Originally Posted by
CardiacKid
I had a brand new 1985 Ford Mustang. It was the worst POS I ever owned. When I sold it 4 years later, with only 50,000 miles on it, it was falling apart.
My nephew in Illinois called me the other day and told me to keep an eye out for a classic Mustang for him. He is looking for either an '85 or '86. I laughed my --- off. Of course, some of today's bikes will be classics.
They're calling the fox body Mustang ('79 -'93) the new Tri Five Chevy ('55 - '57 Chevy). Judging by the (aftermarket and stock) parts availability, that sounds like it might be the case. With a fox body you have an inexpensive front engine, rear wheel drive car that's small, light, easy to work on, decent ergonomics, ubiquitous, generic enough to appeal to a lot of people, distinctive enough to stand out and personalize, responds well to mods, can be made to handle well, etc. These things are everywhere and will take just about any powertrain and rear end combo with some ease. In addition, the variety of stock motors they have had makes the interesting to modify without engine swaps too. Sounds like a CAAD 9 to me...
Why is he looking for an '85/'86? I've always thought the '87-'89 were the sweet spot -> no carb
Originally Posted by
ldmataya
I think lightweight steel frames built by hand will define an era. If an auto enthusiast is going to choose a Chevy to restore, he's not going to pick anything built after 1973, and chances are (according to current supply and demand) he'll pick a '57 BelAir. I think he'll do the same 20 years from now.
I disagree. People are, and are going to be restoring newer Malibus, El Caminos, Camaros, Corvettes, Caprice/Impalas, 1500 trucks, Monte Carlos, etc. Moving away from Chevy and Ford, have you noticed how many Japanese cars are respected and revered today? Subaru, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, all have a strong following.
Originally Posted by
Spasticteapot
Wasn't that the one with the V8 that produced 120 horsepower? The Mustang less powerful (and much heavier) than contemporary Honda Civics? That's not a "classic." That's just a cheap and convenient mounting bracket for a nice pushrod V8.
See above.
Originally Posted by
Spasticteapot
One of the reasons why vintage equipment - frames in particular - seems so luxurious is, quite simply, that it was. In an era where a full Campagnolo group cost almost as much as a secondhand Volkswagen, finely constructed, handmade steel frames made perfect sense.
A full Campy (or other brand) group still cost as much a secondhand Volkswagen; just a different group and a different VW.