Been chasing a 71 Comet for years

For about the last 5 years I have been chasing a blue w/ white vinyl top 71 Comet around the streets of Quincy IL. Never ever have I actually caught up with the owner. This is the last Maverick or Comet to daily run the streets of Quincy. It is a 2dr 6 banger automatic. Janer if you will. I know where she lives and drove by the house this morning, car was not in the drive so I head for home. Well karma was working for me, I saw her pull into a gas station, I pulled in behind her. Walked up, introduced myself and asked her if she had ever considered selling the car. She is about my age and then began to tell me her life story. Workmans comp is owing her big time and when she gets that the car will get fixed up. The car is really just about gone, another winter here and it will be just a parts car. I offered her the thought of selling it to me at her price. Nope, not for sale, going to fix it up. I have to admire her,, it is her car. I have watched a really nice car deteriorate into a rusted mess. Grille is now broke, qtrs are shot, fenders shot, interior is a mess, but it still runs good. Wish she had sold it to me. I left my card with her.
Dan

 

We've got alot of those "gonna restore it one of these days" cars in Ohio too. One in particular, 70 t/a Challenger. It's been sitting outside for at least 3 years now. I make a point every Spring to stop and ask to buy it. Then I end up in a 1.5 hour conversation with a guy that smells like moth balls ! By the time I do talk him into selling it, it'll be worthless !! Oh,well what can ya do ?

 

I know where there is a '73 sitting at less then 2 miles from where I used to live in Flowery Branch, GA. Stopped to ask about it: "It's gotta 302, 3 speed, A/C, P/S" You wanna get rid of it? "Nah, my boys gonna fix it up some day".

Was talking to my dad about it last night, turns out the car has been sitting there since the late 80's. Turns out my dad stopped to ask about it back in the early 90's and got the exact same story.

 

It is a shame! At least she loves the car.Have a friend that has a 70 Olds 442 W30 that has been sitting since 1982.

 

Dan, I got one for ya, I have also been chasing a "sitting" 71 Comet for almost 10 years, I stop by about twice a year just to check on it and he tells me the same story over and over again. He had bought the car new in 71 and 3 monthes later he met his wife, went on a honeymoon and etc." I have too much of attachment to sell it", he says I always end it with I would love to put it back to the way it was when you bought it. With that he gets alittle excited and says No. Spin forward to this year and I hire a lady that looks familiar but can not put my finger on it until I see her husband, BINGO!! It is the owner of the comet, I talked to him about every week and last week he told me I have decided you can give my comet the home it deserves and I am going to clean it up for you and you can come get it!!!!!! YIPPEE!! Persistance and casual conversation went along way, I am picking it up in a couple weeks.

 

I've done this same thing a few times, but never have ended up with a car I was pursuing. However, I heard a good story a few weeks ago. I was talking to this guy and when he heard I was a Ford guy he offered to show me his new purchase. It was a 1970 Torino Cobra. It has the 429SCJ-Drag pack with louvers, Magnums, the works. Best of all it only had 13,500 original miles. He said he's been after this car since it was brand new, and he was a teenager. He apparently lived across the street from this guy who owned it, and even years after he moved away he would still send the guy a letter every year asking if he could buy the car. Each year he was either ignored, or firmly told NO! Well, long story short, the car belonged to an 80 year old man, and when he finally got too old to even walk, his wife convinced him to sell the car. She later said she had watched her husband tear up those letter for years, but this time she finally convinced him to consider selling. She also said that Ford Motor Company had sent them a letter last year asking if they could come get the car to put it on display at their 100th anniversary celebration (he tore that letter up too). I never did get what the selling price was, but the guy I was talking to said he had to take out a second mortgage to afford it.

 

I hope she does fix it up. Then brings it to the Roundup.

 

Theres a white/rot rust 7?cobbled mess of a frankenstien Mavomit in town i've been after for years and the last time i seen it the quarters were flapping in the wind and the paper mechet lookin bondo chuncks were popping out.i sure wish they woulda sold me the car years before when i asked if it were for sale buut nope they needed a rolling crack den and the poor things prob beer cans and razor blades by now

 

There's a green 75' or 76' Maverick a few blocks away from me that I've had my eye on for years. It could be a good car to fix up, if it isn't already too late for the body. It belongs to a little old lady who must be in her 90's. As I understand it, her late husband bought the car new and the mileage on the car is incredably low. She only drives the car to the grocery store and the doctors office. The car sits outside all the time and the body is just rusting off the car. I've seen this lady driving and it's really scary. She must be sitting on 5 pillows to see over the steering wheel and she can't drive in a straight line anymore. You only get one side of the road and she uses all of it. One day I left a note on her windshield with our phone number saying if she ever wanted to sell the car, we would be interested. I never heard from her. I think she intends to keep driving this poor old Maverick until she either has her license pulled or she wrecks it.

 

There's a similar little old lady near me that drives an immaculate light green 68 Chevelle. I saw her one day in a parking lot and as I walked by I simply said hello. She turned and looked at me and said; "Hello to you too, and no, it's not for sale". Apparently my intentions were pretty obvious.

 

Well a little update,, she called me,, car is a 72, not a 71. Wants to sell, I am going to meet her this coming saturday. She is accepting offers at this point. I was right, one more IL winter and it would be gone. I drove by it today and it is rusted pretty bad on the outside now, Usually means disaster underneath. She told me she just had a NEW transmission (automatic) in it. Will keep you posted.

 

i asked my dad for his 71 gt that he bought off the lot new. it was all original with the scoop.it was whight with a red int.i l bugged him about selling it to me but he always said "no".it rusted in my granmothers back yard in la for 18 years. last year he called me and said he sold the car for 200 bucks!!! i hung up the phone on him and didnt talk to him for about 3 months!
now im looking for it.

 

Mr. Starnes,
Good luck. Even parts cars are getting hard to find! I stopped a month ago to ask a woman about 3 mavs she had in the yard. She asked me to call her son. I did but got no answer. 4 weeks later I see him at my son's biddy ball game last night. He just crushed all of them.
Jerryfow2

 

I think anybody that loves cars has a story about some old thing parked rusting away. I too have a 74' two door I've been watching rust away. Also his wife says he's going to restore it just like you did yours someday
soo it's not for sale at any price. They also have a 72' Comet and a 71 Challanger Not for Sale! But, I keep triing to talk them out of the 74' and stories like you guys help's me keep the faith that "One Day" I may own it!

 

I've got too many stories like that to even tell. One though was after we moved up here to Alabama from FL about 9 years ago. We found a 69 Torino Cobra Fastback sitting in a yard right behind a grocery store. We stopped and asked and it was a little old lady who didnt want to sell it, she had it forever. Car was complete and in decent shape. We stopped by every so often and the same story. We'll the city has passed some ordnances, and last year the car disappeared. Probably like many others around here it went to the crusher!