4 eye T-top, or keep the '95?

[95BlueStallion]

A buddy of mine from a local small dealer came across a guy in financial trouble and bought his '86 GT T-top off him for cheap. He has it on the lot with a $6800 price tag, but I can get it for much less. It has its share of door dings and scratches, but is rust free (fenderwells are solid, and as far as I can see underneath with a flashlight). It has already been converted to 5 lug, and has 4 wheel disks with 13" cobra brakes up front and eleanor style 17" wheels. The engine is stock except for a cobra upper and lower intake, and it has a stock T-5 with an MGW shifter. Its missing the center console (cool with me, cause I took mine out of my '95), but the rest of the interior is there and in good shape. Didnt get pics of the interior, cause it was after hours and the car was locked. I am in the middle of a cam swap on my '95, but think I might just put my car back to stock state while its all torn down, and I can put all my parts on the '86. I know a lot of you are partial to our '94-'95s, but Ive always loved the foxes too. If I post in the fox section, of course they will say to pick up the fox... I do feel like the '86 is a bit more rare, and would be a cooler car to restore than my plain jane '95. What is your opinion?

Just noticed it has the 87-93 quarter glass, which I actually like.

 

[VibrantRedGT]

Always liked the FOX 4 Eyed cars. I had an white / black striped 85GT back in the day (non fuel injection) with T-tops. Didn't think those wheels would look good while I was reading but they are nice. Get rid of that louver first thing. The 94-95 is a much more solid piece. Not that you can't stiffen the FOX up. The 5 lug is already complete which is a nice benefit. I'd vote to get the FOX, that year is really hard to find now days (I've looked).

 

[Adam95GT]

4 eye.


I like the 82's though

 

[95BlueStallion]

Thanks guys, I just wanted to make sure I wasnt being rash about it. I just think the car will hold more value to me later, let alone value in general. Anyone else care to chime in?

P.S. I would be losing the louvers, and trimming the hood scoop down a little. Will probably keep the scoop since it is bolted to the hood and I dont want to deal with the bolt holes. I called my buddy and told him I want to take it for a spin on Monday before deciding whether to just finish my cam swap, or return my car to stock for the trade. He says it drives just fine, so we'll see. Anyone else, please chime in with opinions. Ive only owned an '89 GT for comparison, and it was a great car...

 

[RIO5.0]

If I came across that car for that price i'd own it in a heartbeat...I look but they never show up....

Wheres that dealer located????

 

[Black1987]

I say the fox, but if you had a stock set of rims/tires for the 95. I say change them out before you did anything with the 95. Nothing wrong with having another pair of shoes for the fox .

 

[revhead347]

That's a no brainer. Fox cars are junk compared to an SN. I've owned two of them, both of the 93's which were superior by far to the 4 eye models. The quality gap between a fox and an SN is enormous. You might think that car looks cool, but eventually you are going to get tired of squeaky doors, and never being able to put your foot down because the rear tires always try to pass the front when you do. If you throw a ton of money at a fox, it will have decent brakes....but you won't be able to have ABS like you do on an SN, you'll have comfortable seats....but not as nice as an SN....etc. There is no fix for how unstable those cars are under throttle.

Kurt

 

[Adam95GT]

That's a no brainer. Fox cars are junk compared to an SN. I've owned two of them, both of the 93's which were superior by far to the 4 eye models. The quality gap between a fox and an SN is enormous. You might think that car looks cool, but eventually you are going to get tired of squeaky doors, and never being able to put your foot down because the rear tires always try to pass the front when you do. If you throw a ton of money at a fox, it will have decent brakes....but you won't be able to have ABS like you do on an SN, you'll have comfortable seats....but not as nice as an SN....etc. There is no fix for how unstable those cars are under throttle.

Kurt

This is true... Plus the interiors are god awful... But i still have a soft spot for the 4 eyes.

 

[95BlueStallion]

Kurt, you do have a point about the interiors on them. I cant say I am a huge fan of the dash, but Im sure it will grow on me like the dash of my '05 dakota did. I can throw subframes and a 4 point bar in to sturdy it up if it needs it. As for the back trying to outrun the front, I dont mind that, and think it adds a bit of fun to it. I have decided after thinking over several combinations for my '95, that 300 hp or so to the wheels is all I want. I never go to any tracks, drag or road course, so Im not going to be building some super fast racer. Just a fun toy to cruise around in, and those T-tops are screaming at me for that. I'll know more on tomorrow after driving it and looking it over closer. The thing I keep thinking is about Terry and his twin turbo 4 eye coupe. Was junk, and was transformed into a show car. Who says I cant do that over time (minus the turbos, and supporting mods). They are just so much more unique in my eyes. Decisions, decisions.

 

[95BlueStallion]

If I came across that car for that price i'd own it in a heartbeat...I look but they never show up....

Wheres that dealer located????

Sorry, I missed your question before. The dealer is in Cedar Rapids, IA. They are pretty small, but always have a few cool mustangs and camaros on the lot. Last summer they had a vortech supercharged fox, and a 351W fox. I guess this 4 eye came from VA or something, and the guy they bought it from didnt have it too long. He drove it from VA to IA, so that means something to me in itself.

 

[chaos254]

I'm not a fan of the 4 eyes so you know my vote. lol. Have you driven the other car yet? I would definitely do that first and see how you like driving it compared to your current mustang.

 

[Husky44]

Not a big fan of the fox bodies. While I honor them for keeping the Mustang lineage going, they never looked like a Mustang to me. The reason I bought my 95 was that this body style was the first effort by Ford to bring back those styling cues that made a Mustang a Mustang (grill opening, side scoops, a PONY emblem, for pete's sake--took them another 2 years to get the tri-bar vertical headlights right, but it was a start). I'm old enough that Mustang first brings to mind the first-gen cars, and a slight gag reflex when I think about Mustang IIs, but I recognize that many of those younger than me picture "Fox body" when they think Mustang. To each his own.

Sounds like you have a thing for the Fox, so go for it. From a practical standpoint, as others have already stated, our cars are much better built from a fit-finish perspective, but if you want a 4-eyed T-top, they didn't build any in 94-95, so I guess it means you need to go for the Fox. I also think you've got a better shot at a "collectible", which ours will never be (unless there's a lot more weirdos like me that suddenly come into big money).

If it drives good, and turns your crank, go for it!

 

[revhead347]

The foxbody was the last musclecar. I didn't realize it until I bought my first Ford Escort, and realized, holy poop, this car has the exact same dash and interior as my old foxbody. I mean, it's not the exact same shape and all, but the seats, carpet, and dash are the exact same construction and quality. Both have 4 lug wheels, and drum brakes out back. They both had that composite glass side windows. The foxbody Mustang is a basic Ford 2 door coupe with a big engine in it. That's what the muscle car era was about. Take a basic car and shove a huge engine in it so the every day guy who doesn't give a crap about luxury can own a fast car. That ended with the SN. An SN bears no resemblance construction wise to any basic Ford model.

Kurt

 

[95BlueStallion]

The foxbody was the last musclecar. I didn't realize it until I bought my first Ford Escort, and realized, holy poop, this car has the exact same dash and interior as my old foxbody. I mean, it's not the exact same shape and all, but the seats, carpet, and dash are the exact same construction and quality. Both have 4 lug wheels, and drum brakes out back. They both had that composite glass side windows. The foxbody Mustang is a basic Ford 2 door coupe with a big engine in it. That's what the muscle car era was about. Take a basic car and shove a huge engine in it so the every day guy who doesn't give a crap about luxury can own a fast car. That ended with the SN. An SN bears no resemblance construction wise to any basic Ford model.

Kurt

Hey sorry, Adam made reference to the interiors, you had been talking about the platform. I also thought the aero nose cars resembled escorts, and honestly it wasnt until a few years ago that I started appreciating 4 eyed stangs.

Husky, you are right about me having a thing for foxes. You also hit the nail on the head about me thinking of the fox when I look back at my early mustang memories. My first mustang ride was in a '93 notch 5.0, and I was in love.

 

[Husky44]

An SN bears no resemblance construction wise to any basic Ford model.

Kurt

My oldest would strongly disagree. When he was shopping for his first mustang, he didn't want anything to do with 94-98--said it looked like a Taurus to him. If I'm being totally hones, I can see what he's saying (I just choose to ignore it). He was looking for a 99-04, but finally wound up with his 06. He's got a thing for the first gen lines too, and the 06 scratched that itch while giving him a reliable DD.

Guess we all have our special things about Mustangs that make us all fuzzy inside. Good thing they keep building them and changing them.

NICK: Hope the test drive goes well for you tomorrow!

My first ride was in a 65 coupe, 289 HiPo. Another buddy had a 71 Mach 1. My first car was a 68 GT Fastback. But I appreciate the newer cars too. Like I said, I'm happy for all the Foxes did for the mark, but they're not at the top of my must-have list.

 

[95steedamustang]

The clear answer to this question is you need both cars. That way when you have one torn down working on it, you can drive the other one. The wife should agree with that logic...right?

T-top cars in good condition are getting harder and harder to come by. Mine has all the suspension and brake upgrades and it is just as solid now as any SN-95. I do like the looks of the 94-98's better than any other Mustang class.

 

[VibrantRedGT]

T-Tops or Sunroof isn't the way to go, I've owned both. The T-tops will rattle and have wind noise on the highway.

The 86 was the first year the car became really solid. I owned an 85 Carb'd GT and I can tell you it wasn't real smooth. In 86 fuel injection entered the picture and my neighbor bought a vert. Man was that car fast out of the box. A few years later I bought a 90LX 5.0 Grey with porno red interior. Man was that car fun. Although my best car ever owned is the 94 Vibrant Red I also bought that brand new and only I owned it.

I like the advice to own both. If you can swing that you have the best of both world's. Especially since you say you can get a deal on it. Like mentioned those 86 cars are hard to come by. If it's got a clean carfax, get it.

 

[ProKiller]

i wouldn't. looks cool now but its going to need more work than your 95 will. SN95 FTW

 

[TMIproducts]

Gotta say i vote for the 4 eyed. it's sharp and def. unique w/ those wheels, and the newer quarter windows on the older car. If the car had it's original louvered windows i'd opt to keep the back window louvers, but as it sits i'd toss'em too. Your 95 is clean, but i'd say visually not as unique as that Fox is. Test drive it and let us know!

(i'd love to see a pic of the interior if you get one, and the engine bay!)

 

[69clark]

Nice fox, but I'm not sure about getting it if that meant getting rid of the 95. Ideally it would be nice to have both, thats a perfect world. is that an option.

Keep in mind there is a 95% chance those t tops will leak. Even all the replacement weatherstripping seems to have its problems. So if you are forced to drive the 85, you may have to contend with that.

And done worry about the interior, with some work you can get them looking good. Everyone tried to get me to change my interior before I started this project, now I get compliments all the time (when in doubt, don't do what the masses tell you, LOL). I don't really have good pics of the interior (I guess I have to get Rich to shoot some) but these will do. A little upholstery work, custom console and tidbits, carbon fiber and suede and you get this.

actually last years picture here.