When I say people get pissed about fox body values, I am not being dramatic in the least. Being commander in chief at FCM, it is my job to have my finger on the pulse of what is happening in the fox body world. So with nary a complaint, I monitor the goings on some sixteen hours a day.
To be fair, the tide is turning, to an extent. There has been much discussion about the Barrett Jackson cars selling for big coin, and several examples on Ebay as well. The argument against the rising value is always the same: "They are a dime a dozen" "It's just an old fox-body" "All they are good for is a race car". The problem with these arguments is that none of them hold any water. Fox body Mustangs, in fact, are no longer "dime a dozen" cars. Were they in the 90's? Yes, even on into the 2000s. This is 2017, time to realize the clock never stops ticking.
So, how in the world do you price your fox body fairly, or pay a fair price? The short answer is; that question simply can't be answered. Sorry, it can't be done. That being said, here are some tips on how to price, and present your fox body to sell for a good price, as well as how to avoid buying the wrong car. Being that there is no clear cut answer, we compiled some rules for the road:
Know what you have: As soon as I hear someone tell me their car has an "interceptor" motor, I run...fast. The same seller will tell you it's a GT, Cobra. If said seller knows that little about his own car, can you assume he did quality work on the car? Highly unlikely. Study up on your car, have as much ACCURATE information, and history as possible.
When the excuses begin to fly, so should you: The minute a seller starts making excuses about the car, instead of presenting facts, I am done. Ever heard these: "The a/c just needs to be charged up" "The part is only like $5 at Autozone" "I just haven't had time to replace it". Those are the classic crock of sh*t excuses. Walk away. If you want to sell your fox, lay out everything the car needs with as much honesty as you can. If you don't know, say so.
Present the car in a quality way: I can't stand seeing ads all over the internet that are absolutely horrible. Full of spelling errors, in all caps, mods jumbled together, etc. Let us not forget the pictures, miserable pictures. Take two seconds to think about if you would get excited about the pictures you are posting up. Here's a hint; screen shots, interiors full of trash, weeds growing up around the car, and so on is not going to entice buyers. Then when you put a premium price on the car to boot, it becomes a total joke. Give a detailed description of the car, list the mods by segment, (engine, drivetrain, exhaust, brakes, etc) and for goodness sake clean the car, then take some decent pictures.
Documentation: I have always tried to keep every receipt for my past foxes. Even if it was just a water pump. This instills confidence in a prospective buyer that there is some merit to your claims. Regardless of what you put on your car, or do to it, document it as much as possible for when you decide to move on. This will also put you on a firm footing to get top dollar, simply because most owners do not take the time to do this. One of the biggest turn-offs is hearing a seller make all kinds of claims, and can't prove a single one. Sorry, I'm not buying.
Pricing and valuing ANY car like a fox body is tough. But remember these two facts: they aren't making any more of them, and like it or not, the values are going up fast. Stop caring what other people say about the price of your car, you own it. List it for what you want, and see what happens. CR
To be continued...