Not too many cars come along that are instantly recognized for what they are and cherished for those same feelings nearly 30 years after their introduction. The Fox Body Mustangs offered the masses cheap speed and good times in an attractive package that traded away high quality for high output, a swap that many buyers were happy to live with. Vanilla Ice may have made the Mustang a Hollywood star, but it endeared itself to hobbyists without the high-profile role in a music video. You can still buy them cheap, too, like this 1987 Mustang GT Convertible here on eBay with a buy-it-now of $4,850.
If there’s a single iteration of the Mustang that’s as recognizable as the one that started it all, I tend to give a tip of the hat to the third generation. It’s amazing to think of how many cars Ford was able to push out to market on this chassis, second only to the Panther platform that can be found in the thousands of Crown Victoria taxi cabs still hauling passengers around the U.S. The Fox platform provided the underpinnings for 4 cylinders, inline and V6s, V8s and was even modified to accept diesel engines. But for all the ways this chassis helped Ford bring cars to market, it’s perhaps most famous for its association with the Mustang.
This generation of the Mustang really brings to bear a lot of the styling trends that were representative of the 80s: turbine-design alloy wheels, smooth body work to give it that slippery aero feel and even louvered tail lights – perhaps to match the fully-louvered rear hatch window the owner likely picked up on the vast aftermarket that to this day continues to churn out styling and performance modifications for Fox Body Stangs. Of course, the ease with which these cars could be modified led to many of them being abused on the drag strip, and the low cost of entry means some have fallen victim to young drivers’ inexperience. Finding a clean one isn’t as easy as you might think, despite the healthy production numbers.
On that note, that’s why this example is appealing to me. Sure, the automatic is a buzzkill, especially from an era when transmissions weren’t particularly intelligent. But for a cheap cruiser with V8 power in stock condition? I could get over it. I personally love the color combo and that interior is in bang-up shape for a car of this age. Although there is one reported accident, it wasn’t bad enough to total the car when it happened in 1995. Parts are cheap, maintenance is cheap and for under $5K, so is the price of entry. And what better way to impersonate Vanilla Ice than rolling in your 5.0?
Gee, I cic not recall that Ford sold the V8 Mustangs with the 4 lug wheels.
This would be more attractive with a 5-speed, but perhaps it would not have survived as well if it had one.
Eh… missed the edit window: cic = did
Well no wonder, the edit opportunity is not available here.
Oops! I’ll be posting poorly proofread items on a regular basis!
right now it is also missing from the other site !
Comment editing is now turned on. Thanks for catching that guys!
thanks.
The Fox bodies were real budget jobs. All of them had 4 lug hubs. It always struck me funny that my 4 cylinder Dodge had 5 lugs while the V-8 Fords had 4. But, then again my unmodified GLH-T left unmodified 5.0’s wondering what just passed them.
ok right color inside/outside/top. right motor, OHV not OHC V8. right amount of cowl shake and door rattle, no hatch rattle on the fastback does not count. i would prefer the lx but the gt is a real close second choice. right amount of miles, body and interior defects to make it a daily drive. but no sore left leg from pushing in a too heavy clutch while stuck in traffic, no gear shift lever moving around while on and off the gas or going over bumps, no clutch in bliping the gas while coming to a stop, no unloaded idle while waiting for the light to change, and no ” i pick the shift points ” because i know how to shift a manual transmission.
Didn’t they switch to 5 lug wheels in ’93? or was that just the Cobra models?