Ready for Rollin: 1986 Ford Mustang GT Convertible


The haters are going to say that this next car is from the time when Mustangs didn’t have much power, styling or handling…but I’m strangely attracted to it. I think it is because a convertible Mustang is such an iconic representation of youthful summer fun, that you can’t hate it. Find this 1986 Ford Mustang GT Convertible offered for $6,950 in Olathe, CO via craigslist. Tip from Thomas.

From the seller:
1986 Ford Mustang
condition: good
cylinders: 8 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 93500
paint color: red
size: compact
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: convertible

Very nice ’86 GT convertible for sale. 5.0 EFI HO V8 – engine is from an ’88 Mustang. Car runs and drives very well, heat and a/c both work well, new CD/bluetooth stereo with new speakers in the dash, interior in nice condition – does have one crack in the middle of the dash (common), 5 speed manual with a Hurst shifter, Flowmaster dual exhaust with shorty headers. Car has welded subframe connectors, and strut tower brace.

Solid clean body, no accidents. Cobra replica wheels – near perfect condition – no curb rash. Top has some small holes in it, I have a new top to go with the car. Top has glass rear window. Recently replaced serpentine belt and idler pulley, fuel pump (tank was spotless on inside), fuel filter, brake master cylinder (flushed fluid completely with install), has a new battery in the last 4 months. I’ve owned the car since 2007, odometer shows 93.5k. $6,950 OBO. No trades, Thanks. Email for details please.

See a better way to roll in a 5 point oh? tips@dailyturismo.com
The 86GT and 87-93 coupe are on my short list for my next project car in a couple of years. I like the early 4 eye look better now days but the coupe was what I wanted in my high school years. A buddy somehow talked his dad into a red LX coupe back in the day. At least in DFW it was the modern muscle car to get back in the 90’s. I wish I could have held onto my 88GT but a blown head gasket and family obligations with a youngster had me move on to an econobox.
Am I the only one that thinks this is hideously overpriced? Our local smeglist has a white 2007 convertible w/160K miles on it for $5,200.
Looks exactly like this:
https://images.app.goo.gl/1kJ5qC8SMbA4MH7BA
We owned a 2006 for 10+ years (exact same color combo). Loved it to pieces.
-Stan (who is currently sans ‘stang… but loves me a great Ponyvert.
I was actually thinking the opposite, and that it’s a good price, but I don’t know the current Mustang market well, so it was just a gut feeling based on how high most used car prices are right now. It seems like a decent car with mild upgrades.
Comparing a 1986 to a 2007 is a bit “apples and oranges”. The four-eyes are going to be rising and the new-gen cars likely still have a little depreciation left in them. Fox bodies are popular again.
I hear ya.
I guess I’ve just never liked the Fox bodies. I get that there are plenty of parts, and tons of room under the hood for mods. Coupes were fine.
But the ‘verts were rattle traps.
Remember those old cartoons where the driver hits a bump and the car flies into 50 pieces mid-air, then re-assembles itself on the way down?
Yeah. That’s what the Fox body ‘verts feel like. All the way through until 1994. Ford did specific engineering changes to the ’94-98 Mustang convertibles because the prior ’79-93 (Fox body) convertible actually FAILED the NHTSA crash tests multiple times. Hard top Fox bodies did fine. Not great. But not a failure.
I was going to post the NHTSA test results, but the model is now too old; NHTSA has removed the data.
Maybe that’s why the values are going up? People just don’t know?
Why not just chop the top off your favorite car and turn it into a ‘vert. Both will fail a crash.
-Stan (who in the 90’s had a client who was an ER doc … and happened to take a keen interest in car crashes after a couple of intense conversations with him. He could tell you what kind of car someone was in when they showed up to the Emergency Room, just by their injuries. Totally changed how I bought cars for the rest of my life). No lie.
Not a bad price for a 4-eyed fox convertible with a bolt-action trans!