Van Nuys Man ‘up to here’ in Mustangs

By Wallace A. Wyss – Coast Car Collector | January 1979

Van Nuys Ca. – Arnold Marks is a man happy with his lot in life, a lot which, at the moment, is a few thousands square feet in the San Fernando Valley jammed check-to-jowl with Mustangs.  

Smashed Mustangs, bent Mustangs, dirty Mustangs, and even a few cleaned-up Mustangs (the latter hidden away).  Marks was born in Detroit 36 years ago, a town where people are reported to have gasoline running in their veins. Marks won’t admit to that, but his education in California at Valley College and Cal State Long Beach was as an Industrial Arts teacher, I.E. auto shop.  Which all led to his present business, called Mustangs Etc., a business primarily directed at keeping the Mustang legend alive by keeping old Mustangs on the road.

Was a Teacher

“I was a teacher for five years” says Marks. “And then I got married and decided I couldn’t afford to starve to death. So, I went and got a job as a car salesman at a combination Mercedes-Toyota agency.”

“I sold case for three years. That was during the time the energy crisis came along and we really did well with the Toyotas. But I always liked old cars. So, finally I decided to follow my real desires, and opened up a business just dealing with cars that I like – Mustangs”.

“The Mustang was a success from the word ‘go,’” points out Marks. “It was a sell-out the first day. Even the first couple of years, it broke sales records. I don’t think Ford really knew how good a car they were making or maybe they wouldn’t have made it so good. I mean, some of them go 200,000 miles and are still running. There are people around here that have been driving them every day since 1965-and that was thirteen years ago!”

A Mystique

Marks does not feel that the fact that Ford made millions upon millions of Mustangs hurts their appreciation factor. “It’s true that they aren’t a limited edition like the 2-seater Thunderbirds.” he says, “but somehow Fords have a mystique. Look at the Model A Fords – they were produced by the millions and certainly weren’t any better mechanically or styling-wise compared to GM’s products of the same era – but yet they are worth a lot more than a 1929 Chevy or a 1929 Plymouth. People collect Fords – any year, any model.

Marks says that a part of his market consists of people who are disgusted with the way new car prices are going up ($4500-$6000 for a Fiesta, for example) and people who owned Mustangs before always have a warm spot in their heart for them.  “Then, too” he adds, “They were a good design, even today. “I mean, the 1965 Mustang is a good size, it handles terrific, and the 289-cubic-inch V8 was the best engine Ford even built.”

Marks rates Mustangs’ desirability by the body style, and vintage. “Probably the most desirable is the 1965 and 1966 convertibles. After that, any and all convertibles, next I would say it is anyone’s guess because everyone has their own preference.

Ex-Teacher Very Big on Mustangs

There are some special exceptions – high performance. Mustangs which are so much in demand that they sell used for more than they sold for new. The ones built (or modified) by Carroll Shelby from 1965 through 1970 are one example. The next most desirable, says Marks, in terms of high performance are the “Boss” series personified by the Boss 302, Boss 351 and Boss 429, and finally the Mach 1, the latter quite common, but still prized because of the brute force inherent in the versions equipped with the 428-cubic inch engine.

“I have some customers who are what I call ‘Mustang families’,” says Marks. “For instance, this one fellow first bought a ’68 convertible from me. Now, his son has a ’65 Mustang convertible, his daughter has a ’67 Mustang and his wife has a gorgeous low milage 1966 coupe.”

Some customers are so concerned with getting good service on their Mustang that they bring it to Marks from great distances. “It’s funny because a Mustang is a simple car to work on” says Marks. “But people are beginning to really treasure them.”

Sells Parts Too

Marks sells restorable Mustangs, restored Mustangs, Mustang parts (new, reproduction, and used) and Mustang nostalgia items (Cobra jacket patches and the like).

Although auto-makers, by law, only have to make parts for a car for seven years after the model has been discontinued, Marks reports that For Motor Co. still makes some parts for the 12-year old Mustangs “because the demand is still there.”

Unfortunately, he points out, “there aren’t a lot of re-production parts on the market yet, so you can pay through the nose for something like a gas cap.” He is especially appalled by the poor quality of some factory replacement parts. “They don’t seem to make the replacements with the same quality as they made the originals” he reports.

In the reproduction area, he points to kick panels for convertibles, upholstery kits, and carpeting that is readily available for Mustangs of all vintages. Marks had his own spray can line created with exact original Mustang interior colors so owners can do touch-up themselves.

Likes ‘Em Authentic

Marks prefers his cars authentic and does not like to upgrade a Mustang to a different look when it was not originally equipped that way. He even dislikes having a Mustang’s original color changed.

He likes to get into restoration projects hip-deep. One of this most extensive tackled recently was on a ‘69 convertible where the owner wanted everything done to it – until he had spent $3600 in addition to the price of the car. “He liked it so much that he actually gave us a tip for our work,” recalls Marks.

Having worked with expensive cars like Mercedes, Marks relishes in pointing out how reliable Mustangs are compared to the expensive foreign tin. “When you pay $25,000 for a car like a Mercedes,” he says, “you expect it to be reliable. Yet I saw them being towed in every day I worked at the dealership. Conversely, if you maintain a Mustang well you can drive it 100,000 miles easily before you have any trouble.

No Guarantee

Marks does not guarantee the Mustangs he sells “because after all, they are 12 or 13 years old.” But, if he has just overhauled the engine or transmission, he wll guarantee that part. He avoids complaints by allowing prospective buyers a complete inspection of the car. “They can bring over their expert” says Marks.

Marks feels that Mustangs will soon be appearing at Concours d’Elegance and a group of perfectionists will arise to make certain they are restored correctly, just as there has with 2-seater Thunderbirds. “I own a ’57 Bird and I can’t believe how fussy some of those judges are,” he says.
He tells the story of a friends who did a frame-up $20,0000 restoration on a 1956 Thunderbird and then had points taken off at his first concours because of something amiss with the windshield washer fluid bag.

Marks doesn’t have to look for Mustangs, the Mustang owners find him. He is interest in cars first and foremost with straight, rust-free bodies. “You can always rebuild an engine or trans,” he says, “but one once a car’s body has been violated with a plastic repair material, it’s almost impossible to hide from an expert.”

Rust Free

Marks is glad he lives in California, because most of the Mustangs here are free from rust. He also says Arizona and Southeast U.S. Mustangs are still fairly well preserved. “The out of state customers come from places like Michigan and Ohio where the ’65 Mustangs rusted away a long time ago” he says.

Marks warns that there is a lot of fakery going on with optional packages on Mustangs. “I had one customer come in to show me a “GT” he was considering buying,” says Marks, “and I quickly realized it wasn’t a GT by several different signs. I told him why it wasn’t a real GT and he went back to the man who was selling it him and complained. The seller’s reaction was ‘what difference does it make if I make it a GT or Ford makes it a GT?”

Unfortunately the dark side of the Mustang’s rise in popularity has been the stealing of Mustang’s for the stripping of parts. “Wire-spoke hubcaps seem to be the most popular item to steal,” laments Marks.

Of course, there are many who follow Al Capone’s advice: “Don’t steal the hubcaps, steal the whole car.” One victim of a car theft was one of his own mechanics.

“He told me that he had bought a Mustang with a Missouri title, I told him that I would be wary of an out-of-state car but he went down to the Department of Motor Vehicles and got a California pink slip (title) and we thought everything would be fine,” recalls Marks.

Took Car

“But, about six months later, the police asked him to bring the car down. The took off part of the car, which revealed a hidden serial number – and that confirmed that the car never was in Missouri, but was stolen only about 15 miles from here. The thieves had faked the outer serial numbers but didn’t know about the hidden one. My employee? He lost out on the $1000 he paid for the car. The police confiscated the car on the spot and that was that.”

“The only thing you can do to prevent this from happening to you is to try and trace the car’s previous owners before you buy it, or buy from a reputable dealer,” says Marks. “Sometimes the original owner’s manual will even have the dealer’s stamp on it and you can call the dealer and find out if they actually sold the car and to whom.”

Marks can also recommend burglar alarm installers who can at least give the Mustang owner some degree of security.

Isn’t Marks worried that his shop – which looks like it might be a scrap metal yard – will turn off customers? “I had that choice at the beginning,” says Marks, “of having a small showroom in a nice location or a lot of space in an industrial location. I chose the latter and I’m glad I did, because I need the space now. I figured out if people want what I have, they’ll find me. And they do.”