The sun roof would be a deal-breaker for me. It has a Comet bumper on the front, the upholstery doesn't match front-to-back, the door panels have been redone, the hood lip chrome is missing, driver's side mirror is missing, top windshield chrome is missing, it has a 1970 tail light on the driver's side, and the headlight bezels should be black on a Grabber... I would be looking for some damage up front (as the bumper, headlight bezels, hood trim have been replaced or are missing). I would check for "93" in the VIN before getting serious about buying it. It does have the Sport Lamp switch on the dash though. And BTW, this is what rust under a 45 year-old vinyl top looks like, on a car with HALF the miles of this one you are looking at: IF you were serious about buying the car, I would also want to pour a bucket of water down the cowl vents to make sure the cowl was good. There are a LOT of tiny little things on this car that will require money and time to find/fix/replace. Sorry for being picky, but I'm just stating the facts. IMHO, the asking price would reflect a complete, correct RUST-FREE car...
This is the scary part of vinyl tops not only the rust but getting off the old adhesive is a pain unless they have some super new products for cleaning.
Pass on that car, why overpay on a car that still needs a lot more money invested. For the top your looking at a couple of hours to remove the leftover glue and to prep for paint. Don't forget the metal still has to be cut out and welded which means the headliner has to come out and then be put back in.
This looks like a decent car that is also in WA. Last time the bidding ended at 2450 , I'm thing 3k will take it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Other-...c976d3662&item=191519077986&pt=US_Cars_Trucks
Since you have to ask....I will assume you have no experience to do the work yourself. I would say $500 to $1000 depending what all would need to be done. I would agree with the others on here....pass on this car.
Boy, reading all of this lately still makes me thankful I found my car when I did and at the price point I did. I know the cowl was a surprise, but maybe in hind-sight, it was the best thing to happen to it. This was the exact type of car I wanted to avoid buying when I was looking (lots of nickel and dime stuff missing and by the looks of it, undoing someone else's less-than-adequate modifications). I would also say that repairing under the vinyl top and getting it back to the way it should be would cost AT LEAST $1000. If the headliner needs to come out, so does the glass, and we all know how THAT can turn ugly in a hurry.
The OP is in Portland so it isn't that far to look at the first car posted for a first hand inspection. IF the car is solid other than the vinyl top issue and the paint is presentable you could work the price down and have a decent car. Not everyone is looking for a perfect car, some of us could enjoy the car as is. I think 3k would be high for that car, heavy scale in the trunk, front floors look in need which leads to the cowl and the front of the hood is toast.
What about this maverick, no rust and the price in negotiable http://mmb.maverick.to/threads/1976-ford-maverick.97219/
Thanks Rmiller. I'm green, but come at this honest. I'm not looking for perfection, that looks closer to 15k it seems. I'm just looking to learn about immediate issues with that car, or similar so I'm not walking around too blind, since I haven't gone down this road before.
