Car of the Month November 2023

In the Summer of 2002 we were looking for a car for our daughter to drive to High School. We looked at several cars that summer but found the cars we liked were either over our budget or the cars in our budget were really in bad shape. I was driving on US 183 between Lockhart and Austin heading north and saw a white 1978 Mustang II in a small used car lot with a couple of other cars. I had just a quick look at the car as I passed by, after thinking about it for a few miles, I turned around and went back. There wasn’t anyone at the car lot so I was only able to look the car over, I didn’t see anything that would be a show stopper.

When I got home I told my wife and daughter about the car, I’m not sure they knew what a Mustang II was. A few days later we drove by to see the car, Amanda (our daughter) liked the way it looked so we took it for a test drive. Everything worked but the car lot guy asked us to not use the A/C because it might overheat. I had a dicussion with the salesman over the value of the car and we agreed on the price. A few days later Kim (my wife) and Amanda went to pay for the car and drive it home. Well, the car overheated on the way home and left them stranded. I called the car lot and they agreed to pick the car up and fix the overheating issue. A few days later I picked the car up again, it still overheated so I stopped a couple of times to let it cool before I got home. I found the ’t a thermostat was missing, so I fixed that. Amanda and I put new tires on the car, tuned up the engine and fixed several other issues. Amanda drove the car to High School during her Junior and Senior years.

When Amanda went to North Texas State University in Denton, Kim didn’t want her to drive that far in 26 year old car, so Amanda and I traded cars, she took my 1995 GT to school and I drove her 78. A couple of years later Amanda decided she wanted her car back, she said everyone waved at her when she was in the Mustang II but no one waved at her in the ‘95 GT. So Amanda drove the 78 Mustang II back and forth between Cedar Park and Denton for a couple of years. When Amanda graduated from UNT, we told her she needed to get a newer car (that got better gas milage). She agreed but made me promise to keep her car for her. I really enjoy driving her car, and she is correct that lots of people wave at you when they see the car.

Don’s 1978 Mustang II

This 78 Mustang II is factory equipped with a 302 cubic inch V8, automatic transmission, power rack and pinion steering, power disc brakes, Air Conditioning, a deluxe interior and lacy spoke wheels. We added a Cobra II hood scoop and a Cobra II rear spoiler to the car. I don’t know how many miles are on the car, it showed 69,446 on the odometer when we bought the car and I am sure it had rolled over at least once. We have put 77,000 miles on her since then and she is still going strong.

Thank you for picking our 1978 Mustang II as the MOCA car of the month.

Don