So I am searching around nearby cities craigslist (up to 200 miles away) and find this 72 Comet which peaks my curiosity so I inquire. http://lincoln.craigslist.org/cto/1846591634.html The guy gave me a call after I e-mailed him with my phone number. He said the car was purchased in April from someone about 40 miles away and he drove it home no problems. Said he has *tinkered* with it a bit here and there and said (quote) "This is the ugliest thing I have ever owned but it could be decent." He sent me pictures and has a title for it so what do you guys think? Additional Info: He said entire interior needs redone and it smells musty - what a salesman The pic that shows the rust through in front of rear drivers wheel is most significant rust spot. Other things he said sound like the cowl is rusted out "Water came through glove box" or something along those lines. He thinks its the windshield - either way, an issue. Some questions for you gentleman: 1. How much would rear glass trim be? 2. How much for a 72 Comet Grill? 3. What type of buckets could replace this fugly bench? *junkyarders?* 4. Worth the $600? If not whats worth? He said making it home driving wouldn't even be an issue in his eyes and that its been running great since he bought it in april. Said it was idling very high (somewhere around 20 mph if thats even possible) but he took it to a local mechanic and they fixed that for him.
You need to pull up the carpets if the cowl is shot - I'm sure that is where the musty smell is coming from. I would say if it isn't a rust bucket, it is worth 600. As Dave says look for "hidden rust". There may be a lot of it. If you plan to keep the inline 6, I would want to know why the seller has a head gasket for it?
Depends on your skills. For some it would be a piece of cake, others a nightmare. Not a bad price even for a parts car. Mouldings are the same as a Maverick, Craig or Mean Maverick should be able to set you up there. Comet grills are a little tougher to find, but they're out there, just have to keep looking. Rear quarter rust is normal, not too bad a fix. Cowls however, are a major repair. Lots of info on here about them. I would check the floor pans and torque boxes real good. And it may be just a wind shield leak. Those gaskets get hard and crack over time. Mine leaks there right now, my cowl is fine. Got a new gasket to go in as soon as repaint is over.
He just pulled up carpet and there are a couple fist sized holes in the passenger floor and he said "Yuck" which I would assume meens the carpet was wet at that point? Drivers has light surface rust, drivers side trunk has small silver dollar sized hole in it and passenger side just has good ol' Nebraska dirt. He said he also owns a older truck (late 70's-early 80's) which he had head gasket problems with recently. So when he purchased this car he was thinking of redoing the top end right off the bat to prevent problems. He said he just hasn't had the time to do anything with it since he bought it in April.
If I do end up buying it, the next 10 days it will be worked on, followed by the next year in a garage with my Maverick while I am in Afghanistan. I think I just need something to occupy my week and a half at home honestly....
Granted, I would need to see it in person to tell for sure ..... but that looks too rough to be cost effective to restore. There are so many solid cars out there right now. I would take the $600, add $1000 to it and find a car in much better shape to start with. I figure that would save me $2000 in headaches with this one. JMHO .....
and a valued opinion it is. I suppose I will wait this one out and try to get responses from others I have seen within reasonable distance.
And I thought ALL Comets were parts carsJ/k Yes there is rust in a place I have never seen it on that car, right under the cluster on the dash!
If you have very limited skills, that car has lots of expensive rust to fix. I would pass on that car being a good project. Good parts car though. (Can't save 'em all folks)
