Today, you can’t buy a lot of new cars under $30k. You could opt for a quirky Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SUV, for an outgoing mid-size Chevy Malibu sedan, or a great 2024 Toyota Prius hybrid. Frankly, the most exciting of these examples is the supposedly frugal Prius, which kind of says a lot about what’s going on with the automotive industry right now.
Anyway, if you look over at Ford, you could choose an Escape or Bronco Sport, but you’ll immediately go over budget when paying the tax and dealer hikes. A little Maverick truck is a bit safer and could act as your go-to workhorse and weekend adventurer. But what if you want to have fun in a passenger car? Well, you’re out of luck because the S650 seventh-generation Ford Mustang starts from at least $32k without duties.
Luckily, there’s plenty of Ford fish in the used car pool. Look at PC Classic Cars’ inventory, for example, where we found three Blue Ovals for just $29,500. In order of their age (and experience), the first one that springs into our view is a 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt packing just 8,614 “actual” miles and contrasting the original “PX” Dark Highland Green exterior with a “KW” Midnight Black interior. It rides on 18-inch Bullitt-style wheels with new 255 tires, and it has the original 4.6-liter V8 engine under the hood mixed with a five-speed manual transmission from Tremec.
If you don’t want it and would prefer to be charmed by something from the 1990s that lets the wind blow through your hair when driving, then perhaps this 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra Hardtop Convertible is better. It is one of 499 HTC models produced, comes with a contrasting “UA” Black paint on the outside mixed with a “4S” Saddle leather interior, and under the hood resides the stock 5.0-liter V8 engine hooked to a five-speed manual transmission. The odometer reads 12,156 “actual” miles, by the way.
Last, but not least, there’s also a 1968 Ford Torino GT on offer if you’re feeling extra classic for some crimson reason. This example is a bit trickier, though – it has 98,549 miles, but the “actual mileage cannot be verified,” the factory 289 Torino GT is installed in the engine bay, but it’s not the car’s original V8 engine, and the appearance is a mix of “T” Candy Apple Red over “6D” Red vinyl interior. So, which one is your favorite?