Which Mustang Should I Buy?

joe sandoval · May 15, 2013

i am looking to buy a foxbody but cant decide which one to go for, there is a 1988 and a 1992 that i want to buy, to start off the 92 has 140 thousand original miles with heads redone, and the 88 has 74 thousand miles. The problem is that im not sure if to believe that the 88 infact really has 74k original miles on it it looks in good condition and almost new but its hard to believe a 25 year old stang has such low miles... the 92 also looks in great condition. the 92 is going for 4500$ and the 88 is being sold for 5000$. which one do you guys think i should go for?

Mintsick · May 15, 2013

92. That 88 could have 74k on it easily, my 93 is sitting at 89k...some people just didn't drive the cars as much.

HuskerNation · May 15, 2013

If they are both in relatively in the same condition, save the $500 and snag the '92.

Personally, I won't spend $4500 on a fox, as I can't leave them stock. They are well worth it, don' t get me wrong, I just won't do it, unless the car has a blower on it and some work that can save me money.

It took me a month of solid looking to find my car, which is in great shape and picked it up for $3000, and drove 200 miles to get it. The guy met me half way, so I knew the owner trusted the car.

bird_dog0347 · May 15, 2013

One thing to consider for the 88, at least here in my area... After 25 years no more emissions testing. The 88 will just need a safety inspection whereas the 92 will need emissions as well in most areas. However, has the 88 been converted to mass air? If you plan on adding a big cam, you'll need to factor that in.

joe sandoval · May 15, 2013

yes the 88 has been converted to mass air and i could probably drop the price of it to around 4600 dollars the guy already did all the safety inspections so i wont have to deal with that stuff. so should i stick to the 92 fox then?

bird_dog0347 · May 15, 2013

It sounds like it doesn't matter much so long as all the smog equipment is still on the 92 as it will have a few more years of emissions testing assuming you live in an area that requires that. The only other big differences it sounds like would be the front fenders (the 92 will fit a wider wheel/tire than the 88 will) and the 92 has the airbag steering wheel. Are they both the same color, same interior, seats, model (LX (hatch/coupe), GT)? Any mods? Sorry to say but you gave very little info to compare the two when you're talking $500 and 4 years of difference. Pics and details?

joe sandoval · May 15, 2013

this is the 88 no mods all stockexcept for the bbk intake and cobra grill insert

1988 Mustang 5.0 H.O G T
74K miles
Specs:
-Hi performance tune-up
-Cal Duction hood
-BBK intake
-All new fluids
-Brand new fuel filter & Calipers
-Brand new breaks & disk roters
-Brand new Cat converters
-A/C & Heat BLOWs
-Brand new 17" Cobra's
-Brand new lights
-All paperwork paid for
-Just past smog

joe sandoval · May 15, 2013

this is the 92, Stock 302 engine with minor upgrades- BBK cold air intake, MSD ignition Set up, 3in 1 row aluminum radiator, New Ford Racing Spark plug wires, Electric fan, and new spark plugs. 4 point roll cage, heads redone 140,000 miles

bird_dog0347 · May 15, 2013

hmmm... why does the 92 have a roll cage? With the 88 being more stock I'd almost lean that way but it looks like the 92 has 5 lug swap as well so that's a definite plus for me on that one.

joe sandoval · May 15, 2013

not sure why i was asking myself that too, but yeah the 5 lug swap definitely grabs my attention but the low mileage on the 88 leans me towards that one too. i just cant decide which one would be better and give me my moneys worth.

Husky44 · May 15, 2013

Slightly different perspective here: Which one has the best body, interior, etc? Presumably you're going to play with the motor anyway, and that's the cheapest/easiest stuff to fix/mod. Start with the car that has the most solid foundation. I'm not tremendously experienced with Fox bodies, but they're getting old enough that my first-gen experience comes into play--you're better off to buy a good, straight, no-rust or wear roller than you are a marginal body with a killer engine. In the long run you're going to spend a lot more getting/keeping the marginal body driveable than you are putting an entire driveline in a roller.

88LX5.Oh · May 15, 2013

Without a doubt, I would go for the '92. 140,000 honestly isn't that bad. Yeah it's double what the '88 has but oh well. '92 has quite a bit of work done to it, it's a good foundation for future mods. Because you can't leave a fox stock, it won't happen lol

joe sandoval · May 15, 2013

alright so the 92 seems to be more of a car that ill get my moneys worth
heres other things i forgot to mention about the 92:

5 Speed rebuilt t5 no less than a year
King Cobra Clutch
Sub Frame Connectors from back to front
5 Lug Conversion Disc in front Drums on rear
lowered 2"
40 Series Flowmasters

88LX5.Oh · May 15, 2013

92 sounds better and better with each post

joe sandoval · May 15, 2013

yup it does im starting to just forget about the 88 and go with the 92, the problem is that the guy from the 92 removed the AC completely but he has all the parts to put it back together, how hard is it to put the AC back on it?

88LX5.Oh · May 15, 2013

Well did he take the AC stuff out from under the dash as well, or did he just simply take the lines off and the compressor off from under the hood?

joe sandoval · May 15, 2013

owner said lines compressor and condenser were removed

88LX5.Oh · May 15, 2013

Ok so they only took out the easy stuff, that's good. If they ripped out the stuff from in the dash (the evaporator?) that would make it a total PITA to set up

joe sandoval · May 15, 2013

nope just those part, he said he has them so i should be able to place em back on, just wondering how hard it would be to install em or how much would a shop charge me?

88LX5.Oh · May 15, 2013

If you have some mechanical skill, definitely do it yourself. It really isn't all that hard. You'll need to take it to a shop to charge the AC system up, though. It's hard to say how much a shop will charge. Labor rates are different all over so I couldn't even tell you an estimate because who knows if they'll actually go by the book or if they'll come up with their own labor times.

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