GT is totalled, time for new pony

which to do?


  • Total voters
    19

mustangfreak_2001

Founding Member
Jul 22, 2002
266
0
16
St Petersburg FL
Alright, well my little brother totalled my clean 85 GT ( :mad: ) and I think Im gonna go the 2.3T route this time. Right before I bought the GT I almost bought an SVO that I loved.

But heres my question, should I buy an SVO? or get a standard LX and put a 2.3T motor in it?

How much would that cost for the LX route?
 
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mustangfreak_2001 said:
But heres my question, should I buy an SVO? or get a standard LX and put a 2.3T motor in it?

Funny, I was gonna start a similar thread. I am currently daily driving my blown notch. Yeah, fun, but the 16mpg of so isn't! For a couple months I have been watching ebay for any decent 87-93 mustangs. A couple have come and gone, but nothing special. The last one that sparked my interest was a SVO. After reading up and them more, I started to really want one. You get the good 2.3 gas mileage, yet the power when you want it. On top of that, 4 wheel disc brakes, and a far superior suspenion.

The last couple days, I have been looking over waiting for the right SVO, or simply getting an average 2.3! Over all, I think its about even, if you do the work yourself. Lets say you get a nice SVO for $4,500. There, you're done. Or you could get a decent 2.3 for $2,000. Then spend $1,500 on a nice 4 wheel disc brake conversion, and still have $1,000 for the turbo 2.3 swap. While this price can vary, I know damn well it can be done for 1k.

A couple things to think over are...

*Do you love the SVO front end, or want teh 87-93 look?
*Interior, pre 87, or 87+
*Color, the SVOs were limited colors, while the 87+ 2.3 were numerous colors
*Body, with a 87+ 2.3 you can get a notch, or vert if you wish.

I'm starting to think the 2.3 is the best choice for me. I have had two in the past, and beat the living piss out of them. HOURS spend doing burnouts in the midwest winters with the tach at 4-5K, over a year without an oil change(topped it off when she started knocking), etc, ETC.

Oh, if you get a regular 2.3, make sure its NOT an automatic. Yes I know most mustang guys hate autos in general, but the one behind the 2.3 is ten times worse than the one they put behind the 5.0! I bought my 88 2.3 with a blown auto. I replaced it and by 20K it was starting to go already. Then the engine blew. A year later, I bought a 90 2.3 with 155K. By the time I sold it a couple months ago with 174K, the auto was about dead. Damn POS trannies!!

Damn, it would be odd to have a 2.3 and take care of it!
:rlaugh:
 
Kevins89notch said:
Funny, I was gonna start a similar thread. I am currently daily driving my blown notch. Yeah, fun, but the 16mpg of so isn't! For a couple months I have been watching ebay for any decent 87-93 mustangs. A couple have come and gone, but nothing special. The last one that sparked my interest was a SVO. After reading up and them more, I started to really want one. You get the good 2.3 gas mileage, yet the power when you want it. On top of that, 4 wheel disc brakes, and a far superior suspenion.

The last couple days, I have been looking over waiting for the right SVO, or simply getting an average 2.3! Over all, I think its about even, if you do the work yourself. Lets say you get a nice SVO for $4,500. There, you're done. Or you could get a decent 2.3 for $2,000. Then spend $1,500 on a nice 4 wheel disc brake conversion, and still have $1,000 for the turbo 2.3 swap. While this price can vary, I know damn well it can be done for 1k.

A couple things to think over are...

*Do you love the SVO front end, or want teh 87-93 look?
*Interior, pre 87, or 87+
*Color, the SVOs were limited colors, while the 87+ 2.3 were numerous colors
*Body, with a 87+ 2.3 you can get a notch, or vert if you wish.

I'm starting to think the 2.3 is the best choice for me. I have had two in the past, and beat the living piss out of them. HOURS spend doing burnouts in the midwest winters with the tach at 4-5K, over a year without an oil change(topped it off when she started knocking), etc, ETC.

Oh, if you get a regular 2.3, make sure its NOT an automatic. Yes I know most mustang guys hate autos in general, but the one behind the 2.3 is ten times worse than the one they put behind the 5.0! I bought my 88 2.3 with a blown auto. I replaced it and by 20K it was starting to go already. Then the engine blew. A year later, I bought a 90 2.3 with 155K. By the time I sold it a couple months ago with 174K, the auto was about dead. Damn POS trannies!!

Damn, it would be odd to have a 2.3 and take care of it!
:rlaugh:

even more tough desicion for me! Since I love every single generation of the Mustang, its hard to choose. The SVO is just a bad ass 4 banger, that alot of people dont know that it even excists. But they are hard to find in good condition.

LX's on the other hand are a dime a dozen, and most are in decent condition!

To be honest, after owning a 4 eye, the only true 87-93 look I love the most is the notch. To me a hatch looks alot better with a 85-86 GT nose.


Red_LX said:
The burning question is...why in the hell did you let your brother drive your car? I don't even let my brothers hold the keys to my car, much less drive it!

Someone T-boned him in his accord, so I let h im make payments on it untill I went down there and got it back.
 
The thing I would do (go figure...I am doing) is get an LX and swap. It won't have the rarity or stock greatness of the SVO, but it's easier to mod. There are a TON of things on the SVO that are SVO-specific, like interior parts, body parts and suspension parts, and it's getting hard to find them anymore. The '87-'93 aftermarket is huge and cheap, and for the money I think you could make the car much better than the SVO.

Ash
 
Well don't feel bad, I spun my SVO out last weekend into a vineyard. Its not totaled, just scrapped the paint pretty good, dented hood scoop, and the LR wheel well. Front bumper cover, and pass. fender. Still drivable but looks pretty sad.
 
Red_LX said:
Say, ya ever considered getting a Turbo Coupe? They're big cars, but very comfortable, and they make great cruisers. Plus they already have 4 wheel disc and ABS, and you can get them pretty cheap.

But its not a mustang. I'm not a big fan of change. I like my mustangs. I am not exactly automotively knowledgable, but I know these mustangs damn well. I think I'll stick with them.
 
if you get an SVO make sure you learn what SVO stands for, becasue if someone asks you what kind of mustang you have and you reply "SVO" its almost garenteed that they will reply with "what the heck does that stand for." (if they are not a stang guy.)

and also if you go SVO be prepared to be harrassed for modding a stock one (if it is stock).
 
StangerJon said:
if you get an SVO make sure you learn what SO stands for, because if someone asks you what kind of mustang you have and you reply "SVO" its almost guaranteed that they will reply with "what the heck does that stand for." (if they are not a stang guy.)

and also if you go SVO be prepared to be harassed for modding a stock one (if it is stock).

If I didn't know what SVO meant Id strip my self of the privilege of calling my self the Stangfreak
 
StangerJon said:
also be ready to explain why you wanted to have a 2.3T instead of a 5.0. I get this and the average 5.0 guy gets a little defensive if you say "because the 2.3T is far superior to the 5.0"


Hey, as long as that 4 banger isnt N/A its all good to me :nice:

Another option right now is a 64.5-70 Coupe/fastback with a nice stroker (347 for the 64.5-66 and possibly a 408 for 67-70)