1968 Gold Nugget Special Mustang (aka Golden Nugget Mustang)

Limited edition Mustangs were never more plentiful than in 1967-68. Between factory created regional specials and dealer created oddities, the Mustang buyer of the late 60’s had some interesting choices.

The 1968 Gold Nugget Special (also called Golden Nugget) was primarily a special paint color; Sunlit Gold with a black vinyl roof, black-out hood and black striping. The paint code was Y5 and the DSO is 74-1111, indicating Seattle and then 1111 for special order. There’s rumor that these Gold Nugget Specials could also be painted other colors, as indicated by the window sticker below showing Corporate Yellow. However, this particular window sticker is a reproduction, not an original, so the facts aren’t 100% conclusive on the issue of custom special paint. Note the newspaper ad below also talks about a dash plaque with the customer’s name. Talk about a one-off Mustang!

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1967 “Stallion” Edition Mustang

Not all of the special edition Mustangs came from the factory. Sometimes the dealerships took matters into their own hands and came up with some pretty unusual ponies.  Take Mainway Ford in Toronto Canada for instance. They created the Mustang “Stallion” as a high performance muscle car obviously catered to the young male buyer. These classic Mustangs were fastbacks only, and highly optioned ones at that. Under the hood was either a K-code hipo 289 or the new for ’67 big block S-code 390 GT engine. Transmission choices were the 4 speed manual or C6 automatic transmission. Also included on the Stallion were the heavy duty suspension package, power disc brakes, tach, posi-traction rear, styled steel wheels, upgraded Deluxe interior (including special woven seat covers) and special metallic paint. (more…)

1967 Lone Star Limited Mustang

1967 was a big year for limited edition Mustangs. Ford was riding the wave of success coming off the record setting sales of the 1965-1966 Mustang and individual sales districts wanted to keep that momentum going. Like the High Country Special and Ski Country Special created for the Denver sales district, the state of Texas didn’t want to be outdone and created their own unique classic Mustang. (more…)

1967 Ski Country Special

Hot off the heels of the 1966 High Country Special, the Denver Sales District was eager to release another classic Mustang limited edition just for the Colorado market. Unlike the HCS package, which was only offered on the Mustang, the Ski Country Special could be had on the Galaxie, Fairlane, Ford Country Sedan and Mustang coupe and fastback (no convertibles). The Ski Country Special package consisted of special paint, a fender emblem and a few other items catering to the snowy high country. Paint colors were unique to this package and named after local ski resorts; Vail Blue, Winter Park Turquoise, Aspen Red, Breckenridge Yellow and Loveland Green.

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Common Rust on Classic Mustangs

R-U-S-T is definitely a four letter word when looking at classic Mustangs for sale. It’s a cancer that affects almost every vintage car to some extent, is very expensive to fix and sometimes hard to spot. Underestimating the cost and amount of rust is a common newbie mistake, but also can catch seasoned enthusiasts. It can turn a cheap Mustang project car into a money pit quicker then you can whip out your checkbook. It’s almost always to your advantage to opt for the more expensive car without rust then the bargain car in need of severe rust repair. (more…)

Money Shot – Photograph your Mustang

You’ve spent hours detailing and polishing your Mustang for sale so it makes a great first impression to a potential buyer. Now give the same attention to the photos you use in your ad. This is a critical step and it’s amazing how often it’s overlooked. Don’t just pick up your camera, walk out to the driveway and snap a few pics. A good set of photographs will really help your ad “pop” and set it apart. Next time you’re at the local convenience store thumb through an AutoTrader magazine. Most photos will be boring at best and some will be downright awful. That’s no way to show off all your hard work, and certainly no way to get top dollar for your Mustang.

Following are some tips to taking good photos: (more…)

Options on transporting your new purchase

Finding a way to get your prized new Mustang home might seem like the last step, but it really needs to be one of your first considerations. Transporting a vehicle can be expensive and time consuming so you need to understand your options early and factor in the costs when looking at Mustangs for sale.

Driving it home

If your new Mustang is in good shape you might consider driving it home. This of course won’t work if it’s an ultra high dollar or low mileage car that you don’t want to put extra miles on. Likewise if it’s a project Mustang with questionable mechanics you probably don’t want to run the risk of being stranded in your journey or causing further damage to a worn out engine. Time is another factor. Depending on your situation (more…)

Inspection & Test Drive

Buying a Mustang, or any car totally sight unseen is always going to be a risk. If at all possible you should make the effort to inspect it before buying. But when it’s located half way across the country it may not make sense to spend the time or money to travel and see it first hand. If so there are still resources at your disposal to have the car checked out. (more…)

Get Photos & Video

If all goes well with your initial emails and phone call(s) then ask the seller to send you backup documentation. If you found the car on eBay then the auction probably already showed some photos. But I can almost guarantee you that they weren’t detailed enough. Most sellers take a few overall shots and then maybe a pic or two of the engine and interior. Ask for more. With digital cameras and email it doesn’t cost the seller anything more than 30 minutes to snap a ton of photos. If you can get a video that’s even better. Either way, when looking at Mustangs for sale ask for the following shots: (more…)

Contact the Seller

When buying a Mustang online it’s natural to communicate with the seller via email. There’s nothing wrong with email and you should use it as your initial tool to get basic info on the car. But then take the communication to the next level and get on the phone.

Emails can give you all the facts about the car, but say little about the seller. Having even a single phone conversation will speak volumes about what kind of person you’re dealing with. Do they hesitate when answering your questions? Do they redirect the conversation away from potential problems? Do they seem knowledgeable about the car? Pay attention not only to what the seller says, but how he says it. If something sounds strange or inconsistent (more…)