The Find

So the plan was to find a Mustang this spring.  The truck had been paid off for about a year, finances were in order, and it was time to find the Mustang I have always dreamed of owning. 

One day in early April, I was looking through different Craigslist ads and other classifieds.  I wasn't having much luck finding anything that interested me, so I decided to see what was on EBay Motors.  I will be the first to admit I don't trust EBay Motors.  I am sure there are good cars sold on there all the time, but unless I can physically go and check out the car, I would not be comfortable plunking down any kind of money on a car based on pictures alone.  Plus with the auction time frame, it just feels like a rush decision and hard to do proper research.  Historically, I have used EBay Motors as a barometer for current pricing trends and that is about it.

So here I was, checking EBay Motors and all the sudden this one car catches my attention.  I click on the details and there is just something different about this car.  There were a ton of pictures showing everything about the car.  Exterior and interior shots from all sides, engine bay pictures, under body pictures, truck pictures, there was little left to wonder about this car.  It also had one of the most detailed descriptions I have ever seen for a listing.  The owner has had the car since high school graduation in the 70's, the car had a restoration back in the 80's, he listed all of the details of the restoration, he listed what needed work after 30 years.  You could just tell this guy cared for his mustang over the years.

This thing looked great, and it had a Buy It Now price that was a deal if you ask me.  So I decided to contact the seller.  "How does the car run?  Any over heating or fuel issues?  Any rust issues?  Does it have a clean title?" etc.  And I get back another detailed filled response.  Could this be the real deal?

I start floating the listing around to a couple of my buddies to get their impression, hoping it doesn't sell.  Everyone says I should look into it, so I go to ask the seller another question and I notice the auction ended with someone paying the Buy It Now price.  Dammit!  Oh well.  I knew it looked too good to last.  I did send the seller a message saying that if the deal fell through I would be interested, but you know what, it was probably better off that way.  It was still early in the spring and there would be other mustangs.

The engine is a balanced 302 with a Boss camshaft and mechanical lifters

So 10 days goes by, and I get a message from the seller.  The deal fell through.  Holy crap! 

I call the seller, we talk about what went wrong with the deal, talk some more about the car, and I even get a number of a local body guy that has worked on the car as a reference.  I called the body shop and talked to the reference and he told me everything about there car and there really were no surprises.  Everyone that I have talked to about the car says the same thing, it is a solid older restoration.  It's not perfect, but it is exactly what I have been looking for. 

I got back with the seller and told him I am interested, but can't make it out to Indiana until May and he was fine with that.  I gave him my word that I would come to see it this coming weekend (5/7) and we have been in contact ever since.  I have been extremely pleased with the whole process so far.  At no point have I felt pressured to make a decision, and all of my questions have been answered with no run around.  I still want to see the car to make sure there are no surprises, but I have a good feeling about this one.  I guess we will find out on Saturday...