This 1985 Ford Mustang GT is a clean “four-eyed” survivor convertible, made extra special for being equipped with the ideal combination of a 5.0L V8 and five-speed manual transmission. The colors are pretty sharp, too, as I can’t recall seeing too many Fox body Mustangs in silver. As another bonus, the mileage is pretty low too, clocking in at just 35,000. Finding clean Fox bodies is getting harder as the time-capsule examples go for huge money, and the middle ground disappears – and manual transmission convertibles were tough to find already. Find the Mustang here on craigslist with an asking price of $13,400 in Connecticut.
The top looks to be in good shape, but there’s no details offered on its current condition. That’s now my constant fixation with drop-tops since learning they need all sorts of additional upkeep the hardtops don’t (I just received the tension straps in the mail for my 1999 BMW M3 convertible so the top won’t practically stall midway into the “up” position), but at least this one has a clear rear window. The Mustang sports the classic 10-hole alloy wheels we often associate with the LX 5.0 models, but the earlier GT used this design as well. Pictures aren’t the greatest, but the body looks to be in good shape.
Inside is where it truly looks like the sub-40,000 mile example the seller describes, as interiors rarely present this well if they’ve been neglected. The dash looks crack-free and the gauges are clear and haze-free. Even the little details like the vibrancy of the colors on the needles shows us that it hasn’t been sitting with the top down outdoors for entire summers. The factory radio and equalizer also remain in place, along with the factory sport bucket seats with red piping. Another little nugget I’ve picked up on in regards to drop-town ownership is that many convertibles are automatics, so manual transmission-equipped examples are likely decent investments.
The GT decal elements remain in place, featuring a blacked-out application on the center of the hood, with the early GT script in the bottom right corner. The factory fog lamps look to remain in place, and these are usually the desirable Marchal units that are prone to getting smashed by rocks if their covers aren’t in place. The four-eyed Mustangs are loved by some and loathed by others; I personally like them because they are slightly harder to find in good shape like this than the latr models. For the money, this ’85 GT seems to offer an ideal compromise between being a smart investment and a car you can still drive and enjoy in good weather.
I bought the twin of this car new in 1985, loved it, but the next year I turned 30 and thought I should be more of an adult and traded it for a V-6 86 T-Bird…was I an idiot or what????
These were a very popular choice as a high school graduation gift…for young ladies. Usually, they were white on white though.
Last year for the carbureted version of the 5.0. Nice low mileage original. Some more pics by the seller would be nice. Fun car.
Only if you bought the 5 speed. 1985 automagic cars came with FI. And only the SVO came with 5 lug wheels. I looked at them all, then bought a black/tan hatchback 5 speed GT new as a young guy.
Cool.
My dad’s mechanic has a weather-beaten and well-used black 4-eye GT with T-tops sitting in his lot. “ran when parked”. Wants $2k, but even if it were free and with the eye-watering price above it would be a labor of love to restore one of these. Still, my mind keeps going back to it… https://photos.app.goo.gl/EiNMLKuMTqGDo4mD7
Where I’m from we call those wheels phone dials.
Nice one! We need some more pictures to verify true condition.
“The GT decal elements remain in place”… just a factoid that if you find a 4 eyed 85-or 86 without the decals it doesn’t mean that they aren’t in place. there was a check box for “delete GT stripes” when you ordered these. Some dealerships and buyers would order these firstly without cruise control so you would get the sport steering wheel instead of the ugly cruise control wheel like on this example, and also without the GT sticker package for a clean look. I have an ’86 that has the cruise and sticker delete from the factory.
At first the price seemed higher than I liked. Then I thought about what that money would buy in a newer used car that may well have more miles than this and suddenly their asking price seemed reasonable unless all you are looking for is MPGs
And, it’s gone.
My favorite Fox body right here.
Yes it’s gone :-( But at that price, I’m sure it didn’t last long.
Although I’ve owned about 50 cars, my 1985 GTC was 1 of my top 3.
It was so much fun. Mine was fire engine red & had the terrible flat black trim & “telephone dial” wheels & the regrettable standard steering wheel so it had cruise control. The 85’s had a “coffee can” sized 4 bbl. carb but mine had a 2.88 “freeway flyer” rear gear. I’d very often have the 85mph speedo buried & still got 28MPG. I traded it in on a 91 Probe GT because my financee didn’t like the Mustang. The trade, the girl & the Probe were all 3 major mistakes.
Flying around with the top down while wearing my Brooks 711Z leather jacket with it snowing are memories I’ll never forget.