To mod, or not to mod...what do you think??

[tannerc91gt]

IMO, there's no point in sleeper mods.
The goal to keeping the value of a low mile, low production car is not to look stock, it's too be stock. E7 heads are worth nothing. Ported E7s, lower the value of a stock low mile motor, and the heads are still worth...nothing (302 motors are worth nearly nothing now, but maybe someday a numbers matching low mile 302 in a flawless car will be worthy of auction or museum) hell, at that point you might as well stroke it. Modding the car at all, reguardless of if it's visually noticable, defeats the whole purpose of keeping the car virgin. Just my .02

Just something to think about.

 

[Shaolin Crane]

Calm down friend...
I'm just expressing my opinion. No one KNOWS what will or won't be "worth a lot of money". But IMO, whoever pays $19K for even a completely stock FOX body is . There is just no way they are worth that much money.

Not putting down the car itself, just stating what I believe to be a fact.

Just curious, but has anyone bought that $19K FOX body? Or is it still for sale? People tend to put their car up for sale for a lot more than they are worth sometimes.

purchased, sold, traded for cash, whatever term you want to use, cars are worth whatever people will pay for them and if its worth that money then once enough people will pay that the market will go up with them

 

[Strippt88]

purchased, sold, traded for cash, whatever term you want to use, cars are worth whatever people will pay for them and if its worth that money then once enough people will pay that the market will go up with them

Thats right, a friend of mine only likes silly low mile, pristine(he's easily the most anal retentive car guy I've ever met) examples, and he shops for Fox's. His last 93 Cobra was $19K, with 18K on the clock with NO mods. His quest lately is a low mile notch, of the showroom variety, and he's finding guys won't sell for under $20K. Demand controls prices. His shopping tells me Fox's are already at the Mach 1s and Boss doorstep pricewise, it don't matter what anyones opinion is. Ifn I had a 40K unmolested car I wouldn't touch it with anything the factory didn't put there, it too easy to find one you can turn up your own way, no need to ruin any of whats left.

 

[jj89fox]

I was in the same spot you are I decided to mod mine but I made sure I could put it back to its stock form I only had to drill two holes in the k member I have no regrets good luck on your decision

 

[LowOnFuel]

It's very rare to find a clean, stock fox mustang these days. Keeping that in mind, I'd have a heck of time keeping myself from modding it. Just remember, adding one or two mods is like going out with the guys for one or two drinks.....next thing you know your wallet is empty and you're calling for a ride home.

 

[1990Coupe]

Sorry, man but there is no way you're comparing a plain ol' FOX body GT, LX, or even a Cobra to a Shelby, Mach 1, or Boss.

You go ahead and get your hopes up like that. The only FOX bodies that WOULD bring in any money would be the special editions (7-up, Cobra R, Saleen, maybe the standard '93 Cobra) and they would have to be completely stock with really low miles.

If you think a GT or LX is going to be worth money, then you can keep "" all day long, but the fact is that they just won't bring in much. Now, in 10 more years, a completely unmolested GT with low miles might bring in a good amount, but nothing to get excited about.

A common misconception is that people think that just because their car is 20 years old ("Classic") that it is or is going to be worth big bucks. It just doesn't really work like that.

Maybe one day i will be proven wrong, but I really doubt that.

Fail.

If you mean bringing 100k for a fox, then yes i understand your reasoning. But if you look the 60's stangs that have been semi restored are going for in the 20's and WAYYY more 60's stangs were produced year on year then fox's. Yes fox's had a longer run (from 79-93) but still. If you have a Semi stock one, in great shape, with under 100k, who's to say that in 10-15 years they aren't sold regularly for 10-15k? Thats quite a bit of money if you ask me.

 

[302Feen]

It's very rare to find a clean, stock fox mustang these days.

This is too true. Finding a completely stock 5.0 is near impossible. This is why I say that IF they will be worth money in the future it will be the ones with no modifications whatsoever. It would also have to be very low miles with flawless interior and paint.

I still say whoever pays over $10K for a completely stock, low miles, and excellent condition needs to get their head examined. They just aren't worth that. But hey, if someone is going to pay it then all the power to them I guess. But that is just stupid, because a GT or LX is just not a collectors car. Someone might have bought that one for $19K thinking they were buying an investment...

 

[302Feen]

Fail.

If you mean bringing 100k for a fox, then yes i understand your reasoning. But if you look the 60's stangs that have been semi restored are going for in the 20's and WAYYY more 60's stangs were produced year on year then fox's. Yes fox's had a longer run (from 79-93) but still. If you have a Semi stock one, in great shape, with under 100k, who's to say that in 10-15 years they aren't sold regularly for 10-15k? Thats quite a bit of money if you ask me.

I still don't understand how you compare a FOX body to a 60's Mustang. So just because a 60's Mustang is getting more valuable means the FOX bodies are becoming more valuable???
Could you explain this to me???
What if I compared the FOX body to the Mustang II?? There is a small market for the Mustang II's and they CAN bring in some money, but they aren't collectors cars.

Remember, just because a car is old doesn't make it worth more.

Now I will admit that the FOX body played a pretty important role in the Ford hotrodding history, and that is pretty much the only reason it could become a collector. The majority of the FOX bodies are moddified beyond anything close to stock, this is why IMO the only ones that would bring in any money would have to be COMPLETELY stock. How much sense would it make to buy a FOX body that is modified like every other FOX body out there? The rare FOXes are the ones that are left unmolested. And "rare" brings in more money.

Curiousity quetion- What did a FOX body sell for new???

 

[1990Coupe]

I still don't understand how you compare a FOX body to a 60's Mustang. So just because a 60's Mustang is getting more valuable means the FOX bodies are becoming more valuable???
Could you explain this to me???
What if I compared the FOX body to the Mustang II?? There is a small market for the Mustang II's and they CAN bring in some money, but they aren't collectors cars.

Remember, just because a car is old doesn't make it worth more.

Now I will admit that the FOX body played a pretty important role in the Ford hotrodding history, and that is pretty much the only reason it could become a collector. The majority of the FOX bodies are moddified beyond anything close to stock, this is why IMO the only ones that would bring in any money would have to be COMPLETELY stock. How much sense would it make to buy a FOX body that is modified like every other FOX body out there? The rare FOXes are the ones that are left unmolested. And "rare" brings in more money.

Curiousity quetion- What did a FOX body sell for new???

How can you not compare it to a 60's mustang???? Nobody thought your stock 289 mustang would be worth anything since SOOO many were made... Now look, those 289 stangs are going for 20k...

Look im not saying a fox is a collector car, or should be bought for an investment cause it shouldn't (save for like a saleen which is 100% original with low miles).

Its tough to compare to the mustang II cause the general public was not much of a fan. If there is no demand, there is no value.

The fox revitalized the hotrodding revolution, so you cannot say that in 20+ years they won't be worth "something" for a stock one, even with high miles, or even a mildly modded one.

have you ever watched the auto auctions? Restored camaro's and mustangs fetch a decent amount, and that have been restored, so who knows what kind of past they lived. They could have been modded to high hell, but the fact they were restored back to original apparently is "good enough" to the people who are searching out these vehicles.

 

[NIKwoaC]

I bought my t-top '86 with 30K on it. I've been modding the hell out of it since and the only thing I regret is removing the AC. By the time I'm done with it, a dead Hellen Keller will be able to recognize it as being modified. But then again, is a hot rod ever done?

In the end, you have to do what makes YOU happy. For me, owning a toy car that I had no hand in its looks or performance- just driving it as it was when it rolled off the car lot- is boring. In my eyes, it lacks individuality. If I were ever to sell it, it wouldn't be "the car that Nik built." It would be "the car that Nik used to own." For me, there's no satisfaction in that. If I had the coin, I'd buy an original Mach 1 and cut a hole in the $5000 original shaker hood to fit a huffer on top of the mill. Hell yes that's be sweet, but some purists would be puking blood.

That said, if you're into restoration and keeping a car as Ford's engineers originally saw fit, there isn't anything wrong with that. Not my choice, but it's your stuff, do with it as you see fit. If you see it as an investment, then I guess go that route. By the way, if you're looking into high reward investments, cars aren't a good place to be PERIOD.

 

[302Feen]

How can you not compare it to a 60's mustang???? Nobody thought your stock 289 mustang would be worth anything since SOOO many were made... Now look, those 289 stangs are going for 20k...

Look im not saying a fox is a collector car, or should be bought for an investment cause it shouldn't (save for like a saleen which is 100% original with low miles).

Its tough to compare to the mustang II cause the general public was not much of a fan. If there is no demand, there is no value.

The fox revitalized the hotrodding revolution, so you cannot say that in 20+ years they won't be worth "something" for a stock one, even with high miles, or even a mildly modded one.

have you ever watched the auto auctions? Restored camaro's and mustangs fetch a decent amount, and that have been restored, so who knows what kind of past they lived. They could have been modded to high hell, but the fact they were restored back to original apparently is "good enough" to the people who are searching out these vehicles.

I watch the car auctions quite often, I'm actually a big classic car enthusiast...
In my family we have:
'22 Model T
'26 Model T
'30 Model A
'34 Ford 5-window coupe (rebuilt this with my dad from ground up)
'49 Pontiac
'65 Mustang I-6 'vert

Now I'm not claiming to be some kind of expert, just saying I've been around these REAL classics and been to auctions and am in multiple antique car clubs.

For a car to really be worth a lot the car has to have some kind of nostalgia. The old 50's and 60's cars were when speed was becoming a very big deal and car manufacturers were competing to make their spot in racing and hotrodding.
So yeah, the old Camaro's and Mustangs (even rebuilt) are going to be worth money. Almost always, these cars are restored to 100% original. And can be considered "stock". Those older cars bring in money partly because of the era they are a part of. The 60's model Mustangs and Camaros, were the start of the pony car wars. They were also made in the time where you had multiple v8 engine options. Not just v6 or v8, but "do I want a small block, big block, or Y block?". This is why I ask, "how do you compare the 60's models with the FOX bodies?". Yes, the FOX played an important role in hotrodding, but they were put out in the 80's which is a time that isn't highly thought of and they have that 80's styling. The earlier FOXes are going to fall in with the Mustang II's since they were lacking in performance and styling (some might disagree with the styling thing, but you catch my drift) but the later model FOXes have a better chance of making money.

The only chance FOXes have to make money is going to be way on down the road. More and more FOXes are being torn all to hell, thrown on the track, wrecked, modified beyond recognition, or even slightly modified. So the more time goes by, there will be fewer and fewer FOXes in good shape and left unmolested (not even muffs and/or simple bolt ons). These COMPLETELY stock FOXes and probably the stock special editions I can see bringing in some good cash. But other than that, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Again, I don't claim to be some kind of expert, and I could be COMPLETELY wrong on this. But no one truly KNOWS until it happens (or doesn't happen).

Sorry for the long post, just trying to get the point across.

 

[302Feen]

Another point here...

There are A LOT of people that tend to think just because the car is 20 years old, which is technically a classic, means that they are true CLASSICS. This is simply not the case. Again look at the Mustang II's. Those are older than the FOX but really aren't worth much unless you're in the small group that desires them.

Here is the definition of "classic"-
a. Belonging to the highest rank or class.
b. Serving as the established model or standard: a classic example of colonial architecture.
c. Having lasting significance or worth; enduring.

Now you have to answer if the FOX is described in any of these ways.

 

[Notchbck93]

IMO, there's no point in sleeper mods.
The goal to keeping the value of a low mile, low production car is not to look stock, it's too be stock. E7 heads are worth nothing. Ported E7s, lower the value of a stock low mile motor, and the heads are still worth...nothing (302 motors are worth nearly nothing now, but maybe someday a numbers matching low mile 302 in a flawless car will be worthy of auction or museum) hell, at that point you might as well stroke it. Modding the car at all, reguardless of if it's visually noticable, defeats the whole purpose of keeping the car virgin. Just my .02

Just something to think about.

I suppose you could see into the engine like on the fast 'n furious to realize that it is no longer stock?

He could pick up an easy 40 hp, totally increase the smiles-upon-miles drivability and still pass the car off as stock if he ever decided to dump it. Someone who drives the car will believe it's a strong runner for stock...factory freak.

I've never seen anyone pull off the intake tube to see if the throttle body had been bellmouthed and I've been around my fair share of Fox sales. Most just look in the valve cover to see if RR's have been added.

Put it this way, I'm sure this guy will want his Fox to feel a bit stronger than his V6 Accord.

I'm not sure if you've noticed but the 5L has been the bench mark for quite some time, I'm just thankful that the 5L bar has been raised quite a bit.

 

[tannerc91gt]

 

[Strippt88]

I suppose you could see into the engine like on the fast 'n furious to realize that it is no longer stock?

He could pick up an easy 40 hp, totally increase the smiles-upon-miles drivability and still pass the car off as stock if he ever decided to dump it. Someone who drives the car will believe it's a strong runner for stock...factory freak.


Put it this way, I'm sure this guy will want his Fox to feel a bit stronger than his V6 Accord.

I'm not sure if you've noticed but the 5L has been the bench mark for quite some time, I'm just thankful that the 5L bar has been raised quite a bit.

Every time I go to any track I'd say the 5.0 Fox has a pretty high bar!Personally I greatly enjoy the ported E7's and the $200 bucks they cost me, as well as the TMoss lower intake thrown on my speed density 88 and with no other tweaks. Ok, it has a better stock cam than any other stock 5.0 cept the Cobra. I haven't raced it yet but it runs like nobody expects it to, with bulletproof reliability and all of it together hardly cost me the price of buying "good" heads. I like 'em so much they're going back on when the bottom is ready! Every guy has they're own interpretation but low mile cars are worth more in every way and should be left alone-we're running out of good cars some guy hasn't put his idea of "good" mods on.

 

[im4darush]

Thanks for the comments guys. I am under no illusions here. I know this car is not the end all, be all and it will not be worth TONS of money. I wont be keeping it for 20 years in the hopes of making a killing at that point. I just dont want to take away the originality of the car because you know they are only factory original once. On the other hand, as a few have mentioned, I also want to enjoy the thing a bit. My main concern is that it will lose value if I put minor things on it. Though I will say that most nice fox mustangs that have tasteful mods fetch more $$ than stockers. And I dont mean the ultra rare cars that have under 1000 miles.

I think I will do the minor things that will give me a bit more enjoyment and put all the stuff I take off the car on the side. Shifters, cat backs and the like are all quite easy to put back. Cutting into a dash to install a monster tach is quite different (not that I would ever do such a thing)!

 

[tannerc91gt]

once you start modding, its hard to stop. One minor mod turns into "well if i add ___, ill need to get ____ too" and the next thing you know...

good luck though

 

[302Feen]

once you start modding, its hard to stop. One minor mod turns into "well if i add ___, ill need to get ____ too" and the next thing you know...

good luck though

This is OH SO TRUE!

I just started doing an engine rebuild back in spring. It started out just supposed to be a standard rebuild with some GT40P heads I just had laying around and I was going to keep stock cam and rockers.

Now I've got a set of Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads and an aftermarket cam sitting in my garage waiting to be put on.

The modding addiction is harder to quit than crack.

 

[GroverDill]

Stock Foxes are slow and boring.


There I said it! The best thing about the Foxes is modding them.

 

[Mustang5L5]

My main concern is that it will lose value if I put minor things on it. Though I will say that most nice fox mustangs that have tasteful mods fetch more $$ than stockers.

Honestly, unless the car has something rediculous like 600 miles, there is not much value to lose. If you put some tasteful mods on an 60K mile cars, it's gonna be worth the same as if it was stock. Hell, look around at how many highly modded cars sell for not that much more than stock.

It's not the car that loses the value, it's the mods you do.

It's your car...have fun with it. WHo cares what happens 20 years from now? garantee you most of the forum will lose money on any fox they have owned or ever owned.

Everyone wants different things anyway.