Do you remember your first new car? Was it basic transportation, or a dream luxury car? Was it something you shopped carefully for? Was it needed to replace a vehicle that had gone on vacation?
Well here’s our first new car story.
When I married Cindy, part of her wedding dowry was her newish 1983 Mustang hatchback. It was a mid-trim car, brown with the GL package, automatic, air conditioning, rear window louvers and the infamous Ford Essex V6.
At about 29000 miles, it began giving us serious issues. It began burning oil, running hot and the transmission’s torque converter started to chatter. We took it to the Ford dealer where Paul, my father in law had already bought several cars. He knew the service manager so we knew they’d at least be somewhat honest.
They told us that the oil burning (1 quart per 2500 miles) was within the specifications, that the transmission would need an overhaul, but that they couldn’t track down the running hot issue. Additionally, they had called Ford to say that, with such low mileage, these things shouldn’t have failed. So Ford agreed to give $750 (half of the cost of the transmission work) towards either the repair or to be used as trade assistance. We chose the latter.
At the time, Ford was offering some great deals on the 1986 Mustang. I didn’t want another Essex V6, and the high insurance costs stopped my dream of a GT, so we leased a 4-cylinder black coupe.
It was very well equipped as you can see in the brochure pictures I’ve included. And, being the 2.3 engine, there were additional, no-charge options included.
It was a nice driving car, handled decent enough, and was brand new. However, with the automatic, it was so slow. I mean, I’ve seen ketchup come out of a glass bottle faster!
The car was good on fuel, and we did take it on a few trips, including one from Fort Lauderdale to Charlotte. Hilly areas were not a friend of the drivetrain!
At the beginning of the second year, problems began to creep up and we found that Quality Was Not Job One. First the flat surface paint peeled off to the primer. Ford refused to do anything about it. They claimed that most lease vehicles were turned anyway.
However, I was not going to take the excessive wear and tear fine! We decided a Macco touch-up paint job was a cheaper alternative to the high fines that Ford would have charged.
Next up, it started to have a miss, though Ford agreed to repair that. Turned out to be something in the spark system/electronic ignition.
The final straw was that the transmission began slipping going into third. This was at about 55,000 miles and it was near to the end of the lease, so we didn’t bother with it.
When it was time to turn it back in, we were looking at a new Mercury so we just left it at the lot and got a receipt. About two weeks later, Ford called me. They wanted to know if I’d like to buy the car for $3500, and I said no. So the rep said, how about $2500? And asked what my intentions with the car were. I explained that I had turned it into the Fort Lauderdale Lincoln-Mercury and that they were handling it from there since they did a lot of lease returns.
The Ford rep called the Lincoln Mercury dealer and they said they had no idea where the car was. They thought that it had already been picked up. So the rep called to tell me that the car was nowhere to be found!
Getting somewhat concerned, since it was still my responsibility, I called the salesman at the Lincoln Mercury dealer. He said he really didn’t know where the car was, and that he was sure the transporter had already picked it up. I gave him the number for the Ford representative, who kept calling me, and asked if he would call them and assure them that it was in fact turned in.
About two hours later, I got a phone call back from my salesman saying they had found my Mustang and two other cars! Apparently, they had let go of a car jockey for some unknown reason. So to get back at them, he took my car and two other lease returns and park them in amongst some trees in a vacant field, not far from the dealer. He then brought the keys back, went into an unused office, pulled the drawer out of the desk and tossed the sets of keys in behind the drawer!
How they found it or those keys is beyond me, but thankfully I was now off the hook! I tell you that’s just my luck!
Overall, we looked back at the car with fondness. It was our first car that was new, it was our first car together, and at $170 a month for 48 months/72,000 miles we didn’t feel we would go to wrong. It was a fun car for the most part, except for when you called it to go fast!
So share your story. It’ll be interesting to see others first car stories.
I’d forgotten the Essex 3.8L V6 was ever offered in the Fox Mustang. I knew the 2.8L Cologne V6 made a brief appearance at the start, then the hoary Falcon 3.3 I6. From 1987 onward only the 2.3 4 and 5.0 (really 4.9) V8 were available, with no six in between which was odd. 1986 was the last year for the original Fox dash, which I always preferred to the 1987 and later dash and door panels which were trying too hard to imitate the look of Japanese interiors of the time. Also of course last year for separate low and high sealed beams, better for nighttime view than the usually awful composite plastic single-lens-for-both-beams setup that started the following year.
I came quite close to buying a 1985 Mustang GT for my first new car, but did not like the large flat black applique on the hood and the salesman told me that there was nothing that could be done about that. I did not think about an LX – at that point in my life, if I couldn’t get the GT, I just didn’t see the point. That, of course, was before marriage, kids and all of the expense that goes with them. 🙂
My 80’s Ford experience was far better than yours – in fact, I would have gone running away from FoMoCo cars as fast as I could after two experiences like yours. The 85 Crown Vic my mother bought new (that I eventually bought from her) and my 86 Fox body Marquis wagon were quite good cars during my experience with them.
I never bought a car new. Well, maybe one but that was a lease car, so I did not really own it. But that one was my only dealing with matters such as making a choice for make and model, colors and equipment. Of course when buying a second hand car you also have choices but not as unlimited when buying new.
For the new car, my wife chose the color (a dark purple), all other choices were mine. It turned out to be a (1997) Renault Laguna. I did not need any special accessoires except for a tow bar and sport seats. The seats not for their sportiness (maybe they were a little firmer) but for the different type of cloth they had compared to the normal seats which had a very dreary blueish grey flowery pattern. The sports seats were black with a sprinkling of colour snips, very nice.
I only had the car for a year and half, during which it was reliable and not needing special car. Then I switched jobs and left the car behind.
At two other times I was close to buying a new car. Both for the same reason: the model was the very last of the line and they would stop making them. I loved the idea of being the first and only owner of a car that I was planned to keep forever.
In 1987 Citroen announced they were stopping the 2CV. I had one a few years before as my first car and loved it. Would love to buy one new and now was the chance. But I did not earn enough money yet and did not want getting a loan, so that possibility went out the door.
The second time was in 2000, when the old style Mini was discontinued. Sylvia had a Mini fifteen years earlier, and it was a nice car to have. Hers was a luxury version (1100 Special), black on black with a black vinyl roof. Nice velvet seats and a grille with insert spot lamps. But there were also enough not very good memories of maintaining it, I hated that it was hard to get at most usual parts.
I went to a Mini dealer and got a brochure. In my view they did not look as good compared to 20 years before. I did not like the large ubiquitous Minilite wheels. With some nice accessoires the price would be high.Thought about it for quite a while but decided I was not enough of a Mini lover to buy one of the last new.
I do not regret not buying a new Mini then but would have loved to being still the owner of that 1987 2CV.
You could have got a LX with a 5.0. My sister bought a new 85 LX, same exact powertrain as yours. The only thing it needed in 140K when she sold it was one timing belt.That’s it.
Great story, Chip. Reading about your trouble on the ’83 with the 3.8L Essex V6 helps explain why maybe it was okay that it got dropped for ’87. My ’88 had the 2.3L four, and it was also slow, but mine had the five-speed, so at least it was fun to drive. Mileage was great, too. It was a reliable engine, aside from a couple of issues (belt tensioner, and something else I can’t remember right now) that could have been expected by the number of miles it had on it at the time.
What a nightmare about having your ’86 disappear after you had turned it in. Thank goodness it was found.
My car also had the same polycast wheels as yours, and the silver wore off / delaminated, so I ended up carefully taking some silver Krylon to the wheels which made them look like new.
I’ve never owned or leased a new car, but also enjoy reading about others’ experiences with theirs.
I believe the 3.8 Essex V6 was dropped from the Mustang for 1987 for two reasons:
-Engine production capacity constraints. Since the Taurus, Sable and then-upcoming FWD Lincoln Continental were going to offer the engine for ’88, Ford needed the extra room at the factory.
-Take rate. Compared to other Fox-body vehicles, the 3.8 Essex was never as popular in the Mustang. Many people wanting the engine (and its mandatory automatic) probably just went for a Thunderbird or Cougar instead.
The hood pint on my 1986 Ford Ranger started peeling within a year or two, right down to the primer. A common sight on cars of that vintage … I always heard it blamed on poor adhesion of early water based paints. Though poor prep seems more likely. In any case, Ford was good about covering a partial respray, which was very well done by the dealer body shop. Blended in very well, and no peeling or fading anywhere else for the nine years I owned it. It also acquired an intermittent miss at some point after warranty. My local dealership (not the one where I bought it and got the paint job) diagnosed it as one bad spark plug and replaced it, for $60. This was with the Koln V6, not the four. I think at some point I replaced the other 5, plugs, along with the perennially leaky valve cover gaskets. But otherwise a reliable and well-assembled truck.
Having once been a car jockey at a Ford dealer, I can relate to that part. It’s something I might have done at the time. 🙂
My first new car was a 1985 Mustang SVO. I was saving money for a house and my current VW Beetle and TR6 were requiring regular major work. The computer was replaced under warranty. After that it ran great until about 60,000 miles when the turbo started leaking oil. Then my job moved to Texas and I knew I would need AC, so I traded with my brother for his Cheyenne pickup which was perfect for Texas.
My first two cars where parents slightly used 1963 & 1966 T-Birds.. Dad borrowed my 1963, wrecked it, gave me the 1966, borrowed it and wrecked it. I had to return to college out of state in three days and I was not happy. Since school was many states away Dad wanted me to have something new. Dads golfing buddy was the manager of a Chevy dealership so I was given a blank check with marching orders not to go crazy (meaning no Camaro). So instead of a base Camaro I selected off the lot a new 1970 Nova SS, fully loaded with a big powerful engine. Dad thought a Nova was practical for my 19-year-old self. That is until he received the insurance bill, but I was already many states away with my tire smoking Nova. Dad joked for decades that I had pulled one over him. The Nova was a great fun car and never gave me any problems for the four years I owned it.
Sorry that my reply function doesn’t work, so I’ll do it this way!
@J P Cavanaugh- you had much better luck with your FoMoCo! We had an 85 small Marquis that had the 3.8.
From the day my wife’s grandfather bought it, there were “drivability issues” (Ford’s words) and needed a rebuild at 19000 miles. We sold it and the new owner said it threw a rod at 21700 miles!
@Paul Niedermeyer- I truly enjoy your stories of working at the Ford dealer. Also, thank you to you and Rich for opening this up for even untrained people like myself to write these up. I’m permanently disabled and time can get away. They took me out of work 6 years ago, and, other than being a great house-husband, this is allowing me to have positive memories flowing back through my mind.
Then my brother in law had an 86 Capri and that 3.8 spun a bearing. And we had an 88 Sable wagon. The first year with the 3.8
Ford didn’t update the transaxle and we went through two in 3 years!!
” Infamous Essex V6″ . Infamous as being never offered in any Mustang!. Author is talking about the Cologne 2.8 V.6, Quoting from Mustang Specs ,base engine was the 2.4 l8tr Lima four ,it’s turbo version,the 2.8 V6 ,the 3.3 straight 6 Falcon engine ,offered as the only engine in British spec 83 models due to production problems with the Turbo engine and Windsor 5.0 V8 producing a massive 122 bhp. Thanks early emission controls. “The power of a V8” heralded Ford about The Turbo. Well that wasn’t saying much……
I think you’re mixing up the UK “Essex” 60 degree V6 with the US “Essex” 90 degree 3.8L V6. The former was never offered in any US Ford; the 3.8L V6 very much was available in Mustangs.
Here’s a screenshot from the ’86 Mustang brochure.
Sharp moderation, and knowledge of facts by Paul, corrects this immediately. Within the hour. His tireless work, is a hallmark of what makes his site so great.
Always preferred the four headlight Fox Mustangs. Started with the ’79’s of course. Solidified with the ’82 GT.
Appreciate those generously wide parking spaces. lol
Apparently I dodged a bullet by not owning an 80s Ford. They go their act more together by the 90s since our 93 Ranger (9 years) and 95 Escort (15 years) had no quality issues apart from the Escort eating a transaxle in 2001. I’ve always liked the looks of the Fox body Mustang, but have never gotten around to owning one.
Chip, that was a sharp looking little Mustang notchback. It’s too bad that the V6 was such a problem engine, because that was the perfect engine for these Fox body Mustangs. The V8 is a bit of overkill for everyday use, and everything that I read about the four indicated that it was pretty weak. My brother’s Mustang II with the four and four speed was pretty dismal. My ’84 Cougar, with a V6, bought new, still looked and ran good when we traded it in on our ’90 Dodge Caravan. Our V6 ’07 Mustang was just the right combination of power and economy.
I don’t think that I’ll ever buy a new car again. They are just too expensive. A three year old car is almost like new, and if a major problem was going to pop up it already has, and has been fixed, or it should remain reasonably trouble free.
I currently have three cars that I bought with less than, or only a bit over 100K and they are still in fine shape for their age.
I’ve posted about my Fox body adventures on here before; contrary to the ads in the 80’s Quality was Job One was only an advertising slogan at Ford at the time. That said, my 1986 Mercury Capri 5.0L was a solid car for the three years & 27K miles that I owned it. OTOH, it was something of a garage queen, not due to mechanical issues, but that I wanted to preserve the car for a long time. However, the advent of children changed that dream.
What resonated with me was the mention of the 3.8L V6. During one of the many (many, many) times my wife’s 1985 Capri was in the shop, we were given a daily rental Mustang LX with the US Essex motor. I’d driven many 2.3L Lima Pintos, Mustangs and Fairmonts with and without automatics, either way those cars were milquetoast at best. It was a let down to drive that Mustang as it was all of the power and performance of the Lima motor with the fuel mileage of the Windsor motor.
I knew of other folks with the Essex in their cars, and they reported similar issues to what has been posted above. It ‘s an odd coincidence that all of the big three had 3.8L six cylinders at one time or another (not discounting AMCs straight six), with only the “paint shaker” Buick V6 as the winner, with the Chrysler V6 a distant second. Too bad Ford couldn’t make it work.
@ George Denzinger
That’s a great observation about the 3.8 liter engines!
I suppose I never gave that a thought.
My couldn’t then, and probably still can’t drive a stick shift, so the automatic was a must have.
That being said, it was really great on fuel compared to her 83. (She also owned a 79 Mustang with the inline six, maybe the 3.3? It was before me)
The other thing that put a sour taste in my mouth was to have driven my dad’s 83 Corolla and his 85 Camry. No they weren’t much faster, but they were worlds ahead of the 2.3 Lima.
to reiterate Ford’s 80s TV commercials catchline, Have you driven a Ford lately? Well yes I have, and it was a steaming pile of…….