1971 Mach 1 with original paint on SF Craigslist

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If I'm not mistaken the add says original color, not original paint. Looks like a fair price for an M code Mach 1 though even though the rear spoiler is backwards.

 
They do state that it is original paint never painted.

If you go look at it to verify if ever painted look for the stamps from the inspectors. Mine are in yellow paint and a W. Look for paint on the screws that hold the door latches both on the door jam and the end of the door. Look around the windows for signs of paint on any rubber or trim. The bolt heads on the fender bolts should not be painted. Look under the car for any over spray. Sounds like the car has been in family to have all the paperwork and records.

It does look to be pretty original for sure.

I attached a picture of end of door on a couple of my cars with the inspectors stamp still showing.

You can see on the brown car that the heads of the screws are not painted.

The black car was painted but not the end of the door. The stamps are in several places on my original car.





 
The door VIN sticker is usually enough for the average car to see if it has been repainted. Of course if there was a color change it will be evident in the code as well. But the plastic edge of the original sticker can hold some of the original color even if there is no color change on repaint. Quick give-away.

Ray

 
On the comment about the rear sitting low. The original stance of these cars was that way. Most think the springs have sagged and they can some but they came low in the rear. One of the first things I did was to put helper springs around the shocks to raise the rear and help with the handling on the autocross courses I ran back then.

I have been looking for the photo album of my car back in the day but have not found it. I have literally thousands of photos in boxes and albums.

I would say the stance is pretty close to original. About the only way springs sag is from bouncing down the road like in Michigan with all the holes or putting lots of weight like a boat or trailer behind the car. Just sitting there does not stress them.

I think this car is one of the better ones to show up on the market. Lots of original going for it. Pictures do lie a car never looks as good in person as they do in photo. Same goes for people, lol. Ever notice how the women on the dating sites seem to age about 10 years when you meet in person. They post old pictures, lol.

I like original cars you see all the faults the factory did not worry about that many stress over today. Door, hood and trunk gaps are never even. They were not made even. The paint jobs were far from perfect with metallic splotches and runs and missed areas. I need to take some pictures of the original 73  vert I have and show the runs in the paint for the Decor Group lower black. There are places totally missed also. The appearance of cars has gotten better but I would rather be able to go buy a Mustang that cost under $5,000 with over 32 options, 4 speed and Q code like my original 73 Mach 1. Today pay $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 up to close to $100,000 and it is just a car made of pieces in less time than it was in the 70's. People are crazy to pay so much for sure not worth the money but the price you pay for admission today.

Is anyone ever going to go look at this car, too far for me to run over, lol. Even though I have driven from N.C. to Albuquerque New Mexico in a Maverick without stopping to sleep. Then on to California and back home in a week. Even visited lots of the parks and Death Valley. Makes me want to get in car and go. Gas prices suck, lol. Humm I still have a siphon hose.

 
Thanks for the reply David!! You certainly know these cars very well.I Believe the asking price is not bad for such an original Mach1 in my opinion. Great color too!

 
Thanks for the reply David!! You certainly know these cars very well.I Believe the asking price is not bad for such an original Mach1 in my opinion. Great color too!
I looked it up in Marti's book 571 made with that color and trim but no verts and no coupes with that combo.

 
$18K for a very original California 71 M-code Mach with a nice option load out? That's a deal in my book and I could care less if it sits a little low in the rear ($250 for springs) or the spoiler is on backwards.

Sheesh, some of you guys could find issue with a $20 on the sidewalk...

 
It boggles the mind that the original Grabber Lime paint would have survived that well for 46 years on a car that is driven. The car could be stored away normally, but they did stop right on the street in order to get out and take pics. As others have stated, the factory paint job should not look flawless and usually would have some orange peel in places. Single stage paint, no clear coat, no wet-sanding, etc. I did a Google image search to see if some of the pics were from another more expensive sale, which is a fairly common scam, but didn't find the pics used elsewhere. Searched the VIN as well, no hits. Decoded the VIN and the other data plate info, and it seems to match what we can see. Can't tell if the 3.00 axle is still in there of course. heh No stripe added to the side or blacked out hood, which in itself is rare (further backing up the original paint claim), and the lower body trim is intact. The seller knows it is a rare color, but the price just seems too low. Maybe the market is soft now or the seller needs a quick sale. Someone had better snatch this one up quickly after a bit of an inspection to see if anything seems questionable. The steering wheel and incorrectly-mounted spoiler aren't a big deal at that price if the rest of the car adds up in person. Funny how people do think that's the way to mount the spoiler, like an airplane wing.

 

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