thinking of getting a comet or maverick

I'm currently shopping for my first car and I found a comet and a maverick in seemingly good condition within my price range. I don't really know a ton about them, but a compact muscle is very appealing to me.

people keep telling me that if I buy an older car its going to be rusted to hell and need constant expensive repairs. I'm looking for some opinions from some slightly more qualified people.

 

post pics of the cars you are currently looking at ,,

 

Constant, yes. At least for a while at first. Expensive? Except for a few major items like catastrophic engine or transmission failure, most things on a Mav/Comet are cheap and relatively easy to deal with on your own. Ford designed and marketed these cars as "simple machines" that a person with basic knowledge and a few tools could work on at home, and for the most part that's true. Parts are relatively cheap (when you can find them) and there's not much you can't do with a basic set of SAE wrenches and sockets.

The key with enjoying an old car is you've got to know your own limits. Not whether you have the skill - that can be learned and you've come to the right place to do it. But your level of patience and your tolerance for the inevitable incidents where you're going to have to stop on the road, get dirty and turn wrenches in the cold and wet while trucks whiz past you. If you can put up with that a few times and still love the car there's hope. But if you know you can't then don't try to talk yourself into it. You won't enjoy it. Pass it up and find a Toyota.

Again it's not about skill, but attitude. You have to know if you're the type of guy who after spending months fixing every little thing that breaks, looks at the car with a smile and a sense of fulfillment and says "That thing is becoming a great car, and it's because of me." Or will it make you weary and cause and you to hate it a little bit more every time a hose bursts or a belt pops? You can't learn the right mindset, you have it or you don't. Nothing wrong with it either way, just some people are wired for this stuff and some aren't, and it helps to know before you get into it.

Also beware. It could change your whole life. I did not come from a family of car guys, and if my first car had been something reliable I might be happily driving my Camry to work every day with clean fingernails and a lot fewer scars. Instead I'm an obsessive, stubborn wrench head who insists on driving old, weird things around all the time. I've spent many weekends in ragged clothes roaming the junkyards like a zombie instead of going fishing, watching football or grilling out back. I've blown countless dollars on crazy projects, tools, roadside situations that I didn't have to be in. Lost a lot of sleep because I had to get some heap running for the morning, or just because I couldn't put the wrenches down. I've shown up dirty and late for work, weddings, church. I've been burned, cut, sanded, stained. More than half my wardrobe is stuff a hobo wouldn't wear. I've made my wife miss me and my son want to be like me. All because I got a $1000 POS for my first car, learned to fix it, and God help me I liked it.

 

Welcome to the board. These cars are a lot of fun and they definitely turn heads. You'll get a lot of comments about them. From "what is it?" to "I had one" or "it was my first car."

 

to the site!!!!!

 

Welcome from Georgia! And I have to admit...I'm with facelessnumber. Either you want it or you get it and find that you really didn't want it. I did come from a car family and it's in my blood! But, once you get it in your blood, you've found a hobby that can bring your whole family together!

 

Welcome and happy hunting.

 

Whats fun about these cars is: besides the fact that they rock!!! Is that you still can get all the go fast ford stuff for it at the local auto zone. Gotta love that. Besides anybody can walk into a dealer and plop down a payment and drive away in a brick. Plus little girls squeal when I drive by.

 

from Northeast Pennsylvania

 

to the board.... Cars are my passion. So, when I found a Comet or Maverick, I was all over it. Dare to be different. And love all the stories from people, when they see them.... Gotta love them....

 

Welcome to the site!

The only thing I will add is if you're shy and just want to blend in to the crowd, these are not the cars for you!

On the other hand if you like meeting and talking to new people and don't mind people watching you while you're doing ANYTHING with the car (driving down the road, putting gas in it, etc), then you'll enjoy owning one of these wonderful cars!

-Scott H.

 

Sorry I kinda disappeared for a little while, family crisis.

http://providence.craigslist.org/cto/1986572952.html

I talked to the guy and he says the only outstanding issues are a rust spot on the driver's side floor and some surface rust on the rear bumper.

these are the others I'm looking at.
http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/2021754626.html
http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/2017256159.html
http://worcester.craigslist.org/ctd/1997617851.html

Its probably obvious by now that I don't mind not blending in. I find all the round, uniform, boring cars so prevalent in the past 20 years disgusting. Theres no reason they can't build efficient and safe cars that aren't revolting, but thats a whole nother topic.

 

I hear ya on the new cars. I can't stand them either.

In my honest opinion, from your list I would be looking at the Comet and the IROC.

The Comet looks like a good car, but certain parts are hard to come by in good shape. I own two '72 Comet GTs and I'm kinda biased towards them so I might overlook flaws just because it is a Comet in good shape. I'm going to let someone else review it with an open mind.

The only thing I'm going to say about the IROC is that you need to be careful with the T-Top seals or you'll rip them and cause irritating wind noises and water leaks, the door bushings will need to be replaced frequently because of the high weight of the doors, and you'll feel a good many of the bumps in the road. This is coming from my owning / driving an '84 Trans Am for several years. I still have it sitting behind the garage in the woods actually.

The '78 Camaro with the rear frame rails needing replaced is going to cost a ton for a good QUALITY repair shop to replace them. If they are not done right the car will be unsafe and will track sideways going down the road. I would call around for quotes on replacing the frame rails before going anywhere with it.

The Jag is a decent car when it runs, but when it doesn't you'll need major $$ to repair it. A friend of mine used to own one that he traded off because of it. All I'm going to say is the website Jags That Run is dedicated to small block chevy conversions for a reason!

http://www.jagsthatrun.com/

Hope this helps,
-Scott H.

 

Well said Drew, couldn't expess it any clearer myself. You gotta love it!

 

Another problem I have is that the comet is an hour and a half away and I would be relying on a ride from someone else most likely. Even if I managed to drive up myself, I'm not exactly an expert on these cars and I don't want to miss some subtle but extremely expensive mechanical problem with it.

I do have this feeling that if I don't check it out I'll always regret it, like not asking that really hot girl out or not getting that one thing that sounded really good at that restaurant you went to on vacation.