(A while back I asked for submissions from CC readers who have owned their cars for 25 years or longer. AmazonRay responded, with this story of his 25 year relationship with his Saleen Mustang. Now that’s just flirting around for Ray, as he’s owned the Volvo 122 “Amazon” under the tarp behind it for over 4o years (that story here). If any of you have had cars for over 25 years and would like to share your experience, send it to us here at curbsideclassic(at)gmail.com. – PN)
What does it mean to own a Saleen?
Well, I’ve owned mine for 25 years now. So maybe I’ll be able to come up with an adequate answer to that question by the end of this essay.
I bought my 1989 Saleen Mustang, serial number 89-13, in December of 1988. It has the 302 cu. in. (4.9 L) V8, 225 HP, and the five-speed transmission. It cost me $25K out the door (the equivalent of $48K today) My father had passed away in April of that same year, and my share of his estate was burning a hole in my wallet. I had been driving my twenty-year old Volvo 122 for the past 15 years, (see my story “Forty years with an Amazon” here at CC,) and I knew I was ready for a new car.
This car was my first new car purchase. There was a Saleen dealer 20 miles away from my house, and after taking a few test drives and thinking about it for a whole week I headed back to the dealer and handed them a check. A stock 1989 Mustang LX, which is what my car is based on, cost $15K in 1989. So all of the Saleen modifications cost an extra $10K. If I had wanted to I could have bought a stock LX Mustang and taken it directly to the Saleen factory in Orange Country. They would have modified my stock car with their parts for that same $10K, and taken about a week to do it.
On the subject of modifications, here is a short rundown of what was done to my car to make it a Saleen. The mods were just in four areas, with the power train left totally stock. The brake system was modified, as was the suspension and the interior, and there were some modifications to the bodywork. The brakes are from a 1988 Lincoln Continental Mk VII (the stock Mustang brake system was totally inadequate). That included five lug wheels instead of four, bigger disc brakes in the front, and discs in the back instead of drums.
Substantially larger tires and wheels were also installed. The chassis was lowered, new shocks and springs were put on all four corners, and two chassis braces were put on the front end. One brace is under the hood, which connects the shock towers, and the other one is under the car just at the engine/transmission mating point. The interior mods consisted of new Flo-Fit front seats, a new back seat, a Kenwood AM/FM cassette player, better speakers (6), a Hurst shifter, and a Momo steering wheel.
On the outside of the car a large wing was added to the trunk lid, (the wing is probably the most recognizable sign that the car is a Saleen Mustang), a rear valance, side skirts, and a front air dam. Plus the three color decals on the lower sides. I think the front air dam really helps with the looks of the car. A stock Mustang of this era really looks like it has an overbite. All of these modifications and updates make the car much more safer, and much more fun to drive.
The car currently has 115K miles on it. Over the 25 years I have owned it I have used it as my daily driver for probably a total of 8 years. I kept the Volvo running, and when I was married the wife had a Miata and an MPV minivan. (Yes, the two of us had four cars.) After our divorce seven years ago, I bought the MPV from her and I have been using at as my daily driver for most of the time since then. (The MPV has 310K miles on it now. If it wasn’t such a boring car I would write a story about it too. And yes, now that I am single I have three cars.) I get an average of 18 miles to the gallon (of premium) with the Saleen, a few less around town.
I have done all of the maintenance on the car since it was new. The only major repair so far was when I put a clutch in at 40K miles. The old clutch was not worn out, but for some crazy reason I felt the need to install a Ford racing clutch. The new clutch has been great, but it is really stiff, and the clutch pedal takes a lot of effort to depress. But I am used to it by now. The clutch actuation is achieved by cable.
Two months ago I was under the car changing the engine oil when I noticed a small puddle of clear oil under the right front shock absorber. Upon further investigation I found that the shock was leaking and thus due for replacement. “Change one shock, change them all” is the rule so I got four new Bilstein shocks. And since I was going to be changing the shocks I decided that the time had come to purchase some suspension upgrades.
The stock car has no capability to adjust the front end camber, only the caster. So I got some Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates, something I should have done a long time ago. I have read that the lower real axle control arms are a weak point in the rear solid axle suspension so I bought a couple of new lower control arms from Maximum Motorsports too. After spending a few days installing all of my new parts, I went to my local alignment shop for an alignment. The mechanic told me that the good news was that my calibrated eyeball guesstimate on installing the caster/ camber plates was right on and the caster and camber was right on.
The bad news was that my tie rods and tie rod ends were worn out, and that there was no point in trying to set the toe-in. So it was off to the parts store and back to my garage to install even more new parts. All of this only cost me $1,400, and these repairs have been the most expensive so far that I have had to do on the car. All the new parts came together and the car handles better now, and it feels much more solid and predictable.
To celebrate—and evaluate—my getting the car back on the road, I decided to drive on down to Los Angeles to visit some family and friends last month. It’s a 900 miles trip from here in Corvallis. OR to LA, and I always do it non-stop, except for gas stops and rest stops. The trip takes me 14 hours each way. My brother has a cat, and I am allergic to cats, so I bought a large foam pad that I put in the back. I fold down the rear seat, and slide the front seats as far forward as they will go, and I sleep in the back of the car. There is not a lot of room in the back but there’s enough. After a week I headed back home.
The car has a 15.4 gallon gas tank, probably the biggest drawback I can think of on the car. At 18 miles to the gallon my maximum range is 277 miles, not all that far. The rear axle ratio is 3:55, so when I’m going 80 mph the engine is at 3000 rpm. Maybe someday I will have an extra $3K lying around and I will buy a brand new six-speed transmission. It would be fun to have another gear to play with, and to get more MPG, and thereby increase my range.
The fastest I have ever driven the car was 125 mph. That was one dark night on the outskirts of Las Vegas. This was some 21 years ago. Things happen really quickly at that speed so I didn’t keep going that fast for very long, but it was good fun while it lasted.
After owing the same car for 25 years, it has become like an old friend. The surprises are few and far between. Because it is a Ford, the parts are easy to get and very affordable. I sometimes think what it would be like to to own a newer car, but my number one requirement with a car is that I need to be able to fix it myself. I am afraid that eliminates most every car made for the past 15 years.
When it was new, the car had the Saleen name in big white letters on the top of the windshield. Well, I am on my third windshield now. In the winter Oregon doesn’t use any salt on the road, they use lots of small pea sized gravel to aid in traction. The road department seems to take their time cleaning up that gravel when the snow melts, so we get a lot of stone chips in our hoods and a lot of cracked windshields. Besides, I thought the large letters were a bit garish and overdone so I never replaced them.
I am very happy that I bought the Saleen, and that I have kept it. It’s different enough from most all of the other cars on the road, but not so different that it’s a ticket magnet. Sometimes I will just stop and look at the car; it still looks really good to me. I sometimes pause and think about my late father, and how it was his money that allowed me to buy the car. And I also think about my two kids, and all the places we went in it, and a feeling of gratitude comes over me. Gratitude and appreciation. And I’m looking forward to owning it for another 25 years.
Nice story…I too cannot get rid of my fun cars once I buy them. I own six overall, my wife one. These Mustangs are pretty indestructible; my dad still has the ’88 GT Convertible he bought in ’90. I think the Saleen is the best looking Fox Mustang by far.
I can’t imagine sleeping in the back of one of them, however. 🙂
That is a truly lovely story and a great post.. thank you : )
Always disliked the Saleens for the lower tri-bar stripe and that oversized rear wing. But this one hits it for me, for the white and blue hint at the original Mustang and what Mr Shelby did with that pony. In a contemporary 80’s vein, those tri bar colors were much like what the Michael Kranefuss-led SVO division was doing, from the Zakspeed IMSA Mustang turbo racers, to the prototype Mustang SVO racer adorning the cover of Road and Track. The SVO era remains a personal favorite of mine as a former Fox Mustang owner. So, AmazonRay’s Saleen is a beauty in my eyes that honor some special early Mustangs.
More important to Ray, the miles of pleasure this car must have and continue, to give him as he works that 302 through the gears. I’d like to think his Dad would have enjoyed that soundtrack, too. Nice story and an awful nice car.
I agree there is a nice tie-in with the IMSA racers and as you say the blue of the original Shelby Mustangs.
Thanks for sharing a great story Ray.
This generation of Mustang is still my favorite; that you have had yours so long, and a Saleen no less, is truly amazing.
A terrific story about an amazing car.
A very nice retrospective. Thank you.
I really liked several things about my Fox Mustang (described in a previous posting). It had a nice, tight steering feel with a lot of feedback (no power steering) though I’m not sure it would have felt the same with a V8 sitting over the front wheels. Also with the exception that the seatback was not adjustable (pretty behind the times when you consider that my ’66 beetle at least had three choices) the ergonomics of the interior were pretty good. Obviously a platform that survived so long in so many guises had to have some positive attributes.
I bought my 1988 Mustang LX 5 Liter convertible with a five speed and leather with 3000 miles on it in 1988. The only change I made to it was to add Global West strut mounts so that I could adjust camber and caster (didn’t make any difference). For awhile I ran it with no mufflers at all, just the four cats. But I had to drive past a police barracks on the way to my son’s soccer practice twice a week and I got tired of going from first to fourth by the time I hit 15 mph so I had chambered pipes put on it.
Today the car sits in my garage with all of 26,500 miles on it. Original Goodyears are still on it (scary damn tires!). One of these days I may get it running again. It’s showroom new.
get some new tires, put the top down, and cruise!
Let that pony run!
A great story, thanks for sharing it with us. I remember when these were new, they seemed to grace the cover of the car mags about every 3rd issue. They were seriously out of my price range, and by 1989, I was into the alternate universe of multiple old cars instead of a really expensive new one.
I take my hat off to you for keeping the car for so long. I have never owned a car for that length of time, and certainly not when I was younger. You picked well and have reaped the benefits. I hope that you and your Saleen are happy together for years to come.
+1 never owned a car more than 4 years. Congrats on your longevity of ownership, Amazonray. I imagine this car would be like a second skin for you. Thanks for the story.
…longer you have them …harder to shed them it becomes …that’s pure petrolheadedness fer yer .. heeh heeh
I think I have attachment issues. Never settled on a car because I always wanted to experience a wide variety. My dad, however, has had his Alfa Sprint since 1988. And like Amazonray, his previous was a Volvo.
um ..err ..cars are a bit like chicks aye ..we want to experience a wide variety ..as quickly as possible ..naughty ..that not good ..um ..or is it ?? lol
A mustang is one car I never owned or drove. Somehow that makes me think I missed quite a bit of fun. You show good taste, this is a good story. It’s great that you still own both these cars and have the resources to care for both of them.
Older cars sometimes do not fit well in the modern world but you seem to have managed.
I am 57 years old now. I am working hard at keeping up with the modern world. But so far having older cars has not been a problem for me. As long as I can keep getting parts I don’t see any reason to not be able to keep my cars on the road.
I am glad that everyone has enjoyed the story. I encourage all of my fellow CC readers to submit a story if you have a story to tell.
Ray
I didn’t realize that in those days Saleen didn’t do anything to the engines to increase power. My Mustang Monthly had an article recently on a 1985 Saleen which was the first year of production and the only year the Saleen had a carburetor. The vehicle in question received a concurs correct restoration. I much prefer the guys like you who tastefully upgrade the car as time and budget allows.
Kudos to you for being such a good caretaker to your Mustang, and congrats on a well written article. It’s definitely a keeper!
Nice car and one not often seen over here though i think there is a similar stock one nearby, I’ll have to stop and look now. The lack of camber adjustment was a feature in the EA Falcon from OZ released in about 89 I guess these are where they got the idea no V8s for those though for some strange reason only a 6.
That is a very good comment …yes …the lack of a bent eight in the EA Falcon was a big FoMoCo of Australia mistake
The first EA release had a 3949cc OHC stroked version of the ubiquitous original 144 six…
It was fuelled by a dual injector CFI system mounted on a poorly designed inlet manifold and via an EEC-IV speed density controller producing a pathetic 120kws and a miserly 311Nms torque..
..all this through a 3 speed auto slushbox ..and a gigantically tall 2.77 rear end
Performance was abysmal, fuel use was high, and the engine was absolutely “untuneable” .. .. ..
…on top of that Ford hadn’t sufficiently bug-proofed the EA which rattled and shook and was unreliable
The particular alloy material used in the head was not compatible with the iron deck causing much ‘movement’ around the gasket …which were ‘blowing’ with regular monotony
Oh dear !
The answer came with the so-called ‘anniversary EA’
…this vehicle answered the ‘performance’ issue with a brand new ‘tuned’ inlet manifold with MPFI and an appropriately changed ECU
Power was now up to 138kws… torque was also way up ..and when coupled up to the T5 manual gearbox THE ‘ANNIVERSARY’ EA OUTPERFORMED THE PREVIOUS XE FALCON 351 CLEVELAND V8 in a straight line from a standing start .. .. .. !
FoMoCo added to this ingredient for success again with the release of the EB Falcon..
…bolted-up under the hood of the EB was now a transplanted ‘Fox-body’ Mustang 5.0 HO MPFI V8 (as an option, if the 5.7 Clevo-eating MPFI I6 did not appeal)
A few of the bits and pieces were ‘changed around’ to suit a right hand drive vehicle (ie: the upper plenum now faced the ‘wrong way’ and the throttle body and EGR plate were also mounted arse about face and the mass air sensor and airbox also on the ‘wrong side’) …interestingly speed density was dropped ..so this engine could be played around with to get more power out of it..
…it needed it
cos it was waaaaaaay slower than the now pretty darned quick MPFI six (which had ‘grown’ to 3984cc by slightly increasing the bore diameter by this stage)
However, the early EA of ’88/’89 was a pretty vehicle… 🙂 surprisingly it could handle too… the live rear end was located with coil springs and a Watts linkage and up front was a reasonable anti-roll bar set-up ..and four wheel discs …it seemed to track nicely and it could be power drifted in the dry with a high degree of confidence…
I have had one since 2005 and will probably hold onto it indefinitely…
…it should be noted that the XF Falcon range prior to the EA was also devoid of any V8 option …this ran from ’85 through to ’87 …and FoMoCo concentrated during that period on getting more power out of the 250 cube long stroke six by adding EFI and an ECU to it… the XE was the last Aussie Falcon to be fitted with the Cleveland V8 .. ..
..when it came later to getting decent power out of the EA OHC I6 cylinder head changes were also made (Japanese design assistance was employed with the early alloy head design) ..with the ‘Anniversary EA’ the cylinder head combustion chamber quench areas were extensively modified to eliminate prior shrouding of the inlet valves ..combined with MPFI the results were quite impressive ..by the mid-’90’s a dual resonance inlet manifold was used further raising power to 157kws ..and the XR6 manual trans cars (164 – 177 – 195kws depending upon year) were quick vehicles by anyone’s standards ..the very latest turbo versions are literally fire breathing machines producing well over 300kws out of the box ..still tweakable to insane outputs for the strip
The EA had both the single and multi-point EFI setups from the start, the latter was an option on the Falcon S and standard on the Fairmont Ghia. The 1990 anniversary update didn’t amount to much, the biggest change I can remember was new door & ignition locks, even the 4 speed auto was introduced the previous year. The 3.9L engine was a slightly smaller bore 250/4.1, and with the 139kW/186hp and 5sp manual they would do a mid-15 sec quarter mile. The 1992 XR6 with a bit more power (215hp, only 6hp less than the XR8) wasn’t much faster due to extra weight.
The EA also had half a degree positive camber because there were initial plans to do a non-power steer version, the EB fixed that.
I have done a lot of stuff to my old white ’89 CFI EA Fairmont ..lol ..including fitting it up with a pedal box and a very tall 5th gear ex-Mustang T5 and an ED MPFI inlet manifold and injector set-up, airbox and cold air snorkel ..it didn’t like the changes until a chip was written for the J3 port (and i used the ED 5 spd manual ‘smartlock’ ECU for this (the chip had to cancel out this ant-theft feature for the engine to run) ..also decked it 10 thou and shaved 80 thou off the head and used a vernier sprocket ..reckon it raised compression close to one whole ratio to around 9.9:1 ..and had Adrian at the Pukekohe camshaft shop to grind me up a whole new profile… it’s affected vacuum a bit low down for a rougher idle …but it honks now from 3,500 onwards ..Coby make a nice set of extractors for these Coon sixes and they seem to like an unrestricted outlet all the way through (no cat) ..handling needed a smarten-up with a 30mm sway bar up front.. listen …the later VCT AU XR6 is a much slower vehicle… (i have owned both at the same time) ..put this down to all that weight at the rear from the bloody awful IRS system on the AU (unless those knuckle joints are all in a perfect unworn condition in that ton-weight IRS monstrosity the handling of those vehicles is actually dangerous and they tend to ‘hop’ sideways on an uneven surface corner (fatal stuff in the wet) ..the EA doesn’t do that ! It will just develop a controllable slide…
I think the unloved EA is a very cool unappreciated motor vehicle.. .. ..
Even with a Raptor 10psi supercharger, 36 psi injectors, and a Snow Boost methyl alcohol water chemical intercooler on the VCT XR6 …the EA MPFI would still be quicker from point to point cross country because of the blend of it’s power and controllability right out to the very limit of staying on the road.. (the VCT IRS LSD was just too scary to drive like that) ..and superchargers are great in a straight line from a standing start, but at a point they just hit the brick wall of volumetric inefficiency (unless you have a nice big turbo system to take over at that point of course.. .. ..
Sounds interesting. I have heard good things about the AU irs in good condition, the other issue I think is they chop out shock rubbers quickly.
Several years ago at the drags I ran against Jim Mock’s workshop XH ute that ran a 14.0 quarter in street trim, it was the tow car for their EB race car that ran low 13’s n/a. Obviously had some poke but not wild being a manual trans tow car.
Those wheels are VERY cool looking, especially with black centers. I remember when those were popular. Not quite coke bottle mags but looked right at home on period performance cars.
Ive personally never been a huge fan of Fox era Mustangs, but they certainly look better than the ’94-’04 models and the Mustang II barely counts. The ’87 ‘aero’ update really doinked the styling on these, IMHO. The 4 eyed sealed beam front clip with a real grille, blackout trim, and T-tops makes for the best looking Fox, to my eyes. That said, this one looks tight. The wheels, color scheme all work and being a Saleen definitely makes this a nice find!
Out of curiosity, is this car registered as a Saleen or as a Ford?
It is registered as a Ford Mustang. Saleen did not change the VIN number, they just added their own serial number to the car.
It is insured as a Saleen Mustang.
LX Mustangs with the V-8 came with 5-lug wheels (the same wheels as the GT). Saleen probably didn’t d any changing of hubs.
Not true. No factory Mustang got 5-lug wheels until the ’94 SN95 model came out. My dad’s ’88 GT has 4-lug wheels, as did the LX 5.0 we test drive in ’90.
Also not true. Both the SVO and 1993 Cobra R came from the factory with 5 lug wheels.
Ah yes…I forgot about the SVO!
I didn’t know that the Cobra R had 5-lugs though…
That goes to show what using absolutes will get you!
Nice to see people keeping cars long term. I am only 34 so i haven’t owned any cars that long but i do own a 1995 Pontiac Trans Am that i will have owned for 10 years on May 1. That’s pretty good for someone in their mid 30s i think.
Hi Peter,
I think it is great that you are keeping your car for the long term. You will be saving a lot of money that way.
Always love to hear about long-term car relationships–I’ve owned my ’79 Chevy Malibu for almost 18 years, but the car has been in my family since new. My grandfather purchased it in ’79, gave it to my mom in ’86 and it was our family car for most of my childhood, and I got it when I turned 16 in ’96. One day I’ll get it running again…
Extra cool that this is a Saleen. Definitely one of my favorite cars as a kid! I remember seeing a row of Saleens outside one of the Ford dealers in town as a regular fixture in the late 80’s/early 90’s…always wanted one.
Nice article and a neat car, but I usually do not see Fox Body Mustangs in Portland. So, why are the license plates not 25 years old?
@Teddy,
When I bought the car in 1988 I was living in CA. I moved to OR in 1994, and at that time I got Oregon Trail plates. In 2007 I moved to Hawaii, (Big Island), and I shipped my car over there. ($900 to get it from Seattle to Hilo.) I registered the car in HI but I did not like living there so after 3 months I moved back to OR. ($900 to get the car shipped from Hilo to Seattle.) The Oregon DMV would not let me put my old Oregon Trail plates back on the car, and I could not get any new ones so I just took what they had and slapped them on.
I did not want my story to be too long so I left out the above details. But since you asked…….
Ray
Nice car and neat article. It’s great the car has served you so well–and that you in turn have taken such great care of it!
The longest I’ve had a car was my 940SE at seven years. But as my recently-acquired Lincoln is a toy and not a daily driver, I imagine I will beat my previous record with it.
I have also slept in the back of a Mustang. At 6’3″ it wasn’t a great idea, but I made do.
A 1980 Mustang was my first car. Wish I still had it. It was a great car. The fox platform, while not perfect, was, in my opinion the greatest platform of the 80s from any American manufacturer. Simple but effective.