Convertibles Of Brotherly Love: 1965 Ford Galaxie vs 2004 Saab 9-3

Good morning! Today we’re visiting the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the sandwiches are cheesy, the mascots are gritty, and the two most interesting cheap cars on Craigslist in the dead of winter are convertibles. Which drop-top will take top honors? We’ll find out.

Yesterday’s choices both came from Tacoma, Washington, and both had the potential to break their next owner’s hearts and wallets. The voting was pretty close, but I don’t expect it to change much, so I’m calling it for the Odyssey minivan. There is a good chance that whatever transmission issues it may have suffered have been remedied already, as several of you pointed out.

I’m torn on this one. The Odyssey could, in theory, replace two of my own vehicles: the 300 and the pickup. Of course, there’s no way I would give up those two for a twenty-year-old minivan. Practicality only counts for so much. The Veloster could make a good park-it-wherever beater when going into the city, except that I think it’s one of the super-easy-to-steal ones. I guess I’ll go for the van as well.

Mid-January is, of course, the perfect time to shop for a convertible, especially in a city that always seems to be cold. Okay, not so much, but the only three cars that caught my eye were convertibles, and one of them, a VW Super Beetle, only had three pictures in the ad, so I had to go with the other two. So let’s go topless in the winter! Here we go.

1965 Ford Galaxie 500 – $4,500

Engine/drivetrain: 289 cubic inch overhead valve V8, three-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Quakertown, PA

Odometer reading: 114,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives, but has a “low end noise”

If there were an award for “Jauntiest Angles Of Photos In An Online Classified Ad,” I’d nominate this old Ford. Every one of the photos is wonky or oddly framed in some way. No matter; they give us a good picture of a reasonably decent fixer-upper opportunity. The Galaxie was Ford’s full-sized car in the ’60s, and the 1965 model was an all-new design, with its characteristic stacked headlights. I don’t know why, but it always bothered me a little bit that the low beams are in the upper position and the high beams are in the lower position on these stacked designs.

A wide range of engines was available in the Galaxie, from an inline-six to a 427 cubic inch monster of a V8. This one has what was probably the most common engine, Ford’s ubiquitous 289 “Windsor” V8, along with a basic three-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. It runs and drives all right, but the seller says it makes “low end noise,” which I assume means a main bearing rumble. It will need an overhaul, or an upgrade. Just about any Ford RWD drivetrain should work, with a little creativity.

What surprises me most about this car is the interior. I would have expected it to be absolutely trashed, but it’s actually not terrible. It’s filthy, sure, but the upholstery looks all right, as do the dash and door panels. The carpet is probably not worth saving, but replacement carpet is available from the repro shops.

Outside, it needs a bit more work, but again, it’s not awful. There is some rust in the rear quarters, but the floors are solid. Most of it has been primered, which means some other rust repair might have already been done. It was originally dark green, but you could repaint it any color you want. Or just leave it in primer, and not worry about it. It’s not like it’s some priceless classic; it’s an old Galaxie. No need to get too fancy.

2004 Saab 9-3 2.0t – $4,000

Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.0-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Glen Mills, PA

Odometer reading: 144,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

I’ve always loved the fact that Saab made convertibles. For a company so laser-focused on its engineering, a convertible just seems like such a frivolous thing to build. It requires compromising the structure of the car, decreasing its safety in a lot of ways, and for what? Sunshine and fresh air? In a country that spends half the year in the dark and cold? It’s completely unnecessary, and that makes it awesome.

This is the final generation of Saab 9-3, before General Motors pulled the plug on the beloved Swedish marque and the most GM of them all. It’s based on GM’s Epsilon platform, and powered by a turbocharged and Saab-ified version of the 2.0 liter Ecotec engine. You could get a manual, but of course this one is an automatic, because far too many Saabs sold in America were so equipped. It’s a two-owner car, with a carefully documented maintenance history. The seller loves it, and is only selling it because they have decided to spend summers in Italy, and so no longer need a convertible here. Must be nice.

Inside, it’s in nice condition, and of course it has the typical Saab center-console-mounted ignition switch. I don’t know which trim level this is, but there are an awful lot of buttons in there, which makes me think it’s one of the higher levels, the Arc or the Vector. Because of course Saab couldn’t stick to the typical DX or LX or logical trim designations like that.

The convertible top appears to work just fine, and the paint is nice and shiny, though I do wonder if the rear bumper hasn’t been replaced and repainted. It looks just half a shade darker than the rest of the car. It’s not a big deal, but it’s also worth asking about.

No one has guessed my silly theme for the week yet, and I’m curious to see if today’s choices give any of you another clue. If you’ve figured it out from today’s choices, then you already know one thing about tomorrow’s and Friday’s. If not, don’t worry, I’ll reveal it on Friday. For now, all you have to do is choose which convertible you want: a scruffy American classic, or a well-kept Swedish orphan.

(Image credits: sellers)