If we could have any dream job, it would be traveling the backroads and byways of America in search of buried automotive gold. These barn finds aren’t always found in barns either; sometimes they’re pulled from packed garages or are found abandoned in isolated fields. But these cars can be worth big money, regardless of condition…as long as it is all there.

Up on eBay right now a 1969 Boss 302 Mustang recently recovered from the garage of a former Ford engineer who kept it in storage for 32 years. It is now up for sale, and it could be your chance to own an authentic, all-there Boss 302 Mustang that needs more than a little TLC.

What makes this barn-find Boss so special is that there are indications that this car has just 5,500 miles on it. For example, the seller says the Mustang appears to still be wearing the original tires and wheels it left the factory with. The VIN is correct for a Boss 302 Mustang, and the original paint appears to be more or less intact…albeit rough.

Alas, both the engine and transmission, the most desirable parts, are missing. The chances of tracking down the original, numbers-matching engine and transmission are slim to none. That has pondering other options rather than total restoration. Maybe clean the car up, make it safe and drivable, but forgo the classic Boss engine and instead drop a new Coyote 5.0 from the 2013 Boss 302 under the hood. Keep the rust and age, and just drive it around as is.

That way you could say yup, it’s a real Boss, with a real Boss engine, and probably engine it more than you would owning a valuable but vulnerable numbers-matching original.