In its second full year in production, the Ford Mustang turned in its best sales performance – one that would never be duplicated. More than 607,000 copies of the “pony car” were assembled that year, including this Tahoe Turquoise example that’s been relegated to a standalone carport. From Trumansburg, New York, this neglected ‘Stang is ready to be brought back to life and is available here on craigslist for $10,000. Another nice find from Mitchell G.!
The ’66 Mustang came standard with a 200 cubic inch inline-6 with a floor-shifted 3-speed manual transmission. That’s the pairing which looks to be in the seller’s car. I had a ’66 Mustang, too, back in the day with this same economical motor, but it had an automatic tranny. For the period, this was a thrifty auto to drive as mine consistently got 25 mpg during the aftermath of the 1970s OPEC oil embargo.
We’re not given much in the way of history on this 90,000-mile Ford other than it has “sentimental family value.” That sounds like it quit running and was parked under this carport until someone finally got around to deciding it is time to part with the pony. Photos suggest that the body may be okay except for a ding or two and rust isn’t jumping out at us. The turquoise paint has faded to where blue seems the predominant shade.
No photos of the interior are provided, so we don’t know how much work will be needed inside there. These were simple cars when they were new and maybe this will be a solid project to restore. Everything is original, according to the seller, which suggests everything on it is from 1966 except for routine consumables and several years’ worth of dirt.
I, too, like you had a ‘66 coupe with the I-6 but with the 3 spd stick; it was the Vintage Burgundy and a decent car trade (he wanted my orange metallic CL77). Running TWO Cherry Bombs as he’d split the exhaust at the manifold, it was about making more show than go but still a fun car..
This one looks as it may have had a critter under the hood, but the car looks good for being parked partially covered under an open carport in the dirt. It’d be worth a looksee up close and personal but their may be hope if the inside is just dirty too.
$10,000 though sounds like it may be a little TOO sentimental family value.
My first car was a 66 Mustang white with blue interior. I could live without the V-8 but I had to have a stick. Back then you were not cool if you had an automatic. The engine needed rings so I swapped it with another I-6 and then I went and got my buddy so we could do doughnuts in the park parking lot. In doing so, I destroyed the tranny. It took me forever to find another 66 3 spd. We didn’t have the internet back then.
I blew the manual tranny in my 65 stang back in about 1986 and my stepfather was able to find a falcon transmission and swapped the internal gears and whatnot as the outer cases were different but the internals were the same! At one point the shift rod slipped off of the ” rebuilt” manual sticking the gears halfway between while the car was moving and blew the tranny again! At that point I had a second parts car with an automatic in it so aI converted it over?
The license plates are from Oregon. Those plates were issued in 1988. I wonder what sort of sentimental family history brought the car all the way to a car port in New York?
Sentimentalism might boost interest in a mundane car. Are your heart strings worth getting pulled for a couple thousand dollars?
Jay Leno famously said that he buys cars for their story (and if he’s getting a great deal).
I’ve been looking for a six cylinder three speed ’60’s Mustang for years and they’re very hard to find. 90% of the 6 cylinder Mustangs I’ve found for sale had automatic transmissions. Maybe all the 6 cylinder Mustangs with manual transmissions got junked years ago.
Interesting observation TomP. We know there were tons of six cylinder early Mustangs, and surely there were quite a few with three-speeds, but maybe most are now gone.
Could be similar to finding a four cylinder late year Fox Body. Yes, that wasn’t a very desirable powertrain, but there were many built. However seeing one today is rare. Maybe most have been junked (or the four-cylinder replaced with a 5.0).
Bob in Tn, I think you’re right about finding a four cylinder late year fox body. My sister has one I’m summarizing for her. I went to three different auto parts stores yesterday looking for various parts and none of the workers knew that the four cylinder engine had eight spark plugs.
Add the money that become V8 automatics.
We did 2 (late 70s), the parts were cheap and readily available from wrecked or rotted donors.
Parked on grass/soil for years = underbody rust, no? And no interior shots, either. So figure the interior is trash.
So what is the math here: Buy for $10k, spend an additional $20-$30k restoring and end up with something worth $20k or less after spending $30-$40k? And it’s not even a V8, but a 6-banger. Makes no sense.
When did buying a classic cars ever make sense ? It is all about memories and emotions !
I had a ’66 K-Code convertible that was hit in the rear quarter by a black Monte Carlo that took off (a hit & run). I sold the car for $500. That was in 1981. A few years later, I received a letter from someone that had acquired the car and wanted to register it. I was the last known registrant and they wanted to know if it had been stolen. I cleared the way for them to register it. Nowadays, I couldn’t afford to buy that car again, but it was a great car to drive while I had it.