much fuel in it to make it go. But...only you can make the decision on keeping it or getting something else cause, its your money and your time. You just need to figure out if it is gonna be worth it to you. You will NEVER get back what you have put into one of these cars. But the reward is being different and proud that you did it yourself!

 

I was considering giving up on my little mav for the time being, because after all my work the tranny blew.. but i found myself today, buying a near new aluminum case c-4 to throw in there..got it for 85 bucks....... tee hee.. now all i need is ball joints.. period..

 

Hey ADC. 2-3 thousand aint going to buy you much. Repairs on a newer car are way more than yours will be. Insurance is higher, and how much in gas will you really save? One of the things that give me the greatest pleasure, and get the best reaction, is telling people I've owned my Mav for 31 years. I bought it new when I was 19 and drove it to high school. With few exceptions, very few can top that. Comets & Mavericks are only going to get harder to find in decent shape and more expensive. Dont join the masses that say, at every show or gathering I've ever attended, "I wished I would have kept my ___________ car"

 

I wish I would have kept my 1969 Mach 1 with 728 CJ and my 1969 big block Cougar Eliminator.

 

Thanks for the compliment guys. The 5.0 EFI project took me 6 months. I initially thought it would take 90 days. I don't know what I was thinking. LOL

 

ADC...

..Success stories. I would say that they are like beauty, in the eye of the beholder.
My Comet GT was my first car in 1984. It was all stock, 302 2V, power steering and A/C. Back then I cannot remember what gas prices were, although it didn't matter, I was working and making $50-$60 a week after school and paid for my own gas money as well as any upgrades. My car was in pretty good shape although it had a lot of miles, 117K miles in fact. My dad was a mechanic and I had learned to do a lot of things myself by the age of 16.

The car was my pride and joy and I did not want to take it to college and park it in a cramped lot out in the weather of the North Carolina Mtns. while at Appalachian State University.
My dad gave me the option of selling it and buying something newer and 'non-hot rod'. I looked at a couple of Honda cars and a few late 70's and early 80's Mustangs. Nothing caught my eye that we could afford.

I elected to keep my Comet when I happened across a beat up '74 Mustang II with that worthless V6. I think we paid $350 for it. It needed a tune-up and I talked Dad into it. I parked the Comet under the car cover, transferred my liability coverage over to the Mustang and off I went to college.
In my sophomore year, I just couldn't take it anymore. I missed the Comet. Every time that I was home I would wash it wax it and rub it, only to pull it back in the garage, no insurance or tags were on it.

Then something happened!! Somebody rearended the Mustang, with me in it!!
I was not injured as the shock absorbered bumpers did their job and absorbed the impact. In fact one of them was bent. Thanks to the other drivers insurance and ridiculous expenses for body work I got a check for $800 plus dollars. The car was paid for. I hooked a chain to a tree and straightened the bumper, bent the tailpipe back into place with a handle of a hammer and deposited the old check into my account! Insurance funds!!

The Comet went back on the road that summer. Along with a fresh rebuild on the 302. I think that cost around $1000. I already had a 4V intake and carb that I had picked up at a swap meet.
With the smaller primaries of the Holley 4V my Comet with a 2.79 rear gear got around 22 mpg at highway speeds on the 180 mile trek to Boone in the fall. Yes, I took it to college for my last 2 yrs. I was living of of campus at that point and had a nice safe parking lot to hid it in.

After college I drove it to work for a year when it was parked again in July 1991. At that time it had 151K miles on it. The transmission was starting to slip and I needed a 'business' car.
So, I got my first car payment, $160+/month for a 5 yr. old Ford Taurus. ( I now have my 3rd Taurus, a 2002 model)

In May of 2001 I started taking the Comet apart. It has not been easy. Time is my biggest enemy, but I feel pretty confident that I will have it on the road this summer.

That car gave me a sense of purpose throughout my teenage years. I have never had problems with drugs or alcohol. While in high school, friends of mine worked to buy marijuana or liquor and beer for Sat. nights party. I worked to buy chrome wheels and gas or dual exhaust. That car taught me the value of work. I learned to take pride in my accomplishments and how to set goals. As I stated earlier, time is my biggest enemy. With a family, I have to keep the balance between this project and the other things in my life. I could have paid cash for a restored Boss 302, or Mach I, even a Z28. That is not something that interested me.

That little Comet was good enough for me when I was 16, and it is good enough for me now. Only now I am going to make it as perfect as reasonably possible. I'll by the Boss 302 later. For now I'll work on the car that was my first.

I know too many people who have said, 'I wish I had kept my....'
If I can help it, I will never say that.


Good luck with your decisions.


Seth