2 door for sale advice

Theres a 2 door for sale near us. Small car lot they bought it off an old lady, its a 75' 2 door. My dad checked it out and said

- has working ac and a 250 (speedometer said 11,000 miles i assume 111,000) and automatic tranny
- vinyl top was removed, roof is all surface rust, no pits.
- interior looks 30 some years old but isnt trashed.
- will need a new hood (lip is rusted through)
- trunk is fine
- driver front fender has a patched hole.
- underneath car is surface rust but nothing major (yet)
- a few other patches (fiberglass) along body all pinholes.
- bumpers are rust they will need rechroming or replaced
-no leaky windows or seals.

they wont start the car because gas is bad but said it ran and drove and would hook it to a gas jug and show us when im there.

thats all i know about the car. the salesperson said $700 is the least they would take.

i just started college and have a very very short drive maybe 1 1/2 miles a day. i would love this to be a daily while i restore my 4 door.

My question.

from hearing what i said is this car decent or should i stay away from it?

i would have to cover it with a tarp because the 4 door is in my garage

when i look at it though i figure i would offer $500 take it or leave it, if it runs cause she will need a new tank IMO and general maintenance.
what do you guys think?

 

Sounds like its worth it. The good thing is that you can pick up a new tank at any NAPA parts store. And there inexpensive.

 

yea, i just want to get a cheap daily driver and i would like it to be a maverick and not a cavalier or toyota. and when im done with the 4 door ill put the time into the 2 door.


i will check this car from top to bottom though, where should i look on this car, anywhere particular underneath or inside. i wish i could rip up the carpet to see if the cowl leaked

 

check the floorboards from underneath. Get a gallon of water and pour it in the cowl to see it it leaks inside.

 

Read this: http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=70604&highlight=daily+driver

 

i know a car this old shouldnt be driven daily but my commute being a 35mph drive max and as short as it is (a hair over a mile) i think would be reasonable. when i go to look though i want to make sure the thing is drivable and ill change out everything the necessities (brakes, oil, collant, new battery, gas tank)

i would love to restore a 2 door but i need to get my other project finished and then i will if i end up getting the 2 door.

-dad said the old man selling it was firm at $700.

how can i talk this guy down? i think $500 is all its worth from listening and thats all i want to spend really on a rough late model maverick

 

Craig, why are you all of the sudden so dead set against anyone using a Maverick as a daily driver?? I mean it's rediculous. I use mine as a daily driver (most of the year) and I drive 56 miles round trip. I'll tell you straight up. When I first got the car the prev. owner used it as a weekend cruiser and when I took it to a daily driver I had to replace a few things that broke. But in the long run once those few things were fixed they have been VERY reliable and I love driving them. If this guy wants a Maverick as a daily driver to drive a couple miles a day while he is restoring his 4 door I say more power to him.

 

It is simple why I am against it, just read the original article I posted in the thread. Bottom line: People come on here wanting to make a daily driver out of a $500 Maverick and expect to do it with very little money and upkeep. That car, as described by the original poster, needs $150 gas tank and misc. for starters, just to get it running. He also mentions several other items it needs. Right now, the car doesn't even run for all intensive purposes. By the time he sinks $1000 in that car, he could have bought an Escort and had a reliable, safe daily driver.

25 years ago I drove a Maverick everyday. This summer I drove one as a daily driver for about 3 weeks racking up 1000 miles a week. I have been there, done that. I wouldn't recommend it. People come on here wanting to know why Mavericks are not "more collectible" and "worth more money". Well....if people are still driving them everyday, they never will be.

I respect the fact that YOU drive one everyday...but I am sure it is not your sole vehicle, and if something goes wrong, you either know how to fix it or can afford to get the repairs made. Read the Click and Clack article again. They summed it up best.

 

im the last person to think a car needs little upkeep. I sunk probably over $1,000 in my 4 door to get me through highschool to make it reliable and spent days trying to keep it running and going and finally over the years learned more and more about cars because of it. I just hope when i see this car if it is at least close to road worthy, and wanted to know what particular to watch out for on the 2 doors.

- in the end though i would rather fix and drive a maverick then fix and drive a cavalier/camry or esort. I like a car I can work on and know I'm not letting a mechanic fix and charge me twice as much, and i agree with the old saying ' they dont make em like they use to'

 

If you don't want advice don't ask.
Why buy another car that's going to be a project?

 

If you do all your own wrenching...More power to you man, go for it. Just dont dis mechanics for charging customers for their labor and skill and ability necessary to repair their cars. I wont even get into the 30 to 60 grand in tools required to get the car repaired "quickly" since the customer cant be inconvienienced by dropping the car off for a head gasket R/R on their POS Neon...
They dont make em like they used too...Hence the increase in cost to repair em.
Aint technology wonderfull!!!

 

well i know you've been wanting a 2dr to tinker with and it seems like the perfect oprotunity for you so i say go for it. IMHO that's about as cheap as you're going to find one that "runs" and doesnt need a complete resto.... just my thoughts

 

Check the normal things -
rusted vents
front and rear sub-frames
engine condition - if that is important to you
transmission fluid
condition of brakes
rust at the quarters
If you think it all looks doable then go for it.

 

Right on! preach it brother mechanic and i agree if you got the know how to fix it or are willing to learn then go for it.:Handshake

 

no i'm not bad mouthing mechanics, i merely said i myself cannot perform the repairs on newer model cars (those of you recommended for a daily driver) like many cannot (electronics/efi and all being trouble). they require tools and no how that i cannot give hence costing twice as much IMO over a car i can repair in my drive.

i didnt mean to post this to offend anyone but it seems some have taken this the wrong way and I will not bring my posting here anymore


--- I went and looked at it today though, was rusted worse then I thought. From a driving perspective she ran well and shifted fine. As a kentucky car though I must say it's seen better days. Every spot these cars can rust it had it and bad. From the outside though you wouldn't tell.

@mean maverick, yea i hope to find one