1989 Mustang LX 5.0L 5-Speed Hatchback (44K Mi) 100% Complete, 99% Factory Orig

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION BELOW -- I HAVE TRIED TO BE AS THOROUGH AS POSSIBLE.

1989 Mustang LX 5.0L 5-Speed Hatchback with Under 44K Actual Miles.

This is a 30 year old ORIGINAL and UNRESTORED vehicle.

The 25th production year in Deep Shadow Blue Metallic with Medium Grey Interior.

100% Complete (including original window sticker, showroom Mustang brochure, Ford audio system demo cassette tapes, owner’s manual, sales documents and salesman business card, 2 sets of keys with the original dealer ID tags plus the emergency key cut pattern you carry in your wallet and the rear cargo area cover/shade).

99% Factory Original (battery, tires, wiper blades, clutch, oil and coolant are not original – new Motorcraft distributor cap, rotor, wires and plugs just installed).

I am the original owner. I ordered the car with all options except Auto Trans (I wanted the 5-speed). I have always had other cars for daily drivers and this has always been just a recreational vehicle. It has never been in an accident and never been abused. The car has spent about 60% of its life resting in my garage and the other 40% (when I didn’t have a garage) outside under a car cover. It is currently in Columbus GA and was previously in the Orlando FL area.

Body – Straight and solid with just a couple parking lot door dings.

Paint – OK but really should be painted if you want to show it. A couple small spots with surface rust.

Glass – Perfect.

Interior – Probably as close to perfect as you can expect given it’s a 30 year old car. Always had floor mats but some carpet wear under the driver’s mat.

Engine – Tight. Never run to red-line and rarely into yellow. Developed an issue a few years back where it runs rough beginning about 15 seconds after a cold start and takes about 10 minutes to smooth out. Then it runs great. Smells like an over-rich mixture to me. I thought the 30 year old ignition might be at least part of the problem so I replaced the parts described above. A Google search produced a number of hits that sound very similar. But without OBD2, I’m not inclined to guess and start swapping parts. I‘m sure there are plenty of folks who know and love these cars who can get it solved.

Transmission – Perfect. Somewhere back in the mid-1990s the car had been sitting outside for a couple weeks (maybe a couple months) and it was winter and the temps were going to drop into the 20’s so I thought to take it for a drive to get the internal temps up just to be safe. After casually driving a few miles, I pulled into a Wal-Mart parking lot to make a U-turn for the trip back. As I pulled it down into 2nd gear, I heard the grind of a sync failure. Some years later, I finally decided I would start driving the car, so I got it fixed. The tranny guy wasn’t surprised that it happened after I described the circumstances. While they had it apart, we decided to go ahead and put in a new clutch.

A/C – R12 system never converted. Down since about 1996 or so. The dealer had replaced the compressor under warranty because of leaks. I think the refrigerant lines were the subsequent issue because they showed signs of leaking too. My guess is that the compressor, condenser and evaporator are probably fine and replacing the refrigerant lines would probably give a sealed system.

Tires – Almost 25 years old. Replaced the factory Gatorbacks with Dunlop D60/A2 in Feb 1995. They’re worn and cracking but still hold air to this day. I’m *REALLY* careful when driving.

Brakes – Original.

Other – Map light and power mirrors not working. New hatch support shocks needed.

Summary – A project but not a huge one. Can be driven today (with new tires and brakes to be safe). With a paint job, tires, brakes, some A/C work, a solution to the cold engine rough running and a good cleaning, you’ve got a real nice example of the 25th year of production.