AMC was always a manufacturer that marched to the beat of a different drummer, but if truth be told, that was no bad thing. It allowed them to produce some of the most adventurous cars of the 1970s, and some of these were more successful than others. The Gremlin was a car that managed to sell in reasonable numbers during its 9-year production life, with more than 671,000 people taking one home. Today, the Gremlin has its own strong following, and maybe it is one of those enthusiasts amongst our Barn Finds readers who will want to give this one a new home. The Gremlin is located in Bessemer, Alabama, and is listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set a BIN price of $5,000 for this distinctive offering from AMC.

If your aim in life is to buy a classic car that will allow you to “chameleon” into the background, then this probably isn’t the car for you. It appears that the Gremlin started life finished in the attractive Medium Green, but someone has chosen to liven up the party a bit. You certainly can’t say that the new color is subtle, and I’m not that sure about the quality of the workmanship involved. Areas such as the engine bay, around the hatch, and the door frames, all still sport the original color. One positive is that the owner says that the car has very little rust, so it appears that at the very worst, the next owner could either choose to complete the color change process properly or return it to its original shade of green.

The interior of the Gremlin has its good and bad points, but the fact that the owner uses it as a daily driver indicates that it is, at least, serviceable. The upholstered surfaces are demonstrating the usual wear, tear, and deterioration that you would expect from an original 45-year-old car. The dash, pad, and door trims all look to be surprisingly good. The cover on the front seat isn’t original, but it does have a tear in it. I would be inclined to replace it when I replaced the damaged cover on the rear seat. Of course, you might also just choose to fit a set of slip-on aftermarket covers if you want things to look tidy on a budget. Someone needs to tidy up the installation of the aftermarket stereo, while giving the carpet a good clean and throwing in a set of floor-mats would also make things look better.

The Gremlin is not a particularly large car, which makes its 2,855lb weight seem to be surprisingly high. This means that when equipped, as this car is, with the 232ci 6-cylinder engine and automatic transmission, performance could best be described as leisurely. However, its performance figures are surprisingly close to those of the 304-engined Gremlin, while using significantly less fuel. Being a daily driver, this Gremlin appears to be in fairly sound mechanical health, and the transmission should have plenty of life in it following a recent rebuild. Interestingly, the next owner shouldn’t experience any electrical faults with the car, as the entire wiring loom in the car has been replaced, from one end to the other.

Gremlins. People either seem to love them, or they hate them. In 1974, people loved them, because with sales totalling 171,128 cars, that was the most successful year of Gremlin production. This one is an interesting car that appears to be strong mechanically, with a solid body. Part of me would like to see the paintwork restored to its original color, while part of me really likes the quirky paint that goes with what is a quirky car. I’d be very tempted to leave it largely as it is, and really stand out from the crowd.