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.
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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.”
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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.
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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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