For many fans, the Mustang as represented by the present model, a 1989 GT, had lost its way. That’s certainly what Ford picked up and ran with in its 1994 re-do of the car. Back, for example, was the long-hood, short-deck of the original generation. Back, also were the tri-bar tail lamps. And the slogan that accompanied the car definitely showed Ford’s awareness of the value of the original car’s pedigree: “It is what it was, and more.” Still, if you have tastes for a car of the third Mustang generation (1979-93), the one for sale here on ebay might be an opportunity to be considered. If you win the auction, which runs for nearly another week, you’ll pick up your car in Claremont, FL. With a set of new tires, heck, you could even drive it home.
So who does this generation appeal to? Men (or people) of a certain age. Those who came into adulthood right when this car was an object of desire that was just out of our reach. Yes, I’ve always wanted one of these, no matter how off the Mustang trail it seems in a sense to be. One of my fonder memories of early adulthood was test driving one somewhere around when the car pictured here came out. The salesperson had the daftness to let me drive it down a winding country road in the hills near Parkersburg, WV, where the dealership was. At one point, I took a curve too sharply and dipped the right rear wheel into the scrub next to the road. He let the test drive continue anyway.
So maybe I want this car because it represents my youth. I don’t remember the price, but I know that I couldn’t afford it, which is why I ended up with a Chevy Celebrity, a three-year-old one, as my first dealership-bought car. It would later strand me on an interstate near Pittsburgh, but that’s a story for another day. Now, here’s the chance to rectify the fact that my tastes exceeded my budget back in the 1980s. This car is only bid to $4650 at the moment. It could double, and it would still be a buy, most likely.
What’s there to like about this car? The color, but not the orange-appearing body accent stripe. The fact that it’s a GT, though dedicated Mustangers will tell you that the LX 5.0-liter model was faster, because lighter. The condition of the interior, though the mouse-grey cloth and carpet could appeal more in some shade of red. But these are all comments that can be answered simply by saying, “It is what it is.” Forty years on or nearly that long, you don’t get to buy a classic like you were in a showroom. You must instead fall in love with the car that presents itself, and this one has sufficient cues, mostly due to its extreme originality, to be worth considering. This Mustang’s only declared fault is some rust near the tailgate (actually quite ugly and needing immediate attention). Its plus is that it has a V8 (which also, in truth, needs the work of an expert detailer–it looks like it’s lived in a wet/humid environment) with only 67,500 miles rolled by and a 5-speed. What kind of past reminiscences could this GT stir up in you?
As a former 89′ LX owner…the whole lighter is faster thing is silly. I lost to many a GT, who was better. It’s truly a drivers race. 🏁
I had a 89 LX also and it ran the same exact times as the 2 Fox GT’s I had after that. All the plastic cladding on the GT weighed less than 100lbs. A clean start with no tire spin was the key. I did race a Turbo Buick once and beat him because he found out that spinning ain’t winning.
Had an 88 5 liter. First new car my wife and I bought. Fun car. She had a 66 when we first met and have a 2018 GT now. Contemplating a 2025 for our we’re almost retired present to ourselves.
That rust is bad. Our 88 had it there as well. Not easy to permanently banish.
Preyed on Camaros with the 305. Learned to stay away from the turbo Buicks.
With all the plastic cladding, I wonder if that rust on the hatch is really the only rust.
I’ll put a bet on no. I would definitely get a PPI on this.
A buddy of mine had a new 88 GT in black with a stick. ( I was envious with my used ’77 Delta 88 with a 260 V8). His was stock, and I remember him being out at night street racing. He raced EVERYTHING stock to stock, stock to modified. He was a very good driver, better than me, and like what Stan said, its not always about the car, but the driver too.Hope the rust is not too bad. The interior looks great which is half the battle. But that rust may be a pain to get rid of and kept away.
Pretty decent car, but to me that rust is a deal killer because if it’s rusted that badly there, there will be plenty of rust where you can’t see. It probably does an Edmund Fitzgerald when it rains..”it has water comin’ in”
Always thought the GTs that year looked overwrought. Too much plastic. The LX looked much cleaner. Nice that it has a stick though. Be interesting to see what this sells at.
She must have been parked outside for quite a while, to get that kind of rust on the hatch.
I disagree that the ’89 Mustang “lost it’s way”. It stayed true to the original formula, V8, 5 spd, rwd, affordable, reliable and tunable. It was still popular and sold well. It actually sold more than the ’94 which you think the market needed for some reason. The decline in the Mustang over time was due more to the Import Pony cars, with turbos and all wheel drive. And also the rise of SUVs. The Mustang didn’t lose it’s way, the way lost the Mustang.
Bought a brand new 1989 Mustang GT. White with red interior/sunroof. Wife put 210,000 miles on it with nothing more than tune ups/oil changes and one clutch replacement. Sold it to a 16-year-old kid. Last time I saw it was in a local junkyard. Had 300,000 plus miles and had the entire front clip cut off at the firewall. Poor ending to a great car.
Let me add a Mustang story similar to some others on here.
Back in the early 90’s, buddy of mine who trade on cars a lot, had a nice GT convertible and he knew a guy who was really into those 80’s-90’s Mustangs. Dude had owned a lot of them and did a ton of work on them so knew a all of the cheap mods and swaps and tricks etc.
My buddy said this guy was so good, you could race him with whatever Mustang you had, and he would beat you. If you complained that he had a lot of trick stuff or he beat you with a sleeper car, he would offer to swap cars and race again.
Yep, you guessed it. HE then would beat YOU driving YOUR car against YOU driving HIS car! Dude could wring every last bit of energy out of one of them. He never lifted the gas pedal and pulled hard against the shifter so when he stabbed the clutch, he was pulling away in the next gear before you finished your shift.
Can’t help but wonder how many he blew up in his earlier years before he got to the point where he knew them like the back of his hand.
Ah, the good old days when we didn’t care (or know better) and flogged those vehicles for what they were worth.
It’s not bad, but the seller is definitely a good “hype-man.” The finish on the wheels is shot, one tire is nearly flat (c’mon man, add a little air before the photo shoot), the other paint issues around the fuel door and rear hatch keyhole, and those underhood shots – wow. Kinda puts a damper on the whole “babied and garage kept” pitch, but that’s just a salesman selling hard. The interior shows much better, and at the end of the day it’s a decent survivor-grade ‘Stang. It’s up to $7100 with 5 days remaining, so who knows what it’ll end up going for.
I’m a fan of these so usually want to say positive things but this one has WAY too much corrosion/oxidation under the hood suggesting more bad here than good.
Had an ‘88 LX 5.0, dark red with the same gray cloth interior as this car, but an automatic. I didn’t care for the body cladding on the GT and got the LX instead. It was a fun car and pretty quick for the time compared to what else was out there. But, there wasn’t anything remarkable about it, got bored and sold it a couple of years later.
Looks to me like this car has been ridden hard… K and N filter , defenitely not seeing a 60K car more like a 160K with new seats and hedlights..
I put K & N filters in everything I own and all of them are daily drivers. They are the best filters out there, so why wouldn’t you have one regardless of what it is. Purely a maintenance thing for me. Running a K & N filter is a Smart thing. Last filter you will ever buy!