Merle Haggard’s home town of Bakersfield, CA is where this beauty can be found. I can’t imagine Mr. Haggard driving a light blue 1978 Mercury Zephyr, but who knows. This one is here on craigslist with an asking price of $5,000. Not a small chunk-o-change, but this non-haggard car looks like it’s in showroom condition.
This whole era was somewhat maligned for its combination of regulations and build-quality. I was just coming into my driving age around the late-70s so I’m a fan of vehicles from that time. Who’s with me on that?! (crickets)
There is no denying that this car is in fantastic shape. Like Mr. Haggard, even the color of this car is non-pretentious, it’s simply known as “Medium Blue”. Merle would be proud. 1978 was the first year for Mercury bringing back the Zephyr name, here as a fancy twin to the Ford Fairmont and a replacement for the Mercury Comet, believe it or not. Of course, the Comet was a fancy twin for the Ford Maverick. What a change.
Unfortunately, there are no interior or engine photos of this car, but the seller says that this car has 61,000 miles and has a “6 cylinder engine with automatic transmission a/c and heater work tagged and smogged ready to go”. This car would have about 85 hp, which is a bit less than some owners’ cars have. The interior doesn’t look plaid to me, judging by the photos in the ad, which is a shame. Plaid interiors are always so much more interesting than solid colors are, as are plaid pants, which you most likely would have had on if you got one of these new in 1978. I’m guessing that it would look like this inside of this blue beauty.
If a person was looking for an unusual, nice, inexpensive newer-yet-older car for goofing around with on weekends, this one would surely stand out in the crowd. When the late-70s cars came out, like this nice non-haggard Zephyr, did you ask yourself, Are The Good Times Really Over For Good?
Source: barnfinds.com
