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)
Gimme that juke-joint, savoir faire-ooozing (among other things) Galaxie.
It’s a soul train, and I’m the new engineer.
That Galaxie is overpriced. Maybe $2000 at best. So the Saab wins.
The Galaxie looks like a fun, straightforward, high-reward project for the kind of person who likes projects–i.e., not me. So I voted Saab.
If the Galaxie was still wearing its original paint, or if it didn’t need an engine rebuild, I would have voted for it. But because it needs bodywork, and engine work, it’s the Saab for me.
pretty much this
I’ve got enough projects, one of which is a ‘vert. I don’t want yet another thing that needs work so I am going Saab. I just wish it were black instead of blue so I could get a Seinfeld-themed vanity license plate.
Saab all day every day babbbbbbbbbby
As someone who once tried to nurse along a mid 60’s American gas hog convertible –
Saab.
“In a country that spends half the year in the dark and cold? It’s completely unnecessary, and that makes it awesome.”
As someone who lives in an area with a lot of months of cold, dark and rain, that is exactly why a convertible makes so much sense. When sunny days are at a premium you take advantage of them anyway you can. So perfect sense to offer a drop top to enjoy that sun instead of sitting in a closed box like you did all winter long.
This is why the UK sells more convertibles per capita than anywhere.
I spent 6 months in Glasgow years ago, starting in January. I was really confused about the number of convertibles I saw on the road, more than I typically saw in my home town of Austin. By March, I finally realized the reason, as you stated. When the sun is out, the entire city is outside. Fortunately, the car that my company leased for me had a sunroof, and I opened that sucker anytime it wasn’t raining and the temps were above 50F.
Rust is the tool of the devil, and that Galaxie looks like it’s been Beelzebub’s chew toy for the past 50 years. Believe me, there is a LOT more rust than what you can see in the rear quarters.
Saab for me, please.
I’d have to go with the Galaxie, drop in a 351 and a C6 automatic, or go whole hog and do a manual transmission with a Tremec 6-speed.
Yup a 351 and a C-6 would be a great choice to repower it with. A mild 351 will have enough power for cruising w/o sucking up too much fuel and the C-6 is the best 3sp automatic out there.
Random question: Will tomorrow’s cars be from Atlanta, and Friday’s cars from LA? Shout out to The Steve Miller Band.
Oh that’s it!
Keep on rockin’ me, baby!
Of coarse, finding cars in LA might be a bit of a problem this week. May have to cheat and pull from Louisiana or Pensacola, FL (i.e., Lower Alabama).
Yeah, I think you nailed it.
I was hoping it was gonna be all unique body styles in all different decades, but doubling up convertibles and doubling up 00s cars breaks that streak.
WOW!!!! Good job figuring that one out!
Nailed it.
I voted for the Saab – but I want them both for different reasons.
Maybe roll the dice on the Galaxie and see if a heavier weight oil shuts it up for awhile?
Just go with 5 jars of Motor Honey.
It’s a 289. You could rebuild it in a weekend.
Or 302/351 swap it in the same amount of time.
Buy the Galaxie. Do whatever engine work is required to keep in running. Then drive it as is. You’ll look like some down on his luck private eye that has a bottle in his desk drawer, no money, debts to loan sharks, but somehow always wins over the femme fatale.
Desk drawer?!? That’s too far away. Try the glove box. Or under the driver’s seat. Or on the rear passenger floorboard. Seriously, one of those bottles must have a drop or two left!
I think it makes more sense to have the low beams on top because you’d have those on most of the time and it would look funny to be driving around town with an unlit top headlight.
My thought was that the low beams will be aimed further down from the horizontal plane than the high, so this arrangement makes sense.
I don’t care how it looks to others: if they’re on, I’m driving—and should be enjoying my view.
I wouldn’t care how I’d look to others either, but this was from the 60s when keeping up appearances mattered a bit more.
I’m on Team Saab here, mainly because I feel like I could actually DD it immediately with no additional work. I the mid/deep South we can drop the top about 9 months a year (some of the Wrangler Dads would argue 12 months a year, and I don’t see Child Protective Services chasing them down!)
Also the fact that the owner mentioned summering in Italy makes me think we can lowball the hell out of them, but I know that’s not in the spirit of the vote. I just get the feeling the Galaxie owner is gonna pull a shotgun on me until I explain why I’m there (even though I called ahead). He’s also gonna spend 2 hours regaling me with stories before I can leave.
I am usually a sucker for a Saab story, but the Galaxie is from an especially handsome era for Ford, and I’m (irrationally?) put off by the 9-3’s owner bougieness. We’ll take the American.
If the Galaxie didn’t have ominous engine noises, it would have been my choice, especially since with the top down, it’s just going to look like a giant metal brick, which is cool to me for some reason.
I have always wanted to own a “real” Saab anyway though (since all 5 of mine have been hiding a Subaru underneath), so I’ll go with the 9-3.
Mmmm, if that was ’64 Galaxie I’d be selecting it and refreshing the page to select it many more times. But the ’65 refresh has never spoken to me much, though at the same time neither have any of the Saab convertibles. I guess I’ll go with the Saab since it is intact and seems well cared for, though I think top-down cruising in the Galaxie would be more fun (aside from listening to the rod knock).
I’m on team 1964 too. This 65 would be a bit more appealing to me if it were also an XL (bucket seats) or a 390 (typical upgrade from the small block). This one is just too basic.
This was cruel. I have a major soft spot for old Galaxies and Saabs. The idea of owning another big Ford land yacht was too much for me. Give me the Galaxie!
My first car was a ‘66 Galaxie — the same car, just with hips! This is one of the better cars made in the era, handled well, only real thing to check is frame rot. The boxed frames combined with the lack of rustproofing in Ford products of the time leaves it vulnerable but this one looks like it has potential.
and you can do anything with an early 289.
That Saab is very close to me, and very close to being the Saab I want. But if I buy a GM chassis 9-3, it has to have the 2.8T
I love the idea of owning a Saab, but I just can’t say no to those headlights.
Fun fact: in the book on which the movie Drive is based, Driver’s personal car is a vintage Galaxie, which is even cooler than Ryan Gosling’s Malibu as seen the movie.
Still no idea on the theme, but all about the Saab today.
I voted Galaxie. I love big rwd convertibles!
Edit: I think I figured out the theme! It’s mildly crappy cars for sale within $2500 of each other! Did I get it right? What did I win?