That was in 1964 but VIN is stamped as ‘65
First car I ever drove by myself was a 64 1/2 Mustang. Still love those cars.
As for buying as opposed to repairing, it’s a lot cheaper to put out a few hundred every now and then than to make a payment every month. My wife bought the 2007 4runner. I have a Volvo and RAV4 that are paid for. I repair them when needed.
I was offered $3,000 not long ago for the RAV4. It’s got 190,000 miles on it. Probably should have taken it but I bought it new in 1996 and it has a special place in my heart. Besides, when I bought I said I hoped to put 200,000 miles on it.