Shakerhood
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
I think it depends where you are at in the country, even thrashed Foxes seem to go high around here.
Fox body value
- Thread starter LB0193
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If you get one that's a little messed up and needs plenty of TLC, that's the best bet for a budget in my eyes. Scour craigslist for used parts availability in your area, buy a POR-15 kit, get one some gloves, pull out the tools and get to work if money is tight for you.
Cheap requires plenty of work. There's no other way around it unless you really luck out or wait forever.
Cheap requires plenty of work. There's no other way around it unless you really luck out or wait forever.
I completely disagree. I bought my car for $700 a year and a half ago. It had an OK body and a completely trashed interior. It was hardly there, plus the input shaft on the trans was broke. It wasn't anywhere near driving condition. After I get it painted and buy wheels/tires for it, I'll be close to or over the 10k mark. Of course I could have kept the original engine (it actually did run) and just restored it to factory (no suspension mods and no body kit, flashy wheels, or stereo system), but I see cars in my area with close to the same mods or with more money sunk into them than I have, and they're wanting to get rid of them for roughly 5-8k. That's a major loss in my eyes
91TwighlightGT
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
As someone who is doing what is closing in on a full restoration of one of these, I can tell you that buying a rough car will cost you plenty of cash. I started out with a car that cost me $750 to purchase, and have tracked every single cost of parts (not my labor, or the labor of my Dad who has been working on it with me, closing in on 2 years and looking more like 3 before it is done) down to title and license fees and am going to be right about 8K in total for the project.
The modifications at this point are extremely minor, and mostly body related. I have about 2-2.2K in a fiberglass hood, hatch, Cobra conversion kit from Cervini's, new fenders, 2 used doors, new door moldings and a GT front bumper cover. I will have another 1-1.5K in paint materials. Figure about $200-$250 in consumables (most people forget this part) and the rest in maintenance and restoration parts.
To restore this car to factory LX trim would have been cheaper, but still cost about 6K, and that is with me taking the time to wait for sales on new parts, find deals on used parts, restoring everything that I can, etc. The paint job will be a $5000+ job if you were to take it to a body shop, but I am fortunate that I can do that part myself.
For my purposes, I wanted the Cobra look so body and paint was going to happen anyway. In the Midwest, you will be doing rust repair unless you get an out of area car. Also, I really wouldn't discount the amount of money it takes to redo an interior. Although I semi-restored my seats and they are 10X better than they were when I bought the car, to really have it right I need to replace all the upholstery. The seat foam is saved, but again, to really be perfect it should be replaced.
The carpet was a lost cause, front and rear. If you have priced carpet lately, it isn't $100 anymore. Even with the 12% off deal from LRS, I still dropped $200 for carpet. I restored my door arm rests. New from LRS are $75 for the pair. I spent about 3 hours to repair the broken plastic and get them ready for paint. Center console armrest? Another $60. I'm restoring mine as much as I can, but it should be replaced. The little stuff all adds up! Ashtray door was broken, I was lucky to be able to save mine. The kit from LRS? $40.
We are closing in on $500 without seats and upholstery. Why do clean foxes go for so much? Because they still cost less in good condition than the cost of a restoration.
The modifications at this point are extremely minor, and mostly body related. I have about 2-2.2K in a fiberglass hood, hatch, Cobra conversion kit from Cervini's, new fenders, 2 used doors, new door moldings and a GT front bumper cover. I will have another 1-1.5K in paint materials. Figure about $200-$250 in consumables (most people forget this part) and the rest in maintenance and restoration parts.
To restore this car to factory LX trim would have been cheaper, but still cost about 6K, and that is with me taking the time to wait for sales on new parts, find deals on used parts, restoring everything that I can, etc. The paint job will be a $5000+ job if you were to take it to a body shop, but I am fortunate that I can do that part myself.
For my purposes, I wanted the Cobra look so body and paint was going to happen anyway. In the Midwest, you will be doing rust repair unless you get an out of area car. Also, I really wouldn't discount the amount of money it takes to redo an interior. Although I semi-restored my seats and they are 10X better than they were when I bought the car, to really have it right I need to replace all the upholstery. The seat foam is saved, but again, to really be perfect it should be replaced.
The carpet was a lost cause, front and rear. If you have priced carpet lately, it isn't $100 anymore. Even with the 12% off deal from LRS, I still dropped $200 for carpet. I restored my door arm rests. New from LRS are $75 for the pair. I spent about 3 hours to repair the broken plastic and get them ready for paint. Center console armrest? Another $60. I'm restoring mine as much as I can, but it should be replaced. The little stuff all adds up! Ashtray door was broken, I was lucky to be able to save mine. The kit from LRS? $40.
We are closing in on $500 without seats and upholstery. Why do clean foxes go for so much? Because they still cost less in good condition than the cost of a restoration.
1990turbo
Member
Wow its crazy how much these are going for in other parts of the country. I got mine for 8k had just over 80k miles already a low 11 car with the turbo c-6 9in. cage DFI and tons more in very good shape full interior. You should check out the oregon washinton craigslist and see what they are going for here. Ive seen 93 cobras in excellent condition for around 12k. not often but it happens.
gbranton
Founding Member
IMHO it should always be replaced when you do the upholstery, no questions asked. How many hundreds of pictures have I seen on this site of cars with new seat upholstery that is wrinkled and baggy because they reused the foam, which deteriorates and loses mass over time? People look at the pictures and fault the upholstery or the installation when it would have came out perfect had the owner not cheaped out. Not to mention that it has absorbed a minimum of twenty years of butt sweat. I think doing one without the other is a total waste of money, like reusing piston rings.
Wow, you guys to some hardcore stuff but no matter how you look at it you will typically lose money on a car. I'm more referring to some basic stuff.
I picked up mine for $1200 with a messed up transmission. Picked up a decent used one with a 2500 stall converter for $300 and tossing it in myself.
Or I could have picked one up with no screwy transmission and maybe a little better condition for around $2500-3000.
Long term cost, I agree. I could save up and pay eight grand for a top notch car like what you've got. Or pay ten grand and do it myself. That extra two grand buys exactly what you want, not just what's available, and also the enjoying (and total fury) building the car yourself.
Personally, I'll pay the extra two grand
I picked up mine for $1200 with a messed up transmission. Picked up a decent used one with a 2500 stall converter for $300 and tossing it in myself.
Or I could have picked one up with no screwy transmission and maybe a little better condition for around $2500-3000.
Long term cost, I agree. I could save up and pay eight grand for a top notch car like what you've got. Or pay ten grand and do it myself. That extra two grand buys exactly what you want, not just what's available, and also the enjoying (and total fury) building the car yourself.
Personally, I'll pay the extra two grand
mikestang63
SN Certified Technician
I've owned seven mustangs and have spent more money on them than I am willing to admit. I am sure others will agree that it is much cheaper to buy than to build. You are never satisfied and are always looking to "improve" them .....just a little more.
example.
I bought my current 90 convertible a few months ago, was going to keep it bone stock. That lasted a week...... and have dropped a few grand into it so far- new top, headlights, tune up, headers, exhaust, front end parts, 02 sensors ,new trans lines, window motors, swapped the top end for explorer intake, 70mmTB, CAI, MAF, 130 alternator, new oil pan gasket and real main seal. Just found a cervini ram air hood painted and bought hood pins. T Total I have about $8k or so in it. Would I get that back if i sold it now? Dunno but I have regretted every time I've sold my mustangs off in the past, t he car only has 48k and I plan on keeping it for some time.
Around here, I see them going for $5k that have 150K miles and have been beat on.
example.
I bought my current 90 convertible a few months ago, was going to keep it bone stock. That lasted a week...... and have dropped a few grand into it so far- new top, headlights, tune up, headers, exhaust, front end parts, 02 sensors ,new trans lines, window motors, swapped the top end for explorer intake, 70mmTB, CAI, MAF, 130 alternator, new oil pan gasket and real main seal. Just found a cervini ram air hood painted and bought hood pins. T Total I have about $8k or so in it. Would I get that back if i sold it now? Dunno but I have regretted every time I've sold my mustangs off in the past, t he car only has 48k and I plan on keeping it for some time.
Around here, I see them going for $5k that have 150K miles and have been beat on.
91TwighlightGT
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Only if you plan on either keeping the stock seats forever, which I do not (Corbeau's aren't in the budget right now) or if you are actually replacing your upholstery, in which case I agree.
As an aside, here is what a proper seat cleaning can do.
Original driver's seat picture.
RL]Passenger seat (uncleaned) and driver's seat (cleaned).
[URL='http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz304/PRO_CBudd/93%20Mustang%20LX/IMG_0659.jpg'] View attachment 137767 assenger seat cleaned
[URL='http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz304/PRO_CBudd/93%20Mustang%20LX/IMG_0752.jpg']
RL]I cleaned my seat foam in the bathtub with dawn dish detergent, lemon juice, and hot water. I let them dry in the hot sun for days in order to make sure they didn't mold back up. They aren't new, but it beats dropping a thousand+ on new seat foam and upholstery.
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1990turbo
Member
Depends on how built the car is and how much you get it for. Like i said above i paid 8k for mine but it had probably close to 30k into the build. So for me it wasnt the differance of a couple thousand dollars. You can dump serious dollars in these cars though. I paid 8k and have put almost 12 more into it since i bought it. Had a stock bottom end when i got it and it split soon after so Dart stroker went in not a cheap project. Next month gonna drop another 3kish in it. If i were to sell it someone would get a hell of a deal i dont think here on the west coast i could get more than about 13k for it. So its not gonna be for sale anytime soon. Unless i can find the right sucker with very deep pocketsWow, you guys to some hardcore stuff but no matter how you look at it you will typically lose money on a car. I'm more referring to some basic stuff.
I picked up mine for $1200 with a messed up transmission. Picked up a decent used one with a 2500 stall converter for $300 and tossing it in myself.
Or I could have picked one up with no screwy transmission and maybe a little better condition for around $2500-3000.
Long term cost, I agree. I could save up and pay eight grand for a top notch car like what you've got. Or pay ten grand and do it myself. That extra two grand buys exactly what you want, not just what's available, and also the enjoying (and total fury) building the car yourself.
Personally, I'll pay the extra two grand
on the money! let me add the ones for ten grand are not the foxs that have 30k invested in them. The best foxs out there are not normally for sale, over the years i have seen only a couple desperate owners sell that level car and of course they took a beaten, ten grand does get you a pretty dam good fox.
I picked my pile up for $900.... Has a few cosmetic issues, but it's all there... Oh let me not forget to mention that it came with $3500 in receipts mostly suspension
, needs some motor TLC.
, needs some motor TLC.
cdurbin
5 Year Member
I gave $6k for mine about 6 months ago and I feel like I came out pretty good. The guy was asking $7200 and I offered $6000. I had been looking for months and let me tell you there is some crap out there that people are trying pass off as "clean". All the cars I looked at were ragged to hell and had someting wrong with them and they were still asking $5-6k. This car was really clean and all there. He had also already had the 5-lug conversion done on it and upgraded Cobra disc brakes. That alone was worth a few bucks. Don't get me wrong, it needed some TLC but nothing major. I've spent another $1800 or so on it so far just replacing odds and ends, tune up, brakes, tires,.....etc. I love the thing though. It's exactly what I wanted so I don't plan on parting with it anytime soon.
