Lou Holtz, the famous football coach, is famous for saying, "90-percent of people don't care about your problems, 10-percent are glad you have them". With this 1968 Ford XL convertible that's full of problems, I'm just glad it's not my problem.
My heart goes out to the seller because I know how hard it is to sell a basket case and how much it sucks to have sunk a ton of money into something and take a loss. That's the risk we take with "barn finds"; they're rarely the simply dusty relics you see on TV shows or on YouTube. They're more like this thing that gives a decent first impression but then you get to know it better. Asking price? $4,500.
What you get for your money is a top-of-the-line 1968 Ford rag top whose rear quarters are rusting out, the floor pan the rear seat sits on is "soft", the front seat upholstery is torn up, the dash is cracked, and its 390-cu. in., 2-bbl V-8 only turns over if you squirt starter fluid into the carburetor the seller claims needs a rebuild. Could be a bad fuel pump. Could be both. Who knows.
At least the convertible top works, where rust isn't poking through the paint is fair, and you'd get these genuine imitation knock-off fake wire wheel covers that, even if they were "real", shouldn't be on the car in the first place. That's a minor quibble compared to everything else that's wrong here.
There's no mention of the condition of the frame, but the soggy rear seat pan tells me there's more to the rust story than they're disclosing. Get this thing up on a lift.
I feel a kinship for full-size '68 Ford's since my dad had a '68 Ranch Wagon that was in this color. Being a Ranch Wagon meant it was a bone-stripper, rental car special which it actually was. He bought it from Hertz, "out at the airport".
Dad's wagon had none of the niceties this has, so this is like peering into the life of some rich person and seeing how they once lived. Power brakes, carpeting, wood trim and it's a is a convertible? Holy indulgence, Batman. I see these cars as tarted up rentals first and have to make the long putt mentally to justify them as even semi-luxury cars.
What happens to lumps like this, y'know? I see the crusher in the near future for it. I hope I'm wrong. This wreck is like seeing a bad accident on the freeway. You're concerned in the moment then you pass by and it's out of your mind. It's not your problem. Nore is it mine.
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