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One Owner: 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible

Choosing to sell a 54-year-old car that you’ve owned since new must be a tough call, but sometimes, circumstances mean that hard decisions have to be made. That is the story with this 1965 Mustang Convertible because with the owner having to relocate, his pride and joy needs to find a new home. The Mustang is located in Los Angeles, California, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $4,150, but the reserve hasn’t been met. There is also a BIN option available, and this has been set at what would seem to be a quite reasonable $9,800.

Don’t let the appearance fool you, because this Mustang seems to be a bit deceptive. The owner was planning a full restoration of his pride and joy, and it seems that this may have already started. The original Rangoon Red paint has been removed from the majority of the car, and there is plenty of grey primer in evidence. There is also surface corrosion where bare metal has been left exposed. The owner says that the floors are rock solid, so hopefully, the same will be true of the frame and torque boxes. One thing that raises concern for me is some of the visible Bondo. The areas in the rear quarter don’t worry me that much, because this is above the sorts of areas where you would expect rust to develop. The Bondo in the driver’s side rocker is more of a concern, and I would like to know a bit more about that. It appears that all of the trim and chrome that has been removed is still present, while the glass is said to all be in good condition. The owner also states that the top is in good condition, so if that Bondo doesn’t hide any nasty surprises, then this is a project that is starting to show some promise.

Good news on the Mustang comes in the form of the car’s mechanical health. What we get here is a C-Code 289ci V8, automatic transmission, and power steering. This is not the most potent of combinations, but it is still pretty respectable. The owner says that the Mustang actually runs and drives, so it might not need terribly much from a mechanical perspective before the car is fit to hit the roads once again. The owner also claims that the Mustang has covered a genuine 65,000 miles, but doesn’t indicate whether he holds any evidence to verify this claim.

There will be some work required to whip the Mustang’s interior back into shape, and while it isn’t heavily optioned, it does have the original center console and radio. It doesn’t appear as though there have been any aftermarket additions to the car, but the dash pad and some of the upholstered items will require restoration. For instance, the owner does specify new seat covers, but due to the quantity and quality of the supplied photos, it’s impossible to determine the state of other trim items.

I think that we’ve all become pretty used to seeing early Mustang project cars that are riddled with rust being offered for sale with hefty price-tags attached. This 1965 Convertible would appear, on the surface, to be one of the better ones. If it’s as solid and rust-free as the owner claims, then it should be a pretty straightforward restoration project. Even if the next owner were to choose to have a professional whip the panels and paint into shape, bringing the interior up to scratch and reassembling the car should not be too complicated. It’s certainly worth considering if you’re searching for an interesting and rewarding Winter project.

Comments

  1. Avatar Little_Cars

    Let me state for the record I am not a Mustang expert. But since when is a BIN of $9800 reasonable for a project like this? No photos of the top well, or top, or rear seat area where convertibles like to hide their tin worm treasures. Another eBay listing with a car up on four round wheels with a seller that cannot be bothered to roll it out into the California sun for detailed photos. Dark photos of a black interior…thanks! “First year title” appears to have been issued in 1971 so some value in detailing owner history. But, it’s a title from 1971!

    Like 11
    • Avatar belinda

      The first owner may have financed the car when purchased new. Bank held the “pink” till the loan was paid off, then mailed the title to the owner. Many times the owner would either never update and/or remove the lien holder,or wait until they had other stuff to do at the DMV to get an updated title. (My parents had to do this, they had paid off the car some years before, however in order to buy a house they need to clear the lien/cloud on the car title.)
      Other items to note on the title are: A. Title issued Nov. 71, B. Date first sold (3rd line, middle) is 00/00/64, C. Rather low VIN# (685 early Milpitas unit?). D. Owner /sellers sig. line is dated June 14, 2019.
      It has been updated with a new duel brake master cyl. It also still seems to have the SMOG retrofit kit in the upper radiator hose that was required to be installed in the mid 70s Perhaps this car is now in the hands of a re-marketer?

      Like 0
  2. Avatar Don Page

    If there is only minor rust issues, I think 5K would be what it’s worth. He’s dreaming if he thinks he can get that much for it. Maybe he should have taken better care of his “pride and joy”.

    Like 11
  3. Avatar art

    Pride and joy? Imagine what it would look like if he didn’t care?
    One really neglectful owner. This is a mess. Look at the cobbled radiator hose.
    Geez Louise.
    Too many nice Mustang’s out there that were cared for…pass on this.

    Like 9
  4. Avatar Gaspumpchas

    Lousy pics and no pics of the underbelly. Check the cowl too. make sure its not transplant from the rust belt. Could very well be a good solid car but its still a rustang. Check it over good. 10 grand for this- resto mechanically and body- yer probably up around 30 large. Good luck to the new owner. looker over good.
    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 2
  5. Avatar Stang1968

    Where did the Rangoon Red color show up in the item description? The cowls, hood underside, and trunk floor are Vintage Burgundy, not red. The car looks to have been painted red at some point, but I would argue that was not the original color.

    Like 1
  6. Avatar Bob McK

    Lots of green for not much of a car. Good luck to the seller.

    Like 3
  7. Avatar George Mattar

    They made what, 600,000 of these. Keep looking. Believe me, these cars were poorly built and leaked water. Water equals rust. I bought a near perfect 70 GTO in 1986 in Calif. No panel rust, but had a vinyl top. My first mistake. Open the trunk and it was crusty under the hinges after only 16 years. Imagine the rot on this heap after 54 years.

    Like 1
  8. Avatar CFJ

    Find these Mustangs already restored and ready to go for $15-$25K on various sites. Would cost far more to restore this worn-out Pony!

    Like 2
  9. Avatar Roy L.

    Plenty of these around and at good prices. Why waste your time and money on this mess. Find one that the other guy did all the work on.

    Like 1
  10. Avatar TimM

    The workmanship on this car looks like someone had no idea of what they were doing in my opinion!! I would rather buy a car that someone didn’t try to repair then buy a car that’s cobbled!!!

    Like 1
  11. Avatar grant

    Drivers side rocker appears to be pretty much gone near the rear wheel, and you might not be afraid of the Bondo in the quarters but it scares the hell out of me. 10k is insane.

    Like 0

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