Ford did a major update to their 1979 "Fox-body" Mustang for model year 1994 restyling it as an homage to the original 1964 1/2 - 1966 Mustang. The results, in my humblest of opinions, were decidedly mixed. Our Facebook advertised find here is a '94 for sale somewhere up here on "The North Coast" for (a breath taking) $16,500.
That primo asking price no doubt driven by the car's superb condition and its low mileage; there are less than twenty-five thousand miles on its twenty-nine-year old analog ticker. Then again, a 1994 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 or Pontiac Trans Am in this kind of shape with such low miles would probably go for ten-grand more. Oh, did you say fifteen-grand more? Ford chiseled and whittled away most of the cheesey-retro-themed nonsense of these cars for 1999 coming with a car that looked more like an evolution of '60's Mustangs as opposed to a modern (and ugly) interpretation of one.
My experience with a 1998 Mustang GT convertible was less than clandestine. Back in Dallas years ago, for a minute or two, I thought of ditching my 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS for one. Top up or down I found the structure jittery and shuddering. Top up, the interior noise was deafening and while the ride was fair but the handling I found brutish, crude, disconnected if not numb feeling; some people like that but I'm man enough to admit that I don't. Especially on a daily driver. My Monte Carlo was a bastion of refinement and civility in comparison. What good is a "cool" car if in your "heart-of-hearts" you really can't stand the thing? I learned that lesson the hard way when I ditched the Monte Carlo for a 2002 Camaro Z28.
Granted, despite the upgrading for '94, this is still a design rooted in the late '70's and my Monte Carlo firmly planted in the '90's (if not the '80's). But, forgive me for asking, what's the point of a "sporty car" if it really can't do anything better than a plebian sedan? Not to mention having to put up with all of its inconveniences.
Reminds me of when I had my sexy 2002 Camaro Z28 and I happen to drive a 2003 Honda Accord V-6 sedan. That freaking family car Accord impressed me so much that I promptly got rid of my Z. I regret that move to this day because that Z was one fun weekender, but as a daily driver? Again, I ain't no masochist. Owning that Camaro Z28 was like a middle aged man dating a young, party-girl. Sound fun, no? But if that girl only wants to pah-tay, well, that grows tiresome. Fun at first or once in a while, but sometimes all we want to do is have a simple dinner at home and fall asleep on the couch watching TV.
This pony is a horse of a somewhat different feather seeing it has Ford's venerated if not mythic "Windsor", 302-cubic inch V-8 and not the modular, 4.6-liter, SOHC engine that replaced the 302, or "Five-Point-Oh" in 1996. A smoother running if not lighter motivator, the 4.6 lacked the raw scoot (balls) of the 5.0 to say nothing of being seriously outgunned by GM's LT-1 and LS-1 engines found in Camaro's and Firebird's. Upside is, there are far more "go-fast", after market parts available for the Windsor engine compared to the 4.6. Ford made available their gigantic DOHC 4.6 they stuffed in Lincoln Continentals and Mark VIII's in these cars starting in 1996 as well. You find one of those in this condition and won't be going for $16,600.
They say in the used car business there's an arse for every seat and that may very well be true in this case. I found this car around Christmastime and have not been able to find it since. Looks like someone picked it up. I sure hope they know what they're getting themselves into.
No comments:
Post a Comment