If you adopt a hardline approach, this 1989 Ford Mustang GT isn’t a genuine survivor. It retains its original V8 and five-speed transmission, but the paint touchups and a few mechanical upgrades mean it isn’t exactly as it left the factory. However, it runs and drives well, presents nicely, and, thanks to the first owner’s decision to hand the car to Ziebart, it is rust-free. The seller has listed the GT here on eBay in Ada, Michigan. They set their BIN at $17,800 with the option to make an offer.
The Fox-Body Mustang caused a sensation when launched for the 1979 model year. It bore no resemblance to its predecessors, although it continued to utilize their mechanical components. The badge evolved during the early years, with Ford considering a front-wheel drive replacement in the mid-1980s. However, a public backlash brought a change of heart, with the Fox-Body soldiering on successfully until 1993. Buyers could choose from three body styles, with our featured 1989 GT the Hatchback variant. Finished in Oxford White, the Mustang presents quite well for its age. Most of the paint is original, with the seller performing a minor repaint to the front due to a color mismatch caused by this GT wearing a “bra” for years. The panels are straight, and the first owner’s decision to hand the vehicle to the fine folks at Ziebart makes its rust-free status unsurprising. The first owner ordered this Mustang with a factory sunroof, which retains its original glass. The car currently rolls on 16″ alloy wheels from a 1991 – 1993 GT, but the deal includes the original 15″ wheels if the buyer prefers authenticity.
The Mustang’s interior tells the story of a classic that has always been treated respectfully. Trimmed in Scarlet Red cloth and vinyl, the seller has only replaced a few small parts that had deteriorated. Otherwise, it is as original as the day it left the lot. There is no significant wear on the upholstered surfaces or the carpet. The dash is excellent, and crumbling plastic isn’t an issue. What is refreshing is the absence of aftermarket additions. The Mustang retains its functioning factory AM/FM radio/cassette, while other options include air conditioning, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, power lumbar support, and cruise control.
After the misery of the Malaise Era, Ford had rediscovered its performance mojo by the time this Mustang rolled off the line. Its drivetrain includes the fuel-injected 5.0-liter “HO” V8, a five-speed T-5 manual transmission, a 3.08 Traction-Lok rear end, power steering, and power brakes. Ford quoted power and torque figures of 225hp and 300 ft/lbs for the V8, but this GT should provide a few additional ponies. The seller swapped the original cylinder heads for a correct set of GT40 heads and matching intake, as used on the later SVT Cobra. They also added a new Dynomax Cat-back exhaust with 2½” tailpipes, and have replaced the brakes, shocks, and the links for the struts and sway bars. They note that the absence of an EGR valve causes the relevant warning light to illuminate, but that’s typical when these engines receive the mentioned upgrades. It doesn’t affect how the GT runs or drives, which is extremely well. Therefore, potential buyers can consider the Mustang a turnkey proposition.
I have never been a fan of certain aspects of retro-styling in the automotive industry. I believe that each new model should stand on its own merits, and that including design elements harking back to past glories is an easy way out. The Mustang II was almost a caricature of the First Generation Mustang, and tended to polarize opinions. The Fox-Body represented a clean-sheet approach, owing nothing to its predecessors. It possessed an almost European appearance, and the styling has aged remarkably well. These cars have found their place in the classic market, resulting in some pretty impressive sales results. The seller’s price for this GT looks extremely competitive, helping to account for the fact that they are currently considering a pending offer. If that doesn’t equate to sales success, would you consider making a play for this Mustang?
Looks great in white and red. I actually prefer the 15′ turbine wheels on the GT models, but the 5 star rims look dynamite on the LX’s.
I bought this exact color combo/optioned GT in 1989. Lowed mine and added Fittipaldi wheels, cat backs. Got married, wife put 220,000 miles on it. One clutch/normal maintenance. Great car.
God bless your wife for driving a stick. My wife….geeeeze..LoL
The GT had too much “gingerbread” for my liking, so I had a few LX’s back then. Hatch rather than notch. I now have a 2006 with the 4.0 V-6 and the flexibility of that engine amazes me. Accelerates like the old 5.0 and I’ve seen over 30 MPG on hwy stretches. That said, I do miss my Fox body Mustangs.
z1… awesome bike by the way… I liked the 6 cyl Mustangs… 3.8, 4.0, and the last 3.7 version had all the tricks from the factory and 300hp.
Stan, while I had ridden many of my friends bikes (RD400, Suzuki Titan and others as a teenager), my Z1 was the first bike I ever owned. I feel lucky to be alive ;)
Had an 88 hatch and 89 drop top GTs. This ones got tasteful upgrades, overall retains mostly stock appearance. Clean machine. Hope it finds a good home.
My 86 SVO was my fav of all foxes.
I never liked the taillights on these, louvers? Really? But I have to admit the car looks, to use an overused word, iconic in those photos. The price seems fair. Guess I better get busy on my LX.
I never liked the slotted tail lamps either, I replaced mine with 85-86 style lens but kept the originals for the next owner. Easy to replace lenses on these, just heat up the ribbon sealer and they come right off. IMHO this car could use a cam upgrade to compliment the better heads and manifold.
SOLD!! Best offer
This one has the Explorer upper/lower intake swap – I did the same thing on the engine in my Bronco. Kept the original intake plate though. A resistor pack that plugs into the EGR plug will make the check engine light go away.
White, red and black with plaid? Ahh, the gold old days.
ugh – I wish that term would die from the car scene.
“Survivor” – so a car made it through some cataclysmic event?
A car is either Original, or not. This is a great example of a period Fox body, and it looks the part. Most of these got modified from day 1 – hence the popularity that they had and still retain.
Just because it was Ziebart treated doesn’t mean this Michigan Mustang is rust free. Growing up in the rust belt, most Ziebarted cars had worse rust than those without. Most Ziebart dealers didn’t care about rust protection. They only cared about spraying that stuff where you could see. My experience was that water/moisture/dirt seeped under the “undercoating” where it would never dry out causing rust issues. I had a ’68 Pontiac Grand Prix that had been Ziebarted and looked great. But underneath it had serious rust issues that I had never seen on a Pontiac. (and I had seen many because I worked at a Pontiac store) I’m sorry, but most Ziebarted cars I saw were worse than cars without. You can probably tell I’m not a fan.
I used to work at a local rent a car company through the late 80s and early 90s and we had all the different variations of these stangs at the time and I used to keep a couple of them in my stalls at all times to use for my trouble car vehicle when I had to fix minor issues with them or unlock them from the renters locking their keys in them and they were the quickest way to get out to them lol 😝 and if there was just a little water on the ground when taking off from a dead stop they would immediately spin the tires with the instant power they had lol 😝 fun memories back then we had them in all colors and combinations, manual and automatics and honestly we used to abuse them a lot because they were so many of them in our fleet and they were very reliable and fast 💨 for the era and I preferred the manual 5 speed as my favorites hardtops and convertibles and one of my fellow workers ordered an 89 hatchback deleted most every option available except ac and the radio just to get it as light weight as possible he ordered it in silver and a manual 5 speed he loved his mustangs and had a 66 Shelby at his home also. Cool time and memories at the time!🤙🏽
Why whenever I see one of these all I can hear in my head is Ice Ice Baby!!
I fell in love with these Mustangs when they first came out (especially those louvered taillights, kind of reminded me of the Pontiac Grand Prix of the’60s a little). This is a well cared for car and best wishes to the new owner.