I was 17 years old when I heard about a 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible for sale. It was sitting in a shed in Bagley, Wisconsin, with the top down and absolutely dirty. The farmers who had it wanted $600 for it. Back in 1975 that was a lot of money for a used car but I had always wanted this year Galaxie. When I was growing up we had one as a family car, and I never forgot about it. I made the decision to go to the local bank to borrow the $600 needed to purchase the car.
The following day two friends and I actually skipped school to go see the car with $600 cash in hand. When we arrived, I offered the farmer $600, but he said he had some other people coming to look at the Galaxie. Worried we were too late, I was relieved when he then said, “First come gets it, so it’s yours.”
I was now the owner of this top down, full of dirt convertible. According to the farmer, the top was down because his dog fell through it while chasing a cat, and sitting for years like this made the interior a mess. But we hooked it up to jumpers, put gas down the carburetor, and it fired up enough for me to drive home.
The next step was to clean it up. As it turns out, my uncle, who owned a body shop and a used car lot, went to buy the Galaxie without realize it was already sold: to me! When he found out I purchased it, he came over and offered me $2,500, which I turned it down. I still have the Galaxie today. 2023 will be 48 years it’s been with me. It’s never been restore, has the original interior, and only one paint job. I did have to replace the top in 1975.
-Bryon M., Wisconsin
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