Judy Buys Back Stolen 1965 Ford Mustang.

Judy Keeps Her Mustang.

It was that great 1970 high school graduation present, a gleaming little 1965 Mustang sitting on the used car lot. Mr. Smongesky’s choice immediately became the most beloved object in the young Judy Smongesky’s universe. High school sweetheart for certain!

Decades passed, and like all of us of similar age (Judy, I graduated from high school the same year, so I feel your pain), life has its ups and downs… But through it all, the faithful Mustang was with her. Through the thick and the thin, the flat tires and the driving rain, the two traveled the superhighways of life together, until finally the car was parked for a while as Judy gathered her ideas of how to get it back in fighting trim again!

Judy had wondered why the car had VIN numbers that did not match, but an initial check of the car by the local police back in the 1990’s had gotten a thumbs up from them, so she had gone ahead with repairs at that time to get the car running.

But then comes the time when, after investing over $4000 in freshening up the old ‘stang, its time for an even more serious restoration. The numbers in the door and under the hood have never matched, but troubled by the discrepancy, Judy has the cops check it out again…

And its discovered, 40 years into the relationship, that the car was stolen from Mr. Eugene Brakke before Judy’s father purchased the car from a used car dealer for $1114 and gave it to her as a graduation present!

A less honest person would NEVER have pursued the queries, or so readily admitted that the car was, indeed, the property of Mr. Brakke (now retired and living in the Los Angeles area). But Judy did all these things, and despite the pain, was willing to give up the car to its rightful owner when he was located and contacted by the police.

For a while she was on pins and needles, worried that Mr. Brakke would assert his rights of ownership and take her beloved Mustang away.

Now, Judy has told us the end of the story, and darn if it isn’t a great one!

Mr. Brakke, obviously a gentleman, scholar and all-around great guy, came to get the car, sat in it, and looked up at Judy and told her:

"OK, pay me $1 (one dollar) for every year you’ve had it, and we’ll call it even".

Judy gets to keep her pride and joy!

Mr. Brakke, hats off to you, sir!

And Judy? We are proud to have you as a member of All Ford Mustangs!

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