SN95 Fox body 2.3L first car?

For your first car I would say 99-04 v6.

#1 - Fox air bags are not great, and driver seat only.

#2 - the v6 was revised and has fewer head gasket problems than the earlier v6.


If you are set on a fox body with a 2.3l you just need to understand a few things.

#1 - 2800 may seem high, but it is not outrageous if the car is very nice and clean. These older cars will eat your lunch money in nickel and dime stuff, so you are always better off starting from a well maintained vehicle.

#2 - They aren’t super reliable. Yes, the engine is fairly bulletproof, but if you buy an automatic those are very problematic. I STRONGLY suggest the manual transmission on a 2.3l car.

Beyond that, though, there are a fair amount of old electronics and small stuff that will break. If you want to learn how to work on a car, these are a good choice because they have lots of room and are not very complicated. Just be prepared to fix things on an older car.

#3 - watch for the common fox rust areas. Strut towers are the death of many a fox body. If it looks really rusty, find a better car.

#4 - they are really slow. Slower than my old 91 escort because they are heavier. The V6 cars are not fast, but they are reasonable.

However, don’t fool yourself, these cars are still terrible in rain and snow. The suspension is to blame more than anything.

Good luck.