1971 Plymouth Other

Sedan

4 Cyl.

Automatic

Clear

1971 Plymouth Cricket 7,900 Original Miles!Is this the last Cricket in the States? I'm sure it's the lowest mileage one! Ever go to a Mopar show and NOT see a hemi car? Even as rare as they are, every show has one. Ever see a Cricket? I didn't think so! This is the ultimate (?) rare Mopar if you want to be able to show up in something NOBODY else has! Forget a Mopar show....any show!7,900 miles! There has to be a story..........In August of 1971, Helen Donahue, then in her 60's, wanted to LEARN how to drive. She went to her local Chrysler-Plymouth Dealer and purchased a new (demo) 1971 Plymouth Cricket with an automatic transmission. It had 1,915 miles on it. She kept the car in a car port at her house and started driving lessons. One day not long after she purchased the car, she was backing out of the car port and swiped one of the support posts. The Damage was mostly scuffed paint, but Helen was having none of it. She pulled the car back into the car port and there it sat for 25 years, unused, until she passed away in her 80's. The car was left to her daughter. Her daughters husband had it serviced and brought it from Massachusetts to New Hampshire in 1996. At this point the car had 2,525 miles on it. My Dad had a Cricket in the late 70's and early 80's (I had just started driving, boy was I a hit with the ladies in that Cricket). He always wanted another. Why? I don't know, do you know why your Dad did everything he did? I didn't think so..... So Dad bought the car in 1987 and drove it home to New Jersey, putting more miles on it in one day then had been put on it in 25 years! By 2001 the outside storage had taken it's toll on the paint and chrome. We had the car professionally repainted in it's original color and sourced N.O.S. bumpers. Dad would drive the car to the post office, train station and other local trips for many years. More recently it didn't get used much at all, mostly some local errands. He is now 79 and downsizing his fleet. The Cricket was covered for a few years until he got tired of replacing them or chasing them down after a windy day. The interior has been covered most of the time he has owned it. The floor is solid everywhere. The interior is pretty nice for 45 years old, but the dash has cracked and the top of the rear seat is sunburnt. The car runs and drives good. The tires are like new. The exhaust manifold has a small crack that has been there for years. As you can likely tell from the photo's, the car has NOT been detailed. It will really show great with some attention, but I wanted you to see it "parking lot " fresh. Can you drive it home? Well it has not gone further then 10 miles in many years. I would strongly suggest having it transported and gone over before a long trip.Dad has a passion for his Cricket (Why? See above) and so his favorite son (that would be me) would seek out anything Cricket. This has resulted in 4 large boxes of N.O.S. parts ($$$), a N.O.S. hood, deck lid (in storage in NJ not with car), wheel covers and radio. There is a factory service manual, owners manual, showroom brochures, Master Technician introductory reference book, factory photo's and ultra rare press kit! I even have two Cricket key fobs! There are several sets of keys, including the originals. I am also including two vintage magazines with the original Cricket road tests.This is a great piece of Mopar history. You will have the only one at any car show. People will stop you in bewilderment having never seen one before. You know you always wanted one, and this is probably the lowest miles one in existing. A small bit of Cricket history - First imported in 1971 to compete with Datsun, Toyota and VW. The Cricket was actually a re-badged Hillman Avenger, a product of the Rootes Group of England that was Chrysler owned. Dodge imported the Colt, which was a Mitsubishi built in Japan. They shared nothing in common except their introductory year. The Cricket was done by 1973 and the Colt lived on into the 1990's. There was a Cricket in Canada in 1974 and later, but this was a re-badged Mitsubishi, not an English Avenger. There is no reserve. The last photo's show the car with the correct 1971 wheels covers (N.O.S.) that are on the car now.