Fox body
Flip This Car: 1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible—Part Six
I’ll say without hesitation that this has been the most enjoyable “flip” vehicle I’ve had the pleasure to own. Therein lies another aspect to buying cheap cars, fixing them up and selling them—sometimes you kind of fall in love with your project. I’m not sure I love this Mustang, but if the resale market is going to be weak, I sure don’t mind holding onto this one for awhile.
Flip This Car: 1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible—Part Five
Over the last 13 or so years I’ve made at least 70 passes down sanctioned quarter-mile drag strips, most of which involved piloting cars not ideally suited for such activity. By not ideally suited, I’m talking old school Taurus SHOs with manual transmissions that tended to explode after a bit of abuse. But those years were some of the best motoring fun of my automotive career, and in the process I gained a well-rounded, basic education on the sport of drag racing, from proper staging etiquette to analyzing the numbers on the all-important time slip. And through it all, never once did I experience a breakdown at the track. You probably see where this is headed.
Flip This Car: 1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible—Part Four
So, at this point I’m supposed to regale all the faithful Flip This Car readers with an unlikely and slightly wacky auto adventure. For part four of the last series I entered my Buick Roadmaster in an SCCA Rallycross event, and to keep the fish-out-of-water spirit alive I turned to the Michigan Ice Racing Association (MIRA) for some winter time fun with the Mustang. With everyone telling me how dead I’d be trying to drive this car through the ice and snow, what better way to give everyone the raspberries than to race the 5.0 on a frozen lake? The stakes would be much higher this time, however, for while the rallycross was a solo event racing against the clock, I’d be racing side-by-side with other cars at the MIRA event. And none of us would have the benefit of studded tires.
Flip This Car: 1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible—Part Three
Straight up, this car is a hooligan. It’s a rebel. It’s the friend that sets the bad example. Listening to NPR in this car is like going to church wearing leather chaps and a sleeveless shirt that says Sex instructor: beginners welcome. Even with the poor gearing and crummy seats, this car is a party animal that wants to get loud and sideways at every opportunity. It’s constantly taunting me, reminding me there’s a pair of wheels behind my head being driven by a gutsy V-8 up front, with a short wheelbase in between. The ride is harsh and the steering heavy, but those attributes bring a welcome amount of feedback on what the car is doing, and more importantly, what I must do to ensure the survival of both vehicle and passengers. How sideways can we get? How long do we want to hold it?
Flip This Car: 1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible—Part Two
In just over a month I’ve already tallied close to 2000 miles behind the wheel of the 5.0. Does that mean I enjoy driving this car? In a word, yes, but it’s a touch more complicated than a one-word answer. The complete road test will be forthcoming in part three so I’ll refrain from sharing the unorthodox similes and astute observations until then. For now, you’ll be happy (or disappointed, depending your expectations for this series) to know that I’ve not yet smacked, slapped, thumped, tweaked, slammed, sideswiped, bounced or otherwise biffed the Mustang into anything moving or stationary, despite the current date which has us well into winter here in the northern latitudes.
Flip This Car: 1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible
Through risk comes reward, or at least that’s the plan with this, the first all-new chapter in Winding Road’s Flip This Car saga since the ill-fated Subaru Legacy turbo graced these digital pages back in the summer. This ragtop is my car—my name is on the title and I’ll be the one digging it out of the ditch and footing the repair bill as I white-knuckle it through a Michigan winter. Actually, I believe this two-door, rear-wheel drive, 3000-pound V-8 droptop is the perfect car for winter despite what my friends, co-workers, family members, neighbors, impersonal acquaintances, strangers at the gas station, both my therapists, and anonymous teenagers in line at the local Gamestop think.
Categories
Most Popular
