Two Cars -- One Built, One Bought                               

Curtis had been on the lookout for the “right” classic Mustang for years. Some were not worth what was being offered and counteroffers were not accepted, others were more work than we were willing to take on at the time. In December, 2001, we saw the 1967 convertible with a “For Sale” sign – this became the one that was too good to pass up. The previous owner had done some “work” to the car: he swapped out the original 289 engine for a 302 V-8 (good thing as Kelly fell in love with the V-8 the first time she drove it), he built a rack and put a hitch on it to carry his canoe (this came off as soon as the car was home), he carried around a gallon of water to refill the radiator each time he drove the car (the radiator was immediately replaced) and he installed an alarm system (the wiring/lights still act up occasionally). After putting a Flowmaster exhaust on the car, we drove it for about 3 months – looking at Christmas lights with the top down and going on weekend day trips. Then it was time for the real fun to start.

The car ran fine, so the work that was needed was mainly cosmetic. We began taking parts off the car and stripping paint. As new parts began arriving, we quickly became best friends with the UPS man -- he still waves when he sees us driving the car he helped deliver. After many weekends and a lot of work (front bumpers are a pain to reinstall), the car was close to done. The interior had been updated with new carpet and some new trim pieces; the exterior had received a new paint job. The seats were finally put back in, and after 18 months, we were able to take the car out for a drive -- on Curtis’ birthday in September, 2003. The 1967 has seen a lot of the surrounding hill country since that time. The only thing that made us nervous was when it was on the dyno at Murillo’s (someone else had control and we had to just stand and watch).

In 2005, Kelly got the bright idea it would be “neat” to have another Mustang – one 40 years newer than the ’67. She set a goal of purchasing a 2007 Mustang and was told she couldn’t plan a mid-life crisis. She came close – who knew you couldn’t order a 2007 after May, 2007. In October, 2007, a new 2008 Mustang GT convertible was ordered from Ford – candy apple red paint, parchment interior, parchment top, 18” wheels and an interior upgrade package. In late December, Southway Ford finally called and said the new car was here. The trip home was interesting as the skills needed to drive a car with a 5 speed manual transmission were quickly relearned. The new Mustang sits beside the classic in the garage. To date, no upgrades/changes have been made on the new car and none are anticipated in the near future. We have been enjoying the new car -- it has been on several weekend drives (yes, it will get up and go) and it gets driven to work more than originally anticipated. There are definitely advantages to having a new Mustang – air conditioning for when it gets REALLY HOT, power steering and brakes, a quieter ride and better gas mileage.

BUT, no matter how long we have the 2008 convertible, it will never be a classic 1967.