Even if a car is a benchmark vehicle, does it demand a price tag well above market? That’s the question for any potential buyers of this 1979 Ford Mustang Cobra, which has just 16,112 miles from new. This early Fox Body is essentially mint in all regards, but it could be argued it’s also not entirely desirable – especially with the automatic transmission. Still, if you want the best example available, this may be it. Find the Cobra here on eBay via a classifieds listing. Thanks to Barn Finds reader John Lyshon for the find.
The white body with green lettering shines like new, as do the TRX alloy wheels. I can’t recall seeing the green sticker kit before, and while I personally like it, it is a bit unusual. I have to believe this was either a highly custom request or isn’t quite factory correct. The black lower trim looks good, and there’s really nothing to fault regarding the Mustang’s cosmetics. If you’re looking to get top dollar for a car like this, cosmetics matter – especially since the Cobra designation was essentially an appearance package.
The interior is certainly mint but hardly anything exceptional from a design or equipment standpoint. It’s hard to believe this wore the Cobra badge; in my opinion, even the lowly Mustang II was a touch more special in Cobra guise than this early Fox Body. The automatic is a huge disappointment, but like so many other preserved specimens, likely a big reason why a car typically used hard and put away wet remains in such nice condition. Although I like cars that are completely original, I’d lose the steering wheel in a heartbeat.
The engine bay is as clean as you’d expect in such a low mileage car. The cleanliness of the paint around the shock towers is particularly impressive. I can’t quite wrap my head around keeping this car as preserved as the original owner, as they made close to 20,000 Cobra kits in 1979 and the end result was truly unexceptional. That being said, there’s likely not a better one on the market, but I’d gladly pay less for a higher mileage car with a manual transmission. What about you?
I do recall seeing the green decals, but on a black car… I believe there was also green available on the Capri RS.
I was curious why it was priced so high until I saw a dealer had it. The short answer to your first question is, No, it doesn’t. This is the “ten to fifteen years from now” price in my opinion.
At that price I didn’t even bother to read the ad.
Yeah, some dealers go all “BARRETT – JACKSON / MECUM AUCTION” on the price when they find a nice older car.
And with an automatic, this is a $2000 car to me. Sad.
A No Way….Jose price for this car….for 3 Major reasons….
1. It’s white 😒
2. Automatic 🙄
3. He’s $20.000 from reality….😑
You would pay 10K for a common 1979 Mustang?
4. metric stock tires…… Try buying them!!! I spent weeks polishing my 5 (one is the spare) metric 3 spoke rims for my 1983 turbo Capri. Then went all over SoCal to get new matching tires. That was impossible back 15 to 20 years ago. Had to buy one new tire at a time at different shops at different sizes at like $200 a piece. Then had to trade to get a Third Member friendly pair on the rear. It’s funny that metric tires never became the norm. Michelin Tires let me, & Ford/Merc. down. Back to being a two Chevy Goodyear guy.
Yeah, I’ve been down that “metric” tire search fiasco with my Lancia. It took Michelin 400x. Almost gave up then my neighbor told me about Lucas Tire in Long Beach, Ca.
Yea!
So does anyone sale metric wheels/rims now or new metric cars for these way late tires to mount up too, in the USA? I just scraped/recycled 26 metric rims last month !!!
30K asking price ??!!! I admit Its a rare and low mile original classic Mustang Cobra but If I ever wanted buy any 79 Cobra even in this condition I would pay 15K tops!
I see why he is asking so much.
The car is 1 of 1 with an am fm radio with all the other options.
I question why, as the car is a 1979 model, the filing date for the lien from Dearborn Federal Credit Union is from 1981.
Fine example of 1979 Mustang, these are fun to drive but need 5 lug wheels to safely trash. And at this price you need to put it on a pedestal and wait 90 years for the market to catch up just to get your money back.
This car recently sold at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2018 for $19,800.
(one of 86 with this trim/decal package)
https://azure.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1979-FORD-MUSTANG-COBRA-214565
It seems backwards to buy a car at Barrett-Jackson, then offer it for sale on Ebay.
How can the seller hope to recover the high price he paid?
Lots of dealers acquire their inventory at auctions.
I’ve live streamed auctions several times, many, if not most cars crossing the auction block, especially during the morning and afternoon don’t seem overpriced.
Steve R
I really like this car, but I am partial to early Fox Body Mustangs…I own a 79 coupe, I’m the original owner. I find the somewhat subtle look of the 79 Cobra to be attractive (the hood decal notwithstanding). The black/green combination is my favorite.
The car is fairly well equipped: 302, automatic, AM/FM cassette, console. This steering wheel came when cruise control (or a tilt wheel) was ordered. It does have the base vinyl interior.
I am a regular at Mustang Club of America shows, and I have seen exactly one early Cobra over the past decade. I wish there were more out there. I certainly wouldn’t call it “unexceptional.”
The car looks familiar…. it might have been through the BJ wringer already ?? Prices for clean low mileage Foxes are steadily heading up.
I still have the 1979 mustang cobra my father ordered new in 1979. It is triple black with a 4sp and no air. Yes, quite hot in the summer. The dealership pushed the green Cobra stickers, but my dad wanted orange ones so he had to wait a little longer to get one. It has about 24k miles on it. The 302 was rated at 140 hp. But that was underrated. It was faster than the turbo 4. That IS the wrong steering wheel. And four lug trx wheels were the only option, as five lug first appear on the SVO in 84.
Not to be a noodge, but it is the correct steering wheel. When you ordered speed control or tilt wheel you got the four spoke wheel. With speed control is was shiny plastic with the wood inlay, without speed control/with tilt you got a urethane version.
Also, the rear spoiler is an add on-‘Cobra’ Mustangs did not get the rear spoiler until 1980.
Correct you are, and what a great wheel it is, as I stated below! Really classes up that interior.
that is the wheel for a cruise control equipped car,no place folr cruise on the sport wheel.i have a 1980 fairmont turbo futura same wheel because it has cruise control
Don’t get a blowout. You will be buying 4 new non-metric rims with new tires. Unless Michelin decided to bring back the metrics without notifying me, as i was on a call list. My 1983 Turbo Capri was cool with those factory flared finders/quarter panels plus the vented hood, & 100% posti locked diff. i added. I had the car running for 19 years without a burned out bulb i kid you not.
Does Coker offer any tires for this car?
They seem to have everything else.
yes
https://www.cokertire.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=trx
Toyo, has the right size tires also! Good tires, many of us professional drivers prefer Toyo tires if we can’t get Michelin for steer tires!
So Toyo makes them for this rim now? Where were they like 30 years ago? Darn, i just scraped/recycled like 26 3 spoke metric rims that i collected from junk yards, while buying old used but good for awhile tires for my 83 Capri. The rims were so easy to polish up once i got the right tools.
In the late seventies dad was an engineer for FOMOCO and worked in the “X” garage across the street from the Henry Ford Mueseum in Dearborn, MI. My older brother was a senior in HS in 1979 and I was a Junior. Dad qualified for a company lease car sometimes called “brass hat” cars as part of his compensation. He let my brother and I fill out the company car order form for “our” first car. We chose the new for ‘79 Mustang Cobra with the V8 but he wouldn’t allow us to order a manual trans as he probably suspected correctly that we’d be burning through tires (which we did) and clutch plates.
Ours was white with the black high back seats as are in this example but with houndstooth cloth inserts. We didn’t order cruise and tilt which gave us the black leather wrapped steering wheel and aluminum chrome spokes. The steering wheel is correct for this car and while not very attractive is more comfortable to drive because of the tilt option and easier on long drives because of the cruise control.
While the Cobra package was no Shelby, this fox Mustang with the TRX package handled better than just about any other car on the road at the time with the exceptions being high dollar exotics. Ferrari 308 wore the same tires in this era. ( Good enough for Ferrari, good enough for me!). Coker Tires do make a repo of these tires and while they’re expensive at around $1000 per tire, the car was engineered for them and will ride and handle far better with them as opposed to other later Mustang wheel and tire options and anything less than a low profile stiff sidewall tire, which IMHO just doesn’t look right.
This particular car was listed on eBay off and on for years at a small used lot in St. Clair Shores, MI. The were asking around $13K for the car in the early 2000’s. It was not originally ordered with the hood decal as it didn’t wer the hood decal while for sale in MI. It was added recently by the Barrett Jackson seller. The rear spoiler is also not original to the car as they were only available on the Indy Pace car model in 1979 but added to the Cobra package in 1980. I had hope to find the car and purchase it from the MI dealer but the timing was never quite right. I saw the B-J sale online when it happened last winter and was disappointed I hadn’t bought it earlier.
FWIW, these Cobra package on a 1979 Mustang is quite rare as most were beat up and thrown away. While this doesn’t necessarily translate to high dollar values there are guys my age (56) that are retiring and would probably pay a premium for a low mileage example such as this even though there are more powerful earlier and later models. This model was a turning point for the Mustang and the fact that it provided the platform for the later “5.0” models makes it worth keeping around. I might also add that while the hood decal isn’t original to the car, the addition adds to the completeness of the package (again IMHO) but I feel the spoiler detracts somewhat although that is probably because ours back in the day didn’t have one FWIW.
Current seller is obviously attempting to recoup his “investment” plus a tidy profit. If someone really wanted this one, and while I’d love to have it, the current ask is well above my toy budget, I’d offer $20K and maybe go as high as $21.5K. Keeping the mileage low and the condition clean, warm and dry, the car is not going to lose much in value for the next ten years or so as the high schooler from this area are just beginning to retire and look for the cars of their youth.
As a fan of all fox body Mustangs I really like this car as well. You really don’t see many nice examples of 1979 Cobras anywhere. I have seen 2 others ( besides mine) at shows in the last 5 yrs. I really wish there were more around. The graphics really make these cars stand out from other foxes. With LMR making TRX like 16″ wheels it provides a more economical option to be able to drive the car too. Here is a pic of my 79 Cobra.
This car is likely the best 79 Cobra left in the world and should be preserved. Price is nuts though. I would value around 7-10k to the right buyer. I’ll agree interior is a bit “low rent” compared to Mustang II Ghias, but its pleasantly designed and looks good in black. What are you talking about ditching the steering wheel? That’s the best part, it’s gorgeous! This wheel was only used in Mustangs from ‘79-82 with the Ghia interior package or when cruise control was ordered. Dealer will hold it a while at this price. He probably has 3k into it. Just me, or are there no interior pics on ebay? Where did you find them?
The car was sold at BJ auction for more than $3k…
I have several Mustangs and I always hated this platform! I am sure that the decal on the hood is something somebody just thought looked good! I seriously don’t recall any with that sticker on them! The body style was ugly then and I am was so happy to see them go back to more of a original Mustang look!
Nice example, price is way high though, 7-10k . A super nice newer more powerful car can be had for 30K. Its gonna be really difficult to find the right buyer .
FWIW, 1979 was the last year for the “5.0” until they brought it back as an H.O. version in 1982.
I really like this car along with all foxes. You rarely see an early fox cobra at shows. I have only seen 2 at shows in the past 5 years. LMR sells trx look alike 16″ wheel packages. I bought a set for my 79 cobra so I can drive on safer tires. I really like the graphic on the hood. It makes the car stand out. Not all cobras came with it. Below is a pic of my 79 cobra.
I really like this car and all foxes. You really don’t see many cobras around. Most of them left are in really poor shape. LMR makes a 16″ wheel mirror them that looks like the trx wheels. I have them on my car. I think the graphics really make the car stand out. Not all cobras came with graphics though.
Love the black/green Amy. I have a white over black with orange decal. 5.0 C4 A/C. I see people ragging on the performance of these. If they were alive when these came out they would know EVERYTHING in that era was anemic due to emmissions. The stock ’79 Mustang 5.0 was quicker than the stock 5.7 Camaro.
I sold one a couple years ago it was black on black 4 speed with under a hundred thousand miles for 3500. Even with the mileage difference it was still nicer then this. All I can say is they’re way under powered and handle horrible. I was glad to unload mine.