Originally Posted by kerry

Can't really tell if the body is solid or filled with bondo. Good car for summer cruising as long as there are no grassy knolls nearby.

Originally Posted by P.C.

1965. First year for front disk brakes, which peel yards off of high-speed braking distances compared to 1961-64, and last year for the M-E-L engine in its 430 c.i. displacement (increased to 462 c.i. for 1966, and finally abandoned during the 1968 year for the then-new Ford 460). The Continental saw a lengthening of wheelbase for 1964, which was carried over to 1965, which gave it more reasonable rear seat legroom. It doesn't have the dual-cowl dash of 1961-63, and the accountants got ahold of the car for '64 and changed out the curved side glass windows for cheaper flat glass. It's not a bad year for a Continental convertible, particularly if you don't go for the next-generation styling which debuted in 1966.

Watch out for front-end wear, as these cars are seriously heavy and put their suspension components through a work out. A lip of weather stripping on the metal trim of the leading edge of the rear side windows actually sits behind the edge of the front door glass when all doors are closed, which helps reduce wind noise/water incursion, but does require that the rear windows lower slightly to allow that piece to clear the front windows when the rear doors are opened. This means that the circuitry for the rear power window operation is tied into actuation of the door handles. Between this little feature and the convertible top, this car has more than its share of electrical relays and switches. If the top and rear door windows do not work perfectly, you probably will need to find someone experienced with these cars to sort them out. Bring your wallet.

This is an excellent car to buy fully restored and sorted out.