Buying a 5.0..what to look for ?

[stallion98gt]

hi there,

I'm new to 5.0 world but not modular, I kinda wanna play with a fox body so anyways, what are the good years/ models ? any buyers advices?
so far I've been looking into 89,90,91 and 92 LX or GT. I'd rather get an LX.
Which years come with forged internals ? I'm planning on supercharging later on the road.
thanks

 

[BlueDevil95]

the "best" years are 89-92. mass air and forged internals. the notchbacks are also the lightest of the bunch.

 

[88stangmangt]

93 came with hyper pistons not good for s/c i like lx's over gt's also.

 

[Matts89LX5.0]

1989--Mass air, Forged pistons, no air bag and tilt steering wheel!

Matt

 

[stallion98gt]

do the 90/91/92 come with airbag ? driver and passenger ?

 

[1Slow5oh]

My 90 LX convertable came with drivers side airbag, but no tilt. And i believe you should go with a notchback. JMO

 

[mustangsquared]

what ever 1 you get check the heater core and make sure it is not "by-passed" and not leaking.

 

[FOOT2DFLOOR]

Yeah I gotta 91 lx notch and I love it. But definately get a 5 speed because my AOD really sux. And when you sit in the car if the seat leans to the right you can pretty much bet that it has been "slam geared". The GT is a great looking car its just your more likely to see a GT identical to the one you buy.

 

[Legendary]

I would check for frame damage. I also like when the car has all the exterior parts with the original vin stickers on them. Check oil leakage and take a look at the oil itself. Rust is something you don't want to buy with a car also. Take a look inside the raidiator. If it's rusted to hell you can expect the inside of the motor to pretty much look the same. There's a lot of things I look for when I help my buddies pick out cars. There are many signs to tell you how the car was previously taken care of.

 

[stallion98gt]

I would check for frame damage. I also like when the car has all the exterior parts with the original vin stickers on them. Check oil leakage and take a look at the oil itself. Rust is something you don't want to buy with a car also. Take a look inside the raidiator. If it's rusted to hell you can expect the inside of the motor to pretty much look the same. There's a lot of things I look for when I help my buddies pick out cars. There are many signs to tell you how the car was previously taken care of.

I see your in L.A. like me, any place you recommend to buy a 5.0? i've been looking in craigslist but nothing really nice, all beaten up..that's pretty sad

 

[dvs bullet]

Be careful of recent paint jobs, they can hide alot. Pay close attention to the top of the windsheild posts. If the car clunks in th back end going around tight turns slowly, then the torque boxes might have seen better days. I you are getting a hatch, then look at it to see if it is all rusted. I found that they are getting hard to find a good one, when I was doing the body work on my car. Good luck!