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Autumn Cruiser: 1968 Ford Galaxie XL

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I can’t imagine a better way to enjoy autumn than in a large convertible taking the family out for a drive. This 1968 Ford Galaxie pushes all my buttons, being in an attractive (to me) color, nicely original apart from a repaint (can I call it a “survivor” with a repaint?), not nice enough that I’d be afraid to park it somewhere but handsome enough that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen in it. It’s located in Huntersville, North Carolina and is listed here on eBay with an opening bid of $5,900 but lower offers invited, which according to some value guides is right at the low end of the current retail market. I think the heavy cast mag-type wheel covers are original, and apart from one of the chevrons being missing off the driver’s side front fender and some soiled carpet, I really can’t find anything else I’d address off the bat. It’s showing less than 56,000 miles, and that might actually be the case. I would love to be the driver feeling the power of the 390 V-8! How about you?

Comments

  1. Avatar Rick

    That is a pretty car. In summer of ’70, when I was 13 y.o. my dad bought a ’68 Ford Custom 4 dr ex-City of Seattle police car. Had only 49K and dad paid $705 at the City of Seattle surplus auction at the old city shops at Haller lake. Kept that car for many years, even tho it was only a 390 2V but had a lot of get up and go, but was hard to muscle around because did not have power steering.. So during summer of ’71, I hot wired it and drove it around while my parents took the rest of the family on vacation (steering didn’t lock on Fords until ’69) Anyhow it had a factory 9 in posi and laid down nice thick smoky twin strips of rubber, Never did get caught, although asshole neighbor (also the happened to be the metal shop teacher at high school that everyone hated) threatened to turn me in. Ultimately I ended up with it in ’82 or ’83 with 149K on it, completely run out by a younger brother who had driven it to college and into the ground, i.e. had half a turn of play in the steering box. So I took it brush running, and after it was all smashed up, and would no longer drive, hooked the throttle spring up backwards and started it up and let the engine free wind – it ran for fully 5 minutes before it blew up.

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  2. Avatar SoCal Car Guy

    I could be wrong (happens once in a great while…) but I am sure that XLs had bucket seats, consoles, floor shifters and, in general, upgraded trim trough the entire interior. This is a nice car, one I’d enjoy if I didn’t already have one or two cars too many, but it ain’t no XL!

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    • Avatar Barry T

      I agree. My first wife and I bought a Galaxie XL convertible new back in 1967 and it had bucket seats and 4 speed manual on the floor. So I doubt this is an XL Loved that car, but we in few years we traded it in on a station wagon due to starting a family and a rag top and small kids do not go well together. After our son was born we never got the top down.

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    • Avatar Jason Houston

      By 1968, the XL had been reduced to a bench seat and 240 cu. in. SIX cylinder, manual shift as base factory equipment! While it was still a separate series, all that made it an XL became optional equipment.

      In fact, ALL the big hi-po cars (XL’s, SS’s, Marauders, etc.) after 1964 succumbed to the vastly improved mid-size cars as true hi-po machines.

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  3. Avatar Charles

    I believe that buckets and a center console were separate options that one could add to the XL package.

    This looks like a nice old car! If it is solid underneath, even if the mileage has rolled around, it should be worth the asking price and could be a lot of fun.

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  4. Avatar Ed P

    Jaimie, there are four chevrons on each side. Due to the uneven spacing on the drivers side, should this car have five on each side?

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    • Avatar Jamie Staff

      Good question, Ed…I was going by the spacing alone. Maybe a Ford expert can tell us?

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  5. Avatar Luke Fitzgerald

    Course it’s an XL – who’d fake it? – sound choice

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    • Avatar Jason Houston

      Sorry, it’s real.

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  6. Avatar Mike_B_SVT

    And for those of us on the West Coast…

    http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/5242174926.html

    Funny, I was just browsing these today. When I saw your post I thought it was the same one I had just looked at earlier.

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  7. Avatar bonneville 64

    The car is an XL. In 1968 Ford dropped the Galaxie name from the XL for that model year. the XL, LTD both had the hideaway head lights. Not a bad buy, but I think there may be some room on the asking price.

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  8. Avatar Tom Member

    Photo commentary sounds like a lot of girls I have dated….Clean, decent, nice top and hidden headlights!

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