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.
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.
The seat foam is saved, but again, to really be perfect it should be replaced.
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.
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
A Fox is worth exactly what you're willing to pay for it.
In my area, $5-8k will get you a pretty nice condition car, but with well over 100,000 miles. The truly nice, low-mile cars in good color combos start around $10,000. I don't know if they're actually selling at those prices, but that's what people are asking on Craigslist. There are deals to be had and I have friends that have found them, but the prices of Foxes are on the upswing.