Sometimes you come across a listing that has to have an interesting back story – clues in the picture suggest it’s more than just hoarding or someone selling a no-longer-needed car. Today’s feature is such a listing – both cars look like they were once in great shape, and the seller had broad enough interests to have both an iconic American coupe and an unconventional Italian sedan. Check out this 1968 Alfa Romeo Berlina and 1965 Ford Mustang, for sale for $1500 (for both!) in Tampa, FL.
People like to make fun of American manufacturers’ products from the late 1970s, but while recognizing there were some real blunders in there, you have to look at what the manufacturers were going through. And for a good idea of that, just look at today’s pair of cars. They’re separated by a mere 12 years (okay, and the Atlantic separated the two product teams), but compare those two to, say, a 2003 Taurus and a 2015 Fiesta and you’ll notice how relatively drastic the transition was. Of course, the situation was uniquely disastrous in the short term – a fuel crisis combined with new safety and emissions controls gave them a repeated clobbering. Check out this 1968 Ford XL for sale for $3600 in Spokane, WA.
There are two definite schools of thought about the current state of the automobile. New cars are complex, amazing machines with incredible levels of safety and longevity, and at the same time automakers are still fighting reliability and quality issues. Manufacturers have a pretty good grasp on what the majority of the population wants – a sedan, truck or SUV with a decent amount of power, good fuel economy for their size and weight, and some form of self-shifting transmission. The other side is that all new cars are boring, and they don’t make them like they used to. Old cars are simple, easy to fix, and with a bit more care, can be quite reliable. You also get a plethora of body styles that are no longer available – like two-door wagons, two-door sedans, and compact pickups. And that brings us to today’s feature car, this 1960 Ford Falcon Two-Door wagon for sale for $3750 in Tigard, OR.
Rusty But Trusty 