At $14,950, Is This 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 A Fair Bargain?

While not a Woody, today's Nice Price aliases No Dice Fairlane wagon does person an awesome group of options and looks to beryllium successful awesome condition. Let's find retired if its value makes buying it a mandatory proposition.

Whether you're a existent contender aliases conscionable a pretender, you request to do thing to guidelines retired from nan crowd. In nan lawsuit of nan 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT roadster we looked astatine yesterday, location wasn't a batch to urge it against nan slew of modern competitors for illustration Porsche's 911, Aston Martin's DB11, aliases moreover Mercedes' ain SL63. With truthful galore choices successful nan precocious five-figure value range, really do rich | group take which awesome of ostentation champion fits their insatiable request to flaunt their wealth? At $87,995, astir of you felt nan AMG GT wasn't nan car for nan task. Based connected nan comments and nan 63% No Dice vote, it would request to driblet rather a fewer dollars disconnected its value for group to statesman to return notice.

Speaking of taking notice, do you announcement really overmuch cooler position wagons were successful nan 1960s than tall-boy crossovers and SUVs are today? It seems that manufacturers and nan marketplace arsenic a full are realizing that, too, arsenic nan latest models coming retired person been trending little and longer than their predecessors. Well, isolated from for GM's trio of large SUVs—the Chevy Tahoe/Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade— arsenic nan latest procreation of those are freakishly gangly and narrow.

There is, however, thing rather for illustration nan looks and versatility of an aged wagon, and this 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 stands arsenic a happy reminder of what erstwhile was nan modular of suburbia. The Fairlane sanction is taken from Henry and Clara Ford's property successful Dearborn, Michigan, wherever nan mates lived from 1915 until their deaths. It was first utilized connected Ford's full-sized car statement successful 1955, denoting nan top-of-the-line trim level. In 1962, it was fixed afloat exemplary status, pinch Ford applying it to a caller mid-sized car that slotted, Mama Bear-like, successful betwixt nan smaller Falcon and nan larger Galaxie. In nan U.S., Ford kept nan Fairlane sanction astir until nan 1970 exemplary year, astatine which constituent it, and nan Falcon name, were retired successful penchant for, respectively, nan Torino and Maverick. The Fairlane sanction was kept live successful different markets until nan early 2000s.

This wagon is, successful fact, based connected nan compact Falcon. A fresh-sheet redesign for nan 1966 exemplary year, nan Fairlane stretched some successful wheelbase and wide length, and offered bigger engines, some guidelines and apical trim, than nan smaller Falcon.

This 1 has a 289 Cubic Inch Displacement Challenger V8 nether nan hood. That's nan smallest V8 Ford offered this exemplary year, and arsenic noted successful nan ad, its 175 (gross) horsepower doesn't make nan wagon a musculus car. Paired pinch that is Ford's coagulated national C4 three-speed automatic pinch file shift. The seller claims this California car runs and drives well, and boasts that nan motor has received a caller alteration of lipid and filter. It comes pinch mill AirCon, a reasonably uncommon action for a 1960s car, but according to nan ad, nan system's R12 has gone disconnected nan conflict nan Ozone and hence it is not working.

Everything other connected nan car is claimed to beryllium working, including nan powerfulness steering and power-assisted brakes (drums each around), and nan electrical solid successful nan two-way Magic Gate rear door. It looks beautiful good, too. The copper overgarment is an older respray, but it seems to person held up well, speech from immoderate bubbling connected nan tailgate. The chrome is clean, and nan bumpers are consecutive truthful there's thing awesome to ding it connected aesthetically. The caller Rallye wheels wrapped successful a caller group of Coopers travel crossed arsenic a bully touch, too.

Per nan ad, nan interior received revamped upholstery astir nan clip of nan overgarment job. That's patterned velour connected nan 2 benches. Carpeting, doorway cards, and nan load area are each original, though. There's besides a brace of ancient rubber level mats, which are a bully throwback and must make satisfying squeaks from shoes connected rainy days. The five-barrel odometer has rolled over, showing 817 miles, but that intends it's 100,817 successful total. A cleanable title and a group of original achromatic California licence plates complete this Fairlane's picture.

Many of america whitethorn beryllium excessively young to person lived done nan heyday of nan American position wagon, but we each beautiful overmuch admit them for what they are. The pressing question, however, is whether this peculiar wagon is worthy nan $14,950 asked for its waste arsenic it sits. That's a batch of money, moreover successful today's crazy market. But then, really galore opportunities travel up to bargain a seemingly decent-looking and well-sorted (except for that A/C) example?

What do you say? Is $14,950 a reasonable asking value for this Ford? Or does that value mean this Fairlane will return a adjacent spot of clip to find nan correct buyer?

You decide!

Nice Price aliases No Dice:

Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.

H/T Don R. for nan hookup!

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