Do I want a 65 Mustang fastback?

Cactus said:

In reply to frenchyd :

Always drive before you buy. I thought I really wanted an E30 M3, then I took one for a spin and it was "meh, nothing special". 

 

That said, I'd have the cash in hand when driving the mustang. I don't see any reason it wouldn't be a ton of fun, and I've never driven a stock 65.

I think I've had one or two test drives in my life.  ( remember I've bought 22 new vehicles so far ).  The happiest I am is that first test drive after the car is taken apart and rebuilt by me.  
  My Black Jack spl. Was nothing but a $300 hulk , no wheels, tires, hubs, brakes,  engine,  trans, etc.  

15 k for that project is a fair price and I doubt you could get hurt financially. So go for it and have fun.

Myself, I have come to accept that all old cars, "Classic" or not, are pretty much good looking garbage. 

I value my time in the shop shooting the breeze with friends and restoring or restomoding old cars with visions of what they might be, but have come to accept that I will walk past the finished project 90% of the time and take the Versa rather than a "classic" if I am just running errands.

It runs? I have seen rusty, ran when parked, shells listed for more. 
Where is it located? 

In reply to NOHOME :

I don't restore drivers.  Just race cars. It doesn't make sense to make something old look and drive like new only to use the new up.   
       A vintage race car on the other hand is a really special piece.   Not as fast as new stuff so there is no temptation to push it so hard you ruin it.  But fun to use it right up to the edge without actually going over the edge.  

I had a 65 Fastback for seven years. Under the best of circumstances, they're fairly terrible to drive. I think these cars are really let down by the lack of rack and pinion steering and true dual A arms. The aftermarket can fix those things though, if you want to take it that far. 
 

I think it's a fair price, and you'll never, ever get stuck with it, but before I bought any old Mustang, I'd dump a glass of water or two down the front cowl and see if the carpet gets wet. If that's the case, it's a big job to fix it properly. 
 

These are beautiful cars and I've loved them all of my life, but I don't think I want another one. 
 

If you don't buy it for 15k then setbup a GRM lottery for ot as most of us would jump on it at that price.

ShawnG said:

Have you ever driven one?

If you can mooch a ride in one, drive it for a while and see if you really like it before you sink your money into it.

They really are terrible cars, I've restored a couple 60s Mustangs and driven plenty, they're not well built machines and have always been a disappointment.

It's a personal thing, I just don't like them. 

Be sure its what you want before you send a pile of money on it.

What this guy said above.  Nothing about one of these in a remotely stock form is good.  You have to really like the car; otherwise, you will be the next guy to sell it down the road.

I couldn't afford one of these when they were $4-5k . . .

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

I had a 65 Fastback for seven years. Under the best of circumstances, they're fairly terrible to drive. I think these cars are really let down by the lack of rack and pinion steering and true dual A arms. The aftermarket can fix those things though, if you want to take it that far. 
 

I think it's a fair price, and you'll never, ever get stuck with it, but before I bought any old Mustang, I'd dump a glass of water or two down the front cowl and see if the carpet gets wet. If that's the case, it's a big job to fix it properly. 
 

These are beautiful cars and I've loved them all of my life, but I don't think I want another one. 
 

 

The only good thing about driving my '69 Cougar in stock form was the look.   As Woody notes above, the steering was terrible along with the brakes, suspension, etc.  I've changed out almost every system and the R&P steering is about my favorite mod though suspension and 5 speed are really up there as well.  I'm still saying buy it at that price and have at it as a blank canvas car.  

OP was looking for a 60s Falcon. I'm pretty certain he knows how these drive.

Some of y'all must only be comparing these to modern cars. I drove a '66 coupe last year that was mostly stock except for a T-5 conversion and some sway bars. It was a nice car. Yes, steering is like a pickup truck; vague.  There's hundreds of aftermarket products to solve the steering and suspension shortcomings to whatever level you want. 

Old cars have a charm and sense of participation you won't get from anything modern. Either you get it or you don't. If you don't, enjoy your overweight modern car with all it's safety nannies. Driving stuff from this period is more like riding a motorcycle; you have to assume a certain level of danger, but the reward is worth it for some people.

$15k barely buys you a rust shell today. I'd scoop that thing up in a hot second. You'll never have trouble selling it for that if you decide it isn't for you.

I had a 65 coupe for a few years with a 351, 4 speed, manual steering and manual drum brakes. What ddavidv said is pretty spot on. No, they dont drive like a modern car, but if the steering linkage is in good shape and the brakes are properly adjusted they drive pretty good, just different. It really feels like driving. You have actual involvement with the car. It's not for everybody, but if you enjoy that kind of thing it's not something that can be faked with a modern car. It also wont blend in with 400 shades of grey and beige obscurity that is a modern parking lot. It will be cool, you will feel cool. That also cant be faked.

As to OPs car in question, you wont take a beating at that price. If you put the car together as is you probably wont like it, but go to single 4bbl in 450 cm range (or efi), an OD trans, and some flavor of traction bars and it will be a very enjoyable car.

frenchyd said:

Cactus said:

In reply to frenchyd :

  
  My Black Jack spl. Was nothing but a $300 hulk , no wheels, tires, hubs, brakes,  engine,  trans, etc.  

Just what was it then frenchyd?  A sheet of paper with a VIN?

In response to OP:

Yes. That is all.

In reply to frenchyd :

You know what? I'll soften my opinion. All the best cars I own were ones I hadn't driven before I bought them. It's only the things I really wasn't sure about that I needed to try out. Some of the cars I bought sight unseen turned out to not be keepers though.

If you're gonna buy a car unsure if it's a keeper, it's hard to do better than a 65 Mustang.

Buy it.  You seem to know what a Falcon is like and like others have said you can get it driving and flip it for more money and then look for a Falcon.

I'd buy that. Frankly I'm having to restrain myself from offering a finders fee and trying to get it myself.

That said, I still feel that the 2nd Generation Corvair is the best American sport coupe of it's time, all-out speed notwithstanding.

From the photos it looks like the owner has already spent a lot of money on it , 

that may not be what you would have bought , but it's a pile of parts you can trade off or sell.

was it originally a V8 car ?

My wife had a 66 hardtop with 289 4v and 4 speed.  A very nice car that people always want to buy from us.  But manual steering, manual brakes and no AC made it a less than a pleasant car to drive.  That said, I would buy this fastback and make sure it had those amenities installed and drive the heck out of it.  

buzzboy said:

1 too few pedals for a 65 Mustang

Maybe not for some people, but 100% my reaction, too. 

A 401 CJ said:

frenchyd said:

Cactus said:

In reply to frenchyd :

  
  My Black Jack spl. Was nothing but a $300 hulk , no wheels, tires, hubs, brakes,  engine,  trans, etc.  

Just what was it then frenchyd?  A sheet of paper with a VIN?

When I was 14 I came across a open garage door with the Black Jack in it. Jack Baker didn't want a kid around but I stayed there gradually working my way in and later got invited to my first sports car race.   
    I arrived too early and Jack Baker showed up with the Black Jack special. And again I worked my way onto his pit crew.   Years later I tried to buy it from him but he wouldn't take a kids money  for a worn out used up race car. 
 I had to wait to go through Vietnam a couple of tours etc before I found the remnants in a field by the airport with a tree growing up through it. 
A year later it was on track. 

Toyman! said:

My ex-business partner has decided to part with one of his Mustangs. Last year he bought a Boss 302 car and he's looking to sell his 65 Fastback.

I've been in the market for a 60s-era car. I've mostly been shopping early 60s Falcons but a Mustang would check most of the boxes and be something I could get parts for. 

The car in question is a 1965 Fastback. Original 289 car. He has replaced the floor pans, front fenders, hood, and trunk lid due to rust. I would not be going back original so original sheet metal means nothing to me. I would be turning it into a resto-mod cruiser and occasional track car. Modern suspension, fat tires, A/C, all the stuff that makes a car usable in the south and at the occasional track day.

There is some filler in the lower rear quarters and some rust in the bottoms of the doors but not what I would call excessive. 

The engine in the car has new heads and a refreshed bottom end and has been run but that's about the time he bought the Boss and lost interest. It also comes with a complete running engine on a stand that probably needs a refresh. 

Realistically I could have it running and driving in a couple of days. 

Pictures. 

Both carbs are new.

Values on these are all over the place. He's wanting about $15k for it. 

So do I want a Mustang project or would I rather buy a less desirable car that is complete? 

 

If you want it as a daily driver, maybe a once a year autocross HPDE car,  don't.  
     It's 57 years old.  If you try to update it you will spend a massive amount of money and be disappointed with the end result. 
   If you accept it for what it already is and just clean it up a bit, drive it as the antique it is or turn it into a vintage race car. You might fall in love with it.  

That cowl looks mighty crusty from the outside, and I shudder to think how rusty it might be inside. And the fact that it's missing one of the cowl braces make me think. They just bolt on, but once removed, they can be hard to get back on, as the car settles. It's not impossible, just jack the front end up and let the body sag a bit, but It can give you a general sense of how structurally sound the whole unibody is.

Another place that you want to take a close look at on a Fastback is the rear cowl; the area between the front of the trunk lid and the back glass. Get your head in there and look up. There should be some little stamped torque boxes up in there. If they're weak or gone, you will have lost a lot of the car's strength.

It's the area that says Top View:

Also be sure that it's not leaking around the rear glass. Water likes to sit in that channel and it rusts away.

Cactus said:

In reply to frenchyd :

I thought I really wanted an E30 M3, then I took one for a spin and it was "meh, nothing special".

I had the same experience the first time I drove an E30 M3 on the street. But it was a very different experience when I drove one at Mont Tremblant. Totally comes to life on track. 

LanEvo said:

Cactus said:

In reply to frenchyd :

I thought I really wanted an E30 M3, then I took one for a spin and it was "meh, nothing special".

I had the same experience the first time I drove an E30 M3 on the street. But it was a very different experience when I drove one at Mont Tremblant. Totally comes to life on track. 

I once dated a gal who let me drive her BMW 2002. I was very respectful of it for a bit until she shouted "It's not a fu--ing Buick! Drive it like you mean it!"  Which I did, and promptly had an "aha!" moment. Later I had a similar moment with a Porsche, after which I figured out that if someone offers you the drivers seat in an exciting car, they expect you to drive in an exciting fashion. 

In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :

You had interesting GFs. There might have been more to that message.