Stock LX Convertible: 1988 Ford Mustang

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Within just a few days of posting a profile of a low-mileage Mustang GT coupe, we have a similar survivor grade example – this time in drop-top form here on eBay. Rare in both its color and condition, this 5-speed convertible Mustang GT LX is already approaching $8,000 in bidding activity. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Jim S. for the find. 

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As much as I am not a convertible guy, I like this car. I’ve seen very few Mustangs in this OEM shade called “Tropical Yellow,” and it’s a subtle eye-catcher for sure. Personally, I think this low-mileage GT LX(only 61,000 miles on the clock) would look perfect parked next to a Jeep Wrangler Islander Edition, with its similarly bright and cheerful colors. Most convertibles I see are paired to a lethargic automatic so it’s refreshing to see three pedals and a V8 here despite the missing roof.

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The one and the only 5.0! The mechanical condition is said to be excellent, with no glaring issues and most of the factory stickers and badging still in place. Some preventative maintenance has already been done, including a proactive radiator flush and A/C conversion to R134A for staying cool when the sun is beating down.

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Whenever I see a Florida find, I have to prepare myself for things like sun-cracked dashboards and seating surfaces, faded paint and bumper taps from elderly drivers. However, this car appears to avoid these ailments, and despite the license plate, the Mustang is actually in Vermont. Perhaps a family member inherited it? If that’s the case, I’d hold onto this car for quite a while to come.

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Comments

  1. Josh McCullough

    That’s an LX, bubba.

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  2. Scotty G

    Two yellow Ford products! Nice car, but I think I like the yellow Mercury better if I had to choose one with my Powerball winnings. Wait, $400,000,000 after taxes, I guess I can get them both.

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  3. Eric

    Nice car, fun to drive. But it’s an LX, not a GT. GT’s had ground effects, the LX was actually quicker without all the added weight…

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    • Al8apex

      The LX was better looking too, just had crappy seats

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    • Jason Houston

      Right… added weight that took a lot more away from the styling than it did from the performance!

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  4. Jim

    Beautiful car. It’s an LX though. Not a GT. (I actually prefer the clean lines of the LX.)

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    • Jason Houston

      Correct, but many people believe if it’s a V8, it’s a GT. NOT!

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  5. Charles

    Nice Survivor!

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  6. tasker

    it’s an LX, not a GT though. nice car and has been well perserved

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  7. Bob Olbers

    Not to nitpick, but it’s an LX, not a GT :) I prefer the cleaner lines of the LX myself anyway. (I still have my first new car, a 1991 LX 5.0 hatchback)

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  8. Kincer Dave

    I’d pull the 5.0 badges off and have the ultimate sleeper, that’s what I did with my 95 z28 in 95, looked like a 6 banger Camaro lol

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  9. Randy

    you guys probably need to hire someone who can tell the difference between a LX and a GT. Its not really that hard afterall the GT had the more of a body kit.

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    • Jason Houston

      Right you are, and the differences are like day and night: Hide the ugly GTs at night and show the handsome ‘s during the day.

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  10. Gary I

    I always thought this car looked better with the GT trim and as a hard top. Front end looks soft on the lx, and as a convertible it messes with the square lines of the car. This being a super clean car someone will buy it cheaper than it would cost to restore one to this condition.

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    • Jason Houston

      1979-1993 Mustangs were never offered as hardtops. Except for the convertibles, all were sedans, as they remain to this day. As for “soft” or “square”, I prefer the more corporate, “smooth” or “angular”. Some cars look great ‘angular’, like a 1965 Ford Galaxie. Others look horrible ‘smooth’, like a 1950 Nash.

      Given the traditional styling of Mustangs (and not counting the 1974-78 Pinstangs) the ’79-’93 Mustangs follow that tradition better by being smooth, rather than angular. Particularly, the post-1986 GT’s were not as square as they were just plain awkward, with lines intersecting at convoluted angles.

      And remember, by 1979 Ford was trying, unsuccessfully, every wild card they could come up with to rehabilitate the damage Mustang’s public image suffered after 1973.

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  11. Jason Houston

    I’ve had several of these and have enjoyed them all. The handling characteristics especially are about as good as it gets in factory stock form. However, I must disagree that the GT is a better-looking product. Between ’79 and ’93, the most desirable are the ’85 and ’86 GTs, which were still pretty cars before they got into that hanging and drooping crap and ugly tail lights that marred the GT’s smooth lines on post-’86 models. No Mustang hardtops were ever produced after 1973. As for the spirit of a Mustang, if it ain’t a convertible, it better bring a heavy punch to the table – Mustang and convertible are about as synonymous as peanut butter and jelly.

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    • Al8apex

      Well said

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    • Gary I

      I mean to say not a convertible as in with a top, not hard top to mean without a post. I’m from Ohio, so not exactly a fan of convertibles with the cold we get. I personally think most any car looks more complete, more refined with the top. Convertible construction on many muscle cars was not that tight fitting after a few years of abuse. If I lived on the west coast or Florida I might think differently.

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      • Jason Houston

        You sure would! Once you sail down the road on a warm, sunny day, going through the gears with the wind in your face, you’ll never set foot in a closed car again. It becomes part of your DNA!

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  12. Jim

    Nice car. I do find it find it funny when people claim 1 or 237 as a selling feature when maybe it’s because the color was just not that popular.

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  13. Eric

    Yellow can be win or loose depending on the shade. I’m not a fan of this particular hue of yellow. I like the chrome yellow they had on the 93′ Special edition color Mustang LX convertible.

    My current Mustang is an 03′ zinc yellow Gt convertible. Before I bought it I never really thought about buying a yellow car

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  14. piper62j

    This one was well kept and probably sitting in a garage most of the time.. I like it..
    The sun does beat the crap out of interiors here in Florida, but if you have a garage to park it in, cars will last.. No salt or pebbles on the road to breed rot moles..

    I like this one a lot..

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  15. gregg

    someone needs to pounce on this one real quick!

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  16. Jason Houston

    This one is especially nice, since it hasn’t been dunked in JC Whitney and Pep Boys custom crap.

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  17. AMCFAN

    Two things I remember about these back in the day.

    (1) Why are guys in their Mustangs always doing burnouts and squealing the tires? The answer was and is always the same. Because they can. This was a jab at the guys in their flashier gen 3 Camaros who could only do it on a wet road or by holding their foot on the brake on dry pavement. Mustangs were kings of the streets in the 80’s and 90’s.

    The old argument between Ford guys has not changed either. Goes like this;

    (GT guy) I have a GT.
    (LX guy) Oh yeah? I have an LX and with it’s plane Jane notchback roof it’s lighter.
    (GT guy) I have a GT.
    (LX guy) My LX is .0001 of a second faster.
    (GT guy) I have a GT….and chicks dig it.
    (LX guy) I wish I wasn’t so cheap and spent a little extra for a GT!

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    • Jason Houston

      (LX guy) My LX with V8 and 5-speed and smooth body lines will outrun your sloggy GT sedan with Anchormatic, pick up more chix with the top down, and get more nods at the drive-thru!

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  18. jim s

    reserve not met at $ 7900.

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  19. Gnrdude

    Nice car Definitely Worth Saving….

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  20. Jeff

    I was 23 when I set out to buy my first new car in 1987. When I got to the Ford dealership there were two LX 2.3 Mustang convertibles sitting in front. At 23 a 5.0 just wasn’t in the budget. I had a choice between a yellow automatic and the dove grey 5 speed that I drove away in. No it wasn’t fast but I loved it and still do. I know it’s not worth anything, but I still love it.

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    • Jason Houston

      Don’t undermine yourself, Jeff. You’ve got one hell of a nice car there!!

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      • Jeff

        Thanks, I keep thinking it’s probably the only 4 cylinder left from 87.

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  21. Jason Houston

    Jeff:

    Well, take heart – there’s a white one in Bakersfield I sold a few years ago that’s alive and well.

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