Bout to buy 88-93 Mustang GT what to look for?

[artrenee10]

What are some weak points on these cars? What needs attention immediately? I am primarily looking for a daily driver in black only w/100k and below miles. My dad has a 1991 GT in white that he has had since brand new cool looking car. and now I want one. Please any advice given would be great.
Thanks
Steve Chambers

 

[wyominghotwheel]

just a couple things i would look at: body (no/not alot of rust). Motor mounts.....easy way to check these, look at the fan on the motor and see if it is hitting the bottom of the fan shroud....the rest your dad can probably help ya with..........good luck

hotwheels of insanemustangs

 

[shonoff]

I dont know about any weak spots,but Im sure there are.On a different note,Id try to find one that is not modified and not abused.Alot of these cars have really had the $hit run out of them.

 

[86T-Top]

Check the torque boxes and the floor pans by the driver seats for cracks or rips.

Mario

 

[Copperstang87]

Check the floors to see if there is any rust, front and back subframes, the body kit make sure the pieces are properly alligned same with doors and hatch and door jams <-- open it up check for rust, ask if anything leaks cuz leaky sunroofs suck a$$ sure easy fix (sometimes) but just ask. Also look for stress cracks in the paint especially above the rear hatch on both sides where the rear subframe ends. Good luck with your search.

 

[Bramm]

Been looking myself for a couple months now and stuff to look at ive been told are the torque boxes/subframes/motor mounts ect(all been mentioned allready). Those are a good tell spot for how badly the cars been beat on. Even tho i dont think its all that expensive to have fixed other problems come from being beat on that hard. The hatch is the only major rust spot that im aware of. Rear end sag is fairly common also and if it doesnt have metal door handles i'd replace em with metal units(only about $20 and common to quite a few cars that vintage) to avoid a pita down the road if there not broken allready(seen 20 cars in the last month and 12 of them had at least 1 bad handle).

Door lock actuators and powerwindow motors on all fords that vintage need replaced sometime(usualy sooner than later) and window motors are kinda a pita to replace. Watch for poorly done repaints, Ive noticed alot of cars with nice looking paint where the front bumper covers were not properly preped got a rock chip and peeled quite badly. Not much you can do if its not peeling yet but its one area i look at and ask on all cars because i cant do body work and cant afford to put a $1500~2000 paint job on a car i just paid $4k+ for and do anything else i have planned this season. I would also be aware if the car has underdrive pulleys or not if you plan on adding a system where underdrive'n the alt could become a issue(no big deal to fix but good to know). Any work done get documentation if at all possable and get a complete list of mods as some things are not ideal for a daily driver. Gears are a good example where 3.55's and maby 3.73's might be okay i wouldnt want 4.10's for daily drive'n and i personly prolly wouldnt do more than 3.55's if this is more than a summer/fair weather car. Thats your call but something to note.

Also emissions stuff. Depending where you live you may have to pass emissions or (like me) have to have all the emission equipment hooked up and working even tho no testing is required. Check the situation where you live as lots of cars out there have no cats or smog and if you have to pass emissions it could be a pain when buy'n a car from a area with diffrent emissions laws.

Everything else is pretty common stuff. Make'n sure the suspension/steering's good and tight. I'd have a mechanic doing compression/leakdown ect tests. Body/paint/transmission ect and anything else you would look at for a car thats push'n 20 years old.

One thing that im finding hard to do is not buy'n a car i look at. Im looking for a specific car(in my case 87~93gt hatch with a 5 speed that has good paint for a project/summer car) like you and there gett'n fairly hard to find in good condition at least in my area. Hold out for something thats close to exactly what you want and be 100% happy with your purchase. Happy Hunting and good luck

 

[srothfuss]

If you are looking for a daily driver, make sure that everything works when you look at the car... Wipers, lights, A/C, etc.

Things to pay close attention to:
1) Doors: The hinges can sag and that causes all kinds of sealing problems that you just don't want to mess with

2) Look at the seat brackets: The sheet metal can tear at the seat brackets. This is a common problem.

3) Ask when the heater core was replaced. You will really want to know that vital piece of information.

4) If you can, check for 1 wheel peel... It's not as big of a deal as the things mentioned above, but it still saves you from getting into the rear end for a while.

Good Luck!

 

[BlackGT89]

Looks like Bramm along with the others have covered most of the major things. I would add to look for stress cracks around the A pillars. Check the gaps around the doors and look for any unusually wide or narrow spots where kludge repairs could have been done from wrecks (bent frame ?). Run a CarFax if you can and check for salvage title, flood damage, mileage accuracy, etc. Check for damage around the hood hinges and top center of the windshield to see if the hood has ever flown up and hit the roof. Check the passenger's side floor board for dampness (antifreeze) and look under the hood on the firewall to see if the heater core has been bypassed.

Seems like we need a sticky on this subject.

 

[VG30DE]

Places where rust will typically first appear:
Around the radio antenna
Under the door handles
Towards the top of the A pilliars
Near the hatch hinges

Check the harmonic balancer to see if its been replaced or if its coming off its rubber, pull a spark plug if you can to see how its running, ask the person stuff like how fast does it go or how high will it rev... see if they know. Otherwise, the usuals like hinges, handles, armrest, ash tray... hey its a used car that stuff might be broken.. cheap and easy to fix, dont worry about that crap, just get a good running solid car and go from there..

 

[Bramm]

A sticky is prolly a good idea. All the major and minor "common" problems fox body mustangs show and how expensive/difficult it is to repair. After 12+ years all these little things can add up. Would be nice to know how much all these "minor" problems add up to instead of guessing and knowing where the signs of a beat car are.

I agree for the most part to not dwell on small issues but if a car has all the small issues to me that says the cars been neglected. If the current owner wont spend $20 to make sure the doors open or $30 to repair door hinges or $40 to replace hatch struts what else has he skimped on since he's owned the car. Its one of those it might mean nothing or might mean something situations either way. I would prolly look through a car a little more if it had all these problems but thats just me tho.

 

[Boss 351]

Radiator supports rust easily too. Check the VIN to make sure it's an original 5.0, if it's a 4 banger swap check for the following:

- 7.5" rear end
- frayed engine harness wires
- small front brakes
- fuel line close to the the passenger side exhaust

Oh and if the ashtray door doesn't work, then it means the car was beat on so much that the body flexed too much which caused the little spring in the door to pop out. Basically the car is wrecked!

 

[artrenee10]

Great Info Guys

Great info guys, never knew the fox bodies were this complex maybe shall we say? I have an 87 Grand National, bought from a acquaintance. Knew it had a blown tranny (not a big deal right?) lifted the carpet one day and was able to put my fist through floor to my garage floor. Won't make the same mistake again
Thanks
Steve Chambers

 

[Bobert]

A sticky is prolly a good idea. All the major and minor "common" problems fox body mustangs show and how expensive/difficult it is to repair.

I think that's a good idea for a sticky

 

[artrenee10]

Got one Guys Thanks for the Advice

Well, I bought a 90 Baby Blue LX w/a 302 for about 300buckaroos, has the original 302w/ 169000 MILES I couldn't pass it up....too good to be true. Now on to the 306 swap............
Thanks
Steve Chambers

 

[Modular2v]

Well, I bought a 90 Baby Blue LX w/a 302 for about 300buckaroos, has the original 302w/ 169000 MILES I couldn't pass it up....too good to be true. Now on to the 306 swap............
Thanks
Steve Chambers

wow...sounds like my fox when i first bought it, 88 baby blue, its dark shadow gray now with a 331 lol, the car was BONE STOCK when i bought it less than a year ago lol happy modding!!!

 

[TrophyHead]

Check for cracks in the A-pillars. This is a tall tale sign the car was driven into the ground.

 

[SamSnyder]

Look at the headlights to see if one is more yellow/faded than the other -- a sure sign that one was replaced, which is usually a sign it was crashed. If the plastic air silencer is still up under the passenger side fender, it's a sign of an unmolested car most likely to have all its parts. On an LX, a body-colored molding all the way around, instead of black, is a sign of a repaint. Wavey bodywork on the rear pillars adjacent to the hatchback are usually a sign that the car was launched hard, ie, drag-raced.

 

[Guyfoxbody]

Look at the headlights to see if one is more yellow/faded than the other -- a sure sign that one was replaced, which is usually a sign it was crashed. If the plastic air silencer is still up under the passenger side fender, it's a sign of an unmolested car most likely to have all its parts. On an LX, a body-colored molding all the way around, instead of black, is a sign of a repaint. Wavey bodywork on the rear pillars adjacent to the hatchback are usually a sign that the car was launched hard, ie, drag-raced.

I think the 91 and up LX's had body color side moldings.

 

[spyne]

I think the 91 and up LX's had body color side moldings.

Must have started in '92. My 91 LX has black moldings.

 

[BaXTeR3221]

Not sure if this was already mentioned, but if your going to modify it, save yourself some trouble and get an 89 and up with the mass air system.