(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/DSC02124.jpg)
I technically didn't buy it through Ebay but obtained the owner's contact info from his ebay postings which some of you have seen. The car was in a sales loop for most of the Summer because the bids never hit his reserve. He finally pulled it off Ebay in October and I contacted him for a private sale. He was initially firm at $6,500 but after several long phone calls we negotiated for $5,700. I know the value is high for the market, but here's the back story...
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This is me and the wife (still married) in the Summer of 1988 with our new Cougar XR7. We purchased it on May 3, 1988 from Pacific Lincoln-Mercury in Seattle, WA. We lived in Great Falls, MT at the time and Seattle was the nearest city with a dealership that had a white XR7. For some reason the white XR7s were a hard color to locate through the dealer network in 1988. I would have preferred the buttstuffog gauges and leather but accepted what was available in the market at the time. We LOVED that car but sold it two years later with the birth of our first son and so began the mini-van era of my life (owned 3 Windstars over the years).
Back in July I was surfing ebay and casually searched for "88 XR7" and found this car. It's an exact clone of our original 88 XR7. I checked the VIN against my first Cougar wondering if it was the same (not). What grabbed my attention was not only the low miles but the condition of the interior. It looked factory fresh! Here's a few I took this week:
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/NewLftinside-1.jpg)
The seats and carpet are in the same condition as the day this thing sold new.
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/NewRtInside.jpg)
Dual power seats.
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/DSC02115.jpg)
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/DSC02129.jpg)
And here's the odo as of Dec 16, 2012. CarFax report validated the mileage
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/DSC02133.jpg)
Pristine rear seat.
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/DSC02119.jpg)
Original paint from bumper to bumper. No accidents in the CarFax history.
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/DSC02121.jpg)
Wasn't too keen on the rear wing but it's growing on me. Exhaust tips will be the first thing to go.
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/DSC02123.jpg)
Perfectly clear lenses.
So what's next? I installed a Ford Remote Keyless Entry I harvested from a 99 Escort (see my "for sale" for a spare unit I'm selling).
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/keys.jpg)
Thanks to ebay and RockAuto I have all the hardware required for 11" brakes up front. I've purchased KYB struts and shocks all around and have a pile of MOOG components waiting for install. I'm a stock purist and probably won't go too far with any mods. I'm keeping the 4-hole turbines and will restore them with the proper alloy portions unpainted.
First, glad to have you here on the forum.
Second, great looking car. To me, the price seems fair for such a nice example. These cars are starting to slowly climb in value, and are becoming more rare by the minute....almost literally. You made a good score. Congrats.
Awesome, clean car! the spoiler looks like its from a 4th gen(95-99) Maxima.
wow, that thing is tidy as they come.
good buy
Didn't 88 XR7s have buttstuffog clusters in them?
Welcome. Good looking car. I think the whites must be the rarest of the 88 XR-7's. Obviously it has tailpipe tips on it, any other mods to the exhaust?
buttstuffog standard. Full digital was optional.
I wish I had the full digital. I really want the stock tach.
Your level of enthusiasm, history with prior ownership and willingness to pay a tad more indicates good odds this car will be well cared for. Congrats. Beautiful car with a moonroof to boot. Welcome to the forum.
Awesome. Welcome!
By the way, I can still smell the air from your old '88 photo. What I wouldn't give to go back for just one day...
Prior owner removed the cats and installed FlowMasters. Nice mellow rumble but after the Holidays I'm having them replaced with OE comparable lers. Will also have the exits restored to OE configuration.
In 2000 I sold a 1979 Trans Am in Omaha, NE for $6,000. I was the second owner and that car was every bit as original as the 88 XR7 I just purchased. It had the rare Pontiac 400 (not Olds 403) mated to a Borg-Warner close gear ratio 4 speed, WS-6 suspension, full documentation and every option except T-tops. Six grand was TOP dollar then. Visit ebay today and the better TA's are in the teens with a few unmolested originals in the stratosphere. Don't know if that's a trend our Fox bodies will ever see but you know what they say about supply and demand.
Congrats on the purchase. We've been watching that car come up for sale out of the Detroit are for a couple years. He was asking much more the $9500 the first few times around and scoffed at anyone offering less. I think your price is actually quite reasonable and about what we thought it was worth. Good purchase. I hope it's as great as you remember. I bought one for the same reason, just not as good as an example as yours.
Here is a thread we started when it came up the second time and there is a link in this thread to the other thread when it came up the first time. I think this guy bought it for around $5500 in Indiana and tried making a huge profit in 2008.
http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?23520-88-XR7-53xxx-White-on-Red
Very interesting background...thanks for the pedigree. I had the car shipped from a suburb north of Detroit to my home in San Antonio. Of course my #1 concern was rust and had the prior owner send me a terabyte of photos of the underside. I took a huge risk and purchased the car without an inspection but fortunately didn't get burned. The engine has a better idle than the 4.6 in my F150 and starts on first keyturn.
Always nice to see a good one saved to a caring owner :)
On the exhaust, I applaud your choice, if not for originality, then for aesthetics. My '89 Stang vert has about the same style tips...they look like they belong on a late 80's 4x4..ughh.
I've got a flowmaster catback with the LX tips that I originally purchased for my Sport, but since it's now already started it's new and proper renewal, the Flows will be put to use on the Stanger.
Hope to see more pics of your pristine Cat :bowdown::D
Welcome and congrats on finding your new Cougar looks to be a keeper friend. :headbang: :cougarsmily:
First off, Welcome to the forum, secondly, THAT is a beautiful car, the back story makes it that much better. You paid $5,700 for a brand new car. That thing looks like it just rolled out of the showroom. On a side note, that is the first (and second) white with white wheels 88 cougar I have ever seen
It's a perfect car with an awesome story attached to it; it makes me miss my '88 XR-7. Welcome to the forums and enjoy it!
Man that car is clean. Congrats! I love the red porno interior. Its awesome.
Travis
Beautiful Cougar. I'm amazed at how vibrant the interior is. I didn't realize that red was so 'in your face". I like it :).
Wow. That is a great looking car.
And I don't think you overpaid. I mean, wouldn't you guys agree that the nostalgia factor has got to be worth at least a grand? If you take that away you are at $4700, and objectively I don't think that is an outrageous price for a car of that condition and mileage.
Amazing car. The white really "pops".
Nice buy and Welcome!!!
It was the standard color on the Ron Jeremy Edition Cougar offered in 1988.
Welcome to the forum. I am glad to see you will be preserving the XR7, it is a true survivor!
Just wondering but do you have any under hood pictures? I'm curious is any of the factory inspection paint marks survived this long.
Very cool story and an excellent find. Looks like it has found the perfect home now. Congrats and welcome aboard !!
+1 on the under hood pictures.
Very nice
Very nice cat!
Never saw this thread before (I was M.I.A. for a while).
VERY nice car. Hope you've been enjoying it! Even when they were new, I do not remember seeing very many in white.
I missed it too.. really nice. I like the white and yes the interior is bad ass! lots of luck with her
Ed, she is stunning in every respect. Enjoy!
I've never seen it before either. That is a very pretty cat...
Anyone know have any clue why it has the LS steering wheel?
Ed, it would appear that you have the optional Leather wrapped wheel. Sport wheel for XR-7 was standard, and the Leather wheel was available option for the LS or XR-7. Here is a page from the 88 brochure. Look at the top left corner.
Beautiful car. Welcome aboard. Love the white with red interior. My car exactly with a different label.
Wow, the interior is amazing on that car!
Yep, mine came with the "Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel" for $59.00. However I swapped the orginal wheel for the "Sport Wheel" for its thicker rim. Nothing wrong with the leather wheel, just didn't like the skinny rim. Here's a picture of the Monroney sticker showing the wheel option:
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/Sticker_zps13393fa6.jpg) (http://s750.photobucket.com/user/kafer79/media/Sticker_zps13393fa6.jpg.html)
Borrowed this picture from Cool Cats showing the Sport Wheel. I found one in great shape on this forum. However took me almost a year to find the Cougar horn pad.
(http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/sportwheel_zpse2701f2e.jpg) (http://s750.photobucket.com/user/kafer79/media/sportwheel_zpse2701f2e.jpg.html) (http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx143/kafer79/hornpad_zps806bdbc1.jpg) (http://s750.photobucket.com/user/kafer79/media/hornpad_zps806bdbc1.jpg.html)
, almost 20K in 1988.... According to THIS (http://"http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=19645&year1=1980&year2=2014") that's over $55K now!
You sure you put the right numbers in?
I'm getting $39k for 20k in 1988.
I always used one on westegg.com but they stopped updating it after 2011 I think. Still, $40k for one of these, decked-out. They weren't for the average miser...
I think he forgot to change the date as I got $39K as well. If you leave it at 1980 it's $55K. My Thunderbird was almost $41K in 88 according to that calculator. It has every option except a sunroof so it was pretty much loaded. Optioned up these things weren't cheap. My 91 Mark VII comes out to a $55K price adjusted for inflation.
Again great looking car. The only two options that weren't ordered from what I can see are the electronic climate control and leather. Awesome car.
I didn't see auto lights or auto hi/lo beam, and did these get fogs, or what that just the Turbos?