Topic: Invoice for '91 GT states "Vehicle is Not For Sale"

[drummingrocks]

The other day, I was digging through the original documentation that came with my '91 GT convertible, and as luck would have it, I found the original window sticker.  I was kind of surprised to see the words "Vehicle is Not For Sale" in several places on the original invoice.  The invoice was also made up without EPA Ratings or a total vehicle price.  Under the EPA ratings area, it states again, "EPA data unavailable--Unit is Not to Be Offered For Sale."

I've owned this car for 5 years, and to be honest, I'd never looked that closely at the documentation that came with the car.  Does the statement "Not For Sale" mean anything?  I was thinking maybe it was a special order car, but after looking through the rest of the documentation, I found a plastic baggie that holds the original owners manuals, and it's stamped with a decal: Ford  --  UAW (United Auto Workers, I assume)  --  EI,"  and below that, it says "Employee Involvement--Quality is Job 1."

I've attached pictures below of the original invoices.  I'm just curious if anyone else has ever run across anything like this.  For all I know, it could be nothing special.  Thanks for your help!

[JohnRB]

Might be a pre production car

[priceless]

Wow, Call Jacky, He may know what all this means.  He's pretty knowledgeable, since he's the one that sold it to you.

[MattDoscher]

Kevin Marti has reports available for '91 Mustangs, I recommend getting a report done on your '91.  Martiautoworks.com.

[jwc66k]

I think the link is http://www.martiauto.com/
Jim

[drummingrocks]

I do need to check with both Kevin Marti and Jacky Jones.

Regarding it being a possible pre-production car, that makes me wonder if that's the case, as all of the manuals that came with the car are 1990 editions, even though the car itself is a 1991.  No guarantees that these manuals came with the car new, but I can't see someone going through all of the trouble to track down an entire set of 1990 literature to throw in the trunk of a 1991 Mustang.

I've always wondered why the car had the 1990s owner's manual, premium sound manual, etc.

[midlife]

I'm speculating...the car was produced and shipped before EPA had a chance to run the car through the MPG tests.  A Monronie sticker has to be attached to each vehicle, but it can be replaced once the EPA had the MPG ratings.  Doesn't the VIN suggest a very early production car?

[drummingrocks]

I'm speculating...the car was produced and shipped before EPA had a chance to run the car through the MPG tests.  A Monronie sticker has to be attached to each vehicle, but it can be replaced once the EPA had the MPG ratings.  Doesn't the VIN suggest a very early production car?

It's car #100293.  I thought it would be an earlier production car also, but why the absence of the MPG ratings?  The 5.0L engine and driveline was virtually unchanged from 1990, wasn't it?  Or does it not work this way--do they reevaluate it every year regardless of model changes?

[midlife]

All they have to do is change the rear end ratio and the MPG's change. To me, the car is probably 293, not the 100,xxx off of the line.

[drummingrocks]

To me, the car is probably 293, not the 100,xxx off of the line.

I agree.  I remember reading somewhere that vintage Mustangs typically started counting at the 100,000 mark, not the zero mark.  I wasn't sure if that carried over to late models or not.

[c4az63c]

I remember seeing cars, at model change over, sitting in the Dearborn Assembly Plant lot with those type of window stickers on them.  I asked a couple guys what that was about.  It could be that the emissions were not completed, there was a repair or check that needed to be done.  They didn't want the cars to leave the plant before it was ready to go out the door into the arms of the awaiting public. 

[drummingrocks]

I remember seeing cars, at model change over, sitting in the Dearborn Assembly Plant lot with those type of window stickers on them.  I asked a couple guys what that was about.  It could be that the emissions were not completed, there was a repair or check that needed to be done.  They didn't want the cars to leave the plant before it was ready to go out the door into the arms of the awaiting public.

That's interesting.  I wonder if that explains it?  I've got a Marti report being run on the car right now, so hopefully I should know in a few days.  I'll post back when I find something out.

[drummingrocks]

Update: I received my Marti report yesterday for the '91.  Midlife, you pretty much nailed it.

According to Kevin Marti, "Your car was marked not for sale only because the EPA testing for the new model year was not complete and it was not legal to sell a vehicle until after that testing was released. Once it was, another window sticker would have been generated for this vehicle with the EPA data and pricing shown on the sticker."

I was surprised to see that it was one of 138 painted Bright Red with black cloth interior.  I would've thought that combo would've been a lot more common.  Aside from that, I was also surprised that the car had the optional 3.27 rear end.  I always assumed it had 2.73s.

[midlife]

 

[drummingrocks]

Guys, I hate to bring this one back from the dead, but I sent my question to Mark Houlahan at Mustang Monthly back when I made the first post about it on ConcoursMustang.  Mustang Monthly printed the question and their answer in the March 2013 issue, in Houlahan's LateModelCorral column, pgs. 74-75.