1981 Ford Mustang Reviews

Carburetor required rebuild.

Lots of small items surrounding the engine such as temp sending unit, oil sending unit, ignition control module.

Fuel sending unit.

The 3.3L inline 6 is a great engine if it is maintained with normal service intervals.

When it is running at its best, you can expect to get 17-21 MPG in the city, and as high as 30 MPG on the highway.

It is not the fastest engine, only rated at 85 HP, but it has decent torque in the range of 160ft lbs.

For performance, fuel economy and the fun factor, a standard transmission is a great bonus. The car came with either a 4 speed manual or 3 speed automatic transmission.

The ride is rather jumpy, but this is common for fox body platforms.

Good heat for cold weather.

Always starts.

Well it needed the rear brakes replaced, new carburetor (leaking gas out of the idle jet linkage)

Spun a baring between the crank shaft and the fly wheel, (my fault, it was worth it though!)

Problems with the aoutomatic choke, but easily converted to manual choke.

Very fun to drive, recovers from fish tails easily.

Very comfortable black vinal interior.

Agresive looks many modifications available, pleas don't rice them out though... it's a mustang!

The 3.3L in-line 6 gives a lot of power with around 120 horse power and 150 foot pounds of torque!

Well, I bought it and it was a 19 year old car, so you can't expect perfection. It needs a motor mount, a new ball joint, new tie rods, and new struts. But it's a 20 year old car, and all these things (with the possible exception of the struts) are the absolute original parts. So I mean come on, that's pretty good.

The trunk doesn't stay opened, so I've got a broom stick in there to hold it up when I need to, until I can get new arms for it.

Other than that, I don't know. I got a really lousy history of the car when I bought it, the dealership I bought it from said there were probably 3 or 4 previous owners, and they weren't even sure of the mileage, I mean we knew what it was on, but they had no clue how many times it had rolled over... I know it's about to roll over again, and when it does it will be AT LEAST 300,000 miles, and she's still going strong!

Oh yeah, and when she gets cold (like in the 11 degree weather we've been having lately), the automatic choke on the carborator kills the engine, so she can't start. She takes a lot of work to get started, but once she's going, she's going strong.

And last August, when the temperatures kept hitting over 112 and 115, the radiator busted.

Good car, once I get the stuff fixed on her she needs (ball joint, tie rod, motor mount, struts) she'll be in great shape. Perfect body, no dings or dents, or peeling paint. Sexy thin blue pin stripe down the sides and around the front and stuff.

She (yes, my car has gender) has a manifold vent hood ornament, a straight six engine, an automatic transmission, perfect interior (except an open sliced cut on the center console from, I assume, wide temperature variances), mint condition exterior, still has both rears and everything.

She's got a hatchback, which I made fun of when I first bought her, but it has come in handy on many occasions when helping friends move, and bringing home big things from Walmart (where I shop a billion times a week), and it will come in handy a lot more when I get my wood shop set up and use it to bring lumber home in every weekend or so.

And she's absolutely sporty! I'm a girl, not really into cars for anything other than what they're made for, transporting people, and things, but I've met a lot of great guys because they were interested in my top condition 1981 Ford Mustang. :)

This is my first car, and I bought her in May of 2000, knowing I was going to have to make a lot of the repairs, but I don't mind, I love the sportiness, and I love the attention, and it's a great learning opportunity for me!