Fox Body As A First Car?

[JD1964]

They are great fun cars to own and drive. And its interesting because there are plenty of them still around but you don't see them being used on the road that much. I live in a relatively dense populated suburban area and seeing a Fox body being driven around is a rare occasion. Go to car shows or the local drag strips and you see them.

I love the fact you want one but as others have said, its not a good choice as a daily driver. Furthermore, anything close to stock is not all that fast anyway. As daily drivers, modded cars that are faster will surely be money pits.

 

[TOOLOW91]

I will jump on the band wagon here ... I have owned 3 foxes and 1 new edge an 00gt . I dailied every car until this year . Fox can be driven as a means of you only car but gets old FAST . Inclimate weather etc . I bought a 98 grand Cherokee in nov . Let me tell you all the stuff I began to hate about my fox I don't and you are able to actually enjoy
them this way .

My 00gt I paid 5k for and had for 3 years and it wasn't a bad ride or means of sole transportation .


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[2000xp8]

Maybe I should clarify my commute and use. I live very close to my high school, and the grocery store is within 5 miles of me. Tops I'm driving 15 miles to the valley, and even then that's rare. Use is daily during the school year, but limited in range. And I'm not an idiot teenage driver, I'm responsible and can keep my foot off the gas. .

First, you have to start being more realistic with yourself.

You aren't an idiot teen driver? Well, with a fox you will be.
High school and a fox? Recipe for disaster. You may wear out a set of tires a marking period leaving school at the end of the day.
If you don't respect the car and learn to drive it, a fox is a 3100lb, 300 ft lb of torque weapon with bad brakes and poor traction.

With that said, i say go for it.
Parts are cheap and they are easy to fix.

Would i use it for a family or somewhere it snows alot for a dd? No way.
But for a high school or college kid it's fine.

Be advised of it's short comings, you have to be very careful in the rain and snow, there is no anti lock brakes or traction control and ride is mediocre at best. You'd also be lucky if the AC kept you cool.

A money pit? Probably, but in the $4000 range you aren't going to find too much american muscle that's not.

I daily drove mine for years, wouldn't trade it for the world.
Many of the posts here from others here seem to have forgotten that when you are younger you are willing to make trade offs for something you really like.

I wouldn't dd mine now, but my life is much different than it was 20 years ago.

 

[TOOLOW91]

hey I will definitely say it made me a better driver !


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[90lxwhite]

I thought he was talking about the v6, and the fox is faster'n what I got now, brochacho.

I've never driven or ridden in a new v6 but I imagine w 300 horses it'd give the old fox a beat down or at least a run for its money. The fox only had 225 horses when it was new and add 100k mi of wear n tear its not gonna even have that much. The 94-04ish v6's were/ are slow. Well frankly if you wanna go fast in a pushrod mustang it's gonna require some work and even more $

 

[f8tlfiveo]

My first car was a 68 289 coupe, 2nd was an 86gt then a 97 gt, then a 88 lx, now a 91 vert. The foxes were my favorite. 97 gt ran the same 1/4 mile time as my 86 gt. like someone else said they are cheap to maintain, the parts are abundant, and you have much more help now than I did when I was 16. These kind of forums weren't around when my car wasn't running right. Had to figure it out on my own.

 

[Coops79]

I drove an 85' LX 5.0 through university. Winter time up here was interesting but it gives you an appreciation for rwd and ensures you're a fast learner with low traction. It was also pretty thirsty for a poor student vehicle. Get something newer to drive into the ground and save the fox for a project car. I've also noticed the price of foxes up here is starting to creep up, I also don't see too many on the road.

 

[Program]

Hmm, I see what 2000xp8 is saying, get it as a way to learn responsibility, gotta learn sometime. I think I could afford it with liability only insurance, too. It also seems like a good idea to get something more tame, though. I got time to think though, a couple months.

 

[jcgafford]

i say buy it. learn to drive it and fix it. restore what needs restored and keep it forever. my first was a 91 vert and i kick myself for ever getting rid of it. one ticket for rolling a stop was my high school record, not everyone loses their mind in these cars. my buddies on the other hand... well they rode with mom a lot after their adventures in their mustangs.

 

[stykthyn]

my only concern would be trying to keep a 3k dollar car running on a high school kids budget. The aging EFI systems on these cars react horribly to cheap fixes and the fumbling hands of those that dont know what they are doing. If you have a steady income and can use public transit as a backup then it may not be too bad. I can promise there are going to be days where the car is going to darken your driveway and you will need alternate transportation.

 

[hoopty5.0]

Meh, I had a 90 gt as a first car. Never wrecked it, and never had a/c. It's only a good idea if you have the ability and means to fix ANY issue. If you can't pull a trans to replace a worn out throw out bearing, don't buy one.

As for driving like an idiot as a teen, I did way dumber stuff with my truck, so vehicle doesn't matter much.

 

[Program]

Meh, I had a 90 gt as a first car. Never wrecked it, and never had a/c. It's only a good idea if you have the ability and means to fix ANY issue. If you can't pull a trans to replace a worn out throw out bearing, don't buy one.

As for driving like an idiot as a teen, I did way dumber stuff with my truck, so vehicle doesn't matter much.

I have limited experience with cars, lots of knowledge, though. And I know a few people who are better with cars and have more experience, and I have this whole forum as a resource.

 

[TOOLOW91]

I have limited experience with cars, lots of knowledge, though. And I know a few people who are better with cars and have more experience, and I have this whole forum as a resource.

That's the spirit !!


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[f8tlfiveo]

i say buy it. learn to drive it and fix it. restore what needs restored and keep it forever. my first was a 91 vert and i kick myself for ever getting rid of it. one ticket for rolling a stop was my high school record, not everyone loses their mind in these cars. my buddies on the other hand... well they rode with mom a lot after their adventures in their mustangs.

Funny.. I lost my license 2 times. Because of many careless driving tickets. Most we're from doing burn outs. Only 1 speeding ticket.

 

[The Shape]

I learned a lot about cars from the fox bodies I have had. I don't think anyone here wants to discourage you from getting one, just trying to make sure you know what you are getting into. No one would be on here if they didn't love fox bodies. I remember a few nights being outside (no garage back then) with a drop light fighting mosquitoes to put something on my car back together so I could get to work the next day. I don't wish that on anyone, it's best to have a good reliable econo car for DD and a fox for a toy.

 

[2000xp8]

my buddies on the other hand... well they rode with mom a lot after their adventures in their mustangs.

Ya, that was me. Spent a lot of time on bald tires too, which I am ironically paranoid about now.

 

[TOOLOW91]

Ya, that was me. Spent a lot of time on bald tires too, which I am ironically paranoid about now.

me too , my first 90gt I had the tires looked like slicks


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[Mustang5L5]

I'll take you're advice twighlight, and thanks for the help guys.

and eventually the challenger if you could tell by the pic

Save your cash and buy what you want when you can afford it.

For now, just get a car to drive and learn how to drive. I know it's tough to take that advice when you are 16/17/18, but considering it sacrificing now, to make up for it later.

 

[Program]

Save your cash and buy what you want when you can afford it.

For now, just get a car to drive and learn how to drive. I know it's tough to take that advice when you are 16/17/18, but considering it sacrificing now, to make up for it later.

That's probably the most rational advice, but man, I want one of these cars bad.