Update 9/11/19 – This one got bid up to $45k, but has popped back up here on eBay for some reason.
From 8/25/19 – This 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra has just 4,890 original miles and presents in as-new condition. The seller notes there are zero modifications and that every body panel is as it left the factory with proper markings noted. Given the rise in interest in “youngtimer” collector cars from the 80s and 90s, this nicely preserved Cobra is sure to drive a strong price. Find it here on eBay with bidding over $43K and the reserve unmet.
Periodicals like Sports Car Market have begun dedicating entire pages of their publication to next-generation collector cars. Yes, there are buyers under the age of 40 who are willing to throw $50K-$100K at their childhood dream car, with cars like the Acura NSX and Toyota Supra bringing big money in showroom form. This Cobra is another example of the breed, and ranks right up there with those supercars.
The Cobra is nicely appointed with gray leather bucket seats and matching door panels / carpets. The interior shows virtually no signs of wear and despite being on the cheaper side quality-wise, there’s no evidence of deterioration of weak spots like the storage pockets on the doors. The seller notes the headliner is perfect and the spare tire and jack have never been used. The console also has no wear noted.
The Cobra churned out a respectable 235 b.h.p. and 280 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers pale in comparison to the ridiculous performance of the latest GT, but that’s not the point of buying a car like this. Yes, performance matters, but so does owning the best example of one of the top muscle cars of the era. This Cobra, in my opinion, deserves to clear $50K, but you need to have the right buyers in the room.
50k why?
Agreed even with the low miles it’s a fox body!
I agree don’t see 50g here at best 20
You guys obviously don’t follow the market. More than a few 5k mile and under examples have surpassed $50k. 10k mile cars routinely bring $40k+.
Adam, thank you. First point it reinforce is if you are asking WHY – you, as Adam said, it is very clear that don’t either follow or know how the collector car market works. Probably one of my only complaints about BF comments is so many just don’t understand the market and realities about restoration and original vehicles.
The WHY is easy. This is basic economics. Supply and demand. Demand for a Fox Body has always been strong. Good color, 3 pedals, Cobra, low mileage…..how many of these are out there left? Thus supply is low. Thus drives the price up. Basic.
All a good auction needs are 2 people who really want this car and THAT determines worth. I wouldn’t pay $1 million for a rare painting that I think is bizarre and ugly BUT many will!
You could not restore one of these for $50K to this level. And as they say “They are only original once”.
You nailed that exactly! Thank you, Tom! If you have the money and desire, buy what you want….
I had one of these, for fifty grand I’ll have a new one please.
No, no way. Fifty large for a fox body Mustang, let’s hope this doesn’t happen again as it did with the early muscle. Yes these were great cars in their era, and limited numbers built, but this car was bought with the idea of making money down the road, along with the ultra low mileage GN’s that have surfaced. Right when the old muscle started really shooting up in price.
Like the car, just not the idea behind it.
Big fan of the Fox body Cobra, but I’d put the $50K into an NSX or Supra before I’d ever put it into the Mustang.
Its a nice Mustang,,, but not 50k nice. Someone will think so.
I can get a new, special-order Mustang via a friend for less. Then have my older kid take to their overseas assignment in the military, thus creating a 1-of-1 special/non-standard car with a very unique history/story for less. Yup, that’s what I’m doing
No thanks…
I have a friend with a 2013 gt 500 cobra, 6 speed gearbox, supercharged 351cid 800+ hp carbon fibre hood and spoilers. I’d throw 50 down against something like that before I’d ever give this car a second look. Now I know my friends car is worth about $95k but it’s way more car than this, it’s in flawless condition and has only 23 thousand kilometres on it. The point I’m trying to make is for a few more bucks over the $50k you could have the monster not the mouse.
I don’t see these as being an “icon” that will sustain this sort of value.
In ten years the generation that holds these near and dear won’t be throwing this sort of money at them, so sellers need to get it while they can. For other generations it’s already just another Mustang with a bad spoiler, and not worth the asking price.
That alleged $45,000 eBay bid just had to come from that infamous guy – S.Hill. He’s pretty active on eBay – and as an aside, also at RM when that “1939” Porsche was offered!
Pretty easy to bid on your own items to run the price up close to the reserve to imply “interest” in that price range.
93 Cobra my favorite mustang. My favorite color too. One in this condition 50k will seem like a good deal 5 years from now. With only 4993 produced there isn’t that many to be had. Much rather have this than a k code 60’s mustang. Coolest rear spoiler.
Survivor this is not. Someone bought this at a big ticket price when new, put it away and it changed hands a few times as a purpose collectible. So.. survivor is meant for cars otherwise not meant for collectibility from the onset of production. Cobras were.. also this is a nice piece .. but survivor it is not.. a GT of this era with 5k would be a survivor as most were beat to hell
Yet another example of the current world of Fox Body Mustangs: high performance model, low production totals, low mileage, stock, clean = high value. I too prefer these to the first generation cars.
Once again too many people watching phony TV auctions. Companies like Mecum brings truck loads of their own cars, take imaginary bids, mark them as sold, load them and take back home. The market has now been changed and next time they bring these out, everyone looks at past auction results to get the value. Guess what?? Now that car is worth more! Bidders now willing to pay more! Happens every auction.
I was in the auto auction business for many years and know exactly how these guys work. Believe it or don’t.
Thank you for your comment about the corruption of the auction business! I think certain high dollar “sales” are mere marketing tools, mere play acting with pretend sellers and pretend buyers. And then there’s the RM debacle last month over the alleged bids from $30 Million to $70 Million over what wasn’t really a “Porsche” but is now claimed to be!
Let me reveal a certain level of ignorance when it comes to domestic cars – what years were the “Fox” body Mustangs built? I have an insurance client with a 19 year old Roush Mustang GT Convertible, supercharged with a demonstrable under 4,000 miles from new – literally no discernible wear anywhere on it. Compared to the $50,000 apparently sought for this car – what is this Roush likely worth?
Like anything else in the automotive world…its worth whatever someone will pay for it
Chinga,
As to Fox Body production years, 1979-1993.
As to your particular problem, ie, insurance, assuming that your client doesn’t want to go with the insurance value for a 1999?-2000? Mustang and I’m betting that he doesn’t, his best bet is to go with either a “stated value” or an “agreed value” policy,…after he (or she) looks very carefully at both options.
I imagine this one ended with a massive hangover and a curt text from a credit card company on the smartphone. I think 50k for this is laughably and utterly obscene when I can buy a 2020 Mustang GT PP2, which is a world class sports car now, that’ll run absolute circles around this for 40k and 0% financing. But that’s not the way to think of it, I’m constantly told. These are very emotional purchases, so have at it!
Those front seats are the same as Ford put in the Jaguar XJS and aren’t very good. For only 5k miles, that driver seat leg bolster looks deflated. Must have had people getting in and out of the driver seat quite a bit.
Nostalgia for anything made in the sixties-early seventies is really about that generation, the baby boomers had something really special going on back then and it changed. Plenty of problems back then too, but nostalgia or whatever you want to call it set in hard by the late eighties early nineties. Cars, motorcycles, guitars, records, memorabilia of any type from back then became highly treasured and the cost of those items reflects that.
This red wonder is from my time, a gen x’er, I really doubt the same enthusiasm will be felt for those years, I know I can leave it without crying! If someone wants to pay 50000 dollars for this be my guest brother, it’s a nice car, just not Mach 1 or Boss 429 nice, or even 2005 GT nice for that matter.