Unless you have a pretty decent job and are somewhat mechanically inclined, I wouldn't recommend a Fox. These cars are getting to be 20 years old now and will need stuff replaced. Can turn into money pits really quickly.
A low mileage 89-93 would be the right one to get.Well I'm getting a job next month, pays $2 over minimum wage. ($10 i think it is) per hour. I have nothing to spend my money on thats too important until I'm 18, so I'm sure I can save up enough for when anything goes wrong, I hope. I'm really hell-bent on getting a fox, and probably nothing will change my mindbut yeah they are pretty old, especially if I get a 87-89.
What job is that? I'm 17 and work to death in fast food for minimum-____-
People seem to worry about you being mechanically inclined or not, and if you're willing to learn from friends and the internet a fox would be a great car with easy maintenance. I've gone myself from not knowing what a short is to being able to do my own minor repairs, maintenance and repairs all from internet reading and helpful forum answers.
But whatever fox you end up getting (you seem very dedicated on getting one even though people suggest not to) will have problems for 3 or 4 grand. Expect issues but enjoy being able to fix them and know more than your friends about cars when they try to step there car talk to you;D
It's all a fun, useful, learning experience, but again, you can't be afraid to get dirty, to take a part of your car off, and most importantly you must be willing to spend the time to research how to do things and how you engine works (unless you've got deep pockets for repairs).
Any fox 91-93 are hard to find around here. I usually find 87's and 89'sA low mileage 89-93 would be the right one to get.
Ha, nice screen name.
My second car was a Fox, I was 17. Now 10 years later, I still have that car.
You sound like you have a LOT to learn about cars. Get a subscription to Hot Rod Magazine and force yourself to read every issue from cover to cover, even the stuff that you don't understand. Go to amazon.com and buy a couple books about modifying Fox 5.0s (yea, they still exist, and they're cheap). Ask your parents to buy you this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0837602106/?tag=stangnet-20 Read that book cover to cover, and you'll know more about these cars than some people on this website do.
Good luck and drive smart. Buy a stick.
Ha, nice screen name.
My second car was a Fox, I was 17. Now 10 years later, I still have that car.
You sound like you have a LOT to learn about cars. Get a subscription to Hot Rod Magazine and force yourself to read every issue from cover to cover, even the stuff that you don't understand. Go to amazon.com and buy a couple books about modifying Fox 5.0s (yea, they still exist, and they're cheap). Ask your parents to buy you this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0837602106/?tag=stangnet-20 Read that book cover to cover, and you'll know more about these cars than some people on this website do.
Good luck and drive smart. Buy a stick.
Welcome to Stangnet...
Not all of us know how to fix everything, but some of us know how to fix some things
with excellence!
If you are in California or some other state with strict emissions laws, part of the deal should be that the owner takes the car and has it emissions tested. If it passes, you buy the car and pay for the emissions test cost, if any. If it does not pass, walk away from the deal. For a mechanically inexperienced owner, emissions related problems can be difficult and expensive to fix.
If you want to do the fix up & power up thing, make sure that you have some other
form of reliable daily driver. That way the stang can sit while your wallet and hands
take a rest from the last project that didn't quite get finished on that 3 day weekend.
Things always cost more and take longer the first time you do them. Having some
other working vehicle makes life easier since it isn't the big crush to get it running
for the Monday morning drive to work or class.
Plan on spending some money on tools it you don't already have them. The stang
has both metric and American fasteners, so you really need two sets of wrenches.
A timing light, digital voltmeter, vacuum gauge, compression tester, fuel pressure
test gauge and fuel line coupler tools are some of the test & tuning tools you'll need.
Visit the pawn shops and sometimes you can find a deal on tools & test equipment
if you stick to well known name brands.
A sheltered work area is almost a must, someplace that you can leave the car in
pieces without upsetting anyone. Some guys here have changed a transmission in
the parking lot of their apartment in a rainstorm, but they will tell you it wasn't fun.
Depending on where you live, a warm dry garage is a nice place to do the winter
projects that stangs tend to become.
EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) Computer - every stang after 85 has or had one:
don't let it intimidate you. The computer based EFI systems are not hard to fix
and most of the time they tell you what's wrong with the engine. Here's a book
that will get you started with how the Ford electronic engine control or "computer" works.
Ford Fuel Injection & Electronic Engine Control 1988-1993 by James Probst:
ISBN 0-8376-0301-3.
It's about $35-$45 from Borders.com see http://www.amazon.com/ . Select
books and then select search. Use the ISBN number (without dashes or spaces)
to do a search
Use the ISBN number and your local library can get you a loaner copy for free.
Only thing is you are limited to keeping the book for two weeks. It is very good,
and I found it to be very helpful.
For lots of great ideas and tech notes on upgrades and repairs, be sure to check
out http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=643651 “Useful Technical Thread Index” sticky at the top of the 5.0 Tech forum.
Things that break often:
T5 5 speed manual transmission (syncros go bad, mostly 3rd gear)
TFI Module (Thin Film Ignition module - mounts on the distributor)
Electric door locks (see the link in my sig for a cheap & easy fix)
O2 sensors(oxygen sensors) They are good for about 60,000 miles and start to go
down hill after that.
TPS Sensor (Throttle Position Sensor) causes flaky problems with idle & acceleration.
Fog lights They overheat the wiring and cause the headlights to flicker. The fix is
cheap and simple if you can do electrical stuff.
Harmonic Balancer – they separate between the hub and outer ring. A harmonic
balancer puller is a must have to change it. You can rent or borrow a puller from
most of the larger auto parts stores.
Things that are very durable:
Engine - as long as it hasn't been abused, it will run good for 150,000-200,000
miles without an overhaul
Rear axle other than an occasional case of worn clutches in the traction lock,
they almost never have problems.
Computer - believe it or not, the computers seldom have problems of their own.
Most of the problems are with the sensors and the wiring.
Suspension – the front and rear suspension has very few problems if the car hasn’t
been wrecked or seen a lot of drag strip runs. The drag strip runs tend to distort and
tear the mount points for the rear axle control arms. Revving the engine up to 4000
RPM and dumping the clutch with slicks or drag radials tends to break things.
Things that don’t break often but are hard to fix:
Water pump mount bolts – they corrode and shear off when you try to change the
water pump.
Rear oil seal on the engine – lots of parts to remove to get to a $20 seal.
Power steering pump – the pumps are noisy and the pulley requires some special
tools to remove and install. If you have the tools, they are easy to do. Again, the
larger auto parts stores will rent or loan the tools for the pulley.
Power Steering rack - it is hard to get the toe in set so that you can drive the car
to the shop to get it properly aligned.
Starter – the top bolt is hard to get a socket on if you don’t have the right combination
of socket, universal joint and extensions.
Everything considered, 5.0 Mustangs are not hard to work on. They just require
some patience and though before you get started.
If you ask me this would be a great starter car! And it's in your budget. I'm pretty sure he still has it. I know its a good distance from you but their are several good starters cars like this one in my area of San Diego.
http://sandiego.backpage.com/AutosForSale/89-ford-mustang-50-5speed-good-condition/10995553
I know mileage is a bit of a concern but if the car was taken care of its not to big of a deal. If you have mechanically experienced people in your family they will know when they look at the car with you. Check my build thread my car has 142k miles on it and i daily drive it .
a fox is a great car to learn how to fix. there's a great aftermarket following, and plenty of info on them on the Internet. anywhere you get stuck, you can come aroun the forums and search for a solution, or otherwise ask.
Looks like I'll get the handbook too+1 on the 5.0 Handbook. My father gave me one some time back and it's filled with very useful information.
as fare as the stick versus auto goes i have to have a auto encase for some odd reason my wife needs to drive my car i used to have a nice lifted jeep with a manual i tried teaching my wife to drive it and went through 2 clutches in 3 months of her driving. but if i had to choose i would have a 5 speed. plus they can withstand more power all you have to really do is upgrade the clutch and flywheel. an auto needs a lot of internal work to hold anything over normal bolt ons
Well I had a few questions.
Am i making a bad decision getting a fox? I don't plan to speed, race, etc, or abuse her at all. I know the MPG is quite bad, but I won't be going very many places so I say I'd waste about a gallon a week? Lol I don't know, I just don't expect to be going more than 10 miles a day(and thats on a very long day going hella places) haha.
If I do get a fox, should I look for a stick or a auto? I would prefer auto because I hear about people having problems with stick more than an auto.
If I can't find an auto, is it hard to convert, and pricey?
Any other things I should know?
Thanks!
By the way I'm 15, getting driving lessons in August, then doing my license test January, then getting my fox february!
Manuals are way better. I won't even look at an auto fox.. Something about being able to peel out while already rolling is just something I love to do.. haha.
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