I wish I could explain why this 1973 Mercury Montego grabbed my attention like it did easily, but I don’t know if it’ll translate through right. But here goes anyways…it’s not that the Montego is a blisteringly fast car, or a pretty car…sorry, Ford fans, but neither are really accurate. This is the early 1970s version of the Mercury Sable, a four-door sedan that was the standard, bread and butter mid-size car back in the day. This one appears to be mostly stock save for a set of old Appliance wheels, the ones that spoofed the Cragar S/S five-spokes. The paint is worn and as far as the engine and trans? That’s pretty vague. We know there’s a V8 under that broad expanse of a hood, and we’re banking on a 302 given the car’s overall appearance, though the 351, 390, 400 and 460 options were still on the table. We really doubt the seller’s claim of a manual transmission…a C4 or C6 automatic is the most likely find.

So about the appeal part. The Montego makes me think of a car that a teenager would put together on a budget…dead stock but with cool wheels, on a car that can be cool in the right eyes but was affordable because of it’s looks or it’s status…in this case the Mercury nose coupled with four doors made this car a no-brainer. We bet that the paint could come back to life with a Comet wash and some buffing. This is the car of a great summer vacation, the one where you pack the car with supplies and just hit the road to somewhere like the Grand Canyon, the California beaches or the Rocky Mountains before you have to bite the bullet and accept real life post-high school.

Does that even make sense? I don’t know. But $3,400 for this sled does. I’d just fix the broken taillight and press it into service as-is. What about you?

Craigslist Link: 1973 Mercury Montego