We lived through the ’80s and ’90s and spent a lot of time with the era’s greatest hits–drove them, raced them, even knew them when they still had that new car smell. We fondly remember shopping for Kamei air dams, Hella lamps and 14-inch tires.
But were the cars of those times really that rad?
We wondered that ourselves, so …
Yes.
Absolutely.
That and the s13 Nissan and maybe the GM G-body
that photo is amazing!
I think it's definitely true if you include all Fox chassis cars
From a GM guy its hard to beat the fox chassis, 4 cylinder through 8 cylinders, na or turbo (the supercoupe wasnt fox right), manual or auto, sedan, wagon or coupe, cheap parts, good looks, light weight, cheap, capable, rwd, and a massive aftermarket filled with inexpensive quality parts.
I think the closest thing GM has is maybe the G body, which I love but given an option between the 2 I might have to choose the fox most of the time.
As a chassis it has two major weaknesses: Rear suspension design and lack of overall stiffness. Fortunately, the aftermarket has both covered.
I came >this< close to buying another one in the past few weeks before settling on the S197 I ended up getting. They are going up in value, and I wasn't happy with what I could find in my budget without having to drive 5 states away. Plus, while I don't mind a project, making a Fox handle and stop like a modern car is still a major undertaking that's not cheap.
Opti said:(the supercoupe wasnt fox right)
The Turbo Coupe was a Fox and the Super Coupe was an MN12, an arguably better chassis.
buzzboy said:Opti said:(the supercoupe wasnt fox right)
The Turbo Coupe was a Fox and the Super Coupe was an MN12, an arguably better chassis.
A better design, to be sure, but much heavier.
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
The MN12 was really fun when shortened by 8". These were built down the road from me and I got a ride in the T-Bird back in the day.
Lof8 - Andy said:that photo is amazing!
Probably one of my favorite photos from the archives, tbh.
That mullet lives on in our hearts and minds.
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
You can even kind of fix the rear suspension without the aftermarket.
Get a mediocre IRS out of the cobras, or if you are going drag racing, wasnt the quick fix to remove an upper link and pull the quad shocks?
In reply to Opti :
Yeah, there are a lot of JY options to fix the Fox suspension with later components. I keep looking at the IRS + SN95 combination for my 4 eye.
Opti said:In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
You can even kind of fix the rear suspension without the aftermarket.
Get a mediocre IRS out of the cobras, or if you are going drag racing, wasnt the quick fix to remove an upper link and pull the quad shocks?
The IRS was not all that great, but fixing the solid axle by removing the upper links and installing a torque arm and Panhard will highlight how much the front suspension sucked. 
Some geometrical fixes in the front and the cars are wonderful.
The entire fox chassis line? Yes, definitely.
Just the fox mustang? Eh, I prefer the similar year f-body.
Dad had an '85 GT, after his turbo thunderbird. Uncle had an '86 SVO.
Always had a soft spot for Fox body Mustang's. But like everything else, finding a clean one is now $$$$
Pete. (l33t FS) said:Opti said:In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
You can even kind of fix the rear suspension without the aftermarket.
Get a mediocre IRS out of the cobras, or if you are going drag racing, wasnt the quick fix to remove an upper link and pull the quad shocks?
The IRS was not all that great, but fixing the solid axle by removing the upper links and installing a torque arm and Panhard will highlight how much the front suspension sucked.
Some geometrical fixes in the front and the cars are wonderful.
I put a lot of autocross and track miles on my 89 LX. Suspension mods consisted of "C" springs, Tokico Illuminas, Maximum Motorsports rear LCAs, and removed quad shocks with factory rear UCAs with fresh rubber bushings. It also had MM caster/camber plates up front with X2 balljoints, so I was able to band-aid over some of the front end deficiencies with lots of negative camber. But the rear never really did hook up very well, even with a fresh factory Traction-Lok LSD. However, it was predictable, and I got used to it. I was once complimented by an instructor at Grattan for my ability to catch it when the rear started to go. It was because I had so much practice. 
Having said all that, if I had ended up getting another one, my plan was to go full MM everything. Tubular K-member and LCAs, torque arm, panhard bar, etc. I was going to do it right for once.
My car is a 2002 but in reality it's the same bones as a Foxbody. I've finished in the top 10 at LS Fest for the last two years in the "Late Model" class. Plenty of C7's, C8's, and Gen 5/6 Camaro's behind me. I think that gives credibility to the fact these cars can hold their own when you dump tens of thousands of dollars into them, lol.
In reply to Patientzero :
Love it. That looks so mean.
In reply to bmw88rider :
Maybe it's just me but I'm getting the "if a beretta and a thunderbird had a baby" vibe when looking at the profile.
these cars can hold their own when you dump tens of thousands of dollars into them
Nothing to add about Fox Mustangs. But I am going to use this phrase somewhere.
Raced an SVO back in the day/
Tail end was a;ways hanging out
FWIW
I would pay a fair bit for a clean notchback.
Stockish, 5.0, manual. First 'fast' car I was in (12ish).
Left an impression....
They definitely are a great canvas to make your own masterpiece.
I occasionally regret selling the one I had for 15yrs, but they're hard to find clean these days and it's a car that's more fun heavily modified.
Current prices dictate I'll likely not get another, but it's nice to see they're finally increasing in price.
My dream Fox body?
Notchback, charcoal gray, custom leather interior, 347/TKO 5 speed, 9 inch rear, coilovers/panhard rod/traction arm/etc.
My "fun to build just because I could" Fox body?
GT convertible with SVO front clip.
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