When I was 16, my cousin gave me my first car. It was a 1964 Comet Cyclone 289 4-speed. It ran well, but I soon found a 1951 Chevrolet 2-door hard top that I liked better and swapped the Comet for it - even trade (yeah, I know, I need my butt kicked). Many years later, I decided I wanted another Comet and came across this 1965 Falcon instead.
The Falcon was equipped with a 200 6-cylinder 3-speed. It ran "okay", but I wanted a little more, so I got a Weber carburetor and headers for it. Even after the upgrades it just wasn't what I wanted.
Months later, I saw a 1965 Ranchero that piqued my interest, but was told it wasn't for sale. I kept an eye on it for about 6 months and then it disappeared. Later, I was told of one that was for sale, so I went to check it out. Lo and behold, it was the same Ranchero I had been eyeing. We struck a deal and I drove it home.
This Ranchero was originally a 6-cylinder car, but had a 302 and C4 when I bought it. After driving it awhile I found out the engine was in dire need of a rebuild. After rebuilding the engine at the cost of around $4K plus it looked like this. With headers and sidepipes, it sounded great!
Which brings us to just a few years ago, when I sold both cars to move to Oregon from North Carolina. After coming to Oregon, deciding to stay, and finding employment, I began the quest to find another Falcon or Ranchero - preferrably 1964 or 65. I must have looked at 10 or 15 other cars before I came across this Ranchero.
Checking the VIN number showed it was an original factory V8 and someone had already put front disk brakes on it. I also liked the fact that it had a cover over the bed with a spoiler and the price was within the range I was looking for.