The only non-Mopar I ever paid money for was an '89 5.0 Mustang, bought new after
I became disgusted with the unreliability of my 2.2 Turbo GLH.
I found out later (and profited from, ultimately) the fact the car had been stolen off
the lot new and then recovered; the thief apparently couldn't drive a stick and had
burned out the clutch, which was replaced by a Motorsport unit.
The dealer, which was being forced to liquidate by the state of MD for shady practices,
didn't disclose that little fact as the law required, which led to my getting money from them
later on in the court case.
I wound up keeping that car and "driving it in the manner it was designed for" for 15 years
or so - and to date, it's still the most reliable, utterly indestructible car I've ever owned.
Over 250k miles on it, drivetrain never apart including that clutch! It often reminded me of
the Mopar that Ma SHOULD have been building in those days, but wasn't.
No, it never jumped a curb on me...but you learned in a hurry just how easily the design
would do that if you disrespected the car. Very short wheelbase, tight suspension, nose-heavy
V8 - yeah, instant donut machine for sure, even at "only" 225hp.
I wound up winning my division in SCCA ShowroomStock two years running with the car, too -
and the only places the yellow plastic showed through the paint was on the front corners, from
me "helping" IROCs and such out of my way in the corners.
That said, would I buy a '79? No thanks. To me, the Fox body starts at '89, when the mass airflow
EEK4 systems began - throttle response, better engine internals, etc. made them bulletproof and fun.
The 2.3? Oh HELL no.