Mustangs for Youger Drivers

Excellent post!

Would you put a loaded gun in a kid's hand? NO!

My first kid that drove got a 1989 Corolla in 2001 for $700. After many minor scrapes and dents and one major one where she cleaned out a ditch pretty good, it was still going. It had pieces parts from 4 junkyard organ donors and she bitched and moaned that EVERYONE else at school had a better car, but I didn't break down and get her a better car until she went off to college 1200 miles from home. I gave her a 2000 Corolla in 2005 for $4000 and told her SHE had to keep this one running. So far, so good.

I bought a 93 2.3 LX Coupe for my son that was having issues with an old POS Neon. 700.00, a new radiator, new MAF, new tires, shocks, struts, and a 1200 tranny rebuild (after a year of driving it), it is now going to the 17 yo daughter. Still got a little suspension work to do, but I feel safer with her in it than in a ricer.......

One thing I could never fully make my mind up on... running GT Wheels with All Weather tires improves handling tremendously over the earlier 195/75-

I decided to go with the 'wide stance'

You might want to make sure that coupe gets full loving care... they're getting rare.

My boy is into racing quads.... I gave him a 94 F150 4X4 so he could haul it around... This truck wasn't what you could call a "real good one" (bought it in a rush so he wouldn't ask to borrow the SuperCrew).... currently, we are getting a 97 Ranger whipped into shape for him. The V6 will, I hope, net him a little better fuel mileage.... it's the SuperCab so he has a place to carry his gear for the quad (if it will fit on top of the requesite sub-woofer box) and, of course, it's a 4X4 (almost a requirement where we live.....

If he's going to kill himself, it will be more than likely on the quad....

FWIW, while other parents are worried what their 18 year olds are "up to", mine purchased a home soon after his 18th birthday, he's finishing school through our local OutReach program and he's not afraid to go to work...

Fast cars, like "crotch rockets", have no place in the hands of the inexperienced or immature....

My own feelings about giving a V8-powered automobile to a first-time driver are well known. But your post brought me back to something I've been considering lately, as I continue to rack up the miles on my twin '93s.

The 5.0's are becoming increasingly scarce.

I know that over its lifetime ('79-'93), Ford made more than a million of these cars, but the last one rolled off the assembly line over 12 years ago (I know, because I have one of the last). With each passing year, more and more are taken out of service.

Now that spring has sprung, I'm starting to see a few more nice 5.0's rumbling around, but nowhere near the numbers I was used to seeing. Just got back from Seattle, where there seemed to be more 2005-6 Mustangs out on the roads than the old 5.0's. (I did see a couple of GORGEOUS early examples, though, '83-84 range.)

We used to laugh 'round here at the idea that the Fox Mustangs would ever become scarce. They were "common as dirt."

dwight

I've noticed fewer number of nice ones about. Including beaters it's been just a slow downhill slope in the chicago area numbers wise. I've sadly seen some savable LX (V6/4) verts in upull yards in the past year.

On the plus side, they are at the bottom of the curve price wise... it's the time to buy a fleet of them :)

"dwight" wrote in news:hYmdnWv3Sac5bKfZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

My son learned to drive on the Shoebox ('96 MPV) with it's high visibility, low power (but awesome 1st gear), and compact size. After he breezed through his driving test and we (his parents) were satisfied with his attitude and skills, we gave him the LX to drive full time.

He had one medium-sized tiff with it that had nothing to do with the car's power, but that accomplished two things:

a) Made him fully aware of the extremely bad things that may happen.

b) Gave him a heightened sense of what's involved with everyday driving.

Not that the accident was a good thing, but it accomplished the one thing that we as parents could never accomplish: it taught him a first- hand lesson.

He's now a better driver than he would've been had he not had the accident.

Tons of '05-'06s running around down here now - the new car has proven to be extremely popular. Usually, I see at least one or two Fox cars on my commute, but more often than not they're ratty 4-banger beaters. Except for looking in my garage, it's rare that I see a nice Fox.

Not any more...

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

And Princess was involved in not one, but two altercations with the Princessmobile, before I decided that she couldn't drive and chew gum at the same time. (We stuck her in that Escort with the automatic - the point 'n' shoot car.)

Although I am EXTREMELY proud of both of my offspring (let me get that out there first), I am also somewhat disappointed that neither of them has adopted my passion for motoring. Ah, the Old Man and his Mustangs - he's weird, but we put up with him.

Neither one really cares about cars, and neither one would think of just gassing up the tank and taking off for a couple of hours with no real destination in mind.

BUT, to add to BM's original point, putting Princess in a 1988 Fox LX may have been an excellent choice, not for the novelty of driving a Mustang convertible as a first car, but because she had two accidents and walked away without a scratch.

I always knew that the 5.0's were rated highly in crash tests, but I thought it was because of all that engine up front (302ci engine as "crumple zone"). The Princessmobile, with its vast empty cavern where an engine should have been, served very well in protecting my baby.

My twins aren't looking all that "nice", coming off of another winter driving season. Time to start polishing and waxing, I guess... Wouldn't want either one seen as "ratty". Especially if they're now becoming a rare sight!

:()

There seems to be a healthy restoration effort out there on an individual basis, so maybe some of these wrecks will make it back to the roads. Patrick used to point out quotes likening the Fox Mustangs to the '57 Chevy of its day, so maybe it IS time to start buying up 5.0's for bottom dollar.

But if I'm shopping for yet another 5.0, it wouldn't be in the Northeast or the Chicago area... Of course, I AM heading to Phoenix in a couple of weeks... Hmmmmm...

No, my wife would kill me.

dwight

"dwight" wrote in news:kqSdnfSqm8FKB6bZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

My wife had one of those when we got married. Almost a fun car to drive. But not quite.

All Dads are weird to their teen (and somewhat older) offspring. Age does make a difference.

Funny you say that, but my son has no yen to do that either. Very unlike the ol' man. Back in the day I'd scrounge for a buck to put in the tank just to be able to make a pass or two around the twisties in North Central NJ.

All told, my LX is on its third front end with no human casualties. Air bag has never popped, either, but all the incidents have been sideways hits.

Whatever the reason, it's all good.

Time to get out the elbow grease, froggy. :)

That's the nice thing about SoFla - every day is a summer day. Maybe a spring day here or there, but certainly no messy winter days.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Which makes me almost cringe when someone wants to give any kid a coupe to drive... try finding one.. ANY one, 2.3L or 5.0, that's halfway decent.

All Mustang fanciers should recognize them as the ultimate sleeper street and road car platform. Something that in the future would make any ricer pull into a parking lot, rather than sit beside them at a light.

Backyard Mechanic wrote in news:Xns97A37CC1FA2AFpettyfogery@207.115.17.102:

The _ultimate_ Fox sleepers are the old LTDs and Zephyrs with nicely done 302s.