Others may be able to give you more detailed info, but to my knowledge the Maverick is basically the same platform as the Mustang with a slightly shorter wheelbase and (obviously) different sheetmetal. I've seen some pretty nice Mavs around and have even considered going the Maverick route for the same reasons as your friend (mainly cost).

 

I've seen a few Mavericks at my track. One is silver and has a mild 351W and runs 13's. I've also seen a couple of Grabbers. I would concentrate on the 71 to 74 models and be sure and get one that has front disc brakes. I saw a magazine write up on a Boss Maverick(the one Ford never built) that had a Boss 302 in it. I had a Maverick Grabber in highschool and through college. I wish I still had it. It was a great little car. I believe they are very similar to the early mustangs if not pretty much identical except for the sheet metal skin and interior.

 

Boy, If I found a nice Mav, I'd grab it if I could. I thought they were cool!

A few years ago, I needed a new car for work. I came across a '77 witha 250, C4 and 2 dr with only 6,000 miles. My wife gave me such a ration of poop because it was a 2 door. i didn't get it. Boy was it solid and straight!

 

a few years ago a buddy of mine had a comet Gt which is merc. version of the maverick. It had a strong 302 4/speed. It ran real good on the street. he also drove it daily. So a maverick could be a fun car to drive depends on how its built

Rick

 

Going by what's around here Mavericks are hard to find. At least running one's anyway.

 

I've seen plenty of mavricks just down my street(two of them in a one block radius) If hes looking for a car on a budget then why is he looking for a daily driver project? only after a couple of months of work is a classic car driveable IMO get a cheap ass civic and work on that project car till it's a shiny as a new quarter then dump that pos civic in to a wall or maybe to another poor soul(I myself have never owned a civic but a 2.5l ranger that takes almost anything i've trown at it)

 

A guy I work with has a '75 Maverick. It's a grabber special, white with orange stripes on the outside, and a nice bright orange interior. You can tell that thing was from the 70's. It's a pretty nice car. It's got a 250 right now, but he cut off the muffler, and his car actually sounds louder than my 302. He's told me a few stories about how he scares people in Honda's that cut him off. They see a car made out of metal, louder than their fart cans can ever hope to reach, and they run away.

 

If he is looking for just a cheap car to drive, the Maverick should work pretty well. The key, as with any used car, is the condition. As a project car, I don't think I would put too much money into it. You will never get close to the amount you put into it.

 

You might want to check out this site: http://mmb.maverick.to/

and: http://www.maverick.to/

I would check into going prices and see what you can get for his budget in a Maverick compared to a Mustang. Parts availability would be a concern for Mavericks. I don't know of any in my area. Also, it would make no sense to "settle" for a Maverick if he really wants a Mustang. I would save money for as long as I could and get what I really want. I've wasted a lot of time and money on cars that were great, but not really what I wanted.

 

Yep. Most mustang performance tricks will work on a Maverick.
One thing I do want to point out about them is that the 70/71/72's had the cheap. light weight bumper system. The 73 on up ones had those big A**ed 5MPH bumpers, that I think mess up the looks.

 

[quote) If hes looking for a car on a budget then why is he looking for a daily driver project?

Well, he isn't really looking for a project car, per se. He would have to sell his Buick that he currently drives to work and use that money to buy a car that would be in a daily driver shape to replace it. I doubt if he could come up with even $2k, so even this idea may not work, although he would be happy with a 6 cylinder. And it doesn't have to be magazine ready, either.
Haven't gotten any answer from him if he would even want to go in this direction. I am just trying to give him some alternatives that he may be able to afford. The odds are that he won't be able to do anything. I have offered to give him my 68 Ranchero several times, complete but needs lots of work, and he doesnt' want it.
This may be more than you guys want to know, but a friend of ours(we all had Mustangs and went to high school together) just died of cancer at 43, and that was what made me decide to go ahead and get a Mustang, and now my other friend is feeling the same but he has less than no money at the moment.

 

mavericks are very similar to the mustang.i have 2 of'em and love'em!front suspension is the same,as is the disc brake swap.watch out for the 69.5 maverick,(drop in gas tank,and key on the dash instead of column)this version of the maverick shares the same platform/suspension as the falcon.70-72 has the small bumpers,the 73 has medium front and small rear bumper,and the 74-77 had the ugly big bumpers. (repro parts are aval.but not like the mustang)with more being added daily,as these cars are starting to come out of the woodwork,and can be had real cheap.buying a maverick is way cheaper than buying a mustang,and just as fun to drive.i'm in geneva ohio 45 minutes east of cleveland.if your buddy wants a maverick,send me an email.i belong to the mcci(maverick comet club int.)and can more than likely get your buddy hooked up.take care,chuck. jamesdean@ncweb.com