26th Feb 2008, 18:18
Judging by your comments on the SVO it's obivious your no mechanic or journalist. When judging a vehicle you have to compare to vehicles of the same era and price range. To state you "rebuilt" the car with junkyard parts shows your ineptitude as a mechanic, and complaining about the boost falling off between gears shows you don't know how to stay in the power band of a turbo. You are better off selling the car to someone who can appreciate it and drive it properly. The SVO was rated as the best handling and braking Mustang of all time up to that point. While they do have their shortfalls, like any car of the era they are a unique piece of automotive history that will someday get the respect they deserve.
26th Feb 2008, 19:38
Like someone else said,it is a 20+ year old car. As for the handling and ride, if it has the original Koni shocks and struts simply turn the knob and adjust to your taste.
16th Aug 2008, 20:34
I have owned many fox body Mustangs. I bought a 1984 SVO 10\07. I was going to restore it. After getting into the car I decided to build it into a street\strip terror using the 2.3, this will be all new to me as I'm used to building 900 to 1100 hp V8 street cars. Some of the parts on the SVO were strange and\or weak, I look at an SVO like any other vehicle; they're only as good as YOU build them.
1st May 2009, 15:43
To the comment left on 26th Feb 2008, 18:18:
You said "The SVO was rated as the best handling and braking Mustang of all time up to that point." to be honest, that isn't saying much. Mustangs were never meant to handle or break well. They were meant to go in a straight line. You also state that when the author needs to learn how to drive a car with a turbo because he was loosing boost pressure when shifting gears. But when you change gears, the exhaust pressure vanishes, leaving the turbo with no pressure to spin it. That's what happens when you change gear. You loose pressure, then gain it back shortly after.
I have not had the chance to own an SVO, but this review has made me want to take a second look at purchasing one. I'm sure the author just bought it from a poor previous owner. That is the worst sounding problem experienced with the car. I have looked at these cars a little bit and don't find that the engines are engineered very well. For instance, you need to remove the intercooler to change the plug wires.. I would think that Ford could think of a better way to engineer their star '84 cars.
21st Aug 2009, 00:28
Dude, removing the intercooler on an SVO is a breeze. It really is a fabulous car especially if you drive it as it was intended to be driven. Driving the car is so much fun. Oh, and the A/C system will fail eventually, it is in my opinion the car's biggest flaw.
2nd Apr 2011, 17:16
I was lucky enough to have owned an SVO when I got my drivers license in 86. And your comment about turbo lag when changing gears is right on. I remember when driving, all I had to do was keep the RPMs in the 3000 range, and I had turbo boost instantly. The great thing about the SVO (from my POV) was the incredible acceleration from 30 to 130 or 20 to 70.
I used to keep the fuel grade switch on the lower grade setting, because it would limit the turbo boost. With the switch set to premium, it was very easy to overboost the turbo, which would basically turn it off. So setting fuel to regular, even if premium was used, would set the maximum boost to 7 or 8 psi. Over time I did learn to use the Premium setting, but found I often over boosted. Just my opinion.
26th Feb 2008, 17:09
Sounds like you expected a lot more than a 20+ year old car with questionable previous ownership... my 86 is stellar mechanically and otherwise. When you are looking for older cars upkeep and proper maintenance make all of the difference in the world... and you pay for it when you buy a good example... and you pay for it when you don't, I guess you just have to decide when you want to make said payment... and trust me Turbo Buicks are no different.