I locked up on this Mustang the second that I saw the listing! I used to own the same car except mine was two years newer. Other than different wheels and color-keyed side stripes, this is the same car – it’s even the same color. Seeing this example takes me back but it was a mixed bag, some good, some not so good. Let’s delve into this Westport New York domiciled convertible. It is available, here on Hemmings for $8,900 Firm! Thanks to PRA4SNW for this nice discovery!
The convertible story is oft-told, the nanny-state, finger-wagging NHTSA was going to ban convertibles with roll-over standards. Well, it never came to pass, at least as it applies to convertibles, partially because the production numbers are so low. In the ’80s, convertibles started to make a comeback, and Ford’s Mustang saw a drop-top option in ’83, the first one in ten years. Instead of building them on their own Dearborn assembly line, Ford shipped Mustang notchbacks to ASC of Warren, Michigan and had them perform the roofectomy. I can state from experience, the conversion was performed pretty well but was not without a foible or two.
This example claims to have experienced 67K miles and it presents beautifully with no damage, fade, rust, etc. And that goes for the folding top and boot too. It’s difficult to tell with the few images that are included in this listing, but the workmanship on my car, as it pertained to the black trim around the top well, was poor as the trim was notably misaligned. Some was correctible, some not. Nice to see on this car are the still-black body side bump strips. As I noted earlier, they were painted body color in 1992 but in ’90, still being black, they were subject to fade and turning gray. Oh, and that trunk-mounted luggage rack? Don’t be tempted! The trunk on one of these convertibles is tiny, I could get two bags of golf clubs in mine but they had to be small, walking-the-course bags, not full-size ones, and that’s the reason for the rack, I guess. I tried using my rack once and lost a canvas zipper bag on I-75, somewhere between Sarasota and Fort Meyers.
There are no images of the engine compartment (or the interior) and that’s a serious misstep on a car with a “Firm” price. And it’s a surprise to me as Hemmings is usually pretty helpful in telling you how to best merchandise your car. Anyway, power is provided by a 225 net HP, 5.0-liter V8 engine, and in this case, connected to a T-5, five-speed manual transmission. The seller gives no indication as to how this Mustang runs but I can tell you from my experience, no complaints – the 5.0 is one of Ford’s greatest hits and even though 225 net HP doesn’t sound like much today, it still moved my car with alacrity. The T-5 was another matter, lots of clunking and clanking between the gears. I took it back to the dealership several times and while they agreed it was sloppy, they couldn’t find anything wrong with it or the differential. The T-5 uses automatic transmission fluid and the shop foreman opined on the virtues of using a “thicker” lubricant but that sounded like a poor suggestion to me. One last item, expect cowl-shake, especially in cold weather. Once the air, and the car, warm up, it much improves but never goes completely away.
No telling what kind of shape the interior is in, but considering that the exterior condition, the mileage, and the fact that this Mustang is still owned by its original owner, it’s probably in good nick. It should be a cloth and vinyl combination with lots of ’80s/early ’90s hard, gray plastic.
Knowing what we know about this car, I think this one is a reasonable buy. And it wasn’t for the fact that it’s so far away, I’d like to see it for consideration. Some will say that you can never go home again; yeah, maybe with some things, but with old cars? I’m not so certain, what says you?
I enjoyed the write up. I don’t remember this being a color for Mustangs. I’m sure I’ve seen one before but it was probably a lifetime ago. A fluff and buff headlight restoration with some opti lens treatment would go a long way to the look of this car. I like that it’s understated and a not often seen color. Price seems fair.
Hatchback fan here, and I could get all kinds of stuff in that ’86 GT, fold the back seats down and tools, golf clubs, a ladder!.
Some quickie lube place used heavy gear lube in my t5 once and it immediately felt all wrong trying to shift gears. ATF is a must. Heavy duty clutch helped out along with Hurst shifter.
There were thousands of 5.0 Mustangs on the road back then and for years after, not anymore.
At the end of the day these were fairly cheap for a new car let alone used, a very strong following led to a large overflooded aftermarket and even magazines just for the 5.0, Ford had a legitimate winner in the 5.0 Mustang.
Interesting post here as well. I never knew that all the notchbacks were chopped up like that. I would prefer they had left them as they were. In my opinion a lot of notchbacks were ‘canceled’ before their time, instantaneously. As for the type of fluid in the T-5. I never even knew that they use automatic fluid! I haven’t had to ever deal with my T-5 in my 90 Mustang LX. I suppose I don’t ever feel that clanky shifting or even know what it feels like because my car came with a stage 3 clutch that the previous owner installed. Shifts GREAT!
As far as those ‘verts’ goes, I see a lot of them for sale it seems more than the hatches or notches maybe even combined. Could it be because of that cowl-shake issue?
Had one for 13 years. Fun cars with the 5-speed, but the clutch is very heavy, so a nightmare in stop and go traffic or freeway traffic jams. There’s a hydraulic conversion kit I’d look into if I ever got another one.
’90 was the first year for an air bag (at the expense of the tilt steering wheel) and the last year for the 10-hole wheels carried over from the ’85-86s.
The top folds down better starting with the ’91s, which gives a sleeker top down look. On these and earlier verts, the top doesn’t retract quite far enough.
Welded-on subframe connectors, strut tower brace and lower crossmember brace stiffen these up nicely. It’s very flexy without those mods.
Not true at all…the 10-hole wheels lasted through 1993.