---
title: 'Prowler vs Fox Body'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=BXgREOhOnKM'
video_id: 'BXgREOhOnKM'
date: 2026-08-26
duration_sec: 897
channel: 'Regular Car Reviews'
---

# Prowler vs Fox Body

> Source: [Prowler vs Fox Body](https://youtube.com/watch?v=BXgREOhOnKM)

## Summary

This video is a detailed comparison and review of two iconic American cars: the Plymouth Prowler and the Fox Body Mustang. The host discusses the Prowler's unique design and driving experience, while also sharing a personal story about owning and maintaining a Fox Body Mustang, highlighting the quirks and cultural significance of both vehicles.

### Key Points

- **Giveaway Announcement** [00:05] — The video starts with a giveaway for a Plymouth Prowler. Viewers can enter by purchasing limited edition merch from fan of them.com/regularcars.
- **Prowler's Unique Appeal** [00:33] — The Prowler is described as a bizarre car that isn't good at being a car, but it's unique and worth owning because there was never a car like it and never will be again.
- **Design Philosophy** [01:00] — Chrysler aimed to build a modern interpretation of a 1950s hot rod, but it's actually a 1930s car modified in the 1950s. The host compares this to the idea of building a new Fox Body Mustang today.
- **Fox Body Purchase Story** [02:50] — A guest shares his experience buying a Fox Body Mustang in 2012 for $4,000 on Craigslist. He wanted a manual V8 and found one after a month of searching.
- **Initial Repairs** [05:35] — The first repair needed was replacing the accelerator pedal, which required a torch, wet towel, and clamp because the pin was rusted in place. He also replaced a stereo and found a mixtape labeled 'Mixtape number two'.
- **Prowler's Manual Roof** [07:32] — The Prowler has a manual convertible top that must be pulled up by hand, with no power assistance. The host notes the original top is still on the car and tears are getting bigger each time it moves.
- **Prowler's Build Quirks** [08:12] — The Prowler uses front-wheel-drive hubs on a rear-wheel-drive car, with plastic covers over them. It also has a Bluetooth dongle that overrides the CD player, and a permanent cell phone holder bolted to the seat anchor.
- **Low Roof and Design** [10:25] — The Prowler has a very low roof, with only a hand's width between the roof and window. The design was influenced by Chip Foose, and it replicates the chopped roof and raised rear end of 1950s hot rods.
- **Parking Nightmare** [11:21] — Parking the Prowler is difficult because the wedge shape and tilting doors make it hard to judge straightness. The gauges are in the center of the dash, a throwback to older cars like Model A's.
- **Rare Doesn't Mean Valuable** [13:03] — The host emphasizes that while the Prowler is rare, it's not worth a lot of money. He notes that boomers who think they'll get a huge return are mistaken, but the car is meant to be driven, not stored.

### Conclusion

The Prowler is a unique, quirky car that's meant to be driven and enjoyed, not treated as an investment. The Fox Body Mustang, while cheap and throwaway, holds a special place in car culture, and both cars offer a raw, unfiltered driving experience that modern cars lack.

## Transcript

to an older generation, you have to change the timeline. And by the way, yes, this is a giveaway car. Go to fan of them.com/regularcars. Buy some limited edition merch and you're automatically entered to win this
Plymouth Prowler. It's a bit of a tongue twister, isn't it? It is a bizarre car. It is not good. It is not good at being a car. And yet,
I think you should own it because there was never a car like this. And there never will be another car quite like this. To understand the history, what Dodge, I've tendency to just call it
Dodge these days. What Chrysler was trying to do was build a car, a modern interpretation of a 1950s hot rod. But that doesn't mean that they were
building a 1950s car. They were building a 1930s car that was then modified in the 1950s. I'm the age now that boomers were in the
I'm the age now that boomers were in the '9s when this came out. And that can put '9s when this came out. And that can put this car's almost legendary status into this car's almost legendary status into context because imagine if a car company
context because imagine if a car company did the same thing today in 2026. It would be this. Imagine if a car company said, "You know what? We're just going to build another Fox body. [ __ ] it." Is it going to have
traction control? No. Is it going to have anti-lock brakes? No. Is there really going to be a semblance of a computer in here? No. Oh, it'll have computer in here? No. Oh, it'll have fuel injection and it'll have a 355 rear
end. Oh, by the way, solid rear axle, independent suspension. No. Imagine if a car company just made this today and damn safety, damn logic, just
make something that's hilarious. Well, people would be paying $60,000. Imagine if they made a new Fox Body Mustang in 2026. Just this, but with modern 2026. Just this, but with modern components and actually unshitbox these
much money you dump into a Fox body, it's never going to be good. [laughter] Imagine if they just made it as it was. Just again, as shittily as it
was, just say, "Nope, here it is. Exactly. Brand new line." Like, do you think people my age would be buying it? Yes. They'd be buying it. >> And here's someone who actually bought one of these things at the Absolute
>> $4,000. >> Oh my god. These things are $25,000 now, >> Not this one, but yes. >> How long did you s Have you owned Fox >> Yeah. >> I The first one I had was my
second shitty college car. >> Yeah. It was a 93 four-cylinder hatch. >> Yes. >> For those people who don't know, uh there were four cylinder Mustangs. It like the EcoBoost that we have now with
made four banger versions of these, but to try to get a complete burn out of >> Each it had eight spark plugs. Eight spark plugs in a four-cylinder car. Just two of them. >> And coil packs. No distributor.
is a 50. Yes. >> Yeah. So, what happened to your uh what happened to the force cylinder? >> Uh, it just, you know, eventually died when it's owned by a 20-year-old. >> M. What was the nail in the coffin?
>> M. Was it an autobox? >> Yes. >> Okay. Yeah. Did they No, they had a different transmission for the four cylinders. It wasn't an a uh >> It was an overdrive.
>> It was an AOD. It was the same transmission from the V8. >> But it was definitely an overdrive. >> Yeah. >> And it it had not lived a pleasant life before
>> And then they were just cheap cars. >> Yeah. It was a cheap [ __ ] box car. >> These were just throwaway vehicles. >> That's why they're so expensive now. >> I know. Gosh darn it. So you found this. How how much searching did you have to
do to find a Fox body that you like? >> Uh this was in 2012. I lived in St. Louis. Mhm. >> Uh you I got in the the urge like I had the savings. I'm like
>> I want a fun car, >> you know. I want a manual V8. >> Right. >> And off to Craigslist I went. >> And I looked for about a month. >> Craigslist.
>> Yeah. This is pre Facebook marketplace. It really wasn't a thing yet. And it was about a month where I finally found one, you know, for a price I was >> Mhm. >> Uh the guy I bought it from was an older
>> in a very nice neighborhood of St. Louis. >> Mhm. >> Uh who apparently bought it from a uh >> In his church who had gotten his girlfriend pregnant and suddenly needed
>> So off it went. >> Ah. >> And he took it off his hands. What was the first thing we were talking What was the first thing we were talking before you had to undo a lot of the
>> maintenance? What did you have to undo? >> Uh, not really maintenance. Like the the very first thing was actually putting an accelerator pedal on the accelerator. >> Oh, was he driving around with >> just the stop?
>> So, I had to This involved a torch and a wet towel and a clamp cuz the pin was still there. It was rusted in place. >> Oh, gosh darn it. Uh that was the first >> Oh, gosh darn it. Uh that was the first thing. Uh then it was replacing the uh
the shitty uh removable face plate uh Kinwood stereo. >> equalizer down there. >> Yeah. I bought that because actually no, >> Yeah. >> When I pulled off the trim
>> down in the very bottom was mix tape number two. >> Oh. Buried down in there. And that was the label that was on it. Mixtape number two. I love it. >> Are these I have never driven a
convertible Fox body. Are these little quarter windows back here electric? >> Uh even controls them. >> Uh the switch over here on the driver's >> Oh, you have four switches over there. But the people in the back don't control
you. >> I mean person in the back. >> You're not getting I I've had four people in this car before. It was uh it actually had power driver seat. >> Fancy. Well, it's an LX model.
>> It was a special edition. >> What made it or what made it the limited >> Uh it was one of the what they call the feature cars. In 92 and 93, Ford made >> and it was just an appearance package. With this one, it was uh red with white
top, white pony wheels, and the white uh black piped interior. on these? >> Oh wow. Does your electric motor work? >> Yeah. >> It'll be fine.
>> It's the original top. It only every time it moves the tears get bigger. >> Oh gosh [laughter] darn it. Here. Yeah. I I I want to show you something. People saw it in the videos, but uh the Prowler for your $45,000
for your $45,000 back then, no power roof. Nope. Nope. You grab it and you just pull it up. I got to be careful because I have a hernia. But >> I mean that is that's it. That's it.
rams or motors? >> Exactly. You have a transmission in the way. But the reason this looks the way it does is because
it does is because first of all, Chrysler was just so full of ambition back then that they just built this with everything that they had built this with everything that they had lying around. As our friend pointed out,
Jeremy, I am so sorry. >> It's good, man. the the front hubs on these. I neglected to mention in the video cuz I never noticed even though this is a rear rear wheel drive car, these are frontwheel drive hubs just
hanging out there with a hole in the middle of them for a half shaft or rather the drive shaft or axle shaft depending on what you want to call them. That just isn't there. It's like, is it holding the wheel? Yeah. Is it a
problem? No. By the way, these are not chrome. These are plastic covers. a previous owner uh went on prowlerp parts.com. It was actually a magazine back then and bought these as well as
there as well as >> um they wanted and I neglected to mention this in the video. This car does have Bluetooth. They got the little dongle that goes inside that overrides
dongle that goes inside that overrides your CD player. So, while this does, if you look here, while it does have while it does have a caddy CD player in the back here,
manufactured by Chrysler, um, [laughter] it does not do anything anymore. If you it does not do anything anymore. If you put it to the CD uh channel or mode on the head unit, that will activate the Bluetooth. And the Bluetooth is always
problem making your phone pair. And also, you have um the old man permanent cell phone holder that's permanently down there, bolted to the uh seat anchor
bolt. So, that's just there. And honestly, it's in an okay spot because you are limited in your vision in this car. Um, I took the sun visors off. Trust me, your baseball cap is enough. This is a low, low, low roof. I mean,
This is a low, low, low roof. I mean, look, roof to the window is that an entire hand. That's it. And yes, chip fuss was part of the design for this car. When you look at the wheels, uh, that is very much a Chip Fouse mid2000s
design. although of course uh it was designed in 1996 for the 1997 model year. So, what they did back in the 1950s with 30s cars, they of course chopped the roof, they raised the rear end, they lowered the front end, and a
lot of those like Model A's or um T- buckets, which is really a catch-all term for any sort of shoe box car, a sort of a Model T or equivalent that had
open wheels to begin with, and then some of them had fenders, they took off the fenders, and that's what this meant to replicate. Although parking meant to replicate. Although parking this car is a complete nightmare because
the car itself, because it's wedge shaped, is always playing tricks with your mind. You think you're straight in the spot and you never are because you can't use your mirrors as a reference because your
your mirrors as a reference because your doors tilt in. The entire doors tilt in. The entire passenger cabin tilts in. And although the gauges are tilted toward you kind of, you can't read your voltmeter from
the way, thankfully, you can read the fuel gauge, but even the speedometer gauge is kind of in the in the way or your steering wheels in the way or the bezels in the way. So, why are all the gauges in the center of the dash on a
gauges were in Model A's. And gosh, I can't going to go I'm going to go a deep cut in here and say Franklin's an old air
cooled car. They just back then in the 20s and 30s, they just put gauges wherever they wanted. The dashes were wood. They just screwed them in there. way they did it. So, we're going to be playing around with this car a little
more videos with this, but if you want to support Regular Car Reviews, please enter this giveaway. I don't know how we're going to get something like this again. And uh the previous owner uh if you're watching this, you may be. I know
you're watching this, you may be. I know you had a particular thought in mind to how much this thing's worth. And I know the purchase price. It's nowhere know the purchase price. It's nowhere near that.
We watched the Facebook Marketplace ad and watched that ad go down down down. and watched that ad go down down down. I know making fun of boomers is hacky at this point in 2026.
But everyone I've run across who thinks these things are special and thinks they're going to, you know, sell it and have 50% down on the new condo in Bokeh or whatever. No, that ain't happening. Rare does not mean
expensive. Rare does not mean valuable. It just means rare. Yes, these are rare, but are they worth a lot? Nope. The good news is whoever wins this, knowledge. I know I made fun of the Facebook groups and they are a little
bit weird, but gosh darn it, they know everything about repairing these. They even know how to gear these things down. Even though it's a frontwheel drive transmission in the rear, there's in fact a gear set that you can replace.
aggressive rear end. So these things can do donuts and stuff like that. This thing will peel out, but it does not have a limited slip diff. You'll one wheel peel everywhere in this. In fact, I did, you know, get it the back stepped
out a little bit on the on 202 on the way here. Anyway, go to fan of them.com/regularcars. Buy some merch and you're automatically entered to win this. And uh the giveaway ends early September. Click the link in
regular car reviews. This is the best way. I'm so happy that we have this and I'm so happy that someone's going to win this. Please, whoever wins this, don't put this away in a garage. Drive it. It actually is meant to be driven.
This thing almost has 100,000 miles on it. That means this thing runs. Every other one that has like 40,000 miles on it, everything's breaking on them. This everything works. Go drive it. Have fun. Thanks, guys.