The Maverick -a pretty good car before all the BS ruined the name.

Today’s car is (likely) a 1976 Ford Maverick sedan I spotted parked at a muffler shop in the burbs.  Mavericks were made from 1969-1977 and were a rear wheel drive compact entry-level vehicle that was originally offered only in a 2 door configuration.  The Maverick replaced the Falcon in the Ford line up, and was offered in colors with names like “Anti-Establish Mint” -which is what is pictured here.  There were other fun names, like Hula Blue, Freudian Gilt (a yellow-gold color), Thanks Vermilion (red), Dresden Blue, Gulf stream Aqua, Raven Black, Meadowlark Yellow, and Lime Gold.  Makes me wonder why car names and paint names aren’t so much fun anymore.  Ford does offer a green paint called “Lime Squeeze”, but it’s not a fun as “Anti-Establish Mint” green.

The Maverick cost around $2,000 brand new in 1970 and throughout its production run, was available with a variety of engines including a 3.3L in line 6 cylinder that made 81 HP and 151 lb ft of torque, a 4.1L in line 6 cylinder good for 87 HP and 187 lb ft of torque, and a 5.0L V8 that made 138 HP and 245 lb ft of torque.   

Maverick is a good name for a car.. Or it was, anyway.  The term was used by ranchers to refer to a cow that was unbranded or didn’t run with the herd.  Thus, the rebellious paint names, like Anti-Establish Mint.  This car came out a few years after the introduction of the Mustang -arguably the best named car ever.  But don’t look for Ford to revive this name plate, because the term Maverick was pretty much ruined a few years back during election season when Sarah Palin overused and abused it.  In fact, the Urban Dictionary defines the term Maverick as “A throwaway word used by Sarah Palin when she doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about.”  If Maverick means unbranded cattle, then the only connection I could see to Palin would be in how much bullshit she spouts.

Mavericks didn’t stick around for too long, though they had a good run at first.  I tend to think of them as the less charismatic younger sibling of the Mustang.  But, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get one if you were looking to build yourself a muscle car.  They provide a good platform for modifications and upgrades, and they’re not too bad looking.  In fact,  for a brief while, the Maverick was offered with a “Grabber” package that included the following:
-a 200 cu in I6 engine (the 3.3L mentioned earlier) with an option to upgrade to the 250 cu in I6.
-Black painted hood stripes and grille
-Side body stripes
-14” rims w/ trim rings
-Dual racing mirrors
-Decklid spoiler
-3 speed manual transmission
-Black vinyl interior
-And your choice of 5 grabber colors:  Grabber Blue, Grabber Orange, Grabber Green, Vermillion, and Bright Yellow.  These are all very vivid colors.

Later Grabber packages changed things up to include white bodies with grabber colored stripes, or nearly two tone paint jobs with grabber colors and white.
The thing about the Maverick is that it’s a decent looking old car, and one that people didn’t particularly treasure, so there aren’t too many of them surviving to this day.  They’re very easily modifiable, and if you tune one up, you’ll have a nice, fast little car that will stand out among the sea of vintage Mustangs and Camaros you’re likely to see at Rod and Custom shows.  I’d aim for a Grabber Maverick to start with -don‘t get a sedan. 
I did a bit of looking online for Mavericks, and found that you can get a junked out or rusted out old beater version for around $1,000, and on Ebay, one can buy a decent, well preserved example for around $6,000-$7,000 on up to Autotrader asking prices of over $10,000.  If you’ve already got an engine and transmission sitting around waiting to be used, and a lot of time and patience on your hands, then one of the old beaters might not be a bad choice, provided you pull it from a rust-free area like Arizona or something.  Otherwise, starting off with a nicer one for a bit more money will probably save you cash in the long run and give you a more complete car to start with.