I am looking to purchase 88 - 93 Mustang 5.0....either LX or GT. Are all 5.0 liter engine in 88-93 Mustangs identical? If not, how are they different? Should I buy a LX or GT? Should I buy an automatic or 5 speed manual? Thanks alot in advance.
There are some minor differences from year to year but not enough to worry about unless you are planning major modifications. The 88's used a different kind of air flow monitoring system called speed-density. It actually produces the most power according to most people but it is not easy to make modifications to. So if you aren't planning on modifying the engine it doesn't matter. The 89's and later use Mass Air Flow (MAF) control system. There are probably some slight differences in the transmissions too but again, if you are just looking for a car to drive, it really doesn't matter. LX versus GT is personal taste. I prefer the looks of the LX 5.0 over the overly stylized GT with all the plastic stuff added to it. I also like the notchbacks better then the fastbacks.
Automatic or manual is a personal choice, not one can tell you you should buy one over the other without knowing your driving style, etc. The 5 speed is fun when you can stretch the cars legs but a pain in rush hour traffic. The automatic will make the car feel much slower and it will be somewhat slower. It will also get worse gas mileage with the automatic. I had an 88 five speed and a 89 automatic convertible. The 88 would blow the doors off the 89. It also had a better rear end ratio which helped.
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Another difference is the earlier 5.0's had forged pistons, later had Hypereutectic.
Al
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