Who has something like this sitting around?

[Idaho45guy]

I went out to my son-in-law's grandfather's place out in the country today to look at a car.

The grandparents are nice old LDS folks(the grandfather is a direct descendant of Joseph Smith) who stopped driving in 2019 due to fear of Covid. They just stayed home and let one of their seven daughters bring them groceries and supplies.

They had a 2003 Subaru Outback with a lot of miles, but in good condition. It's been sitting there for four years. The son-in-law got it running and said it needed tires, a good detail, complete fluid change and timing belt change to be safe, but wasn't that bad.

Used car prices are crazy around here, especially for an AWD vehicle. I paid $1200 and drove it home.



But, this thread isn't about the Subaru. It's about the car you see sitting in the background.

It's a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 with the 390 V8. Quite the hot car back in the day.

It was the Grandfather's first new car, and he drove it until something went wrong in the 80's and he parked it. Right where it sits. I said I would buy it with the promise to restore it. Nope. Can't let it go.

The grandson said that the grandfather has turned down multiple offers over the years for the car. He allegedly used to race it now and then and is a huge NASCAR fan. He will never restore it, or fix it up, and is in such poor health now, he can't even walk to it. But he won't let it go.





My brother is the same with his high school car; a 1967 Dodge Dart GT with 50k miles on it that he parked in our parent's pasture 30 years ago and is now a basket case. I offered to buy it 20 years ago and restore it. He turned me down. Every now and then, people will go to my parent's door and try to buy it. Last offer was $5k. My brother paid $150 for it.

Curious as to how many folks on here have a similar cool old vehicle just rotting away on their property that they won't sell.

[Minerat]

My uncle let my grand fathers 1951 chevy 5 window pickup dissolve into the ground in Lewiston. I wanted it to restore in 1980 when GP died. They hauled it from Oklahoma to Idaho just to let it rust away. I think it is a think with people in that area to just let old cars rust away.

[Idaho45guy]

My uncle let my grand fathers 1951 chevy 5 window pickup dissolve into the ground in Lewiston. I wanted it to restore in 1980 when GP died. They hauled it from Oklahoma to Idaho just to let it rust away. I think it is a think with people in that area to just let old cars rust away.

I think it is a thing all over the US.

Sad thing about the Galaxie, is that I can buy a fully restored beautiful version for $30k. To restore the one in my original post would cost about $10k for the motor, another $5k for interior, $15k for the body and paint work, plus another $10k in miscellaneous work for suspension, transmission, brakes, etc. And add another $2k for tires/wheels...

So I could spend $42k to fix up one, or spend $30k to get one already built and ready to cruise.

I'm hoping by the time I get all of my father's estate sorted out and sold, and my new home taken care of, that I will have enough cash left over to buy a classic car. I thought buying one to restore would be fun for retirement, but the numbers aren't working out.

[poppy42]

Ah the cars I once owned! 63 Ford Galaxy 500 XL ragtop, 2 69 GTO’s, 69 Olds 442, 64 1/2 289 Mustang ragtop, 70 429 cobrajet Torino, 69 MX100 Mercury marauder. That’s just some of the more notable ones! Then I got married and had kids. And suddenly the ability to go over 100 mph didn’t seem so important. I once received A speeding ticket on the Massachusetts Turnpike for doing in excess of 100 miles an hour. The trooper didn’t know how fast I was actually going. I can tell you that the speedometer in my Torino clocked out at 160 mph and it was pegged. I literally had to pull over and wait for a trooper to catch up with me. At the time there was no way off the mass pike with out going through a toll both and it doesn’t matter how fast you go you can’t out run a radio I figured I’d better stop. Lol
Op thanks for the Memories!!!!

[Lloyd Smale]

dad had an xl with a 352 in it. those 390s and 427s are bringing big bucks today restored

[txbirdman]

First year of college (1966) I bought ‘64 just like the one in the photo except mine was fire engine red with a 390 and a 3 on the tree overdrive. About 5 miles from my house a guy with a wrecking yard has one for sale but it’s white. Must be pretty expensive since it’s been sitting there awhile.

[Sasquatch-1]

My first car was a "64" 4 door Galaxy with a 352, 4 barrel. It had the 300 rear end and from a light couldn't get out of its own way. After it got going it could cruise at 120 mph all day. Or until the gas ran out. I am sure it was turned into a refrigerator or something a looooong time ago.

[Dave H]

I have a 58 B model Mack that I have fixed up to use every once in a while someone will ask if I will sell it, I built a 32 ford pickup hotrod and at the car shows I get asked is it for sale. Funny thing I own a very nicely restored 31 model A coupe and I get a lot of interest at car shows but young people don't seem to want a car to drive that you have to shift and adjust the timing when driving.

[brokeasajoke]

Used to mow for a guy that had a local house but just came in periodically. Had a 60 something galaxy with a 428 if I remember correctly just setting there rusting away.

[Shanghai Jack]

That was my first car

[Handloader109]

I go down state hwy 65 back to MS. Along the way there was a spot in Louisiana that had about 8 or so late 50s, early 60s cars lined up against a row of trees don't have any idea how long they had been there, we've been here 13 years and they were there first time we drove that route. Nice farm building next to them, thought some one might be fixing them up, but none ever moved. Just rusting away. Noticed them gone last year. Guess the old guy died and the family got rid of the scrap. And they had become scrap metal. Shame

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[WRideout]

I used to gas up a lot of those when I worked at a Phillips 66 gas station at age 18. In Southern California I saw every type of automobile; if they were rusty you knew they were parked at the beach.

Wayne

[Gewehr-Guy]

Have a 50 Chevy 3800? that several of my friends want, but so did I when I bought it. Eventually I will get it on the road again. Sometimes when people get mad at me for not selling something too them, for their price, I ask them, where were you at the day I drove 50 miles to a farm sale on a crappy day, stood around all day too buy the old vehicle of my dreams?

[imashooter2]

I have a street and strip 1963 Impala in my garage right now…

[Froogal]

I don't have any old cars, but I do have a couple of 1940 Farmall tractors, and yes, both are for sale.

[HWooldridge]

It's not just cars and tractors - the same sentiment applies to guns, tools, etc.

I went on a month-long anvil hunt back in the early 1980's. The prices weren't stupid high like they are now, but a whole bunch of people just wouldn't part with them. The stories ranged from, "I cain't sell it - t'was my granpappy's!", to "Well, I'll get around to using it one of these days." At that time, you could pick up forge blowers for $30 and nice leg vises for $10 to $20, but anvils were commonly $1 per pound and $.50/lb was a good deal - and many of them were junk.

I just chalked it up to sentimental value - the same applies to cars...

Always best to wait and negotiate with the widow - women are usually more pragmatic about cash.

[Alstep]

I have a 58 B model Mack that I have fixed up to use every once in a while someone will ask if I will sell it, I built a 32 ford pickup hotrod and at the car shows I get asked is it for sale. Funny thing I own a very nicely restored 31 model A coupe and I get a lot of interest at car shows but young people don't seem to want a car to drive that you have to shift and adjust the timing when driving.

I took my commercial driver's license test in a B model Mack. Had the 2 stick duplex in it. Then I drove an R model with a triplex. Later Mack came out with the 5 speed maxidine. Remember the F model? Never see cab-overs on the road any more. Back in those days, any truck that had a 318 Detroit or a 335 Cummins were on top of the power chain.

[MaryB]

Friend had a 1966 Galaxy 500 7 litre convertible, that was the 427 engine, 4 speed, bucket seats, console... optioned to the max and FAST. Drunk driver crossed the center line and hit him head on... saved the engine that he put into a Mustang... if he still had it that car would go for north of $125,000 because it was fully restored. Only thing not stock was the engine internals, he upped the compression and used a street/strip cam in it. Came with 4.10 rear gears so it was 1/4 mile ready. I know how many hours went into that car, I did half the work on it!

[Bazoo]

The closest I ever came to a hotrod car was a 71 chevy freetside pickup. It had a 250 inline 6 out of an 80s nova in it, the best we could figure. It was a blast to drive. Not a huge amount of power, but it had a 3 speed manual. My cousin and I traded it back and forth a while.

[Lloyd Smale]

My first car was a "64" 4 door Galaxy with a 352, 4 barrel. It had the 300 rear end and from a light couldn't get out of its own way. After it got going it could cruise at 120 mph all day. Or until the gas ran out. I am sure it was turned into a refrigerator or something a looooong time ago.

dads was about the same. wouldnt smoke the tires unless tou got it spinning on dirt first. they were BIG heavy cars and even the 390s weren't a muscle car. now from what ive been told the 427s would run but ive honestly never even seen one in person