I bought a 1974 Mustang II at the end of that model year (October 1974). Bought it at Kost Ford in Tenafly NJ (long gone), paid the princely sum of $3,200 for it. I worked at Ford's Export Division in Newark NJ at the time, and this 23 year old simply LOVED his Mustang...was a dream come true! When I had first seen one about a year earlier, I told folks "that's my next car"...and it was! (My first new vehicle.) If I hit the lottery some day, the first thing I'm going to do is to buy another Mustang...says this almost 70-year-old. Happy happy memories of working for Ford, and of my Mustang II!
My dad bought one of the first ones in the fall of '73. Overall it was reliable. He bought the v6 with the 4-speed stick. It desperately needed a 5th overdrive gear. At 60 MPH it was pulling 3,000 RPM and at 70 MPH it was roaring....not exactly a high speed wafter. The engine was a german ford V6 and was bomb proof, and very torque-y. You just had to adjust the valves occasionally. Never burned a drop of oil. A super smart friend of mine who was an engineer at JPL at the time, but serviced our cars for extra income, played with the timing and retooled the carburetor....not sure what he did but the car came back acting like it had 50 more horsepower. Ran like a champ for 10 years without a hiccup. Body hardware was solid, AC never needed a charge, and 175K miles without any of the things that break on newer cars, i.e. radiators, water pumps, starters, etc. Never any leaks. Sure it was dorky, but it was well built. Can't say I miss it (it was eventually passed to me), but Ford delivered on an economical car.
In 1983 I purchase a 1974 Mustang II Hatchback automatic V6, I used a couple of months and I sold it to buy a 1975 very nice VW Rabbit 4 door automatic, I REGRET IT.
as a practical car, the 1971 thru 1973 Mustang was a loser too big, too heavy and just over grown. Maybe they were great for the Muscle Car guy, but not for the average person. They weren't even that good for performance, the Camaro and Javelin were winning on the Race Circuit, not the Mustang.
@@OsbornTramain So true, furthermore, unless the 71-73 Mustang was already approved for production by say 1969 or so, the Cuda, Camaro/Firebird, Javelin all had this behemoth beat in terms of size/weight, handling and looks!
Yes, it was one of the most hated generations of Mustangs and one of the best selling; a little like the '77 T-Bird in that respect. In some ways, I think people tended to blame cars like this for what was happening to the industry in general in the 1970s; the fun was over and it was much more obvious behind the wheel of a model that had been a muscle car than, say, an LTD. I don't think it was a bad idea to build a Mustang on the platform of a Pinto, and it looked a hell of a lot better than that drab little trapazoid-on-wheels. But Ford really should have stretched the wheelbase a bit, to clean up the looks and the nose-heavy V8 handling. Even then, there was just no way Ford could offer a real performance engine for this car; the 4 was slow, the early Cologne V6s were unreliable, and the V8 was choked up with smog controls. The 1970s were bad news and the new little Mustang, despite a much nicer interior than any comparable GM car, was the messenger.
I'm thinking they were thinking, "How do we save the Mustang from extinction and create a great selling car?" 385,000 sales for 1974 seems to indicate they were thinking right!
I remember a story my mom told me once about looking at Mustang II's back in 74. She had just totaled her 71 Mustang fastback and when she saw these on the same showroom floor where her 71 had once been, it was like a punch in the gut. The small size, boring/ugly looks, and anemic performance is what turned her away. She disliked the car so bad that she didn't even consider another Mustang until '02 when she got a GT convertible.
weegeemike I’m sure other customers were more than glad she didn’t buy one...more for them, as they were very, very popular, sold very well and actually looked better than the bloated ‘71-‘73. The 302 was a decent performer and the Ghia was a smooth little luxury cruiser that felt larger than its competitors! She should have at least given it a chance though, it was ‘The Right Car For The Right Time’!
The 74 Mustang out sold the 71 and 72 and 73 model years by Hundreds of Thousands of cars.....You Mom might have been disappointed, but the general public sure wasn't, the car sold like hotcakes. Generally speaking the Mustang of 71 to 73 morphed into something it was never suppose to be, big, heavy and kind of ugly.
the Mustang II saved the Mustang at a time when all the domestic competitors were all on life support. the Deuce was more in line with the original concept stated by Lee Iacocca himself .
Honestly, I'd love to see where you get this notion or idea that it's the most Hated Ford Mustang? This was an absolutely wonderful car and factually, it's documented by it's sales numbers. One of the Best Sales years ever for the Mustang. Sales went thru the roof when this car came out. It was the right Mustang for the right Time. Yep, auto journalists didn't like it, mustang muscle car owners and fans didn't like this car, but the public loved it. You're factually wrong on the V8, the car offered a Ford 302 V8 Engine as an option. The V8 was available in all models. These are the production numbers for Sales, 1964, 418 thousand, by 1973, Mustang Sales had dropped to an untenable level, 134 thousand, the 1974 Ford Mustang sales SKY ROCKETED to 385 thousand unit.......I don't think that's "most hated" material. I personally love this car and would be proud to own one. Iaccoca did a wonderful job on this beauty.
Walter Frederick The V8 option was brought back in 1975 and FYI the Mustang 2 is the 6th best selling Mustang so people Did enjoy this generation despite it not being a ground pounder the Mustang was never meant to be a muscle car the biggest engine offered in the 64 Mustang was the 289 Cubic inch V8 that only made 271hp.
Charger Master: Yes, I don't imagine the '64 with a 289 was the fastest car on the road; though 271 gross HP (0-60 in 5.9s with the 3sp-manual) was still much better than the 125 net HP of the '74 Mustang. Anyway by that time people had seen Mustangs with big block engines, and even though most were not shipped that way, the fact that someone might mistake it for a more powerful version gave the late 1960s cars an image boost. Buying a "Mustang" with the same performance choices as a Pinto was bound to be a letdown, even if the car was right for its time.
![FNAF vs TF2 - Episode 2 [SFM]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/z5b3V2-VLb0/mqdefault.jpg)
I bought a 1974 Mustang II at the end of that model year (October 1974). Bought it at Kost Ford in Tenafly NJ (long gone), paid the princely sum of $3,200 for it. I worked at Ford's Export Division in Newark NJ at the time, and this 23 year old simply LOVED his Mustang...was a dream come true! When I had first seen one about a year earlier, I told folks "that's my next car"...and it was! (My first new vehicle.) If I hit the lottery some day, the first thing I'm going to do is to buy another Mustang...says this almost 70-year-old. Happy happy memories of working for Ford, and of my Mustang II!
I hope you get it someday my friend.
My dad bought one of the first ones in the fall of '73. Overall it was reliable. He bought the v6 with the 4-speed stick. It desperately needed a 5th overdrive gear. At 60 MPH it was pulling 3,000 RPM and at 70 MPH it was roaring....not exactly a high speed wafter. The engine was a german ford V6 and was bomb proof, and very torque-y. You just had to adjust the valves occasionally. Never burned a drop of oil. A super smart friend of mine who was an engineer at JPL at the time, but serviced our cars for extra income, played with the timing and retooled the carburetor....not sure what he did but the car came back acting like it had 50 more horsepower. Ran like a champ for 10 years without a hiccup. Body hardware was solid, AC never needed a charge, and 175K miles without any of the things that break on newer cars, i.e. radiators, water pumps, starters, etc. Never any leaks. Sure it was dorky, but it was well built. Can't say I miss it (it was eventually passed to me), but Ford delivered on an economical car.
The 1974 Mustang was the first car I owned!!!
To this very day,I wish I still had one!!!
I think it is the most beautiful mustang.
Its my favorite mustang!
Love these cars. For their time they were just Right🇺🇸🇺🇸☺️
In 1983 I purchase a 1974 Mustang II Hatchback automatic V6, I used a couple of months and I sold it to buy a 1975 very nice VW Rabbit 4 door automatic, I REGRET IT.
By far better than the 1971-73 Mustang! My favorite Mustang generation 👍❤️👍❤️
as a practical car, the 1971 thru 1973 Mustang was a loser too big, too heavy and just over grown. Maybe they were great for the Muscle Car guy, but not for the average person. They weren't even that good for performance, the Camaro and Javelin were winning on the Race Circuit, not the Mustang.
@@OsbornTramain So true, furthermore, unless the 71-73 Mustang was already approved for production by say 1969 or so, the Cuda, Camaro/Firebird, Javelin all had this behemoth beat in terms of size/weight, handling and looks!
@@OsbornTramain Funny though that the current Mustang is about the same size & weight as the 1971-1973 but no one is complaining.
Yes, it was one of the most hated generations of Mustangs and one of the best selling; a little like the '77 T-Bird in that respect. In some ways, I think people tended to blame cars like this for what was happening to the industry in general in the 1970s; the fun was over and it was much more obvious behind the wheel of a model that had been a muscle car than, say, an LTD. I don't think it was a bad idea to build a Mustang on the platform of a Pinto, and it looked a hell of a lot better than that drab little trapazoid-on-wheels. But Ford really should have stretched the wheelbase a bit, to clean up the looks and the nose-heavy V8 handling. Even then, there was just no way Ford could offer a real performance engine for this car; the 4 was slow, the early Cologne V6s were unreliable, and the V8 was choked up with smog controls. The 1970s were bad news and the new little Mustang, despite a much nicer interior than any comparable GM car, was the messenger.
Seeing where the economy is going I think we need another mustang 2 to help us fight the good fight.
Yeah an unfortunate time in history because of smog regs.
I like this version of the 'Stang, but it was so emasculated and insignificant compared to its predecessor.
Ford needs to bring back the Mustang ll.
That won't happen.
What we’re they thinking ???
I'm thinking they were thinking, "How do we save the Mustang from extinction and create a great selling car?" 385,000 sales for 1974 seems to indicate they were thinking right!
I remember a story my mom told me once about looking at Mustang II's back in 74. She had just totaled her 71 Mustang fastback and when she saw these on the same showroom floor where her 71 had once been, it was like a punch in the gut. The small size, boring/ugly looks, and anemic performance is what turned her away. She disliked the car so bad that she didn't even consider another Mustang until '02 when she got a GT convertible.
weegeemike I’m sure other customers were more than glad she didn’t buy one...more for them, as they were very, very popular, sold very well and actually looked better than the bloated ‘71-‘73. The 302 was a decent performer and the Ghia was a smooth little luxury cruiser that felt larger than its competitors! She should have at least given it a chance though, it was ‘The Right Car For The Right Time’!
Carl M The Ford Mustang 2 is The sixth best selling Mustang so people did like these Mustangs.
The 74 Mustang out sold the 71 and 72 and 73 model years by Hundreds of Thousands of cars.....You Mom might have been disappointed, but the general public sure wasn't, the car sold like hotcakes. Generally speaking the Mustang of 71 to 73 morphed into something it was never suppose to be, big, heavy and kind of ugly.
the Mustang II saved the Mustang at a time when all the domestic competitors were all on life support. the Deuce was more in line with the original concept stated by Lee Iacocca himself .
The most hated Mustang to this day.No V8 option in the 1974 model year and Ford got a lot of hate mail on this
Honestly, I'd love to see where you get this notion or idea that it's the most Hated Ford Mustang? This was an absolutely wonderful car and factually, it's documented by it's sales numbers. One of the Best Sales years ever for the Mustang. Sales went thru the roof when this car came out. It was the right Mustang for the right Time. Yep, auto journalists didn't like it, mustang muscle car owners and fans didn't like this car, but the public loved it. You're factually wrong on the V8, the car offered a Ford 302 V8 Engine as an option. The V8 was available in all models. These are the production numbers for Sales, 1964, 418 thousand, by 1973, Mustang Sales had dropped to an untenable level, 134 thousand, the 1974 Ford Mustang sales SKY ROCKETED to 385 thousand unit.......I don't think that's "most hated" material. I personally love this car and would be proud to own one. Iaccoca did a wonderful job on this beauty.
The Mustang II was hated and there was no 302 offered in 1974,one year only.The 1974 Mustang engine options were a 2.3L 4 cylinder or a 2.8L V6 only
Walter Frederick The V8 option was brought back in 1975 and FYI the Mustang 2 is the 6th best selling Mustang so people Did enjoy this generation despite it not being a ground pounder the Mustang was never meant to be a muscle car the biggest engine offered in the 64 Mustang was the 289 Cubic inch V8 that only made 271hp.
Charger Master: Yes, I don't imagine the '64 with a 289 was the fastest car on the road; though 271 gross HP (0-60 in 5.9s with the 3sp-manual) was still much better than the 125 net HP of the '74 Mustang. Anyway by that time people had seen Mustangs with big block engines, and even though most were not shipped that way, the fact that someone might mistake it for a more powerful version gave the late 1960s cars an image boost. Buying a "Mustang" with the same performance choices as a Pinto was bound to be a letdown, even if the car was right for its time.
It's not that bad looking... I mean.... I've certainly seen worse and id drive this car proudly
This car was horrible.