Post by Volktales on Oct 24, 2014 21:17:49 GMT -8
How about any type of vehicle that is somewhat interesting.... Some of you know that I once owned a '67 Mercury Cougar, but I don't remember ever posting a picture of it before... So here it is...
I bought it in Victoria back in early 1992 when I lived there. I owned two VW's at the time, my 1970 Beetle daily driver, and my first 1966 Beetle project car. For whatever reason I decided I needed something different than another VW and was very interested in buying a 1960's two door hardtop American car of some kind. I looked at four other cars before deciding on this one. I decided early on that I didn't want a run of the mill Mustang or Camaro like everyone else had. I always liked the look of the Cougar and checked out a blue '67 with a very rare factory 4-speed trans with low miles. It had been sitting a LOOOOONG time and looked it. It was a bit pricey too so I thought I should look at others. The next car was a yellow 1964 Impala SS that looked great but was nasty underneath. Then I saw an ad for a 1958 Beetle that was all original for $800. I had to take a peek, didn't I... It really was all original but I am sure floorboards made of wood was not factory! The pea green paint was faded and original too, as was the interior and 36hp engine. It was said to run but after looking at the black tar on the dipstick, I lost interest... I am sure today it would have been scooped up to make a patina-ride in seconds... After this I looked at a '68 Cougar with hacked interior and rusted trunk, but at least I could drive it and I liked the experience. Finally I found a '67 Cougar in the PennySaver ads that was cheap and rust free from Reno. When I saw it in person and started it up the A/C even still worked, I knew I had found my new project. I enjoyed driving it for one summer even though it sported non-original faded paint. Later what was meant to be a quick paint job, morphed into a full blown restoration were EVERY last nut and bolt were removed from the body shell... Once finally completed TEN years later, the car was relegated to show duty only. I was much too paranoid to drive it anymore and as the years went by it sat in one borrowed garage or another. Finally after 19 years of ownership, I decided it was time to let go... Despite being a better car to a Mustang in every way, Cougars are not worth big $ and are not that easy to sell. Luckily someone I know found a very special 1962 Beetle, and later suggested a trade might be workable... It was and I was very happy, although my Dad was not, saying "Why do you want another stupid Volkswagen???" I have not really missed it, even though it was the nicest car I ever had. Once it was gone I gave away my piles of spare parts and made room for more VW stuff, so I was quite happy. My kid still complains however that he liked that car the best...
