Five-Speed Five-Oh Mercury Capri for Sale

By Bradley Brownell - February 28, 2017

The Fancier Fox From Mercury Is the One You Really Want

We’re long-time fans of Mercury’s take on the Fox Mustang. The unique front fascia and the strangely-cool bubble-back rear hatch window are enough to set it apart from the standard fare of contemporary “four-eye” Fox Bodies. Back in 1986, this was one of the coolest cars you could get from the Lincoln/Mercury dealer. Or any dealer, for that matter.

Mechanically, the two Fox-platformed cars are basically identical. But there are some pretty substantial visual differences. And the Capri is obviously significant in its rarity. Finding one in this kind of condition, rated a 7.5 or 8 out of 10 by the seller, is nigh an impossibility these days.

This car has had a number of upgrades and maintenance parts replaced lately. The exhaust has been redone from header to tailpipe, in order to help promote flow. The suspension has been given an overhaul with Koni adjustables and Eibach pro springs at all four corners. Throw in a new battery, a new clutch, a hopped-up camshaft, and a lower rear-end ratio, and it all adds up to a pretty hot package. Particularly in what was a relatively-tepid car from the factory. Even the interior of this car was redone, thanks to it having faded in Ohio’s rare sunshine.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Fancy Fox

The seller does admit to a few dings in the car’s sheet metal. But he didn’t want to have them fixed because the paint on this car is supposedly all-original. With just 79,000 miles on the clock, we’re inclined to believe that is true. This Capri looks to be the unique mid-eighties FoMoCo performance experience most of us would be very happy with. The Mercury has a listed, buy-it-now price of just $13,500. This is a reasonably-affordable way to get into a nice collectible muscle car. It’s a bit more than you might expect to pay for a comparable Mustang, but those are nowhere near as difficult to find.

What do you think, is this a great way to buy a low-budget Merc? Or is your money better spent elsewhere? Weigh in on the forums!