During its nearly quarter-century of production, the Monterey served in different capacities for the Mercury brand, beginning as a top-of-the-line model when it was first introduced in 1950.  By 1972, it had fallen to the base status, where it remained in this position until production finally ceased a couple of years later.  At just shy of 19 feet in length, this 1972 Mercury Monterey here on Craigslist might be worth considering, if you’re one of those buyers who believes size matters.  The 2-door hardtop is located in Edmonds, Washington, where the seller has set his asking price at $7,800.

This one’s another example of a 50-plus-year-old car whose mileage is listed at a meager number, 24,341 to be exact, with no explanation of how the Mercury managed to travel fewer than 500 miles per year.  In all fairness, the owner never claims that this is actual, so there’s always the possibility the odometer is on its second time around.  However, if that’s the case, this land yacht is still in pretty remarkable condition overall, considering the age plus the amount of travel.

Of course, it’s also possible that the mileage is accurate, as the seller claims his Monterey is a local car and deems it as a completely stock and original survivor.  There’s no word on whether or not the paint is still the factory-applied finish, but even if it’s gotten a respray at some point, the body is described as not having any rust or corrosion issues.  The only area of concern I’m spotting is on the passenger side behind the door, which looks like it may have an indention.  If that’s the case, maybe someone with PDR skills can get that pulled out without the need for any touch-ups.

Under the hood, this one’s got a 400 cubic inch V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor.  This engine was rated at 172 horsepower, but for an auto weighing well over two tons, a 429 or a 460 would have been nice to find in the bay.  The good news is the seller says the car is running and driving well, and he also mentions a new starter, distributor, and a recently rebuilt carb.  There are also no leaks reported from any of the drivetrain components.

To confuse the mileage debate even more, just about all of the inside photos depict a condition far better than I’d anticipate an interior that’s now celebrated its Golden Anniversary.  However, the seller mentions that the driver’s half of the front bench has received some amateur repairs, which wouldn’t typically be required at under 25k miles of sitting.  Regardless of the amount of road this one’s seen, the Monterey looks good overall, and I don’t feel the cost of $7,800 is unrealistic for what we’re seeing here.  What do you think?