1966 Ford Galaxie 500 XL Convertible (looks and drives GREAT)

GREAT 1966 Galaxie 500 XL convertible. FE 390 and Holley 4 barrel carb. Very stock/original car. It was an Arizona car originally (I still have the keys from the dealership), was cosmetically restored there and sold to me by a dealer in Colorado 5 years ago. The restoration looks to have been done right. You can see on the inside of the trunk where new sheet metal was welded in, etc. Since I've owned it, it's been garage kept and almost never driven or parked in anything but optimal weather (only a couple of times have I been caught in an unexpected rain storm while on a drive). I've cared for it carefully and have spent years with a pro mechanic getting it to be the perfect fun 60's convertible. Every choice that has been made has been to return it to (or maintain it as) entirely stock. Stock exhaust, stock cam on the rebuild, original hubcaps, etc. I'm only selling it because my life circumstances changed and I no longer own the home it was garaged in. I refuse to store it outside (it's parked in a friend's garage during the sale) so I'd rather sell it so it can be properly enjoyed by someone else, as painful as it is to let this beautiful car go. It gets a LOT of attention. Every time it's driven lots of people holler, or comment at stoplights and gas stations.

The good:

It runs and drives GREAT. I've had it professionally maintained and improved for the 5 years that I've had it. I didn't daily drive the car of course, but it drives well enough now that someone could. I'd drive it on a road trip right now, without worries. The engine was rebuilt about 5 years and 10k miles ago (when I first bought it) and then we rebuilt the top end again a couple of years after that. The mechanic I used (which I'm happy to recommend) is meticulous and very knowledgeable. He's done a tremendous job with it. It runs like GLASS now. New brakes, new alignment, the top works, the A/C works, the heat works, the original factory power breaks and power stearing are amazing. It drives beautifully. Strong, rust free frame. Virtually no evidence of rust anywhere on the car except for a spot of surface corrosion here and there. It's an extremely clean car that is ready to be driven and enjoyed. In the years that I've had it, I've also been diligent about starting it (and driving it, weather permitting) very regularly so that seals etc. didn't dry out. The engine is very possibly the original FE 390. It's the one that came in the car when I got it. Ford didn't keep record of engine numbers before 1967 so there isn't a "numbers matching" possibility here, but there's no evidence that the engine isn't original. It could be. The 390 runs strong and smooth. The car is an absolute joy to drive. Clean title, in hand.

The not great:

The interior was replaced with velour at some point by a previous owner. I've kept it as such because it's less hot in the summer sun than the original vinyl would be and I haven't mind it. Still, if you want it to be a perfect, entirely stock show car, you'd want to address that. The horn, the clock and radio don't work. They are the only functional parts of the car that I hadn't yet fixed. The top needs to be replaced. I so rarely drove it with the top up that it hasn't been worth it to me to fix, but I do want to be clear about that. There's also a small star on the paint of the trunk lid (pictured). There are a couple of pieces of chrome trim (bottom of the doors) that the car would have had from the factory that are not on this Galaxie. I liked the look of them without them, but again, you'd want to add them if you want a perfect factory original show car.

Overall it's a great car! I have loved it and will be terribly sad to see it go. I hope that it goes to someone who will care for it as deeply as I have. Feel free to ask questions! I'll try to post the questions relevant to everyone so you can all see my responses. I won't reveal the reserve price, but it's very reasonable, far below what I paid for the car, and not much higher than my starting price. I only put it there as protection against fake buyer fraud (which I've been the victim of on car sales before). On that, I won't accept bids from buyers with zero feedback unless you contact me first. Your bid will be cancelled immediately. I apologize for that. Whether this car is for you or not, I wish you luck on your car search! Thanks!