Posted by Adam Lucas (IP: 64.41.57.66) on August 23, 2000 at 12:06:36:
Hello all, I wanted to get opinions and ideas regarding a potential purchase...
The Maverick is a 1975, 250 inline 6 cylinder, with just under 40K original miles, VIN# F5K91L165391F. The car has sat for a number of years, on and off, and is now with its (at least) third owner. The present owner, who had the car on the road during the summer of 1998, told me that he replaced the fuel pump that year.
The body of the car is good condition, save for two small dents in the passenger side door. There are no spots of rust visible on the extrior, however a few spots can be found in the driver side door frame. The underbody has rust, but it doesn't seem to be in bad condition. The color of the car is a light lime green.
Under the hood the engine looks okay. There is no sign of oil leakage, that I saw. The emissions control device has since ceased in operation and has been disconnected, but not removed. Several hoses have been replaced, and there are several that would need to be replaced. There is one major rust problem to the left and front of the engine, on the piece of frame that holds the radiator. The battery sits just above this rust spot, and I have been told by the owner, a previous owner placed a bag of salt on or by the battery for a cushion or wedge (there are now two wood slabs holding the battery in place), the bag leaked salt and the rust was a result. I took the car to a body shop and was told that a repair job would cost about $200.
The brakes on the car work, but only if they are pushed very hard. Also, when the brakes are applied and I would leave my hands off the steering wheel, the car would pull to the left a quite a bit, otherwise any pull went unnoticed while driving.
The interior is in fair condition. The carpet is a bit faded in the front, the seats are wore slightly. The driver side seat has a rip in the fabric. The upholstery is not damaged, but does have some mildew growing on it. The dash and instruments all seem to be in good shape and working order. There is no air conditioning.
The owner is asking $1500, down from $2000 last summer. Right now I need a "new" car to get to work and depend on for transportation. Does the price seem fair? I was going to offer $1000 cash. If I do get the car, I'd want to get new tires, and put disk brakes on the front (anyone know about how much that would cost?), but I don't know much about working on cars, yet, anyhow.
The main thing is I need a reliable car, might the Maverick be such a car?
Thanks,
Adam