Patina is so cool that some places can even replicate it on a car that doesn’t have it. Other shops preserve the rusty fenders on cars so that they don’t get worse, knowing that the whole goal is to freeze decrepitude right where it exists. If that turns your crank, you might want to check out the 1966 Mustang convertible here on ebay. It’s got patina galore, and it’s priced at a bid of $6300 with four days to go. That the reserve is not met is no big deal. You might even push it over the edge with your paddle. Then, you’ll get to Mesquite, Texas to claim it. Or maybe you won’t have to—the seller promises free shipping!

One glimpse at this car, and it looks right. Is the paint original? Hard to know, but it’s all faded evenly enough that you can just leave it alone. The top? Stained, and possibly leaky, but you’re not going to leave the car outside in the rain, now are you? The mileage? Showing under 80,000 on the reliable C-code 289 with the standard 2-pot carb. The possible downsides? There’s a four-speed, which is cool, but no power steering, unless I’m not seeing it. The car has been sitting for over eight years, and at least three different times, the seller mentions that it’s a project that someone can work to get running. There’s no indication of recent work, and no promises are made as to its fitment for use.

Looking at the images, it is striking first off that the wheel covers are wrong. These are for a 1965. This prompts one to look at other details, but they all appear squared away. The chrome trim is right. This is the correct pony and corral in the grille. The steering wheel is right. This is the correct gas cap. None of those things are hard to replace, but I would put stock in the idea that you don’t have to. The only drawback might be that the body turns out to be more rough than it first appears. The floors look decent, and in the trunk, where a lot of Mustangs fall down, the car appears to be clean. But the passenger’s side shows a hard-to-measure amount of rust in the rear wheel well, and the driver’s door might have the typical rot-out at the leading edge of the base. If this paint is not original, in addition, the present top coat might be sprayed over filler or prior body work.

So do you take a chance on this car? If you’re OK with living with whatever level of tin worm damage exists for a while, and if you have the appetite for a full resto down the road, then grab it up and drive it until you’re over patina. Then do a driver-quality restoration and put it back on the road. While you’re at it, make a color change if you’re not too keen on the green.