This 1979 Ford Mustang Ghia took me by surprise. For a Fox-body, it’s one of the more unusual trims out there, as it’s the mid-range LX equipped with the luxury-themed Ghia trim and has a 5.0L V8 under the hood. Obviously, we’ve seen this variant before, but it’s still a rare bird in the grand scheme of things. To make matters more confusing, it looks absolutely pristine from above, but the seller is quite open about the rust issues it has in the body and underneath the car, which is particularly confusing for a vehicle that lives in California. Still, that hasn’t stopped him from throwing a $10,000 asking price in the listing here on eBay with the option to submit a best offer.
I love cars like this, because I imagine the first buyer going into the showroom and checking all of the boxes to get the Mustang with the most options possible. The LX has always been a bit of a sleeper with its base model looks and optional 5.0L V8; throw on the wire hubcaps and white-line radial tires and you’ll write it off as a total grandma special. The shame of this car having rust issues is that it looks absolutely beautiful everywhere else, from the exterior panels coated in “Medium Blue Glow Metallic” paint to the engine bay and even the interior. It makes you wonder about the history, as it had to have resided somewhere else before moving to California. The seller did procure the Marti Report, which indicates it was assembled in Milwaukee – and given California had a significant Ford manufacturing presence, it seems likely that a Mustang built in Milwaukee is a transplant now living on the West Coast.
The interior is absolutely beautiful, another source of confusion given the issues underneath. This car was loaded up from the factory, including bucket seats, a flip-up sunroof, air conditioning, four-speaker stereo, tilt wheel, tinted glass, power steering, and speed control, among other features. The fake wood trim, center console and armrest, and dashboard are all in excellent shape, and mileage is listed as being 115,000 – so this car has been used, but looks like it has about half that number on the clock. With plenty of miles racked up, you can certainly see how it’s possible that the Mustang spent a few winters out in the slop and was exposed to the evils of road salt. It’s migration to California didn’t happen soon enough, unfortunately, as the seller notes the presence of rust in the shock towers, frame rails, floor pan, and trunk area.
Here’s one illustration of the rust, which shows surface-level corrosion in addition to more serious cancer. When you see photos like these, you absolutely know this Mustang and others like it spent plenty of time driving around in winter conditions. I’ve been looking at old trucks recently and almost all of them from the northeast have this sort of scaling on the frame components; to some of us, it’s just par for the course if you live in a certain region. But I imagine most potential buyers from California are looking at these pictures and thinking “No way” given how many rust-free Fox-bodies still exist. What do you think – will this rare Ghia edition Mustang find a sympathetic new owner or be put out to pasture despite looking like a million bucks from above?
Jeff, good write-up except for one detail: there was no “LX” model or trim designation in 1979; that didn’t happen until many years later. Otherwise, this indeed is a puzzling car. It caught my eye (same color as mine) and it does look great, but the undercarriage rust is bad. Mine didn’t live a pampered life early-on either, but I had it undercoated, and I think that is why it survived in sufficient condition to be worth restoring. I ordered mine with 20 options; this one may have even more.
Bob our 89 LX 5.0 sedan had maybe the exact same color? But it was called medium shadow blue.
Nice Mustang Bob! I’m not a huge mustang guys but I am when they are unique such as yours with the stock steel wheels as well as the notchback. What engine is in yours?
Interestly the other day I saw what I feel is a quite rare and unusual Mustang on BaT. 79 Mustang Coupe with the carbureted 2.3L Turbo engine. Very cool because you don’t see unmodified notchbacks around anymore.
Serious rot. Not even rare according to the seller’s marti. You can get a later 5.0 Fox with fuel injection and in much better condition for less if you want an auto trans. Just saw a black 92 LX 5.0, needs paint, auto, 88k miles, for $3800. This looks more like a $2500 car to me. I guess that’s why he doesn’t auction it
I don’t think these were built here in Milwaukee, but it sure looks like it spent time here, going by the undercarriage shots.
I had a girlfriend 30 years ago that had a 1979 Rustang (hers was more solid than this one though), it was the hatchback, yellow with tan Ghia interior with the console. Hers had the inline 6 engine.
I really liked that car. Looking back on it, the car was better than her lol.
Stevieg, a 1979 Mustang would have had a 2800 V-6, not a straight six.
I knew the 2800 V-6 was available, but I had never seen one. However, due to supply issues (similar to supply chain issues we have now for everything?), the 3.3 liter inline six became available.
That is the one my girlfriend had.
V6 supply issues led to the use of the inline 6. I’ll bet they are rare! I worked at a Ford dealer then and I’ve never seen one.
I’ve never seen one with the V-6. I thought they were done using it after 1978.
I bought a brown Ghia fastback that had the straight 6 and a manual transmission. It had a lot of power for what it was ! — and it was the only one I ever saw too
I had a 1980 Fox bodied Thunderbird that had the 200ci inline 6. Seemed strange at the time that a car marketed as a luxury vehicle would have the ancient 200 in it. Mine ran good, but required a great deal of patience as speed and acceleration were not one of it’s strong points.
I remember looking at 1980 or 81 mustang brochures and seeing a wide variety of available engines from the 2.3L4, to the 200 I6, I believe a V6, and at that point I think a 255 V8 if my memory is correct.
My second 79 Capri hatchback was a Ghia, black velour interior, air, and the 2.8 liter V6. Blew the first engine due to a catastrophic oil leak, second engine got treated to a turbo setup courtesy of a family friend/gearhead in Great Britain. I got a lot of crap from people because I put the Ford “turbo” emblem under my “2.8” until I had to pop the hood. Eventually sold the car for $400 bucks after some thieves annihilated the dash and center console removing my stereo system.
Mustangs were never built in Milwaukee. The Ford plant in Milwaukee closed in 1932.
Would use it as a donor for a kit car. But not at that price
More like a 2-bagger with that rust!
No right side pictures….
At that ask I say pasture…
Looks like a car that spent most of it’s life in the salt air of the coast my 01 pathfinder was the same it looked good until you got it on a lift still lasted me 165k miles before I sold it
They look that way here in Wisconsin too. My 2013 daily driver looks great on the outside because I take it through a car wash a couple times a week in the winter, and I pay extra for the under body flush, but the salt still sits in the crevices & it is now pretty crispy underneath.
California plates do not necessarily mean the car has always been in California. The plates on this car are pretty new in the DMV sequence here, and unlike other states, license plates stay with the vehicle, so I’d imagine it may have come from another state.
These were dropping seats in the mid ’80s from metal fatigue. I saw a couple of news spots on them at the time. Complaints to the station’s consumer advocate and such.
This would need a thorough inspection if one really wanted it.
Nice design. I like them better than when they came out: trim, lean, compact. They still look good. I resented the abandonment of any sort of styling connection to the original at the time.
A shame I didn’t appreciate them then.
The ones today are they are what they were…. in 1971.
Don’t even talk about the E version.
So excited to order a 79 as soon as orders opened and it was a disaster from day one. Worst built car and turned me off to American cars for a number of years.
As bad as the rust is replacing old floor pans is not impossible with these cars. Even a tubular front end would would deal with front rust. My 83 spent a lot of time on the east coast and it was still easily restorable.
9F in the serial number indicates it was built at Dearborn Assembly Plant. The DSO indicates it was originally sold in Milwaukee area, so it is a “transplanted” Californian!
However it really would be better as a stick. The 3 Speed auto completely kills the stock 145hp!
There are, as I’m sure a number of you know, that weather and road conditions aren’t the only criteria for rust issues on the undercarriage. Or pretty much anywhere else on a car. And rust will migrate. Even in temperate climates like Cali and Arizona and Florida. Just be careful where you park it for any length of time. And never on grass. I don’t care if you park it in Mexico. Park it on grass and the rust will come. That’s why here in the Great White North I’ve never bought a car when it was parked on grass. K. Thanx. God bless