Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

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Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

December 16, 2012, 08:01:56 PM

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...

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:

The seats and carpet are in the same condition as the day this thing sold new.

Dual power seats.

And here's the odo as of Dec 16, 2012. CarFax report validated the mileage

Pristine rear seat.

Original paint from bumper to bumper. No accidents in the CarFax history.

Wasn't too keen on the rear wing but it's growing on me. Exhaust tips will be the first thing to go.

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).

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.

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #1 – December 16, 2012, 08:54:51 PM

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.

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #2 – December 16, 2012, 09:42:38 PM

Awesome, clean car! the spoiler looks like its from a 4th gen(95-99) Maxima.

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #3 – December 16, 2012, 09:50:39 PM

wow, that thing is tidy as they come.
good buy

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #4 – December 16, 2012, 09:53:16 PM

Didn't 88 XR7s have buttstuffog clusters in them?

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #5 – December 16, 2012, 10:05:31 PM

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?

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #6 – December 16, 2012, 10:09:32 PM

Quote from: daminc;404716

Didn't 88 XR7s have buttstuffog clusters in them?

buttstuffog standard. Full digital was optional.

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #7 – December 16, 2012, 10:42:43 PM

I wish I had the full digital. I really want the stock tach.

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #8 – December 16, 2012, 10:55:32 PM

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.

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #9 – December 16, 2012, 11:07:50 PM

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...

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #10 – December 16, 2012, 11:11:23 PM

Quote from: hwy73;404717

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?

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.

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #11 – December 16, 2012, 11:21:12 PM

Quote from: vinnietbird;404710

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.

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 dospoogeentation 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.

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #12 – December 16, 2012, 11:43:14 PM

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

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #13 – December 17, 2012, 01:45:40 AM

Quote from: xjeffs;404728

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.

Check Out My 88 XR7 Purchased From EBay (53K original miles)

Reply #14 – December 17, 2012, 02:28:05 AM

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