Southeast Pa.

[cruzin71]

Hi all, I purchased my first 71 Mustang back in 1974. It was the 429 CJ model. raising a family at 19 and trying to keep that car was not possible. Fast forward kids are grown and I purchased this car 6 years ago. No 429CJ here but the Cleveland is a lot of fun too.

 

[Lazarus]

Welcome from NC.

429s are really cool but not nearly as cool as stepping up and doing what you had to do for your family. Glad you found another one; great looking car!

 

[Sheriff41]

Welcome and Howdy from Texas! Nice looking Mach 1.

 

[71 gbvert]

Welcome from Illinois! Definitely a great looking car.

 

[71ProjectJunk]

Welcome from Texas.

 

[mach71351c]

Welcome from San Diego. Nice ride.

 

[jpaz]

Hello and Welcome from Michigan. Great looking car

 

[mrgmhale]

Hi all, I purchased my first 71 Mustang back in 1974. It was the 429 CJ model. raising a family at 19 and trying to keep that car was not possible. Fast forward kids are grown and I purchased this car 6 years ago. No 429CJ here but the Cleveland is a lot of fun too.

Very nice! And congratulations at being able to grab the horns of your youth like that! I too, am living vicariously through the lens of a very broad view of what I deem to be an acceptable level of behavior for the near-obsessive love I have for First GenerationMustangs and Shelbys. heh heh... And pretty much about that much love for all other sports. muscle, pony cars as well. No apologies, no regrets.

 

[mrgmhale]

Very nice! And congratulations at being able to grab the horns of your youth like that! I too, am living vicariously through the lens of a very broad view of what I deem to be an acceptable level of behavior for the near-obsessive love I have for First GenerationMustangs and Shelbys. heh heh... And pretty much about that much love for all other sports. muscle, pony cars as well. No apologies, no regrets.

By the way (Gilbert M Hale here), my dear, deeply beloved wife, Lynda, is a Mustang/Shelby Chick who not only approved heartily with my "great idea" (yes, it was a really good idea) about buying our 1969 Shelby GT500 for a 6 figure price tag in cash, but she helped make it happen. No hesitation or saying we needed to talk about it a bit. Nope, in the moment I shared with her what I wanted to do she was all in. She even helped my plan (which means "she planned") our road trip up into Ottawa, Canada, to look at the car AFTER we hired a Shelby Expert to fly from Florida to Canada to both validate it was a real 1969 Shelby, and to inspect the Shelby to ensure its condition. She planned the hotel, where we would be sharing a Thank You dinner to the seller, who LOVED that Shelby and only selling because he came across a 1968 Shelby GT500KR and he needed the spare cash to continue its restoration. In a scene others might think bizarre, I promised the seller I would always stay in touch with him and let him know what we are up to with the Shelby, etc. I took my responsibilities in having that torch passed to me as seriously as anything else that important comes up. I would always do right by that car with our friend, Paul Cote of Ottawa, Canada, and take the best care possible of that gorgeous 1969 Shelby GT500. I sensed his relief that a "real Mustang/Shelby guy" (me) with a wife who was also pleased with the Shelby purchase, was at a very positive extreme. He found the right kind of buyers of his beloved 69 GT500. To this day it is the most treasured physical "thing" I have in my life. I LOVE Lynda more, and family and friends. But short of that I LOVE that 69 GT500 most. To this very day.

But wait, there's more! Not long after we acquired the 69 Shelby, Lynda found the 1973 Mach 1 Mustang we ended up buying the day after she told me it was for sale. Was I at least as excited as Lynda was? Or was she just playing along because she knew it made me feel good to get yet another vintage pony car? I don't care, I am so happy she and I have stumbled on an interest that was very in common with each other. We $pent beaucoup bucks-a-mundo on that car, for love of the breed, and in direct opposition to what any financially oriented action would have been for someone not as obsessed as we apparently seem to be. Not one regret.

And, yes, there is even more... Once again, Lynda got a call, a year after we purchased the 73 Mach 1, about yet another early model Mustang for sale in Albion, NY (about an hour drive). She suggested we should just go and look for the fun of it. (yeh, this one is also gonna be a good story)... We arrive, see the Mustang and read the placard that tells us the car was barn stored over 40 years, and has only just over 19,000 original miles on it. And it gets "worse." It is in its original condition everywhere except the convertible top had to be replaced after all those years, and the tires had to be replaced as the original tires has begun to have cracks in their sidewalls - new tires were installed. Oh, and it did have its oil changed every couple of thousand miles, although over a very long stretch of time. This was beyond being a creampuff. We just don't see cars like that even once in a lifetime...

So as I am looking at the gorgeous interior and exterior I am trying to think of a way of telling Lynda she ought to tell me that getting it is a good idea (it has to be her doing), It turns out that Lynda was trying to think of a way to tell me we really should be getting this very exclusive Mustang. I truly thought I was going to have a hard time selling a 3rd pony car - especially because Lynda was well aware of the fact i planned to by a new Shelby GT500 as soon as Ford began to make and sell them again. Yes, she knew that, yet she is standing in front of me telling me we should get this car, right now, telling me we need to buy that convertible. Okay, a quick call to our banker to be prepared to provide the cash that afternoon about 10 minutes before they were to close for the day (Saturday, early afternoon), while scheduling the delivery and payment for the vert for early the following morning. We did not try to negotiate anything from the seller. His asking price was fair, we had the cash, we made the deal - and everybody is (still) happy. The next day we had our 3rd vintage pony car, and Lynda is as happy as I am.

Then a few weeks later we get "the call" from our local Ford dealer (John Cortese, and he is also a good friend who did more for me than anyone else ever did in the business world. And believe me, some folks have been very kind and generous to me - but John Cortese eclipses them all. He was able to take our order for a new 2020 GT500. Could we be down there at the dealership the next morning? YES!!!

And the next day we were there to place out order and but down a nominal amount of "earnest money." We made our selection of options, laid down an amount of cash that was many. many times more than what would have normally been expected (usually $100.00), and advised we would pay the balance in cash once the car arrived and delivered to us. And, yes, Lynda is okay with this, even making certain we are all very clear that we wanted to get that car. And we made certain by way of gifting we made our deep gratitude well known to them (no, not a bribe. Not at all!). A truly, sincere couple of heartfelt gifts. On 1/3/2020 we paid for and took possession of our new 2020 Shelby GT500 with a heart pounding 760 SuerCharged Horsepower!

So, anyway, it is not just me who is afflicted with a passion for Mustangs and Shelbys. So is Lynda, or at least I am living the life of a person who truly believes this to be the case.

The point is I get how much someone can come to love these old vehicles... I am living the dream.. In so many ways. But, within those many ways comes the passion for First Generation, and subsequent, Mustangs and Shelbys. And Lynda is at least as responsible for it as I am... Just sayin'...

 

[droptop73]

Welcome from west Michigan!

 

[mjseakan]

Welcome from Central New York.
Mike

 

[bucketlist fastback]

Welcome from Newark,Delaware

 

[goodnigh]

Welcome from northern California.

mike