I had a 1971 Ford Maverick. It was dependable ans easy to work on. In line 6 cyl. But it couldn’t stand the amount of salt MN uses on its roads. It literally rust away out from under me.
A basic vehicle. My mother had one and it did just what it was supposed to do. She lived in the south so no salted road worries.
I had a 1970. They were intended to compete with the Duster and Nova. They were actually upgraded Falcons. I wrecked mine and discovered most mechanical parts from a 1966 Mustang were interchangeable. The front fender design was found on the Pinto and later Mustangs. They got the most out of parts interchangeability.
My 1970 was easy to work on, had little mechanical trouble. It cost $2,000 new.
** It literally rust away out from under me.**
Summer 71, I just turned 17, bought my neighbor’s 69 falcon. Inline 6, 170 cid. 3 speed manual. My plan was to drive it a year, then drop a 302 and 4 speed in it. A year later I could see that the northern IL salt was starting to bubble the paint in several places, so I just drove it for another year. 5 winters and it was looking bad.
Summer 73, I decided to trade for a 71 Mach 1, that had already seen two winters (the owner had bought it fall of 70). He commuted 80 miles a day to a good job, and traded every two years.
Loved the Mustang, but I had bought the same problem. Two years later sold it, and the bubbling was really bad. 5 winters and that car was deteriorating fast.