Hindsight can be a wonderful thing. If you had bought a vehicle like this 1987 Ford Mustang GT a decade ago and placed it on the market today, you would potentially have made a pretty decent profit on the deal. The Fox-Body has become one of the strongest performers in today’s classic market, and our feature car demonstrates why. The owner claims that it has a genuine 12,600 miles on the clock, and while it isn’t perfect, it’s in excellent condition for its age. This is a car that you would have been able to purchase for around $12,000 a decade ago, but the bidding on this one has already reached $20,400. If you want to become its next proud owner, you will find it located in Fenton, Michigan, and listed for sale here on eBay. With the bidding sitting short of the reserve, there is still a chance for you to stake your claim on this classic if you would like to park it in your garage.
This Mustang wears its original Code 1C Black paint. It presents well for a vehicle of its age, but it has a couple of minor quirks worth noting. The most obvious of these is the aftermarket hood scoop. A previous owner fitted it, and the seller indicates that it is held in place with double-sided tape. This suggests that whoever installed it wasn’t looking at performing a high-quality installation. The paint itself is in good order, with only a couple of small issues for the buyer to address. The only defects that the owner mentions are marks on the front bumper and spoiler area. The beauty of black paint is that it does tend to expose any problems in the panels beneath. These ones look laser straight, with no dings or dents worth noting. The plastic looks to be in good order, with no cracks or signs of UV deterioration. The alloy wheels are spotlessly clean and are in as-new condition. There is no evidence of stains or curb strike to be seen on any of them. The tinted glass is in excellent order, and overall, this Mustang looks like a bit of a gem.
The 1970s was a pretty miserable period if you were a performance car enthusiast. Tightening emission regulations turned the storming V8s of the 1960s into wheezing and asthmatic shadows of their former selves. It wasn’t until companies began to get their head around such intricacies as fuel injection and electronic management systems that they were able to extract respectable performance from their motors once again. Our feature car demonstrates this trait graphically. Its 5.0-liter “HO” V8 engine pumps out a healthy 225hp, which finds its way to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. If the owner pointed this GT at a quarter mile, the journey would be over in 14.9 seconds. That figure looks so much more inviting than would have been expected from a Mustang a mere decade earlier. The owner of this Mustang claims that it has a genuine 12,600 miles on the clock. There is no indication of whether he holds evidence to verify this, but he does have some reasonably interesting documentation that he includes in the sale. This consists of the original Owner’s Manual, Window Sticker, and other paperwork. He doesn’t indicate how well this GT runs or drives, but if appearances count for anything, the news should be pretty positive.
One area where this GT genuinely shines is when we open the doors and look at the interior. It is upholstered in Gray cloth and vinyl, and its overall condition is close to meeting the owner’s claim that it is mint. I can’t see any signs of wear on the seats, in particular the outer edges of the heavily bolstered buckets. The remaining upholstered surfaces are excellent, while the plastic is also free from cracks or problems. The dash shows no evidence of long-term UV exposure, and the carpet is also free from the sorts of stains that can plague carpet of this color. One interesting feature of this interior was the original owner’s decision not to equip it with power windows or power locks. However, it does come with air conditioning, cruise control, power lumbar supports, and an AM/FM radio and cassette player.
There’s no doubt that this 1987 Mustang GT is a tidy survivor, but there will be some of you who will question the low mileage claim. I would like to know whether the seller has documentary evidence to support this claim because if he has, that makes it a pretty special car. It seems that there are people who like what they see with this classic because there have already been twenty bids submitted at the time of writing. I think there is a way to go before the reserve is met, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the bidding hit around $30,000 before this occurs. From what you know so far, is this a vehicle that you might be tempted to bid on?
This was my first new car, so yes it always will have a special place in my heart. I checked evey box including T-tops , but kept the 5 spd. It was a wonderful car and I smiled at myself every time I fired up that motor. Seeing the horsepower rating always amazes me because it was so fast. 225 is nothing compared to cars of today, but I had a lot of fun with this vehicle. I was 26 when I got it, and I am 58 now, man the time goes by fast.
Vance, your comments are similar to others who owned Fox Body GT’s. The horsepower number is not that outstanding compared to today, but people often comment how fast they were. Or, at least, they felt fast. And how much fun they were. Maybe it was the relatively low weight, or the “rawness” of the car (they weren’t fancy or luxurious by any means, they were basic cars at their heart), or that 5.0 rumble.
In any case, they have come into their own as collector cars.
This is a nice example, already over $20k.
In 1987 I bought a brand new Firebird Formula 350. My friend Jeff bought a Mustang GT 5 speed and our friend Brian bought a Grand National. Brian was the fastest with the V6, then came Jeff with his 302 and me in last with the 350. This era seems to be the turning point for HP
Hello Vance. I can relate to your post. My 1st new car was a new ’86 Mustang GT. I had all the options (full pwr accs. T-Tops, premium sound sys) along with 5-spd. I smiled everytime I fired it up, and listened to it rumble, as it warmed up. The power of the 5.0 HO was such an increase from my inline 6 Maverick prior to my Mustang. I only wish I would’ve kept it. You never forget you “1st”
12k in 1987 is just under 30k today with inflation.
Even at 30k youre just breaking even – decades later – and probably still under water with maintenance and care for all those years. I wouldnt really count this as turning a profit unless it sells for 40K.
I like the comments about horsepower, in 1987 225 net was incredible for a new car. 0-60 in around six seconds, quarter miles could be well into the 14’s if you were a good driver, thats stock too. The Camaro and Corvette over at Chevrolet had similar hp ratings. Then came the tao of free horsepower tricks on these, followed by an onslought of aftermarket parts covering all aspects of performance, and many were “smog legal”. Not all.
The 5.0 Mustang was a well engineered package…injected 302 with 3.08 gearing and a very low first gear in the 5 speed. It just all worked very well to go zipping along! Figure in the turbo Buick Regal and the horsepower rating is still laughable to younger folks. Fun times but not overkill like some of todays screamers. Thanks!
ive owned 2 89 gt’s, my first in 94 as a 40yr old divorced ‘teenage’, wercked it 3 times until the unibody was shot… mine now i bought as a 1 owner in 08 after returning from overseas, this 1 and my first 1 had/has 3-4 hundred thousand miles on them, still runs great, no smoke, the 1 i own now has never been wercked… :)
I would love one of these- a 302 and a stick. Love the body style! Love the exhaust note.
But I can’t past the fact that a delicious 1987 v8 will get smoked zero to 60 and the quarter mile by a ton of cars today. Including my 18 year old Mercedes clk430
Make an electric one so I can be fast, cool, and modern all at once!