1987 Mustang Gt Convertible - Is It Worth It??

jruppert · Sep 20, 2014

I found an 87 GT Convertible for sale. It is black with grey leather. It has 105,000 miles on it. 5 speed. There is no rust on the body but does have some paint fading on the passenger door. The top was replaced 3 years ago. It has new shocks, new water pump, MSD wires. It appears to be (for the most part) all stock. Overall I feel its in good shape. Only bad thing is that it could use new leather. I have been able to get him down to $2000.

Do you think it is worth it?

jrichker · Sep 20, 2014

If you want a fair weather cruiser, it might be nice.

Four things to check for:
1.) If you have smog inspections in your area, it needs to pass smog tests. Pay for the test if it passes.
2.) Dump the codes to be sure that there isn't something hiding that doesn't show up. Deduct what you find from the asking price if possible.
3.) Put it up on a lift and examine the bottom of the car for rust or damage that isn't obvious otherwise.
4.) Take a long test drive and give the T5 a workout. No abuse, but make sure it shifts good under as many different conditions as possible.

jruppert · Sep 20, 2014

A couple pics

Gearbanger 101 · Sep 20, 2014

Looks good, but don't let shiny fool you. It's still a 27- year-old car. Give it a good going over as stated above.

stykthyn · Sep 20, 2014

For 2k that's a bargain.if it checks out you could stand to make money on that car.

mikestang63 · Sep 20, 2014

grab it if it checks out. that's an easy 4k-5k car

Micheal Nadeau · Sep 20, 2014

Run the Vin. The front clip doesn't seem to match the rest of the car (paint magically stops at front clip and you can tell the color is different from the fenders.) It may have been wrecked before, no telling what is hidden in there. The front lights all look pretty new as well. Probably the reason he went as low as $2K so far.

jruppert · Sep 20, 2014

Went and looked at it tonight. Problem is that it started raining cats and dogs and I wasn't able to spend as much time as I would have liked to. First off, the tires were absolutely trashed. Which is why I did not drive it.

The underside was extremely clean. When I say clean, I mean no rust. Even the area where the underside is pinched to the body had zero rust. The body was straight with no dents and no rust either. The top was new with a glass window. When he started it up, it ran great. Idled very smooth. He recently put a new water pump on and replaced the struts. The dash was all complete and not hacked in any way.

The bad.. It had a cobbled up red cord (wire) attached at battery. It had a stock radio so unsure why that was there. The seats were garbage. I pulled the seat cover up and it had chunks of foam missing from the seats. The drivers side quarter window did not want to go up. It sat there making a grinding sound halfway up. The hydraulic setup leaked fluid on passenger area in back area..

I really wanted to take it today but I couldnt get past how bad the tires were. I would have taken more pics but it was raining too much to be standing out there.

So what do you guys think?

mikestang63 · Sep 20, 2014

RULE#1 Never buy a car at night. Go back and look at it in the day time. Check the fluids. Check for leaks. Look for signs of an accident.

jruppert · Sep 20, 2014

I should not have phrased it as 'tonight'. It was during the day. I looked at it around 3 pm. I believe with a few things fixed, this car could be worth more. When you replace these seat covers that 50resto sells, does it go over the existing foam?

mikestang63 · Sep 20, 2014

If the foam is bad, you will need new foam. No sense putting new covers on bad foam.

jruppert · Sep 21, 2014

Given that the underside is rust free, and the body is straight and rust free, do you think this car has potential?

Micheal Nadeau · Sep 22, 2014

Any car has potential, it's a matter of it having what you want. Will it meet your needs with out you having to come out of what you budget for?

Onefine88 · Sep 22, 2014

I would have already bought that! It's it starts and runs and has a clear title its worth 2K all day long.

MassEffect306 · Sep 22, 2014

I agree with onefine88, you won't find those at that price. If it were me, given everything you've stated on condition, I'd grab it before it's gone. Foxes are attention whores lol, with that being said, you get it for $2k, drop like a grand in it and you got a really nice ride

jruppert · Sep 22, 2014

I told the guy that I will go down tomorrow after work to look at it again. I am hoping that it is not raining again and I have more time to look it over. As previously mentioned, I couldnt believe how well it idled. The engine itself was pretty quiet. I did notice the valve covers were somewhat oily. That will be a quick fix with some new gaskets. I have been doing some research on common issues. I will have to take a look at the quarter window. It will either need a new gear or perhaps the guides. We is also giving me the stock turbine wheels with tires. I may just sell those and use some of the money to get tires, window, or hydraulic conv line fixed. I am pretty stoked about it. My second car was a 87 Mustang but it was a 4 banger. I owned a 90 GT convertible back in 97 but it was an AOD. If I get this car tomorrow, I will get some pictures posted.

I have yet to decide which direction to go with the seats. They are pretty rough lookin and have seat covers over them currently. In some ways, I think the seat covers look worse than the torn up seats. Short term fix is to find used seats, cloth or leather and long term fix would be to get them reupholstered.

MassEffect306 · Sep 22, 2014

That sounds good man. It looks good, runs good and needs a little tlc, not uncommon, in its present condition it should fetch easily 4k, it's a good deal to me

jruppert · Sep 23, 2014

Just wanted to let you guys know that I ended up purchasing the car today. It has a few things that I need to sort out but I think overall it is a very clean car. The underside is absolutely spotless!

Tomorrow I will start a new thread and post some new pictures.

1987 Mustang Gt Convertible - Is It Worth It??

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I want to measure mine. It doesn't look that tall.

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1987 Mustang Gt Convertible - Is It Worth It??

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