Vehicle Description
The Fox Mustangs are 35 years old now. I'm going to let that sink
in while you look at how modern this 1989 Mustang LX 5.0 hatchback
looks. Awesome charcoal gray paint gives it a low-profile look,
while a stout 5.0 provides plenty of old-school V8 motivation. With
just 17,774 original miles, this is a fast, affordable, fun pony
that hasn't been beaten or abused but certainly packs a serious
punch.
The clean lines made the LX somewhat of a sleeper in the early
'90s, but everyone knew to look for the 5.0 badges and the twin
polished tailpipes out back. Today, it's practically invisible
among all the stripe-wearing GTs and Shelby Mustangs, but the
clean, unadorned lines of the LX look as good as ever. The original
paint is holding up remarkably well, with only a few minor signs of
use and age, and there's a light gray pinstripe which also
highlights a crease in the bodywork that's otherwise invisible on a
solid-colored car. There are no indications that this car has been
raced, wrecked, or otherwise mistreated, with doors that close
easily and great panel alignment throughout. New weather-stripping
helps with the tight feeling, and there's not even a wild-looking
wing out back, suggesting that the guy who built this one had good
taste as well as a desire for horsepower.
The gray interior is remarkably well preserved, offering sport
bucket seats covered in fresh gray cloth upholstery. Of course, it
shouldn't be a surprise with so few miles, and the door panels,
center console, and the rear seat are all quite nice, plus there's
a sunroof overhead for nice days. Ford's fat leather-wrapped
steering wheel feels great in your hands, and the relatively
upright greenhouse makes the Mustang very user-friendly in traffic,
where it's the ultimate point-and-shoot machine. The original
gauges are big and easy to read and there's a Hurst T-handle
shifter down in the console. The original radio is long gone,
replaced by a Sony AM/FM/CD head unit and lots of amperage, right
below the controls for the ventilation system. Other options
include power windows and locks, cruise control, rear defroster,
and power mirrors, making this a fairly loaded LX. With rear seats
that fold down, cargo capacity is impressive even with the
subwoofer and relocated battery.
The venerable 5.0-liter V8 under the hood has been nicely upgraded
without going too far. Internal goodies include a Trackmx camshaft,
and roller rockers, so it has a wonderfully punchy demeanor.
Outside, there are aluminum heads, a Cobra-style intake manifold,
and an upgraded intake system that's been converted to mass-airflow
metering. MSD supplied the ignition system and the accessorie
brackets were polished to add a little flash. Other
performance-enhancements include a ram air system that may free up
some horsepower and a set of shorty headers dumping into a
Flowmaster dual exhaust system that sounds, well, like a Mustang
5.0 should sound. The 5-speed manual shifts beautifully and powers
the original 8.8-inch rear end full of 4.10 gears that make this
thing insanely quick, and the tub is reinforced with a set of
subframe connectors that make a difference you can feel. It's been
lowered slightly, but with those stock 15-inch "phone dial" wheels,
this is still an extremely subtle machine.
Still fast and still fun after all these years, this is the kind of
5.0 Mustang that you've always wanted to own. Call today!