I've been looking for a project car on and off for the past two years. Something I could work on with my son and enjoy. There were plenty of options within a few hours of my house, but the challenge was finding a good candidate in my price range, and at my skill level.
I don't have easy access to a good tow rig, and while I can tackle a lot of things, I didn't want a project sitting in boxes, or advertised as "ran when parked... 30 years ago." I also didn't want something rare, that's hard to find parts for, or that I would be scared of driving because of its value. I wanted a driver. Something I could daily if I wanted, or point down a two lane road for a long weekend.
Space is limited to one half of a suburban two car garage. Years ago, I learned a valuable lesson after disassembling the front end of a 924 Porsche in a single car garage - if you are married, and want to stay married, it's a good idea not to kick your wife's car out of the garage in winter.
I looked at several cars. There was a 1967 Plymouth Satellite that appeared original, with a numbers matching 383 Commando V8. It didn't run, but was complete and the owner was willing to drop it off at my house. The body had not rusted away, but the car had been sitting in a barn for a long time and the interior looked like a run down rodent Ramada. The price was almost too good to be true, which made me hesitate on pulling the trigger. It turned out it was too good of price, as the car was sold the day after I looked at it.
I also looked at a 1968 Corvette Stingray. It was a running, driving, original car in LeMans blue. Unlike 85% of the Corvettes, it was also a four speed manual. The only problem was that it was at the top of my budget, and the car had a bent frame that had rusted through at the rear suspension mounts. I was not ready, nor did I have the skill to do a frame off restoration.
The next few weeks were a blur of cars, a couple of AMC Javelins, more C3 Corvettes, Triumphs and several MGBs. Then I stumbled upon the 1965 Mustang.
There was one picture in the add and the price was high, but was listed "or best offer". It was local, 15 minutes from my house, being sold by the original owner. It was a completely original, un-restored, un-modified, two door coupe in Wimbledon White with Ivy Gold interior. Three days later, I drove it home.
And I've been driving it ever since.
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