History of the 70’s Ford Maverick all the facts & features

[@FullTimeGT]

I really loved the 1971 Grabber. It had a 302 rated at 210hp with a ton of torque and it's weight was only 2800lbs, and it was really easy and cheap to modify to convert this car into a monster at that time. I remember this car was no joke!

[@flyinhawaiian5848]

I agree! I also had a '71 Grabber with the 302, and with some basic mods and a performance tune, it was a force to be reckoned with back in the day!

[@Doc1855]

Yes the 71 Grabber was a beast in its day. Had a 72. It only had 60K miles on it when I bought it. An old lady bought it new (in her prime). She was asking only $1500 in 1995 when I bought it. I drove it for over 10 years and 150K miles. I sold it to an 17 year old who repainted it and flipped it less than a month after the paint job.

[@markreisen7038]

I owned a 1973 Mercury Comet that I bought in 1983 that had the 302 that was a pretty quick little car for the day. Ford should have put the 351 Windser or Cleveland in the Grabber that would have boosted sales. The Grabber was always my favorite Maverick of all time..

[@Doc1855]

@@markreisen7038 Or a 351 Coba Jet

[@cjonesufc]

Many years ago Hot Rod or Car Craft had a pencil-drawn series on interesting hot rod project ideas and one of them was basically the Mustang GT350 paint and graphics on a Grabber Maverick and I’ve never forgotten it. I’d love to build one. They’re one of the cleanest looking cars out there.

[@johnboysoftware7329]

My dad had a 1971 Maverick with a 302. A few years after he got it, when I was 8 or 9 years old, he let me drive it up our driveway and I almost crashed it into a woodpile at the end. He once told me that service station guys were always asking him if he wanted to sell it after they checked the oil. That little car would scoot!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Awesome thanks for sharing!

[@CraigBaileyMinistries]

I was in high school when we bought a '73 used Maverick with the LDO. Great car to drive to school and work. The oil crisis made the old Galaxie look like a gas guzzler, so the Maverick was a good car for the time. Because we had such a positive experience with it, I couldn't understand why Ford just let it die. Thanks for a great historical look at one of my favorites.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching Craig!

[@Doc1855]

The 302 Maverick was an absolute blast to own and drive. I’d LOVE to have another one

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching David! They are still out there but the prices have been increasing lately. The big bumper cars are still less expensive. IF you really want one I would not wait much longer.

[@Doc1855]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs I’d love to have one, but currently I’m restoring a 47 Ford F100 that my father in law bought new and drove it until it died in 2014. It was his personal farm truck that he used around their 10K acre ranch in MT.

[@markreisen7038]

@@Doc1855 fyi: Ford did not build the f100's until 1953, so your 47 was not an f100..

[@Doc1855]

@@markreisen7038 Correct, it was a F1

[@markreisen7038]

@@Doc1855 WOW,do you not know any thing about Ford trucks at all?? The f1 did not come out until 1948 with the Bonus Built trucks.. Yours had to be either a Model 79c (V8) or a Model 7Gc (215 6cylinder )...

[@MelissaMaverick]

Great video! Appreciate the history, this is one I will share. I own a 1971 Maverick Grabber with a 302. That car is a blast to drive and even more fun to show. I meet new people at every car show that all have a Maverick story; their mom had one, their grandma or uncle had one. They all say "but it didn't look like this!" That car brings a lot of smiles.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@quiricomazarin476]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Not a car aficionado, but that was my father's 1st car he ever owned a 1970 model....... He never put on the front plate area " You toucha my car I breaka you face" word plate we bought for him.

[@Fvck-diversity]

My second car was a 71 Maverick, I bought in 87 for 300 bucks, it was a POS lol

[@RRaquello]

My father bought one of the 579,000 1970 Mavericks. I remember when he came home with it, it was a big surprise because there had been no family discussion of him buying a new car. He just showed up with it one day and there it was. As a kid, I didn't really like it. We had 5 kids in our family and it was too small. I also hated hated hated those rear pop-out windows. As a kid, you're always in the back seat, and you didn't get enough air back there with those shitty little windows, and you couldn't roll down the windows and stick your head out, which was always fun on the highway. A couple of things about it: it was the first new car we ever had in our family. It was also the first car we ever had with seat belts. And it was the first time I ever saw velcro. The front seat shoulder straps hooked on over the door with velcro, and I had never seen that stuff before. it fascinated me. I've had people dispute me on this (that such attachments existed), but I distinctly remember that, and unless what my father had was an aftermarket addition he added, it was on that car. We also had had before a Ford Falcon, I think a 61, with a white roof and red body. So we had both the before and after, but no Ford Fairmont. Instead, after bout two years my father traded in the Maverick for a Plymouth Fury wagon, which better fit the size of our family.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your story!

[@musicauthority7828]

GM had little spring loaded chrome hangers, for slipping the seat belts into. above the doors on the headliner in the the sixties. Ford probably figured Velcro was a cheaper way to achieve the same purpose.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@musicauthority7828 I have never seen Velcro used for seat belts. My 70 has loops attached to the shoulder belt (it is anchored into the roof) that hook into what looks like a coat hanger and my 77 Maverick has one piece belts with retractors. They are anchored in the middle of where one would get into the back seat and are quite the pain in the ass when trying to get back there.

[@musicauthority7828]

@@TonysFordsandMustangsI think I the reason GM used those attachments on headliner. is because they didn't have retractable seat belts at least at that time. Ford had two styles of retractable seat belts. one where the retractor is behind the bulkhead. and the other where the retractor is on the floor between the seat and the bulkhead. and the shoulder harness runs up though a triangle shaped loop up on the bulkhead. I guess the proper term would be hidden or exposed shoulder harnesses.

[@RRaquello]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs The velcro was on the shoulder strap that you'd pull down from over the door. I remember it so well because I had never seen velcro before, which may sound impossible because it's so ubiquitous now. I was fascinated by the stuff, sticking it together and pulling it apart (I was only 8 years old-that's my excuse) to the point where my father would yell at me to "leave that shit alone", LOL. Since other people have told me they don't remember velcro in the Maverick, I'm wondering if this was some aftermarket thing, maybe added by the dealer, so wasn't actually a Ford item. I don't know. It's a long time ago. I remember my Mother had a 1965 Chrysler 300 that had an aftermarket air conditioner bolted to the bottom of the dashboard. Not your standard Mopar Airtemp unit. It didn't actually produce much cold air (it mostly made noise). So maybe these velcro attachments were something like that.

[@birkettaustin]

the maverick was so cool haha, great video highlighting that. rebuilding a 74 grabber over the last few years has really made me dive into the history. im in my early thirties and was unaware of this cars existence until my dad showed me a picture of him in his 70. after that i had to have one. cant wait to dive into more videos on yours.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching. I'm going to be replacing the entire cooling system here in the next few weeks. The original radiator decided it was time to spring a leak and I am waiting on the parts to arrive.

[@malcolmschenot6352]

I had a '71 Maverick base model with 3 speed manual on the column. I loved it and it was quick and got fantastic gas mileage. The interior knobs were all falling off but the engine and transmission were great.

[@richdiscoveries]

As a kid in the 80s I like the Ford Maverick. It just had a cool 1970s look, especially the back end

[@smavtmb2196]

The Maverick had more potential but Ford didn't take advantage of it. My first car was a 2dr 74 Maverick my Dad got me shortly after my 16th birthday in 1991 It had a 302 and dispite the big bumpers I loved that car. Wish I never sold it. However in 2010 I bought an early 1970 and I'm now customizing it. The Mavericks popularity was helped in Brazil partly because they had a Maverick GT and offered proper center console, 4 speed manual, Maverick specific taillights and other upgrades never available in North America.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Agreed and thanks for sharing!

[@rodrigokrynicki7045]

Sou brasileiro. Meu avô tinha um Maverick que foi do meu pai e agora é meu. Vídeo perfeito. MUITO OBRIGADO.

[@flyinhawaiian5848]

Thanks for the Maverick history lesson! My first car was a 3-on-the-tree manual, '71 Maverick in Grabber trim, with the 302. I'd been driving my mom's slant-6 powered Plymouth Valiant, four-door coupe, so after inadvertently popping the clutch, and chirping the tires at a stop sign while driving the Maverick home from the dealership, I thought I had a real rocket ship on my hands . . . At least until my first street race against a mildly modified 350 Chevy Camaro, left me humbled and disappointed! Gears, exhaust, intake, and a plethora of other goodies followed over the next two years!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching! I think we all ran into someone who was faster when we first got behind the wheel.

[@philc.352]

I miss my 77 Maverick! When I bought it it had the 250c ( I think) 6 cyl, which I quickly dropped in a lightly built 302. (headers, street cam , Holly carb , and Edelbrock intake) she was medium metallic blue, chrome trim, tinted windows and chrome 5 spoked Cragars with just a slight lift in the back end provided with air shocks. At the time I had two built Mustangs (both 65's) so the Maverick was my play car because I didn't wanna bruise the Mustangs. These days if I had extra money to play with... yeah I'd drop some on another Maverick!

[@mbenz64]

Thank you for this! Back in 1973 my Mom bought a brand new Maverick 2dr in blue, my two older sisters, brother and myself got our driver's license in it. It was so easy to drive, I was so sad when she got rid of it in 1982.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching it's appreciated!

[@mbenz64]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Hi Tony! So as I mentioned, my mom had a 1973 2-door, her aunt in NC had a 1975 2-door. I have read years later that the 75's had a "higher deck". I can only see a restyle of the rear end with bigger bumpers. To your knowledge, is this true??

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@mbenz64 The 5 MPH bumpers required a restyle to the fenders and quarter panels. The 73 was the first year for a safety bumper but it was front only and adapted to fit the car as the rear of the car was unchanged. By 1975 both front and rear bumpers were the larger bumpers. Front and rear lower valances were gone and the fenders and quarters had been restyled.

[@RustyTMercury]

Just got my "First" Driveable car and its a Mercury Comet 1975. Was in love with it the day I went to go look at it and brought it home the same day. It's a fixer and not a maverick but it's still a good car for just being a copy cat pretty much.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

They are pretty much the same car with slight visual differences. Thanks for watching and have fun with it!

[@MrSTOUT73]

My dad bought a '71 Maverick, new. It was the first "new" car he ever bought. 200ci/6, automatic, pretty bare bones. He drove it for several years then I bought it off him and drove it several more years. It was a decent "no frills" car, basic transportation.

[@br951]

The Ford Maverick is a legend in Brazil (specially the V8 version). It was produced in brazil (by Ford of Brazil) between 1973 and 1979. Here we call these classic car by the nickname "Maveco"

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I have watched many Maverick Video's from Brazil. I would love to see a Ford Maverick GT

[@duroshebanja6810]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs A dealership in Kansas City, & one in Georgia modified factory new Maverick V8s cars & the one in GA called them a “Stabber”. Pugmire Ford did them. The ones in KC were called something like a “Twister”? They had great looking side pipe dual exhausts, & a few other nice goodies added. Complete with “Stabber” graphics. IDK if the the Comet was modified by a dealership ? Ford of South America, continued production of the Y Block V8s for two decades after they stopped production in the USA. Ford engineers in SA revised the heads , to a side by side intake port design, improving the engine.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@duroshebanja6810 Twister cars were a regional sales car in the mid west. I know of they made 70 Mach1's & Torino's twisters by applying a Twister decal. I have never heard of a Stabber but I will look into it.

[@jamesstonaker9866]

Had a 75 4 door Mav. it was no looker but it gave 2 years of trouble free driving in 1984 back and forth to college.

[@jimjellyjinjamjimbo]

Ah, my dream car. Hilariously because I loved using the ‘Hurricane’ car in Test Drive: Eve of Destruction that was modeled directly off of it.

[@maverick0175]

My first car back in 79 was a red 72 maverick grabber with the 302 backed by the three speed toploader. To this day it's the only car I still miss owning.

[@ernielaw]

Even though the Maverick had grill and bumper changes over the years the 1977 model still had the same taillights as the original. Also note that those taillights were used on the Pinto from 1971 to 1976, or until Pinto had a light change. On another note Granada was originally intended to replace the Maverick in 1975, but instead the two cars were sold along side one another.

[@henchicken1]

My old 302 71 Comet was a sleeper that would surprise many cars from a stop light, with my air cleaner lid flipped over It hauled ass! And yes they should have continued production they had a pretty decent car that had great name recognition. All they needed to do was update it. Same with the late Crown vic!

[@paullarson3175]

You,my friend, have done a Fantastic job. Thank you.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you very much! It is appreciated!

[@buddyweiser8508]

My dad had brand new early 73 Grabber, with no glovebox. It was a 302 car with every option except air conditioning. Had bucket seats, alloy wheels, etc. He said he went to the dealer once in the late 70’s, and they were trying to get him to trade for a Granada. His response was why would I trade my sporty looking Maverick for that boxy thing? Unfortunately he sold the Maverick and got a Cadillac, which is a long story, but in short he still has it, and it’s still kinda a nightmare of a car. I never got to see his Maverick, and so far I’ve only found one picture of it, it’s not a very good one either. It’s just the back quarter of the car off in the distance. I’m always hoping someday I’ll find a better picture, which should be likely as my family was in the photography business at the time. I’d like to get a Maverick myself, but the price for a nice one is just insane recently. I think it was a year or two ago, I watch a early grabber that was far from mint go for 40k plus on ebay. I couldn’t believe my eyes how fast the price shot up in the final minutes of that auction.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

The grabber is really just an appearance package. Nothing is stopping you from finding a decent 302 car and cloning one. You should be able to do that for less than half the price. Thanks for watching and sharing your story.

[@buddyweiser8508]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Indeed, in fact I have a rebuilt 302 sitting on a engine stand that’s likely got double the hp, if not more that the original. The real problem is I’m in the salt belt, and they are almost nonexistent here anymore. In fact I’ve only every seen three in my life, and one was a four door. That not the rarest car around here though. I’ve got a original first generation 78 Ford Fiesta, it’s the only one I’ve ever seen in person. Not worth anything, but it’s a fun little car. I’ve been tempted to convert the fiesta to RWD, and put the 302 in it, but it’d be expensive to do, and likely still not worth much, and it probably wouldn’t handle as good either.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@buddyweiser8508 If you want something rust free you need to get out to the Southwest. I know that sounds expensive but a road trip towing a car home is much more fun and less expensive than rust repair.

[@Waccoon]

My dad had a Maverick, and he LOVED it. I remember riding in the rear seat and it was perfectly fine for a family sedan. For some reason, I really liked the look of the old salt-disc hub caps. I wish they would bring back that look for a few modern cars. It's sad to see Ford bring back the Maverick name for a truck. Back in the day, even a small 2-door coupe was enough for a growing family.

[@unitedcity_mc4421]

Of course, the original Maverick will always be the best.

[@SgtAl]

I ended up with first my mom's 74 Comet and then my brothers from the same year. My mom's was pretty loaded and my brother's was stripped down both were 250 cid straight 6 but my brother's had a 3 speed standard. It's just one of many cars I had that I wish I had kept. They were both pretty much bullet proof dependable good driving cars.

[@Gracie289]

I bought a brand new 1971 302 white Grabber with a C-4 automatic. With dual exhausts and glass packs, it was the best little car I owned...

[@bad74maverick1]

I have both! My graduation gift was a 1960 Falcon Ranchero and I bought a 74 maverick Grabber. I love them both. Same chassis different animals completely. I also have a 67' and 87' mustang. My Maverick is one of my favorites, just behind my Grandpa's Ranchero. A ford Maverick platform on the Fox chassis would have been a fantastic hit in my opinion. Then again I am a bit biased. I love my 67' 289 four speed mustang. But I also love the creature comforts of my Maverick Grabber. Mine has PS, Disc, AC, LDO exterior option, auto idle kickdown, seatbelt interlock and trim ring package. Of the 23,000 made in 74' 1,300 came with medium bright blue metallic paint and medium blue interior. Only one was ordered that way with a super soft vinyl bench seat. The owner ordered it because he had a bad back as a retirement gift to himself. I bought it off the widow. Second owner 115K thousand miles on a 302 auto.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's awesome! Thanks for watching and for sharing!

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

The last time I was at one of the local salvage yards, I saw a stripped-out Maverick sitting tail-to-tail with a stripped-out Fox Mustang. Just by eyeballing, the dimensions looked close enough that someone familiar with full floorpan replacements could probably pull it off, at least from the firewall back. The front would be a little more challenging, but I've seen crazier things done. I couldn't stop thinking about a Maverick on a Fox chassis for months after that trip!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@TheREALJosephTurner That would be a very cool project!

[@bad74maverick1]

@@TheREALJosephTurner That sounds like a fantastic project!!

[@brydog7188]

In 1974 I bought a used 4 door 71 comet, automatic, 302 v8, and 32,000 miles for $1600. I loved that car.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@simrigpc27b12]

My 1st car was a 71 Maverick with the 200 I6. As soon as I graduated high school in went a 351 and T5 also a 6 point cage. Never upgraded those 4 wheel no power assist drums though 😄

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

As long as you were going fast in a straight line you were fine! Thanks for watching & sharing.

[@merc-ni7hy]

love mavericks...i have owned a few, and even took my drivers test in one

[@billjackson1317]

I had a 71'maverick with a 302v8, no grabber, perfect sleeper with peanut size white walls, real low rear end. Burn rubber like a Olds cutlass.

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

Did yours have buckets or a bench? My non-Grabber 302 had a bench seat.

[@mikekokomomike]

I had two of them, a 200 and a 302. I think they look cool. I bought a wrecked 250 and put the engine in a pickup truck.

[@barriobajaj]

Great vid Tony. Short and to the point. My mom had a plain jane 1976 four door Maverick. Light blue with the horse blanket interior, straight 6, auto, p/s, am radio and blackwall tires with dog dish hubcaps. We loved that car!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks you and I enjoyed my 77 Maverick Last spring all the way to San Francisco and back from Pennsylvania. They do want to drive!

[@musicauthority7828]

Falcon continued production in Australia for many years. the Maverick and the Fairmont both had something on common, they both were excellent drag cars. because they both transferred the weight to the rear of the car really well. that's why they were used so much along with the Pinto by Bob Glidden. I'm not sure what the people at Ford are thinking these days? they must have lost their minds? by reintroducing the Maverick name as a pickup truck. and using the mustang name for an EV. huge mistake in my opinion.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Well Ford doesn't make cars anymore (other than the Mustang) Even those down under are losing everything but the Mustang. Makes me sad.

[@musicauthority7828]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs That's true, but I believe the Maverick would been a more fitting name for a crossover or a SUV. and they could revived a good nameplate from the past for an EV. the Galaxy, it's a well known name from the past and it's really futuristic. and the Mustang is an icon in it's own right. instead of banking on the Mustang name to sell EVs.

[@Aptnumber9]

In 1970 my grandmother traded in her '61 Falon station wagon for a Hula Blue '70 Maverick, She was in her early 60's at the time and she had no kids at home anymore and wanted something sporty. She drove that car until 1980. That Maverick was a huge part of my vehicle childhood. Thanks for sharing the video, brought back great memories.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for sharing your story and for watching!

[@grayjack5021]

In 1971I received a Ford Maverick Grabber for a graduation gift. It was dark green with black stripes, black interior, and black vinyl roof. It had plenty of style and looks with bad breaks and a smog system that was a POS which I disabled later. It would run the 6 cyc. had run of the power. The clock in the floor board quit working. All in all it was a decent car.

[@Tractorman-xj4gt]

Learned to drive in a '70 anti-establishmint 6cyl 250 Maverick... fun car... good memories - thanks for the video !!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching!

[@gregmckinney7178]

I loved my 71 Maverick !!!!

[@stevewhitaker1474]

I had a '71 Maverick; 250CI straight 6 and a 3-speed auto; it ran very well. Really good car. Later I bought a '79 Fairmont; 200CI straight 6; also a very good car.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Those Ford Straight 6's like to run! Thanks for watching!

[@garrymelnyk8084]

I have seen this video before. I still remember the buzz the car created among the average people in the Ford showroom I visited as 14 year old in September, 1969. While nothing groundbreaking, The Maverick appealed to a lot of people, hence the reason you saw them everywhere.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for your comment and feel free to watch this video multiple times ;)

[@robakitt4741]

My mom bought a new 1970 Maverick. Had it for 7 years and put 32,000 miles on it. When she sold it, it had rust holes the size of your fist in the fenders.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That wasn't uncommon for a lot of cars in the 70's especially if you lived in snow belt where they salt the roads.

[@davidhibbs6989]

I had a 74' Ford Maverick 300 edition. I bought in 79' it was white on blue vinyl it had a factory stock 302/2v C6 automatic floor shift. Bright chrome look full wheel covers with D78-14" Red line tires. I could never find any information about this car. It had metal 300 edition badges on each fender and a plaque on the glove box but that was it. Had the car about 5 years. Sold it for the same $800 I paid for it. Had manual steering and brakes, AM radio, clock, and called select shift Air conditioning. It was a really nice car.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That may have been a "District Sales office promotion" edition. These are difficult to find information about because they are unique to one area. Thanks for watching!

[@chrish2666]

My first car when I started driving in 1976 was a baby blue 1972 Maverick. Great car for a 1st car.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

Ah, the Maverick. My favorite classic small car. I always thought the Maverick looked more "Mustang" than the Mustang II. If I were in charge of Ford back then, I would have called it "Mustang II" and sold it along side of the bigger Mustang. Then, in '74 (when the big Mustang was dropped), I would have dropped the "II" from the name- similar to how Chevy dropped the "Chevy II" name after '68 and just called it a Nova in '69. I've just always thought the Maverick looked more like the transition between '73 and '79 than the actual Mustang II. Anyway, I had a Maverick as an 18 year old in 1989/90- a 302 car that was NOT a Grabber, and with a bench seat! It was my one and only "got it off of a little old lady" car with less than 40K on the clock. Interior and engine compartment looked brand new, but it had that sun damaged red paint that would turn your hand red if you rubbed it on the car. I'm still looking for an early Maverick body to build that isn't completely rotted out- a difficult task in Indiana!

[@howebrad4601]

These are just so much more appealing than most of what ford is making lately. And they had COLOR! not just dull blah tones

[@douglasbrooker5834]

I had fun driving the V8 maverick my girlfriends mom owned. It was fast!!

[@falcon664]

1974 I bought a 1970 Maverick, 170 Auto, AM radio and heater. That's all. I installed a rear speaker, painted the grille, headlight surround insets and taillight panel flat black. The car was blue. It was competent, reliable, but the updated paint did not add any excitement. After a year I traded it for a 72 Gran Torino. That wasn't exciting either, but a far nicer car.

[@snoproblem]

I remember a non-running green Maverick at my cousin's place, the bull logo. I was a little kid, though, so no experience driving or maintaining one.

[@kbnikto6056]

Great video! Brought back memories of my 71 Maverick while in HS. 200cid, 3 on the tree, and no AC. Lol. Lots of fun to drive and the bench seat was great. Your date could snuggle up close at the drive-in movies. Thanks for the video!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching and sharing.

[@BigStickStangs]

Great video Tony. I owned a 71 Maverick Grabber. It was black with silver stripes. Of course it had the hood you mentioned. The engine was the 250- 6 cyl. I loved that car. In 1987, someone ran a red light with a huge Cadillac. I T-boned them in the side. My car was buckled up to the cowl. Totaled! Such a shame. I miss that car. Thanks for the video,have a great day! 😀

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you! FYI they are still pretty cheap to buy if you want to relive old times.

[@BigStickStangs]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs That’s a great idea! Thanks

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@BigStickStangs Happy Hunting!

[@BigStickStangs]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Good to see youin Brailfords stream tonight. I had to duck out my phone going dead. Plus I have a Foxbody to put back together!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@BigStickStangs I drop in once in a while. I don't always comment unless there's something I have to contribute.

[@michaelleroi9077]

Drove a lime green and yellow grabber! I LOVED it!

[@cliffords2315]

I had a 74 Maverick with a 302, gold color, it was a fast little car, the engine was great, drove all over the country in it. No AC, but it did have a heater and Radio LOL

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I just got back from a drive across country in a 77 Maverick. Same deal No A/C but the heater and radio were fine.

[@stevem268]

i remember those things well, a friend had one in the late 70's. their biggest issue was rust. if you walked past one, you could hear the tinworms eating away

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

It depends on where you live. Everything in the salt belt rusts. Out west the steel lasts. The interiors bake and fall apart.

[@mkshffr4936]

I always liked the Mav. I always felt it had the feel of the original Stang.

[@ralphbarnes3566]

I loved the mod maverick with the side pipes

[@andrewmosley2588]

My father had one when I was a kid. I loved that car, and we hardly ever drove it. Eventually it succumbed to the weather and age, it eventually rusted out and ended up scrapped.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Sadly that's the story for most Mavericks. They were cheap transportation when new.

[@onefastcyclist]

The Maverick ushered in the Maize period in American cars and helped turn an entire generation to Japanese cars. I was 17 when my dad bought one. The side float on the 1v carburetor starved the engine of gas on right hand corners. The column shifter broke off in my hand. The emblem fell off the grill when the door was slammed. Though I only weighted about 135lbs, my bottom sunk the bench seat almost to the floorboard. Need I say more ??

[@P_RO_]

I had a 71 base-model Maverick with an automatic trans bought used for $200 in Houston back in 83. The owner thought the block was cracked but it was only a popped freeze plug. The 170 engine was a slug but indestructible. I put a head gasket on without a torque wrench and it kept right on going like that. It was a deadly b!+ch in the curves with tons of understeer, something I warned a friend about when he bought a Grabber with a 302 who ditched and flipped his 2 weeks later in a street-race killing him. Eventually the worn rings made it the slowest car on the road and hard to start cold, and it was barely able to hold 50 MPH on level ground. The body was succumbing to rust, and then the rear shock mounts tore loose from the body. I beat the crap out of that car for 5 years and put about 100K miles on it before driving it to the junkyard where it got me $20. I hated that car but didn't have the money to replace it as alcohol and drugs had their grip on me back then, so I just kept driving it for as long as I could. They were good-looking cars though, with Iacocca once again proving that he knew what Americans wanted for style. Too pricey to get one now.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your story. It is appreciated.

[@matthewsmith1941]

My buddy had the mercury Comet all hot rodded up. Cool little cars. His was anyhow.

[@WillyP89Osix]

I'm 35, my first car was a 1976 Maverick with the 250 I6. My grandfather inherited it from an older neighbor that he helped out. He let me buy it when I was 16 for $1,000, and it only had 32k original miles. Since then I have had it repainted and I am currently in process of swapping to a 347 stroker.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's awesome thanks for sharing!

[@markw208]

Interesting and informative video. Thanks for the insight and history. I was a big Ford fan usually liked most of the Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles. When the Maverick was announced most magazine reviews considered it a weak contender for the economy imported car market. However, as you stated it sold incredibly well. Americans wanted the “all new” Maverick, which was actually as most of us know the same chassis as the Falcon/Mustang/Fairlane. But looks are everything and the Maverick looked new. There will always be a market for a solid economy car and the Maverick was affordable and American made. The Falcon/Corvair/Valiant/Dart/Chevy II/Rambler proved Americans want an inexpensive, economical car. Ford did a good job of marketing the Maverick and adding features each year. Isn’t it odd that the Falcon was very successful for awhile, the Mustang was incredibly successful for years and Ford did what they always did by making a success longer, lower, wider & more expensive and then bring out a new model that starts the cycle over again. I wish Ford would have continued with the Maverick, improving it as Toyota and Honda did with their cars and also have a Grabber/Stallion/GT version equivalent to the Nova SS. My parents were Ford people but bought a Buick Skylark in 76 because it had room, a nice interior and a decent engine. The Maverick LDO option would have been an option, but the Buick had a nicer dashboard. Unfortunately the Buick, although quiet and nice to drive had some issues and never got very good gas mileage.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for the kind words, for watching the video, and for sharing your story.

[@markw208]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs , Isn’t it interesting that the Maverick looks like a current model? 50 years old and the design still looks modern. Also, you did a very good job with the details and history of the Maverick. So many of the comments confirm that

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@markw208 Thanks again it is appreciated!

[@mustangmanmustangman4596]

My 2nd car was a 69 orange maverick with the key next to the package tray my sister had a 71 comet gt white w red interior & 302 years later I bought a 76 one owner low miles original paint & perfect interior( green)

[@westrotter7847]

We had 3 of them. They were a really good car. The 1st one was a 71. Green like the one in the video. The kid down the road bought a brand new grabber in 77.

[@Buddha-of8fk]

I had a 72 Maverick. Nothing fancy just Mechanically tough but like every vehicles back then no car bodies held up to PA winters. Drove it a bunch and had some great times in it.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

This spring I drove a 76 Maverick from Harrisburg, PA to and across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and back. Yes they are tough little cars. Thanks for watching!

[@Buddha-of8fk]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Very cool, sounds like a interesting voyage.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@Buddha-of8fk It was and you can ride along here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKjIqqOpr66DiK8

[@Wolfgang-the-Gray]

My father had a 1974 Maverick Grabber with the Boss 302. I loved that car & wanted my dad to keep it until I was old enough to drive. Instead, he gave it to my sister to replace her old car. She kept it a year, then sold it. I was heartbroken.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

They are still out there and have not yet hit crazy prices for a driver.

[@terryleeslaughter4611]

Love the Maverick

[@jimtownsend6139]

Great video.. I had a yellow 1970 Grabber. Bought it new. I think I only paid $2,200 for it. Five years later I traded it for a silver Fairmont. They weren’t the best cars I’ve ever owned, but they were decent transportation.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing and for the compliment! It is appreciated!

[@westrotter7847]

The 71 Maverick was one of my folks favorite cars. Super easy to own. Rugged, Reliable and extremely easy to work on yourself.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Couldn't agree more! Thanks for watching!

[@pattyeverett2826]

As to the Ford Fairmont, my brother bought one. My wife took one look and said "We are not getting one of those".

[@b52crewchief]

I remember my Dad's 69-1/2 Maverick, he bought new. It was Anti-Establish Mint, it had 170 Cid, & 3 on the tree MT.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Those color names were awesome back then!

[@b52crewchief]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs I thought it was a cool color.

[@RichGT350r]

Ford should have kept the Maverick!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I agree. The Fairmont is just too square.

[@barberdoug6930]

I Bought A New 70 Maverick Off The Showroom Floor. It Was Orange Called Thanks Vermilion. Fun Car At The Time

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Very cool! Thanks for watching!

[@cellpat2686]

The Maverick was pretty but the comet had that gorgeous front end and the twin tailights. Very rare to see one today.

[@tommygun4721]

Owned my 1971 Maverick Grabber sense 1978 and let me tell you I've had more fun in this vehicle than I can tell. It has survived two x wives who hated it, LoL

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

It sounds like you have your priorities in order. :) Thanks for watching!

[@mikeyerke3920]

Great job on the video! You earned my subscription. 👍🏻

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Awesome, thank you!

[@serafinacosta7118]

They were popular in Brazil. Available as 4, 6, V8 cylinders. Mostly coupes. Given its short run production , they are very sought after as vintage models. They command high prices . The only challenger then and now we’re Opel’s Rekord rebadge , a.k.a. Chevrolet Opala. The longest production run , 2.5 4 cyl and 3.8/4.1 6 cyl straight engines. Chrysler’s Dodge Dart , also sold in Brazil.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Yes thank you and I am aware of the popularity of these cars in Brazil. Many maverick owners here in the states buy parts for their cars from Brazil. Thanks for watching and for your comment.

[@augusto3217]

Helo friend. Im from Brazil! I have a Maverick GT 75. Good vídeo! Congratulation!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching! Some of the nicest Mavericks are in Brazil

[@augusto3217]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Yes my brother. Unfortunately the price is not for everyone. Here you pay the price for a house in a GT 302 V8. It costs around 300 thousand. And I imported many pieces from America. God save America. My greetings.

[@RickB1792]

A friend of mine bought a brand new '71 with a 302V8 with a C4 automatic. At first I thought it was a weird choice for a new car as we were about 19 years old and there were a lot of cooler choices. But, that car drove quietly, had great acceleration and was built very well. We had put a 289V8 with a 4 barrel Holley carb in my '65 mustang and I could beat him in 1/4 mile drag race, but just barely.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@timothywatson8284]

I own a 74 thats been converted to look like a grabber. Small bumpers grabber hood. 306 with a little juice c4 transmission. Suprises a lot of people.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Sounds awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@danielcapalbo5293]

Maverick was basically a restyled Falcon. Then in 78 the Fairmont was introduced which was the first Fox body Ford.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

I always wish we coulda seen these race in Trans-Am or IMSA.

[@danielcapalbo5293]

1999.00 in 70 is the equivalent of 14000 today. I think we're getting screwed, today. No wonder why my neighbor bought two brand new Mavericks in 1970. One for him and one for his wife. And a new house, that same year. And they had average incomes. Times have changed.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Your not kidding.

[@rogerbennett2025]

when i was 18 i had a 1970 maverick ( used of course 1984) .mine was yellow black like that one at 2.45 ..and it had the 250 straight six .. we put a 302 in it ...buit i remember going to the junkyards for parts .. and ALOT of mustang parts fit right on it with NO modifications -

[@elizabethcherry920]

Here is another less known car by Ford that very few people heard of, the 73 Ford Mexico Maverick Shelby. I read a story about it and it's surprising that you didn't include it in this video

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I try to stick to the cars that were mass produced and leave the very limited cars for stand alone videos when I can actually see one.

[@thomasvess6253]

I really like the Maverick but I love the 75-78 Granada!!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

One of these days I'll get around to making a Granada video. I would like to find one to video first. Thanks for watching!

[@pablocruz62]

I just saw a Maverick sitting in a yard. It had blue and white paint on it. I thought it had to be something different because the only mavericks I remember were just one color. It might be a grabber. Now I have to go look again.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

People can get creative with paint. :)

[@robertpearson8798]

I took driving lessons in a Maverick and my Dad owned a 1973 302 Comet at the time. It was a fun little car to drive and had a decent look to it, but in our Southern Ontario (Canada) climate it rusted out at an incredible rate and would lose traction on anything more than about three flakes of snow. On dry pavement in a more forgiving climate it would have been a better car. Of course a lot of other car models at that time were rusting badly as well.

[@mlc3stooge1]

I'm not a car guy but the first new car I ever bought was the '74 Maverick. I always thought the Maverick was discontinued was because they were too reliable and they couldn't get people to give them up. I went to a dealer in 1978 to trade it in for a new Maverick and was told its replacement car was the Granada. Boy am I glad I didn't get that piece of crap.. The Maverick eventually lasted for a quarter million miles before it was totaled by the guy who bought it from me.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing! That was an awesome story!

[@dynodon9182]

My first car was a 250 cid 1970 Maverick with pin striping inherited from my mother.

[@jackcobbiii1797]

I had a 71 Comet GT, wishing I could find I have the VIN.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Very cool car. Thanks for watching!

[@stevejones8660]

Well done!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching!!!

[@edwardjohnson3547]

It was too good loved mine put a 289 hipo with a c4 was a really fun car

[@annafraley5388]

We had two of those, a green 1976 and a blue 1977. Both were four door and straight six engines. We found Both To be wishy e washy in the front ends but they served the purpose at that time, late 70s.🤔🤷🏻‍♂️

[@ronstewart3431]

My dad used to own a '73 maverick sedan

[@georgehenderson7783]

6:38 "Oh look at this, what, you wipin' the windows?" "Yeah" "Oh look at that, that's nice and shiny"

[@ROYALPRIX]

Reading Iacocca's book, I was bummed the Maverick wasn't mentioned once.

[@hombre1965]

Mid ‘70’s I raced a Grabber that was doing wheelies in the parking lot. My ‘68 340 4 speed Barracuda smoked it.

[@pattyeverett2826]

I just saw a Maverick in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was sitting in back of a business in a lot. I am not sure why it is there or its condition. My family had 3 Mavericks and 1 Comet back in the 1970s. The Comet came along as my sister loaned my parent's Maverick to her boyfriend. He ran it into a building and destroyed it. Two of the Mavericks were six cylinders and one Maverick(and the Comet) had V8s. I actually have the car that the Maverick was based on, a 1963 Falcon. On thing I noticed was that some of the rear welds on the Maverick seem to be weaker than on the Falcon. The welds on the Falcon have never broken, but they did on the Maverick. The Falcon was produced in Australia until fairly recently.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@CoastalAutoReactionCAR]

This one might be a year old Tony, but I’m trying to figure out why you don’t work for one of the major automotive review channels or somewhere like Haggerty you got the chops for it example I just watched a Maverick video that brought me to this one. I have zero interest in the Maverick lol other than it’s old Yet I’m watching every second of this episode and noticing that you actually have your facts correct compared to the last one I watched anyway thoroughly enjoy the videos you make bud

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you very much for the kind words and for watching! I'm not interested in working for anyone really or selling anything for anyone either. I enjoy making content and appreciate people like you watching.

[@dmandman9]

If I’m not mistaken, they offered a semi automatic transmission called the C4 S in the first year or so. I never saw one in the wild. But I read about it in an early owner manual.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's something i will have to look into! Thanks for sharing!

[@dmandman9]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs You’re welcome. From what I understand, it was a ONE YEAR only option available only with the 170 engine. It was discontinued because there was VERY LITTLE interest in it. People either wanted a manual or an automatic. They had little interest in a slush box that they had to shift themselves.