What to know and what to look for.

[efish]

Hello!
I have always loved Mustangs and dreamt about owning my own classic car. I'm from Norway so it has been almost impossible for me to get anywhere with my dream. Three months ago I moved to Florida to study and I am now a proud owner of a GT 2008. My dream is to bring back a 1965 Mustang when I go home to Norway in about two years. My problem is that I don't know what to look for or what a good price will be. How do I know if it's a good car? I don't want to end up being tricked into buying something bad. I want a good car, not too expensive. Seems like you guys know a lot about this stuff, and I would really appreciate your help and tips. Thank you very much.
Erik

 

[zookeeper]

If you have two years until you go back, then at least you have time on your side. I looked for 6 months before I found the right vintage Mustang, and while that seemed long, it was worth it to buy the right car.
It sounds like you want a finished car, so lets start with body style and price. If it were me, I'd look for a fastback. There are really no "bad" '65 Mustangs, but the fastbacks simply cannot be beat in terms of rarity, style and value. They are always sought after and always bring top-dollar when it comes time to sell. Having said that, you can fugure on $10,000-$20,000 for a solid, presentable and driveable car. A car that needs more work will be less, a nicer car may be more.
As for condition, never, ever, ever, ever buy a rusty car. They are simply more trouble than they are worth, and in the end it often seems as though they are never quite right. Replacement sheetmetal is thinner than original, and these cars are flexy enough stock without using a thinner structural sheetmetal.
More stuff means more money, I always like to buy stock vehicles. That may seem absolutely hypocrytical from a guy who cut up a nice orginal car to build a GT350 clone, but it's true. If you buy a modified car, it should have exactly the parts on it you would put on it anyway. If you have to replace the seats, transmission, wheels and tires to suit your tastes and needs, you could've saved yourself money and bought a different car.
Lastly, keep your eyes open and keep an open mind. If you have yur heart set on a '65 fastback with a four speed, but a nice, rust-free '66 fastback with an automatic shows up at a good price, be prepared to decide. '65 and '66 Mustamgs are nearly identical and mechanical parts can always be swapped without killing the value of the car, sometimes they actually increase the value. Before you commit to buy, post your find here, lots of experts are always here, and you can usually get an answer within an hour as to whether or not the car you found is worth it, so don't be afraid to take a few pictures and ask a few questions. Hope this helps, Jim

 

[efish]

Wow, thank you very much for your reply! Now I have a much better idea on where to start. Yes, I'm planning to wait at least a year before I buy it, so I've got plenty of time to look for the right one. I would like to spend something between $10 000 - $15 000 if that's possible. It's not a must for me to get the 65, I like everything from 64-68.
I have been looking at a lot of ads at autotraderclassics.com and others and what I don't get is why some cars that seems to be in the same condition can have so different prices.
Just a quick example: Why is this car (1967, FORD, MUSTANG GTA AutoTrader Classics - Buy and Sell Antique Cars, Classic Cars, Muscle Cars) so much cheaper than this one: (1966, FORD, MUSTANG AutoTrader Classics - Buy and Sell Antique Cars, Classic Cars, Muscle Cars). It's probably a obvious reason for it, but how do I know that when I buy? Thank you so much for your help! Means a lot!

 

[zookeeper]

Something's not right about the '67. That car looks perfect, maybe even professionally restored, yet the asking price as at least half of what that car's worth. I suspect either the price is wrong or it's a scam. While the '66 seems a little high on the price for some reason. I don't know how much you know about vintage Mustangs, so here's a brief (for me) explanation on prices.
Most Mustangs were equipped from the factory with a small block that had a 2 barrel carb. These were by far the most common V8-equipped, then and remain so now. You can tell which cars originally had the 2 barrel small block by the fifth letter of the vin#, which will be a "C". The '67 GTA in your example should have an "S" as the fifth letter, indicating the car came with a four barrel 390. These are getting to be VERY expensive cars, and will likely be out of your range of $15,000.
I think you are making an excellent start by setting a price and year range, and I think you can get a nice car for that. To me, it seems as though the early cars (1965-1966) are down a bit in prices when compared to the 1967-1968 cars, especially fastbacks. I have owned both and while I love my current car, I'd love to have another '65 fastback. They are the original Pony car and just have the right look.
Regardless of what you are looking for, there is simply no substitute for a hands on examination before buying. When I bought mine, I was originally lured into a 12 hour (one way) trip to pick up a car I had seen pictures of over the net. I spoke with the seller and he seemed honest enough, but when I arrived, the car was MUCH worse than he told me, so I passed. It cost me $500 in gas, motel and trailer rental, but it was a whole lot better than buying a car that would have cost me 10 times that in repairs. Be patient, be careful and be thorough in your search and you'll find a car you can be very proud to own. If I can be of any help whatsoever, feel free to email me and I'll answer as best as I can. You never know, I may find a fastback for sale somewhere out here and if I do, I'll email some pics.
Hope this helps, Jim

 

[65stanger]

I might add, you DO NOT want to buy the car sight unseen UNLESS you have it checked out thoroughly by someone you trust who knows Mustangs and knows what to look for.
That being said, I would also suggest that when you go to look at your prospects, you take along someone who knows Mustangs and knows what to look for.
A good place to meet and develop this type of connection would be your local Mustang Clubs....check on campus and the local papers as well as the web.
BTW....Welcome to SN and good luck!

 

[BDT 1967]

Dont believe a word the person tells you about the car unless you check it out for yourself, most of the time people are feeding you guff.

 

[efish]

Thank you very much for your help guys! This is a lot of help to me. The 67 GTA was probably too good to be true as the ad is now removed. Thanks for the information about the VIN-number. So I should look for the letter C as that is the most common? I will definitely see the car in person before I buy. I'll try to get in contact with a local mustang-club. That's probably a good idea. It would be really great if you could email me some pictures if you find any fastback for sale. I'll continue looking at the web and maybe I'll find something in my area that I can take a look at. Thanks again for all the help. If I find anything interesting I'll post it here!

 

[efish]

Hello! Here I am again! I just came back after looking and testdriving a 1965 mustang! It was a "1964 1/2", Dearborn, hardtop, cherry red, white interior, 260ci v8 with 164hp. The owner was very nice and seemed to know his stuff about cars so he had been taking good care of it. He bought it a year ago from a vintage-car-collector's wife (husband had passed away).
No rust, almost only original parts, all working. 80K original miles.
He want's 12900 $ for it.
My question is if it is worth it. I need your expertise.
Thank you very much!

 

[pyroman]

That sounds pretty good but you have to be careful about the mileage, it's really easy to lie about the mileage when there are 5 digits on the odometer, it's happened to me before. I sent you personal message with another proposal.

 

[jlangholzj]

Regardless of what you are looking for, there is simply no substitute for a hands on examination before buying. When I bought mine, I was originally lured into a 12 hour (one way) trip to pick up a car I had seen pictures of over the net. I spoke with the seller and he seemed honest enough, but when I arrived, the car was MUCH worse than he told me, so I passed. It cost me $500 in gas, motel and trailer rental, but it was a whole lot better than buying a car that would have cost me 10 times that in repairs. Be patient, be careful and be thorough in your search and you'll find a car you can be very proud to own. If I can be of any help whatsoever, feel free to email me and I'll answer as best as I can. You never know, I may find a fastback for sale somewhere out here and if I do, I'll email some pics.
Hope this helps, Jim

+1 on jim's advice.

we're working on a '68 camaro currently, and it also took us about a year of looking to find one. Like jim, we were also lured into a 13 (HA! got you beat ) hour one way trip. Luckily, it was up by a friends house, so we still had a good weekend. anyway. The owner said that there was some slight rust around the fenders etc. etc. nothing out of the ordinary, but that the middle floor pans had to be replaced. He ASSURED us that the frame rails and rocker panels/torque boxes were good and would not need replacement.
needless to say, we got up there, and i could poke holes though the sub frame with my knife, and the torque boxes were all but gone, the trunk pan was swizz cheese...etc etc. you get the picture. since we thought it was a legitimate possibility to buy it, we drove my 02' F-350 and spent about $500 in diesel (luckily prices were down).


but then we found one up in the cities for a good price as well... Keep looking if its not the one you want, because chances are there's 10 more out there for every one you have seen.

don't be discouraged either, My 68 was stored in a barn in NV for 20 years, and a fella on the camaro forums just found a #'s matching 69' Z28 camaro out in a field in AZ. So there ARE still some "barn finds" out there. you just have to keep looking.

good luck on your search!

-John

 

[2nd Mustang]

My 2 cents:

When I was looking for a "toy" car, I wanted a hot rod, nothing original. I think determining your goal is first.

Secondly the price range which you already have set.

Then you find the most "bang for your buck" and don't be disheartened after you buy that "dream" car because almost for sure, a better deal will surface. Good luck.

 

[65Rob]

If at all possible you should get it on a hoist and see what things look like underneath. Mustangs rust like no other if given the chance like where I am in the Pacific Northwest. I've replaced almost all the sheet metal on my 65 and I'm not done

 

[efish]

Thank you very much for good replies. I saw the car one more time yesterday and checked for rust all around the car, in the trunk, and underneath. No rust!
I'll give you an update if anything happens. Thanks again

 

[efish]

Hello you guys! It has been a while since I have posted anything here, but I just wanted to update you on the stuff you helped me with. I found a great 1964 1/2 F-code coupe in my neighbourhood which I ended up bying in February. It had no rust at all. Great interior. Matching numbers. I paid 13000 $. The car is now shipped home to my dad. Now I'm looking for a car to own myself! I want a fastback. Preferably dark blue or black. Around 20000 $ if that's possible. If you've got any tips or ideas for that please give me a shout! Thanks for all the help you have given me.
Here's a shot of dad's new mustang:

 

[tx65coupe]

That looks to be in excellent condition. Nice!