1996 Mustang... was it worth it?

N

n00b

New Member

Oct 17, 2004

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Oct 17, 2004

#1

• Oct 17, 2004

• #1

i recently got a good deal on a 96 mustang but i did some research and found that a lot of people had problems with their mustangs.. and i've never even seen a mustang with too much over 100k miles.. so tell me, was your mustang worth it? i mean, u could easily just buy a honda for tha price of a mustang, and only difference would be torque, and u'll have a much more reliable car... so what do you guys think? was your mustang worth it? did you guys have a lot of problems with yours? how many miles were u able to put on it?

 

Ghostalker

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Jul 5, 2003

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Danbury, CT

Oct 17, 2004

#2

• Oct 17, 2004

• #2

i dont get what you mean, see alot of mustangs with over 100k, i dont see alot of 94-98s with UNDER 100k
mustangs are extremely reliable cars... then engine, with routine maintenance, can last for hundreds of thousands of miles.
My brother used to have a 1994 mustang V6 5spd, it has 185,000 when he sold it, it had a small problem with the tranny that was fixed before we sold it, he got 4500 for it, with all its mods included, 2 weeks later the guy totalled it, so that was what led to the demise of that mustang.
Mine has 113318 as of last night, and it is running just as good as when it rolled off the line.
You dont have the problems some 94-95 owners face, which include the head gaskets going, which was fixed for your year. you should be hapy with your mustang for years to come, given you keep it well maintained.
And everyone expected that the ford GT40 wouldnt be able to hold to gether at lemans... well, we showed them!? a couple decades before i was born, but thats ok.

 

N

n00b

New Member

Oct 17, 2004

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Oct 17, 2004

#3

• Oct 17, 2004

• #3

icic, thanks for the info. but generally, how many miles can a mustang take? what are some pros and cons of the 96 stangs? what i'm really lookin for is a reliable and fun commuter.. but of course, reliability has to come first

 

Ghostalker

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Jul 5, 2003

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Danbury, CT

Oct 17, 2004

#4

• Oct 17, 2004

• #4

You found it! yeah, someone else should voice there opinions, but considering we all own a mustang, i think it will be unanamous... also, this isnt tech, lol

 

marvinmycat

Founding Member

Feb 13, 2002

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Buffalo, NY

Oct 18, 2004

#5

• Oct 18, 2004

• #5

One could buy a Honda and be ridiculed FOR LIFE! But then again, you could get an older Mustang and drive around in STYLE!

I beat the hell outta my '98 Stang, and I just passed 50K miles on it. I've had the car for almost six years, and have made slight modifications, mostly lowering, gears, and a a few tranny mods, the rest is the usual stuff that really won't affect the engine. Either way, like was posted, as with ANY CAR, keep on top of the scheduled service, and it should last another eight years.

If you look at some of the heavily modded 5.0's on this site, they are well in excess of 100K miles, and you know those things are getting tortured on the road.

At least they would be if I owned one!

I forgot what years the Mustangs had head gasket problems with, so someone chime in here. If 96 is one of the years, then make sure that problem was taken care of before. Other than that, it should be a good runner.

 

Ghostalker

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Jul 5, 2003

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Oct 18, 2004

#6

• Oct 18, 2004

• #6

94-95 were the years, im certain =D

 

Ernad

celibate sans pants

Apr 2, 2004

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1

0

Grand Rapids, MI

Oct 18, 2004

#7

• Oct 18, 2004

• #7

Like they say, don't abuse your engine too much. Meaning you don't have to rev it up to 6k rpms. Keep it maintained, and you'll have a nice car. It's not really a muscle car, but it looks nice, and is fun to drive.

 

dastang2

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Dec 11, 2003

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tx

Oct 18, 2004

#8

• Oct 18, 2004

• #8

i have a 95 5spd. with a 2000 shortblock and it sucks, stay away. too many sensors to screw up, of course mine has been in the water but i fixed all of the fuel system. if i was you, i'd be getting an 8 instead.

 

ChingonStang

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Sep 19, 2004

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Dallas, Tejas

Oct 19, 2004

#9

• Oct 19, 2004

• #9

I bought a white 96 v6 5speed for the sole purpose of commuting. But then again...I have always wanted to own a Mustang. Mine had 101k miles on it when I bought it for 3k about 2 months ago. I drive it about 100 miles 3 days a week to college and i'd say about another 100 the other 4 days total. I also worked for Ford, so I am brainwashed into thinking that Ford's rule the road. Most people ask me why I didn't get a V8 and I always tell them the same thing. Don't want the insurance payment, nor the gas bill every week. Plus I already have a v8, a 96 Bronco 5.8 that I used to drive as a daily commuter. 60 bucks a week in gas before I got a v6 Mustang. I plan to drive my Mustang till the wheels fall off.

 

8

86stang96

New Member

Oct 21, 2004

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Oct 22, 2004

#10

• Oct 22, 2004

• #10

well i have a 96 v6 mustang and my stock 3.8 2 spun rod bearings twice in under 60000 miles on the car but i drive it extreamly hard. as well as my tranny went out but that was becaouse of lack of oil and the rear main seal as went out twice ( tranny problem) if you drive your car like a sane pearon then it should last. ( i should add i rebuilt it my self the second time and since then i havent had a problem wi th it i believe it was becouase i went with clevie bearings the second time )

 

C

Carlos

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Dec 23, 1999

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Miami,FL

Oct 23, 2004

#11

• Oct 23, 2004

• #11

The head gasket probs were 94-95 and '96s built before 01/96 or thenabouts. I had a '96 5-speed built in 03/96 and I got to 102K with absolutely no probs except for the water pump at 92K.

Carlos

 

'66 coupe

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Aug 7, 2000

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Oct 23, 2004

#12

• Oct 23, 2004

• #12

Don't believe everything your parents tell you.
The whole "imports are more reliable than domestics" thing was done away with years ago. Now, everything is about equal. You see imports in junkyards just like domestics.

Haven't you ever noticed that everyone that says "imports are more reliable" are people who know nothing about cars(like Camry owners)?

 

Ghostalker

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Jul 5, 2003

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Danbury, CT

Oct 23, 2004

#13

• Oct 23, 2004

• #13

ha, my parents always said domestics were a little more reliable, unless your talking about imports such as german cars... one would imagine those are pretty reliable...
(and my grandma drives a camry! lol)
the rest of us all drive domestics...

 

'66 coupe

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Oct 23, 2004

#14

• Oct 23, 2004

• #14

My parents never said either or. We've had imports and domestics. Right now all our cars are domestics because those are the cars they liked.

I mean, if you look at most teenagers that are into imports, they truely believe that imports are WAY more reliable than domestics. And this is only because their ignorant parents beat it into their brains, and probably even gave them an import(like a Civic) for their 1st car.
My first car was my '66 Mustang(this was in 2000), and my little sister got a 2001 Premium Pkg V6 Mustang for her 16th B-day.

 

98_stang_guy

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Apr 17, 2003

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Wisconsin

Oct 23, 2004

#15

• Oct 23, 2004

• #15

98StangRidah said:

Like they say, don't abuse your engine too much. Meaning you don't have to rev it up to 6k rpms. Keep it maintained, and you'll have a nice car. It's not really a muscle car, but it looks nice, and is fun to drive.

Click to expand...

about the whole "dont rev it up to 6k rpms"..., what is a safe rpm range to hit when accelerating?, one that is completely harmless to the engine...i usually, when accelerating in every day driving, go up to 3500rpm...

 

S

Shaggydog2000

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Oct 22, 2004

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Oct 23, 2004

#16

• Oct 23, 2004

• #16

The only real problem with mustangs is the previous owners. A lot of first time young male drivers have them and abuse them, and quite a few people mod them badly themselves and cause problems. That stang you see advertised with dozens of mods? I'd stay away. The guy may or may not have had them installed properly, and most likely beat on the car a bit. But a properly cared for and maintained mustang from 96 up have very good reliability ratings.

 

Ernad

celibate sans pants

Apr 2, 2004

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1

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Grand Rapids, MI

Oct 23, 2004

#17

• Oct 23, 2004

• #17

98_stang_guy said:

about the whole "dont rev it up to 6k rpms"..., what is a safe rpm range to hit when accelerating?, one that is completely harmless to the engine...i usually, when accelerating in every day driving, go up to 3500rpm...

Click to expand...

When I start driving mine I usually don't go over 2k, because the engine is cold. Once it warms up to normal tempereture I might rev it to 3k. While cruising, I try to keep it below 2k. The 3500 should not hurt you, unless you run the car constantly at that speed.

 

J

Jamez

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Mar 2, 2000

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Oct 23, 2004

#18

• Oct 23, 2004

• #18

I hate to say it, but I think the only thing Ford makes that lasts is their trucks. I wouldn't expect my Stang's factory parts to last too much past 100K, maybe 150K max before something major goes. I've already put another tranny and motor in tho, but I wouldn't have an original one with a bunch of miles. We've got 2 Mitsu's in the family (both Raiders, '87 and '88) and they're between 130-150K miles and work great. Trannies feel like they're new and they're great 4x4's for winter time. Anyhoo, I've just got the idea that imports last longer than anything else except maybe Ford trucks.

 

'66 coupe

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Oct 24, 2004

#19

• Oct 24, 2004

• #19

Jamez said:

I hate to say it, but I think the only thing Ford makes that lasts is their trucks. ...Anyhoo, I've just got the idea that imports last longer than anything else except maybe Ford trucks.

Click to expand...

Go to crownvic.net , and see what kinds of miles those guys are getting out of retired police cars.

The whole imports vs. domestic thing is stupid. Just because you got a really good car from one, and a crappy car from another, it's gonna skew your view? That's ignorant, IMO.
My parents had a '92 Sentra. That thing was super reliable. But at the same time, my friends '92 Sentra was a POS. I don't take either account to mean Nissans are super reliable or Nissans are crap. Every car has it's lemons. I know a kid that bought a Hyundai thinking that the warranty was great. Well, 2 months later, he needed the warranty for a new TRANSAXEL!!! Does this mean all imports suck? Not to me.

 

J

Jamez

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Mar 2, 2000

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Oct 24, 2004

#20

• Oct 24, 2004

• #20

[QUOTE='66 coupe]The whole imports vs. domestic thing is stupid.[/QUOTE]

I'm not tryin to start that or anything. I know people from work and in my family/friends' families that have old Ford trucks that are still going and we bought the wifes car from a used car lot that had an '89 Accord with 300K and still has the original motor and auto tranny in it. I'm not saying a few encounters means thats just how it is, I'm just sayin my personal experience has skewed my opinions on that matter. Again, not saying a Stang can't go as long as the next car, just sayin it probably won't.