‘Mint’ 1985 Mustang GT Proves Why You Need to Be Careful Buying Mustangs at Online Auctions
This 20k-mile 1985 Ford Mustang looked great in the photos provided, but upon closer inspection, its exterior is a hot mess.
In recent years, online collector car auction sites like Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids have become all the rage, and for good reason – they provide a bevy of cool and interesting vehicles for us to bid on, from all over the country (and in some cases, other countries). These sorts of auction sites have sold countless vehicles over the years, making it incredibly easy to do so without having to leave the couch – or put on pants. However, this recent auction purchase of a 1985 Ford Mustang proves that one still needs to do their due diligence before pulling the trigger.
In this video from the YouTube channel The Infamous Project, we get a close look at a seemingly mint 1985 Ford Mustang purchased on Bring a Trailer. Unfortunately, this is the second time our host has done so from that same site, and in both cases, the cars weren’t described quite as accurately as one would hope when making a major, sight unseen purchase. It’s certainly a cool example of a Fox Body, as it’s the last year for carbureted powerplants, and it even has T-tops, to boot.
This particular pony car has just 20k miles on the clock, which is incredibly low for a vehicle of this vintage, but the listing did insinuate that there were a few paint blemishes. Regardless, it certainly looks great in the auction photos and in this video, at least, when we’re viewing it from a distance. The auction listing noted a few specific flaws – the front bumper cover has been repainted, the hood stripe wasn’t applied properly, there are scratches on the left side of the hatch, one headlight housing is flaking, and the door window trim is cracked, however.
As our host points out, all of this is perfectly normal, but we also have to understand that auction photos are generally taken in a manner that portrays cars in their best possible condition. After he posted his new acquisition on Facebook, a commenter left a rather alarming piece of information, however – this same car had been up for sale a couple of years ago with rough-looking paint, and here, it seems as if someone tried to fix those issues and make a quick buck off of it.
Upon closer inspection, we can see that the charcoal moldings are darker in the front than the rear, the front bumper cover is a different shade of red, there’s solvent pop on the hood, and the door doesn’t really match, either. There’s also some peeling clearcoat, and there are tiny dings in the roof and hood that appear to be caused by hail. Making matters even worse, the hood decal appears to have simply been placed right on top of the old one, and it looks quite awful.
Overall, it’s clear that someone tried to fix the cosmetic issues present on this Ford Mustang in a manner that was as inexpensive as possible, just to get it looking good enough for an online auction. The paint has been polished to the point where it’s too thin to be polished again, which is why our host points out that paint depth readings are critical when perusing online auctions. Ultimately, it’s worth traveling to check out a car in person, or having someone close by do so. It could wind up saving you a lot of money – not to mention headaches – for a mere few extra bucks.
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