AutoTrader...heh, just got done flipping through the actual magazine. Thanks for the lead to the site.

 

you wouldnt get anything from them!! Just joking i make guesses, and they are really damn good guesses, maybe put you around 160 at fly maybe!

 

Just browsing for cheap-o cars today and I came across a 1986 200SX. Just so happened it has a 2.0L 4-cylinder, like our 3rd gen Pros. But the engine, 17 years older, makes 25 more HP. WTF is up with that?! Mazda is behind the times...but hey, I'm happy with my car.

 

that's the FJ20E... one of the greatest 4 bangers around

don't forget... early 80s emissions vs late 90s emissions

 

Im thinking about an 80's SVO or 5.0... They can be had for cheap and there is a number of diffrent things you can do to them. Nice thing about the SVO is that it is turbo'd.

 

I'm not really looking for power, just a toy. I plan to get a cheap car and just take it apart and put it back together again.

 

This thread is threatening to get pushed into the "Off Topic" section, but I gotta say it... I would avoid the SVO. If you want a Mustang, "Five point Oh" is the only way to fly. SVO's are unique, but they share many problems with regular Mustangs (Flexible Flyer chassis, crappy rear suspension, poor front suspension) plus some additional SVO-specific problems (weak-*** 7.5" rear end, hard-to-find SVO body panels and taillights), and many of the unique features that look like virtues on paper don't really help in real life. The turbo four looks good, but it's an overwight iron-block design from the early 70's that really doesn't weigh much less than a 302 V-8; the rear disk brakes work better than the 5.0 drums, but aren't compatible with the stronger 8.8" rear end (see above), and the 5.0 can be easily upgraded with a bolt-on Ford Motorsports rear disk kit.

This topic often turns into a flame war when it's brought up on Mustang lists, but seriously, there's a reason that the SVO only lasted 2 years. Trying to endow the crude, primitive Fox3 Mustang with smooth European sophistication is futile; you just wind up with a crude, primitive Fox3 Mustang with some queer design features. If you really want a mid-80's Ford with a turbo 2.3L four and poor parts availability, buy a Merkur XR4Ti- at least it has a good chassis.

All IMHO of course.