Interest surges in last Fox-body Mustang and in vintage trucks

After months of consistency, there were some significant changes in the “most-searched” lists on the ClassicCars.com Marketplace in February.

Among those searching by year, make and model, the 1987-1993 Ford Mustang surged from well down the list to a stunning 7th place. Though not quite as dramatic, the 1985-1987 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck emerged in 13th place.

There also were less dramatic moves on the list of more generic make or model searches regardless of model year. Pontiac bumped into the top-10 list, but it as among the next-10 that some newcomers showed up, including the VW dune buggy, Ford F100, Dodge Power Wagon, and Volkswagen Beetle. 

“The surge in searches for vintage trucks really doesn’t come as a surprise,” said Tom Stahler, managing editor of ClassicCars.com Journal. “Vintage pickups and SUVs have had strong following for a number of years.  The Chevy C-10 has been a consistent top-10 search on the all-years list for quite a while. The Ford Bronco also was been just outside the top-10.

“What’s significant is the emergence of the other vintage trucks in February. It may be that the prices being paid for such vehicles at the Arizona auctions sparked interest in them on our website.”

While trucks have been trending, the sudden surge in interest in the 1987-93 Mustang came as a surprise, even though such Fox-bodied Mustangs have become increasing popular with younger collectors who remember them fondly from their high school days.

According to Stahler, “Many in my generation had Fox-body Mustangs back in the day. I never really liked them, stylewise, but they did have a big following. Looking back, I can see where younger collectors are seeing value in a vintage car.”

Ford opted for fuel injection for Mustang engines in 1986 and the Mustang, which introduced the F0x body in 1979, was facelifted for 1987. The exterior design featured an “Aeronose” front end, and a full-body aero kit for the GT. The interiors also were updated.

The favored 5.0-liter V8 engine had its output bumped up to 225 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. 

While the Mustang remained pretty much the same through ’93, the last year for the Fox body, it also was in ’93 that Ford’s Special Vehicle Team capped off the platform by unleashing the Mustang Cobra and Cobra R. 

While the final Fox-body Mustang muscled its way into the top-1o searched-for list, much of that list remained stable with the 1969 Dodge Charger, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro and 1967 Ford Mustang retaining the top-3 positions. 

The story was similar in the all-years list, again topped by Chevrolet, Ford, Mustang, C-10, Volkswagen bus/van and Dodge.