A University of Texas track and field athlete hit a stroke of bad luck trying to sell his 1966 Ford Mustang. It broke in the middle of the highway on the way there.

Sam Hurley (@samhurley) documented his misfortune in a TikTok that’s accrued over 189,000 views on the popular social media application. 

Hurley’s clip begins with him sitting shirtless inside of his stuck vehicle. “Well my car broke down in the middle of the highway,” he says before flashing a thumbs-up into the lens. While he speaks, the sound of vehicles zooming past him reverberates off-camera.

“I’m kind of scared. I bought this 1966 Mustang like a couple years ago,” he adds, showing off the classic car’s interior. “And I’m on my way to sell it right now when it broke down in the middle of the highway,” the athlete tells viewers. “I’ve been out here for like 10 minutes, called a few tow trucks. I brought my homie with me and he was supposed to follow me. But he passed me and then now I’ve been here for 20 minutes.”

Even though Hurley was left stranded on the side of the road, he didn’t have any shortage of attention from other commuters.

“People keep honking at me like I could do something about it. I’ve been sitting here trying to start it for 10 minutes. So, now my only thing I can do is come rant to TikTok cause I don’t want to get rear-ended out here,” he says.

As he talks, Hurley constantly checks to see if any other cars are getting too close for comfort.

A Final Start?

“And I’m scared about it,” he adds, throwing in a bit of footage showing a large cargo truck zooming past his window.

Following this, he attempts one last time to bring his Mustang to life.

“Hoping this is the one that starts it, I got a good feeling man, I got a good feeling,” he says, before turning the car’s ignition. He pumps its gas pedal, but it doesn’t seem to work.

“Next time,” he says, dejected.

Afterwards, Hurley records the exterior of the car, which had completely stalled out in the middle of the busy road. The classic convertible sits motionless as other cars drive by. He wasn’t even able to get the car out to a shoulder, putting it at a greater risk of being smashed into by another vehicle.

Are Older Mustangs Reliable?

The aesthetic appeal of classic American cars is undeniable, especially with an icon like the Ford Mustang.

Hurley’s 1966 model is no exception, but as much as folks love these vintage rides, the same enthusiasts will admit using one as a daily commuter can be problematic. The blog Daily Car Tips says Mustangs overall offer “mixed reliability,” giving credence to the mean-spirited acronyms some have appended to Ford: “Found On Road Dead” and “Fix Or Repair Daily.”

The article says that some classic Mustangs easily make it to 200,000 or so miles or more with regular routine maintenance. But other drivers find themselves “on a first-name basis with [their] mechanic.”

A 1965 Mustang owner corroborates this assertion in a Hot Cars article. They reportedly claimed to have zero issues with their classic car.

However, they did say that buyers must make sure they’re purchasing “the right one,” during their classic vehicle search.

One upside to owning an older Ford Mustang is that they aren’t exactly rare, and many people enjoy driving them.

A car insurance company that targets the classic vehicle market reports that there are over 350,000 1965-1966 Ford Mustangs still on American roads today.

Clearly it’s a popular car. So Hurley shouldn’t have any trouble selling his car—after he gets it out of the middle of the highway.

Viewers aren’t sure he should sell it after all.

“That’s your sign not to sell it. Keep,” wrote one.

Another urged, “It doesn’t want to be sold. That car’s a dream bro.”

Motor1 has reached out to Hurley via email for further comment. We’ll update this if he responds.

 
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