Better put my flame suit on for this one.....
I agree with all of the above except the fox being an ENTHUSIAST'S car. Mustangs in general are ENTHUSIAST'S cars. Lets face it, there are several better made, comparably priced cars out there that would be a more logical and practical choice as a daily driver. You’re really got to be a Mustang ENTHUSIAST, loyalist and/or a loyal blue oval lover to own one. Where the Fox is concerned, its all about what people are able to overlook and live with on a daily basis. Let’s face it, the Fox was nothing special at all. It was cheaply built, with low tech components, handled, rode and stopped like trash.....but it had a capable power plant, was “backyard mechanic” friendly, possessed good looks (for it’s time) and came with a low price tag compared to the other fast cars that were available during the era. Lets also keep in mind, that your options for a quick, reliable, rear wheel drive V8 powered car during the 80’s and early 90’s were really limited. The Fox seemed like the logical choice when your only other alternatives to a fast, cool looking ride wore either a bow tie, or were Japanese based and stickered for thousands more.
Such is not the case now a day’s. Hell, everything from the boy wonder imports to your mom’s grocery getter SUV seems to have over 200hp today. You need more than just decent strait line acceleration to keep up with the Jones’s. Don’t be hatin’ just because your beloved Fox’s weren’t able to cut the Mustard any longer and were replaced. Things just have to evolve to keep up with the time, that’s just the way it is. Some of you guys talk as though the Fox Mustang could even hold a candle to the newer S197 in any head to head comparison. If that’s the case, aside from looks (since they’re subjective to personal taste anyways).....name one!
Don’t confuse refining the package with going soft. I find it funny that people have complained about the Fox Mustangs rough edges and unrefined persona since it rolled off the assembly line in the early 80’s. Now that all of those complaints and concerns have been address with the new model, they want to complain some more because it’s no longer the same car. Well, what’s that tell ya?
The reason you see “soccer moms” running around in them now, is not because they’re a lesser car, it’s because they’re a better car. That now appeals to everyone who can afford one, just as the original did. Lets face it, you had to be a certain kind of person to enjoy driving the fox. A little ego, mixed in with some blind faith along with a touch of ignorance and a hint of personal bias along with a heaping spoon full of pride was what was needed to enjoy her on a daily basis.
If you look past that salt shaker of ingredients noted above, even personal short sightedness has to tell you than evolution was enevidable and everything about the old horse had to be changed in order to keep up with today’s standards? I mean, if it was such a superior car in every way, why aren’t they still being made today? Of course Fox lovers are going to disagree and stick up for their ride. Not doing so would be blasphemous and basically admitting that their old tried and true pony of yesteryear is a lesser car today. But the sooner that these guys are able to come to terms with that, the sooner they’ll be able to appreciate the past Mustangs for what they were and the new cars for what they are!
Heck, I did, I was right there along with you guys years ago and loved my old Fox while I had it. But the sad truth was that age, practicality and lack of technological advancement and refinement caught up with the old girl. Sure, I could have bolted on a slew of aftermarket parts to breath some new life into her, but the end result was still the same. And I was only prolonging the inevitable. I was sad to see her go and she’ll always have a special place in my heart, but I’m in no way going to attempt to fool myself into thinking this was and will ever be the best Mustang ever made. Having test drove a new S197 I can absolutely say without a doubt that “THIS IS THE BEST MUSTANG EVER MADE!!!” Some may not like the styling, some may not like the added weight, but to ignore the rest of its accomplishments because of personal bias is foolish. I immediately sat behind the wheel of the new car with my own personal reservations thinking to myself. “Ya know, not matter what, this thing still isn’t my old Fox.”, but after driving it around a little and putting it through it’s paces and letting the car grown on me, I look back now and say “yep….this thing certainly isn’t my old fox!”
Keep telling yourself that.
This statement only holds true in the eyes of Fox owners that love their car and refuse to recognize its short comings. The only people who seem to pay the outrageous prices some of these fox owners are asking for their 15 and 20-year-old, high mileage, beat to rat **** cars (that usually consist of nothing more than a shiny new paint job, an aftermarket CAI a set of under drive pulleys and some low profile wheels and tires) are other fox lovers. Don't fool yourself into thinking that this car is going to be held to some higher standard just because there are a few die hards out there who can't see past the glory days of the RWD V8 Muscle of 80's and 90's. This was after all the highest produced model ever made and them becoming a rarity or some sort of coveted collectors model is slim to none. To the rest of the world, it’s just another used car worth marginally over black book at best. This statement holds true for any year or model mustang....save for the original classics or low production specialty cars.
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What a load dung horse dung.
May be he,s working for japanese auto makers!!
