Why?

[Mac]

Always interested in owner's stories about their cars. Most recently at the show in Indy the topic of why you bought your Mustang came up at dinner. Wow, the answers were all over the place. So with with a little more focus, "Why did you buy your 71 - 73 Mustang"? Style, performance, cost or.......

Mac

 

[BUCKWHEAT]

OK, i will go first:
Style: '73 reminds me of the '70 Shelby SCJ that I restored
Performance: 302 2V is a street-able change for me after 20 years of ratting around with my '03 Marauder, which ran into the mid-11.5s
Cost: It was not an issue, thank goodness
History: the '73 convertible was originally sold out of Zone 55, St Louis, where i live
History: The '73 was redone around 1999 by SEMO Mustang, the same time SEMO was putting my '67 GTA convertible together
Use: My wife can jump in and go without giving it a thought.
Condition: It was complete and functional, needing only little projects that I can do myself
Storage: When we bought it we were finishing a 3-car garage so it had an inside home
Adventure: We bought it sight unseen from Gateway Classics in Orlando and drove back to St Louis in it. What could go wrong?

 

[turtle5353]

Couldn’t afford a 70! Lol. But the car has grown on me over the years.

 

[Bill73Ragtop]

In the fall of 1970 during my freshman year in college I saw a 71 Mach 1 parked on campus and loved the styling. That remains true today.

 

[giantpune]

Back in 81 or 82, my dad (17) bought my mom (16) her first car. It was a 71 mach1.
When I was in high school, I decided I wanted one and eventually found me a 73 mach1 rolling body.
And thats when it started for me.

 

[tpj71mach]

I bought a 73 Mach 1 in 1981 when I was 16 for $900.00 from the dealership I worked for. The original owner (a disabled vet from WWII) traded it in for a new Oldsmobile 98 Regency 4 door also white with black interior. I was never a Ford guy but that car spoke to me. After I switched over the plates and stocked it in as a trade-in, I took it for a little test run. That 351 Cleveland had plenty of power and it handled and stopped well, I was impressed. I came back and parked it in the back lot and told the manager I wanted to buy it. First thing I did was add dual exhaust. Next paycheck, I ditched the whitewalls and added 245/60 BF Goodrich Belted T/A's. After a few engine mods, (cam, carb, intake and headers) I had the fastest car in my high school. I should never have sold that car 4 years later and have always wanted to replace it since. Here is a picture of the car as it looked when I bought it sitting at the dealership detail building where I worked. If you look in the background you can see the Oldsmobile used car sign across the street, that's where the actual dealership was. I took that car to prom and boy was my girlfriend pissed that I didn't drive one of my parent's "nice" cars as she put it.

 

[mrgmhale]

For the first Big Nose Mustang there4 was a 73 Mach 1 in our neighborhood that we would pass by every car season. Although at the time I was still of the mind the 71-73 Mustangs were to bloated looking, I always liked that on. One evening, about 4 yers ago, Lynda got a call from a friend saying her neighbor was looking to sell his Mustang due to an illness that kept him from driving any longer. She knew we were into Mustangs and thought perhaps I could help him find a buyer. Knowing where her friend lived Lynda asked, "Not the really nice looking orange one?" Well, yes, that was the one.

Well, Lynda got the phone number for the owner. I called immediately and introduced myself, then said I was the person his neighbor thought could help find a buyer for his Mustang. The owner told me he did not want the car to wind up in the hands of some high school kid would wreck the car or get killed by racing around. He wanted to find a buyer who knew and appreciated those vintage Mustangs. He told me he owned of for 35 years, having bought it from a friend who was in the Navy back in the 70s. He had replaced the engine with a street/strip built 351 W (not C), and replaced the rear axle gears with a 3.5:1 TractionLok unit. By now my tongue was figuratively on the ground. I just had to see it for myself. I offered to come over and get a look at the condition.

In order to make a strong impression re: us being Mustang people we drove over in our 1969 Shelby GT500. When the owner came outside he saw the Shelby, and it was obvious I had made my point re: being a serious Mustang/Shelby guy. "Is that your Shelby?" "Yes, we just acquired it a few weeks ago after a lifetime of trying to find one with the options i wanted (factory A/C)," I replied. I then looked the Mach 1 over and asked what he was looking for. He said, "$17,500," I told him the price was way off what it ought to bring. He looked bummed, then I said, "Let me look at what these are selling for in this good of condition. Your asking price is too low." Well, he was surprised when I told him he was shooting too low, and looked relieved he was not going to get beat up on his pricing.

We went home, and I looked at Hagerty pricing. The next morning we went back over to see the owner. "Bob, I looked at Hagerty pricing to see what these are selling for in the condition your Mach 1 is in (truly excellent), and they range from $22,000 to $26,000. Would you be willing to accept $24,000 cash with a buyer who truly appreciates these vintage Mustangs?" "You bet, yes," he said. "Okay, let's check the title and go from there." We helped him get a title issue cleared up and then I told him I already found a buyer for him if he would accept $24,000. "Cool, who is it," he asked. "Lynda and I will buy it if you like." "But, you just talked yourself into paying more than I was going to ask!" "Yes, I did. I was not about to go through life knowing I stole a car as nice as yours. Fair is fair, and I am always fair in all my business dealings."

After buying the Mach 1 we added Classic Air A/C, replaced the instrument panel (it used to have all idiot lights) with a Dakota analog gauge panel, installed a dual electric fan cooling system, and installed a full length center console. A year later we did a deep re$toration, and swapped the C4 auto tranny with an Automatic Overdrive (AOD) unit.

https://youtu.be/_Fl0B-qmlLI

To say it is a pleasure to drive that Mach 1 is an understatement. It has plenty of power, and the AOD keeps the RPM to about 1,750 at 60 MPH. The Classic Air A/C system makes certain anyone in the car will be comfortable, even on hot days. It is a treasured vehicle, along with our other pony cars, and it has won a few trophies from several car shows. I have kept in touch with the owner over the past few years, and even take the car out to see him once in a while so he can see what we have been doing with it. Luckily he approves of the upgrades and enhancement we have done (GPS, backup camera, DashCam, etc.). One time he asked me, "So, tell me something. When you told me I should ask more than $17,500 did you know you were going to buy it? I mean why would you do that to yourself?" I then said, "I did want not feel guilty about what we paid for the car. Your price was so low it would been like me stealing it from you, and I have to face myself in the mirror every morning. Besides, I wanted to be able to come over and chat with you once in a while. Had I taken advantage of you I could not have brought myself to face you ever again." In all the years I ran my own computer consultancy I never got hurt by being fair with clients. If nothing else they knew they could trust me. To this day I feel how I treated the seller has paid dividends I never expected, and the extra $6,500 we paid over his initial asking price is not missed. I feel good about ending up with a nice car to care for without being unfair with the seller. He and I are friends to this day. For me it is always about the relationship.

 

[mrgmhale]

Well, we also have a 1973 Mustang Convertible. So, that means I have a 2nd story to share... About two years after we bought the 69 GT500, and the summer after buying the 73 Mach 1, Lynda got another call from a friend saying there was a barn sale a little way out from our place, and she thought we should go take a look at it. It was early Saturday morning, and we had nothing planned, so we went out (in the 73 Mach 1) to take a look. When we got to the barn sale we parked and start4ed to look for the Mustang being sold. It was parked on the side of the barn, and had a placard telling a bit about the car. It was a 1973 Mustang Convertible, and it truly looked like it had just rolled off the showroom floor of the selling dealer - gorgeous condition. The placard said it was a 73 Convertible that had been stored in the barn for over 40 years as the prior owner had become very ill and the family wanted it out of the garage. Everything was original except the roof had been replaced, the original tires had cracked sidewalls so they were replaced, and the original wheels were replaced with Magnum 500s. Then the shocker, the car has just over 19,000 original miles due to being barn stored for over 40 years! Geez!! No wonder it looked so good.

About this time my wheel were spinning, as I was trying to think of a way to tell Lynda we ought to buy this gem. As it was we already owned the 69 Shelby, and had purchased the 73 Mach 1, and had just put down a deposit for a new 2020 Shelby GT500. The last thing we needed was another pony car We were out of room with our garage. I was about to tell her we should buy it when she said, "We will likely never see a Mustang in this condition and this mileage ever again. I love it. We should buy it." Wow! My dear wife is aa real Mustang/Shelby chick! Cool!! The owner was looking for $24,500. We did not fgrind himm on the price s it was a fair price. I called our local ban and told the manager we would be there just before closing and needed $24,5000 in 50s and 100s for a car purchase. She said no problem, and off we went to get the cash.

The next morning the seller and is wife had come over in two cars. I counted out the $24,500, and he handed back $500 of it saying, When you said you would pay cash I thought maybe you meant a check. This is cash, cash, so I want you to have this back." Okay, not a problem. In the meanwhile, during the prior few months we had just added a 3rd car garage to our house, so we had room for the new vert, plus the new GT500 on order at that time. So, how crazy was that deal? Well, let me ay this. I knew it was a 302 2v engine, and the factory code showed it had a very steep 2.79:1 rear axle ratio. I never even bothered to test drive it. The owner started the engine so I could hear it run, and asked if I wanted to drive it. ?No need for me to drive it. Even if I had to rebuild the engine and tranny this car is worth having and keeping, "I said.

Once we had the car I put it up in the air (we have a 4 post life in our garage) snd found the underside was spotless. Not a bit of rust nywhere, and the paint is in prefect preserved condition with no sun fading. We ended up installing A/C in it, like the Mach 1. And because the Mach 1 dual electric fn system worked out so well I did the same for the vert, even though it never had problem with running too hot. And because it also had all idiot lights we got Dakota VHX panel for it also. And I added a GPD & backup camera, as well as a DashCam. We have kept the rest of the car in its original, well preserved, excellent condition. It is a blast to drive, despite not being a high performance kind of car like the Mach 1 and our GT500 Shelbys (1969 & 2020). It is one of our most treasured possessions. We ended up buying a 2nd house n our area just to have two more garage stalls to park all the pony cars (Lynda later found a 1997 Honda Del Sol SI sports car with 30,000 original miles on it, so we bought that also). Life is always exciting as we have several cars to tinker with and work on. Fun times...

 

[BigBlue]

Love the stories!
I'll share mine.
When I was a teenager in the early 2000s, in the infancy of what was becoming my hardcore obsession with cars, I was really into 65-68 Mustangs. Like, really into them (my dad had a '68, which I now own). My dad had a little book called The Ford Mustang by Jerry Heasley, and I'd read the 60s section countless times. I never wandered into the 71-73 chapters because the look was just totally alien from the previous years and I couldn't relate. Well, one day I just dove into the 1971 section and I got hooked. I absorbed all the little details, the body lines, the differences from the older models... and the cars seemed so futuristic in comparison. Well, retro-futuristic by that point.
At the time, I daily drove a '70 Cougar XR-7, and as I drove to the post office after school one afternoon, my passenger pointed out an "old car" he spotted from the corner of his eye. Just so happens... it was a '71 hardtop. First time I'd seen one in the flesh. I probably would've been more impressed if it had been a Mach 1, but this faded little coupe, hubcaps and all, just stole my heart in an instant. And it was FOR SALE.
I saved up for months to get my hands on it, and my grandpa even offered to give me the rest of the cash so I wouldn't lose it, but by the time I went back, the owner had decided to keep it.
I wanted a 71-73 so badly, I went on a frenzy to buy one. Long story short, after several options (including a red Mach 1) lined up, the owner of that little hardtop called me back with a change of heart and offered to sell it to me. And I've had her ever since. I even sold the Cougar to be able to keep the Mustang (Yeah, don't know what I was thinking either).
I don't know why I became so enamored with the "big nose" design, but I always felt it had a Syd Mead/Flying Car/Shark-y vibe, not to mention what a great platform it is for building pretty much anything you want.
I also enjoyed for a long time that it, along with the Mustang II, was ousted as a true Mustang. Always did like oddball cars. They were less common, and by extension, much more interesting to experience than the regulars at the car shows. They're getting popular now, but it was fun while it lasted.
Anyway, there it is. Let's hear more stories!

 

[Bill Perkins]

For the first Big Nose Mustang there4 was a 73 Mach 1 in our neighborhood that we would pass by every car season. Although at the time I was still of the mind the 71-73 Mustangs were to bloated looking, I always liked that on. One evening, about 4 yers ago, Lynda got a call from a friend saying her neighbor was looking to sell his Mustang due to an illness that kept him from driving any longer. She knew we were into Mustangs and thought perhaps I could help him find a buyer. Knowing where her friend lived Lynda asked, "Not the really nice looking orange one?" Well, yes, that was the one.

Well, Lynda got the phone number for the owner. I called immediately and introduced myself, then said I was the person his neighbor thought could help find a buyer for his Mustang. The owner told me he did not want the car to wind up in the hands of some high school kid would wreck the car or get killed by racing around. He wanted to find a buyer who knew and appreciated those vintage Mustangs. He told me he owned of for 35 years, having bought it from a friend who was in the Navy back in the 70s. He had replaced the engine with a street/strip built 351 W (not C), and replaced the rear axle gears with a 3.5:1 TractionLok unit. By now my tongue was figuratively on the ground. I just had to see it for myself. I offered to come over and get a look at the condition.

In order to make a strong impression re: us being Mustang people we drove over in our 1969 Shelby GT500. When the owner came outside he saw the Shelby, and it was obvious I had made my point re: being a serious Mustang/Shelby guy. "Is that your Shelby?" "Yes, we just acquired it a few weeks ago after a lifetime of trying to find one with the options i wanted (factory A/C)," I replied. I then looked the Mach 1 over and asked what he was looking for. He said, "$17,500," I told him the price was way off what it ought to bring. He looked bummed, then I said, "Let me look at what these are selling for in this good of condition. Your asking price is too low." Well, he was surprised when I told him he was shooting too low, and looked relieved he was not going to get beat up on his pricing.

We went home, and I looked at Hagerty pricing. The next morning we went back over to see the owner. "Bob, I looked at Hagerty pricing to see what these are selling for in the condition your Mach 1 is in (truly excellent), and they range from $22,000 to $26,000. Would you be willing to accept $24,000 cash with a buyer who truly appreciates these vintage Mustangs?" "You bet, yes," he said. "Okay, let's check the title and go from there." We helped him get a title issue cleared up and then I told him I already found a buyer for him if he would accept $24,000. "Cool, who is it," he asked. "Lynda and I will buy it if you like." "But, you just talked yourself into paying more than I was going to ask!" "Yes, I did. I was not about to go through life knowing I stole a car as nice as yours. Fair is fair, and I am always fair in all my business dealings."

After buying the Mach 1 we added Classic Air A/C, replaced the instrument panel (it used to have all idiot lights) with a Dakota analog gauge panel, installed a dual electric fan cooling system, and installed a full length center console. A year later we did a deep re$toration, and swapped the C4 auto tranny with an Automatic Overdrive (AOD) unit.

https://youtu.be/_Fl0B-qmlLI

To say it is a pleasure to drive that Mach 1 is an understatement. It has plenty of power, and the AOD keeps the RPM to about 1,750 at 60 MPH. The Classic Air A/C system makes certain anyone in the car will be comfortable, even on hot days. It is a treasured vehicle, along with our other pony cars, and it has won a few trophies from several car shows. I have kept in touch with the owner over the past few years, and even take the car out to see him once in a while so he can see what we have been doing with it. Luckily he approves of the upgrades and enhancement we have done (GPS, backup camera, DashCam, etc.). One time he asked me, "So, tell me something. When you told me I should ask more than $17,500 did you know you were going to buy it? I mean why would you do that to yourself?" I then said, "I did want not feel guilty about what we paid for the car. Your price was so low it would been like me stealing it from you, and I have to face myself in the mirror every morning. Besides, I wanted to be able to come over and chat with you once in a while. Had I taken advantage of you I could not have brought myself to face you ever again." In all the years I ran my own computer consultancy I never got hurt by being fair with clients. If nothing else they knew they could trust me. To this day I feel how I treated the seller has paid dividends I never expected, and the extra $6,500 we paid over his initial asking price is not missed. I feel good about ending up with a nice car to care for without being unfair with the seller. He and I are friends to this day. For me it is always about the relationship.

Beautiful Car

 

[kcmash]

I wanted a 66 Fastback. We watched the Want Ads in the Kansas City Star every day. My dad spotted a 71 Mach 1 for $600 and suggested I buy it, fix it and flip it for the car I really wanted. ( My older brother bought his 71 Mach for $2000). I bought the car and it grew on me. I never did sell it, now it seems that's all I am known for.

 

[Mac]

My interest in Mustangs including 71-73's goes way back. In the late 60's I had a '66 K-code coupe with a bench seat that had a fold down arm rest that I had purchased used from Conway Ford in Austintown Ohio for $900. Beat the tar out of it and gave it to my Dad when I left for active duty with the Army (big mistake). Much later when I came home from active duty I had driven past a Ford dealer late at night and saw a '71 Grabber Lime Green Mach sitting on the corner of their used car lot. Going back the next day I learned that it was a left over demo. 351 Cleveland 2V with approx 5,000 miles on it. After much haggling, I hung my dog tags on the rear view mirror and brought it home for $2,995. Still have it, dog tags on still on mirror. Never seen winter and have kept after it. Along the way I added options I would have ordered back then; high rise manifold with 4100 Ford 4 barrel, dual exhaust with correct Ford rear valance with twin cut outs, full length Ford console, Ford ram air with blacked out hood (already came with NASA hood), Magnum 500's and under hood / trunk lights. About 10 years ago, I noticed that after all this time of waxing my Mach that the enamel paint was thinning, starting to show primer at some of the high points. So I had a body man friend take it over one winter to take it apart, paint the parts individually, then reassemble it. Even today, she looks great and gets a lot of thumbs up and smiles when I take her out. Turned down quite a few offers, but I can not bring myself to part with her. Kept her this long and have every piece of paper work she came with including build sheet and 2 recall papers; one for an o-ring replacement in shoulder harness and the second to put some God awful stickers on the dash warning that my FMX trans could slip out of gear. Just turned 41,000 miles still going strong.

 

[Hemikiller]

I built a lot of plastic models as a kid, and the MPC 71 sportsroof always spoke to me even though the kit itself was trash. A classmate in HS had a green 73 Mach 1 and I loved the look if that car. One of my customers on my paper route had a 71 or 72 coupe that I'd always take a minute to check out. I had an opportunity to buy a driver 70 Mach 1, 351-2V auto car for $700 my junior year, but my parents shot that down. I guess a bright yellow car with stripes and a spoiler wasn't their idea a good first car.

I ended up buying a 73 Grande' my freshman year of college. $75 for the car, $35 for a battery and $5 for gas. Drove it back to my apartment 30 miles away. I learned a lot on that car, and some of it's parts are in my current 71 Mach, 35 years later.

 

[Kilgon]

I was fortunate enough to have grown up during the muscle car era. Over our younger years, my older brother and I had a number of them. As we got older, we both developed difference interest, his in his plane and flying, mine in my family and competition trap shooting.

My brother was in his mid 50's when he decided he wanted to get another classic car. I don't know exactly how it all came about, but he ended up buying a 71 from somewhere in Tennessee. He had them put a 460 with a C-6 and a 3:70 trac loc in it. The car was in fair shape but needed a complete rebuild as far as interior, rusted cowl, some minor tail rust repair and paint. He intended to have the car redone but never got around to it. He would drive it around locally and to and from the airport where he had his plane.

In June of 2016 he was diagnosed with stag 4 lung cancer and given 8 months to live. Even though the news was devastating, we had hopes that some of the new treatments would help extend his life. Unfortunately, none of them did. In January of 2017, when all hope was lost, he offered me the car. I was honored to accepted it and I spent the next several years rebuilding it in his memory. I know he is riding next to me whenever I take it out.

 

[Electric Wizard]

OK, i will go first:
Style: '73 reminds me of the '70 Shelby SCJ that I restored
Performance: 302 2V is a street-able change for me after 20 years of ratting around with my '03 Marauder, which ran into the mid-11.5s
Cost: It was not an issue, thank goodness
History: the '73 convertible was originally sold out of Zone 55, St Louis, where i live
History: The '73 was redone around 1999 by SEMO Mustang, the same time SEMO was putting my '67 GTA convertible together
Use: My wife can jump in and go without giving it a thought.
Condition: It was complete and functional, needing only little projects that I can do myself
Storage: When we bought it we were finishing a 3-car garage so it had an inside home
Adventure: We bought it sight unseen from Gateway Classics in Orlando and drove back to St Louis in it. What could go wrong?

How was your buying experience with Gateway Classics? Did they represent the car accurately? They have several showrooms over the US and I'm looking at purchasing another classic.

 

[Electric Wizard]

Love the stories!
I'll share mine.
When I was a teenager in the early 2000s, in the infancy of what was becoming my hardcore obsession with cars, I was really into 65-68 Mustangs. Like, really into them (my dad had a '68, which I now own). My dad had a little book called The Ford Mustang by Jerry Heasley, and I'd read the 60s section countless times. I never wandered into the 71-73 chapters because the look was just totally alien from the previous years and I couldn't relate. Well, one day I just dove into the 1971 section and I got hooked. I absorbed all the little details, the body lines, the differences from the older models... and the cars seemed so futuristic in comparison. Well, retro-futuristic by that point.
At the time, I daily drove a '70 Cougar XR-7, and as I drove to the post office after school one afternoon, my passenger pointed out an "old car" he spotted from the corner of his eye. Just so happens... it was a '71 hardtop. First time I'd seen one in the flesh. I probably would've been more impressed if it had been a Mach 1, but this faded little coupe, hubcaps and all, just stole my heart in an instant. And it was FOR SALE.
I saved up for months to get my hands on it, and my grandpa even offered to give me the rest of the cash so I wouldn't lose it, but by the time I went back, the owner had decided to keep it.
I wanted a 71-73 so badly, I went on a frenzy to buy one. Long story short, after several options (including a red Mach 1) lined up, the owner of that little hardtop called me back with a change of heart and offered to sell it to me. And I've had her ever since. I even sold the Cougar to be able to keep the Mustang (Yeah, don't know what I was thinking either).
I don't know why I became so enamored with the "big nose" design, but I always felt it had a Syd Mead/Flying Car/Shark-y vibe, not to mention what a great platform it is for building pretty much anything you want.
I also enjoyed for a long time that it, along with the Mustang II, was ousted as a true Mustang. Always did like oddball cars. They were less common, and by extension, much more interesting to experience than the regulars at the car shows. They're getting popular now, but it was fun while it lasted.
Anyway, there it is. Let's hear more stories!

What became of the 70 Cougar?

 

[BUCKWHEAT]

How was your buying experience with Gateway Classics? Did they represent the car accurately? They have several showrooms over the US and I'm looking at purchasing another classic.

Gateway did what they said they would. No surprises. The process does not disclose all the issues, good and bad. My recommendation would be to ask them to get in the car and tell you the A/C works first-hand. Same for heat. Then ask if it drives well enough to get you home. In my case they showed a video of the car running and driving. That helped. Ask for good enough pictures of engine compartment and undercarriage. That helped me as well. When we picked up the car, the rag joint was really sloppy. We drove to a small car shop and had them tighten it up, good enough for the 1200 mile drive home. They also helped with paperwork to prevent paying sales tax to two states.

 

[BigBlue]

What became of the 70 Cougar?

No idea. My cousin bought it and ended up trading it for another classic car (don’t remember what it was). Never heard about it again. I kept the VIN written down with some other papers at my grandmother’s house while we moved and she threw it away -__- So I’ll never know where she is.

 

[Spike Morelli]

I was actually looking for an El Camino, or a Ranchero, to tow my boat with. As I was thumbing through the ads in the Auto Trader, I saw an ad for a "71 Mach 1, "straight", for $1000. That was cheap for even 1990, I called, ......the guy said the car was straight and running. I was at his place within the hour. It looked great, he started it, I threw $1000 on the hood, and within minutes, I drove it home. I gave it a detailing and a tune-up . Still have it 33 years later. I use it a lot. I overhauled the 351, replaced the interior twice, re-painted it twice, replaced the entire suspension as time went on, as necessary. It keeps coming back for more. Being a Ford owner, you may occaisonally have some Chevy enthusiast attempt to give you crap over having a Ford, but I tell them, "Get in it, just look at it, it's bitchin' ". "And......it's cleaner and rarer than your car, Spunky." AND, it hauls arse! When new, I wasn't knocked over with the new '71-'73 styling, but ever since I bought it, ( and having owned a few '65-'66 Mustangs), this is a good car. I never did get a Ranchero/El Camino.

 

[mrgmhale]

I built a lot of plastic models as a kid, and the MPC 71 sportsroof always spoke to me even though the kit itself was trash. A classmate in HS had a green 73 Mach 1 and I loved the look if that car. One of my customers on my paper route had a 71 or 72 coupe that I'd always take a minute to check out. I had an opportunity to buy a driver 70 Mach 1, 351-2V auto car for $700 my junior year, but my parents shot that down. I guess a bright yellow car with stripes and a spoiler wasn't their idea a good first car.

I ended up buying a 73 Grande' my freshman year of college. $75 for the car, $35 for a battery and $5 for gas. Drove it back to my apartment 30 miles away. I learned a lot on that car, and some of it's parts are in my current 71 Mach, 35 years later.

Thank you for sharing your "roots story." I always wondered from whence you happened to come into the Mustang World. Cool backstory.