The chances are that the Saleen Mustangs will never reach the heady values of the Shelby vehicles, but cars like this 1988 example still have a strong following. The owner says that this is no trailer queen, but is a clean and tidy survivor that is ready for the next owner to drive and enjoy. Given the fact that the most significant modifications that were made to these were related to improving ride and handling, they tend to be a pretty reasonable sort of proposition to live with on a day-to-day basis. The Saleen is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. With bidding at a pretty reasonable $13,700, the reserve has been met.

During the 1988 model year, Steve Saleen’s organization produced 708 of its modified Mustangs. Hatchbacks were far-and-away the most popular choice amongst buyers, with a total of 546 cars rolling out the doors. This Mustang is #164 and has been placed on the Saleen Registry. Its overall condition is quite decent, and it would seem to qualify for the tag of a clean survivor. It seems that all of the paint is original and the fact that the car has been garaged all its life has undoubtedly helped it to survive as well as it has. There are no signs of rust, while the distinctive Saleen body kit appears to be in good condition. If I can level any sort of criticism at the car’s appearance, it is the fact that the rims are looking a bit dirty and oxidized. You would normally expect the outer section from the mesh to the bead to have a pretty decent shine to it. It may be that a bit of work with a high-quality aluminum alloy polish might just bring them back to their best.

Under the hood of the Mustang is the expected fuel-injected 302ci V8 motor, producing 225hp. Backing that is a 5-speed manual transmission, while it isn’t clear which of the two available rear-end ratios (3.08 or 3.55) has been fitted to this car. The Saleen wasn’t about extracting additional horsepower from a Mustang, but was about making the car ride, handle, and stop better. To this end, a Saleen was blessed with 4-wheel disc brakes with 5-lug wheels and SVO rotors, along with a heavy-duty master cylinder. Uprated springs and Monroe gas shocks helped the Mustang handle and ride better, but probably the most significant addition was the brace that you see across the towers in the engine bay. This made the whole front of the car significantly stiffer and allowed the springs and shocks to do their job more effectively. One of the greatest criticisms that have been leveled against these vehicles is the fact that the vast majority of the Saleen modifications are changes that could be achieved at home by a “weekend warrior.” This is true enough, but the difference is that the changes made by Saleen were endorsed and completed with the support of Ford. The same can’t be said for those home jobs, and it is this factor that will eventually separate the Saleen in desirability and value in the coming years.

The interior of the Mustang is generally tidy, but the two-tone grey interior trim really tells the story that this is a car that has 139,000 miles on its odometer. While there are no real rips or tears, the edge bolsters on the front seats are demonstrating the sort of wear that these heavily contoured seats can develop over time. The seats and the cloth inserts on the door trims are also showing some dirt, and as gross as this probably sounds, this is usually the result of human flesh rubbing against the cloth, with oils and perspiration doing their worst. While that isn’t the greatest of news, it is also far from the end of the world. There are both cleaning products and companies that specialize in the removal of organic stains from cloth upholstery. If this staining is due to oil and perspiration, it qualifies as organic, and some work with either these cleaning products or by one of these specialist companies could produce some pleasant results. The other thing that I noticed when viewing the interior from behind is the fact that the driver’s seat appears to be slightly twisted. That is something that I would probably investigate further because if it is suffering from damage or fatigue, then repairing it might be an expensive proposition. The original Pioneer stereo has made way for a CD player, but the remaining Saleen-specific items such as the Hurst shifter and the 170mph speedometer all seem to be present.

While the value of a Saleen Mustang will almost certainly never reach the lofty heights of a Shelby, they do command a pretty decent premium over an unmodified Mustang of the same specifications. Values on the Saleen are generally rising, but it is a slow process. One thing is for certain, and that is with four people having already bid on the vehicle, there are obviously people out there who see this as a pretty decent buy.