Considering a svo purchase

[jdb3rd]

I've been considering picking up an SVO for daily driver use. Not sure what fair prices are for them though. If anyone has a link or any info that would be great. I'm not looking for anything mint just clean and reliable to drive regularly since my 88 GT is past the point of driving everyday and I'd like to have a fox to drive more regularly so I don't have to drive my powerstroke everyday or my beater escape all the time.

 

[79'293stang]

They can range from 2-5k for a driver that may need some work. Regular maintenance is key on these cars to keep them reliable. I average 28-30mpg hw normally with a best of 32mpg.

 

[91TwighlightGT]

I don't know if an SVO is a great choice as a DD. You might be better off finding a four cylinder that can be converted to a Turbo.

Here's why...

1. The buy in for an SVO is going to be significantly higher than a run of the mill 2.3L N/A. Unless you are buying a real basket case, a moderately clean example still brings good coin.

2. Finding some of the SVO specific parts can be very difficult. If you look at most of the SVO restorations, their biggest complaint has been finding replacement parts that are of decent quality.

http://www.svoca.com/history/svo_history.html

From this article...

Interior: There were many unique interior items that were unique to the SVO such as the leather wrapped steering wheel with the SVO logo on the horn pad, suede effect dash panels, unique cloth material for door panels, left footrest, automatic transmission brake pedal to facilitate heel to toe shifting, 140 mph speedometer, although there were no numbers past 85, and an 18 PSI boost gauge. Charcoal was the only interior color available. The articulated seats manufactured by Lear /Siglar featured oversized side bolsters with pump up lumbar supports and utilized the same material as the door panels.

Exterior: The body was not to be left out, as there were many unique exterior features such as, fender flares also know as spats, sail panels behind the quarter glass, tail lights that would later be used on the 93 Cobra, wrap around front fascia panel, single front headlamps, narrow body side moldings and the two most obvious SVO trademarks, the bi-wing rear spoiler and the hood with the functional hood scoop to force air through the intercooler.


So, don't get me wrong, the SVO is a neat car in a lot of ways, but I am just not sold on buying one to essentially use as a beater, because they aren't really cheap enough or plentiful enough to deal with the day to day grind. The parts for the other 2.3L cars are generic, far more available, and a turbo swap can be done with relative ease.

 

[jdb3rd]

thanks for the info. To be honest I didnt really consider converting a regular 4-banger. My Gt gets 26 mpg on the highway with a stroker and trick flow top end with 3:73 gears thanks in large part to my 6-speed I'm sure.