Are the older (fox body) mustang gt's a good buy?

Question

I have found quite a few decent deals on mustang 5.0 gt's from the late 80's to early 90's. I know they are relatively light and fast. Why then, are low mileage, well kept examples so cheap? I also want to know what the common problems are with this era of gt's.

Answer 1

The Fox body Mustang was made from 1979-1993 with only mild cosmetic changes to the outside. The 1982 GT had 157hp/2bbl and the 93 GT had 220hp .Starting in 1985 the 5.0 motor was exceptional, roller cam, roller lifters, headers, 8.8 inch rear. The best year for a GT is either 1985 for the carb or 1993 last year of Fox body. Look at the SVO,GT Turbo (very rare) 20th Anniversary, and 93Cobra for collectible cars. The major problem with these Mustangs is the heater core! It was notorious for leaking after 4-5 years and like alot of Fords you have to remove the dash to fix it! I seem to remember 91 being a problem with brake rotors, but overall these are great cars.

Answer 2

Fox Body Mustang Years

Answer 3

Ford made hundreds of thousands of them, and for what they are (a fast, inexpensive car with a big V8 engine), they are a great deal. They are so common that you literally have to have a show car or a rare model ('93 Cobra comes to mind) to command premium pricing. Don't let it scare you, 5.0's are awesome project cars!

There is a HUGE after-market for Mustangs, and you will be able to find plenty of enthusiast sites like www.corral.net to help you out with model and year-specific questions.

Common problems -

-Mustangs tend to leak oil. This is often the rear main seal, but unless you are dumping more than a quart in between oil changes, not much of an issue.

-Heater Cores are crap in most of the older Fords, and if it goes out, you have to pull the entire dash out to change it, with no guarantee the new one will last any longer. Fortunately, it is easy to bypass, if you can live without a heater.

-The suspensions on the older Foxes is nothing to write home about. Some full sub-frame connectors from Maximum Motorsports, and new shocks/springs will make it feel like a new car.

-The rear tires tend to go bald AMAZINGLY fast! :D

Good luck, and have fun!

Answer 4

Fox Body Mustang 5.0

Answer 5

I owned a 1987 LX hatch back with automatic over drive transmission, I had a minor problem with the fuel pump being noisy. So I replaced it. The trans would not shift into over drive after owning it for several months. I was the second owner.
The Mustang I believe had 3.08 gears in the 8.8 rear end. The engine was solid, never used oil or leaked any oil with that one piece rear seal. The car had way over 100,000 miles on it when I bought it. I hate I sold it, I got scraped for money and had to let it go. big mistake. Now 30 + years later I'm l@@king for another 5.0 liter Mustang. "Go figure"

Answer 6

the heater core is the most common problem with them. they are very reliable cars i have owned 2 a 90 gt great car very fast and currently a 93 lx 5.0 i have had a transmission problem but that came from driving it hard if you take care of the car it will take care of you i currently have 170,000 miles on it still runs strong. there were a lot made so that is one of the reasons they are cheap the other is they are older cars now. don't buy one cause everybody has one by it if it is what you really want.

Answer 7

They are good cars, the prices are low due to so many being made. 89 is the best year, it had MAF and the best processor.
Just a note, the 8.8 rearend didn't come until the 86 GT and Fuel injection. I installed a police package heater core restrictor from www.50resto.com and have had no more problems. I have replaced the heater core twice in 160,000 hard miles

Answer 8

suspension problems