Is it worth it?

[QDRHRSE]

I've been driving a C5 Vette for a while and I miss having a Mustang. I'm thinking of buying a totally restored [immaculate] 89 Saleen that has a brand new FMS crate motor and tko 600. It's not built but it is pretty stout and has all the right bolt ons. The original drivetrain is included. Is it worth 13K? My wife will likely make me get rid of the Vette and get an economy car. I'm older than most of you and an 89 Mustang isn't exactly popular with my crowd but I have wanted one [a Fox body Saleen] since the late 80's. The Vette has been a great driver but it uses premium only and is expensive to maintain. I won't miss it too much....what do you think?

 

[SteedaGT9150]

dooooo iiiiiiitttttt!

 

[stykthyn]

if you dont think you'll miss the vette then go for it. have you driven a fox before?

 

[iwashmycar]

ya might as well... its more unique and fun to drive... Im assuming its just a toy car/nice day car, so what better than something with some real unique value.

 

[93GTosu]

how "old" is your crowd?

the reason I ask is because when I go to car shows...the only guys with nice fox body saleens are older guys that have them because they're nice collector type cars. rarely do I see some 25 yr old guy with one.

65+ is considered "gettin' there" to me (i don't know how old you are, nor do i mean this in offense)...and in the world of "cars" that doesnt even seem old. I see people that age at the track a lot. there's no age limit that i'm aware of?

i say do it, if you've wanted one this long.

 

[QDRHRSE]

Looks like I'm going to buy it and keep the Vette too. I use the Vette as a commuter and it really does well. Good on gas and reliable...just expensive to maintain.

I'm 35 in case anyone is curious and I've probably owned 50 mustangs since I was 16. I've had them all from 1965 to 2004. I've even had a Mach One and a couple of Cobra's. I've got 2 kids and I've been in grad school for the last couple of years and I'm finally going to be done in 2 months so I want to reward myself. Life can be grand sometimes.

Anyway, 13K not too much?

 

[Loco5.0]

13k for a molested saleen? no f'n way

 

[wythors]

Go to The Saleen Club of America board and you'll get some very good, educated opinions and somebody might even know the car you're talking about. Fox Saleens are on a very steep increase right now and good ones are bringing a lot of money, even if modified. As long as all the Saleen-specific stuff is there (seats, door panels, shift knob, radio, suspension, body kit) it will always bring good money.

BTW, you're a whippersnapper compared to the rest of us over there.

Edit: Oh yeah, if the car is complete and in nice condition, 13k is very reasonable. Post up some pics on the SCOA and you'll get knowlegable opinions

 

[QDRHRSE]

I'm really disappointed. The car is perfect. I made an offer of $10.5k but would probably pay $11.5. He wasn't hearing it. However, I did find out that it's been for sale for 3 months. There were 3 or 4 things about it that prevented me from paying the asking price. 1) it did not have the original motor or trans. 2)125,000 miles carfax verified, 3) NADA value for what I would consider to be perfect car was $12,500, and 89 was the highest production year meaning that it is the least valuable of the Fox bodies. Here is the kicker- the guy sold the stock drivetrain because he didn't think that it affected the value . Still, I really want it. It was the nicest Fox car that I've seen in a while. I told him to let me know if he was willing to negotiate a little.

 

[QDRHRSE]

...it's in the works. There's a better than 50/50 chance.

 

[QDRHRSE]

The checks in the mail....literally. The guy told me that he wasn't really trying to sell the car aggressively but as it turns out he was. I still overpaid a little but considering what I got- it was well worth it to me. In fact, his parts bill on the car from the last 3 months was more than I paid.

I also wanted to add something else that I discovered. Late model blocks and trannies are not serialized like they were in the old days. There is really no such thing as a numbers matching block or tranny anymore. I don't even think there is a datestamp on a 5.0/302 block. The same for the T-5's, although with the transmission you have to match the year because there are physical differences. Anyway, in short, there is no such thing as a matching #'s Saleen. Thankfully my cars seller didn't know that. In the future, if somebody plans to buy a Saleen and isn't sure because the engine is modified- don't sweat it.

There is an exception to the numbers matching rules for late model cars. Any special production SVT car like a Cobra will have a special #'s matching engine although it is not vin stamped. THe motors themselves are serialized and assigned to a car's VIN. Saleens do not have this as they start out as GT's now.

 

[brown86]

The checks in the mail....literally. The guy told me that he wasn't really trying to sell the car aggressively but as it turns out he was. I still overpaid a little but considering what I got- it was well worth it to me. In fact, his parts bill on the car from the last 3 months was more than I paid.

I also wanted to add something else that I discovered. Late model blocks and trannies are not serialized like they were in the old days. There is really no such thing as a numbers matching block or tranny anymore. I don't even think there is a datestamp on a 5.0/302 block. The same for the T-5's, although with the transmission you have to match the year because there are physical differences. Anyway, in short, there is no such thing as a matching #'s Saleen. Thankfully my cars seller didn't know that. In the future, if somebody plans to buy a Saleen and isn't sure because the engine is modified- don't sweat it.

There is an exception to the numbers matching rules for late model cars. Any special production SVT car like a Cobra will have a special #'s matching engine although it is not vin stamped. THe motors themselves are serialized and assigned to a car's VIN. Saleens do not have this as they start out as GT's now.

That's incorrect information. A partial VIN number is stamped on the block for Late Model Fox cars! It's found on the flat spot just behind the lower intake on the block. Where did you get your info?

 

[wythors]

That is true. Also, the T-5's have a tag on them noting the year of manufacture, though they are not assigned to a VIN.

 

[QDRHRSE]

Ford gave me the info on the block casting #'s. The tranny and rear do have tags but those are not hard to get. They are option specific and are common. Only the older blocks have a partial VIN. The roller blocks do not. The blocks may have some #'s on them but none of them have a partial VIN.

I'm 99% sure about this, however, I'm open to the possibility that I'm wrong. Does anybody out there have an original car with the intake off? The proof is in the pudding! Let's test it out. Does anybody have a loose block laying around? If so, post up any #'s cast into it. I think that there is a strong likelyhood that the same #'s will show up.

 

[brown86]

Ford gave me the info on the block casting #'s. The tranny and rear do have tags but those are not hard to get. They are option specific and are common. Only the older blocks have a partial VIN. The roller blocks do not. The blocks may have some #'s on them but none of them have a partial VIN.

I'm 99% sure about this, however, I'm open to the possibility that I'm wrong. Does anybody out there have an original car with the intake off? The proof is in the pudding! Let's test it out. Does anybody have a loose block laying around? If so, post up any #'s cast into it. I think that there is a strong likelyhood that the same #'s will show up.

Where at Ford Motor Company did you get this info? I'm interested because I'm a Ford employee and would like to know who or what department is giving out false information. Again, I do know for certain that there are partial VIN numbers stamped on late model roller blocks and T5 transmissions. I've personally verified this on both of my cars, and it is a known and documented fact.

If Ford wasn't interested in stamping numbers, why are there multiple areas on a Fox Mustang where you can find the VIN stamped? It stands to reason that the numbers would be recorded on the drivetain as well.

 

[Aaron]

VIN's aside - post pics once you get the car. Can't wait to see it!

 

[Loco5.0]

How much did you end up paying?

 

[Aaron]

How much did you end up paying?

Do you REALLY want to know? Everybody knows you'll be all over him if he payed more than 3K

 

[QDRHRSE]

I'm picking it up on Thursday after work and it's 100 miles away. I'll post pics when I can. Unfortunately, I won't have time to take pics until maybe Sunday. My best friend is flying in on Thursday to help with the car and we have too much stuff planned. I won't be home to see the daylight! As far as price is concerned....it was less than he was asking but probably more than I should have paid. I was willing to pay a premium to get what I wanted. I've wanted this car since I was 16 and the money wasn't really an issue although the negotiations were tough. The deal actually fell through at one point. I have been looking for this car for a long time and finding it was a lot harder than coming up with the money. It is really hard to find a super clean Fox body [by my standards], much less a Saleen, these days. Needless to say the car has over double what I paid for it invested in it recently. Just one of the receipts was $8k. I could keep going on and on. I'll post pics ASAP.

 

[GroverDill]

Congrats!