Looking for a Classic Stang

jimbo1177 · Feb 22, 2006

Per the advice of another member I am posting this question here. I am looking to buy a Mustang this summer, 65-70 model years, and was hoping to get some advice. I want a V8 and something that I can drive without having to spend a lot of money on. I certainly dont want a show car and I'm can't really afford to spend more than 10 grand. Any advice you could give on what I should be looking for, what I should watch out for (how to tell a good car from a lemon) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

LMan · Feb 22, 2006

some of this thread might help

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=464180

Dan H · Feb 22, 2006

To find a nice driver for less than $10k you will probably have to stick with a coupe; the fastbacks and verts have just gotten too expensive and you will most likely have to put a lot into a $10k FB or convert. On the plus side you should be able to get a really nice coupe of any year you want, plus have a bit of cash left over for some rims or something. I would recommend keeping an eye out for a 289, 302, or 351 v8 car, as they are the easiest and cheapest to maintain and tune. I would also look for a 4 speed manual, as it is a little bit more exclusive and fun than the majority of coupes out there.

68converted · Feb 22, 2006

I got my daily driver 68 vert. for $4200. It was in pretty decent shape, but I am sure if I had been more patient I could have been able to find a better ride for a few bucks more. If you are willing to drive to another state you can do a search for used stangs in the local papers (online listing of course) and find what you want.

I searched for one for a couple of months. My suggestion is to do your homework and you can find a nice daily driver for under $10K. Just leave some cash out for a few fixes and you will be set. I looked in all the southern and western states, (mine was a "garaged" seasonal driver out of Kansas) Good luck.

19stang66 · Feb 22, 2006

I bought my first 66 coupe in Minnesota. HUGE mistake, as it turned out to be a rust bucket. We then searched on ebay and found my new 66 coupe down in Texas. Was cheap, new paint the way i wanted, and no rust. Never buy a classic stang from snowy northern states like Minnesota.

LMan · Feb 23, 2006

you can also check the classifieds at

www.vintage-mustang.com

BDT 1967 · Feb 23, 2006

I got a great deal on my 67 vert, the owner was going bankrupt and he was willing to take half what he was asking, I ended up paying 5,500 for my car. But I did have to drive 3 states to get it. And then I ended up putting at least 15k in it to restore it. Any way, take a magnet and run it along the lower parts of the panels and fender wells so check for bondo, I would also recommend checking the trunk and floor pans for rust, one of the worst jobs i did on my car was replacing those floor pans.

zookeeper · Feb 23, 2006

The very best advice I can give you is to set a budget (which you've already done) and find the absolute nicest car you can for that money. I think you can find a nice car, maybe even a fastback for $10K if you're willing to be patient. Never, ever buy a rusty car, and that includes a car that's had serious rust repair. A guy I work with replaced the floor pans,quarters, doors, fenders and trunk lid on his '67 coupe and thought he was through with rust. But then a couple years ago he saw rust bubbles in the rain gutters. When he stripped the gutter area for repair he found it was rusting from the inside out! The whole roof was rotting when he looked under the headliner. Now how are you going to repair that? Replace the roof? When do you throw in the towel on a car? Common areas to look for include the floors, lower door edges (feel under the door edge when it's open) the rain gutters, and the dreaded cowl rust. You can't see if the cowl is rusted, but if the car has one of those plastic cowl covers over the vents ahead of the windshield, it's rusted. Pour a quart of water into the cowl and see if it winds up in the carpet if you want to know for sure, it should drain behind the front wheels if it's ok. Other than that, just treat buying a Mustang like any other used car. That is, check the quantity and quality of the fluids, ask to see any service records or receipts and don't believe the seller if he/she says the engine and trans was just rebuilt, but they lost the receipt. If they can't prove it, it didn't happen.

jimbo1177 · Feb 23, 2006

Well I appreciate all the help so far. I do actually live in Minnesota, so is that the general opinion that snow belt cars should be avoided completely, or should I just approach them with a bit more caution?

Edbert · Feb 23, 2006

LMan said:
some of this thread might help

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=464180

This one might help decide too...
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=613528

bishop1911 · Feb 23, 2006

...

so is that the general opinion that snow belt cars should be avoided completely, or should I just approach them with a bit more caution?[/QUOTE]

I know I am not the foremost expert on mustangs, but I would like to reply to that last statement by saying, don't just avoid cars in snowy states, just be more cautious. I believe I have mentioned this before, but I bought a car from a guy in idaho, which does get bad weather and even snow, and then car was agaraged for a while, but also kept in Idaho for almost a decade under just a carport. To quote my car guy who is doing all the work such as welding, body work and paint, he said this is the best condition he has ever seen a mustang of this age in. There have never been any metal repairs done except for the ones I did to fix missing or chopped pieces due to the car being modified to drag. The car was entirely rust free and I bought it from a guy I met through one of these forums. If you are going to do that, be sure that you ask a lot of questions, and get a lot of pictures. I am kind of anal about stuff like this, but when you pay a ton of cash for a car, you need to be. The guy I bought it from was great, he took over 90 pictures and posted them on his site so I could check out every little angle. Also, if you purchase it over the phone or internet, be sure to use a 3rd party holding company for the transaction and draft up a good agreement to cover yourselves. This may sound like a bit much to some, but with all the scams you can never be too careful. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Everyone here has been real helpful for me, even if I am building an Eleanor.

Jon

68converted · Feb 23, 2006

jimbo1177 said:
Well I appreciate all the help so far. I do actually live in Minnesota, so is that the general opinion that snow belt cars should be avoided completely, or should I just approach them with a bit more caution?

Keep in mind that you can find great "project" cars in your area. Meaning someone could have picked a car up from a southern state, started to restore it, took it all apart, and something came up and they have to sell. Almost happened to me when I got a divorce last year. Also, look for the too good to be true deals. I know that sounds stupid, but my buddy liked my car so much he started looking for one for himself. He found a 67 convert. in South Dakota, that a lady was selling to get back at her ex husband. He bought it for 1500, in fairly nice condition and running. Sucks to be her ex when she told him what she sold it for.

bishop1911 · Feb 23, 2006

WTF

what happened to my quote there? I almost never quote so I am not surprised I messed that up.

19stang66 · Feb 23, 2006

Where in minnesota are ya?

jimbo1177 · Feb 24, 2006

Im from the Twin Cities area.

19stang66 · Feb 24, 2006

Im from down near Rochester. If you ever buy a stang and go to a show or something, you should let me know, because I know their are a lot of shows up there but I don't want to go alone.

jimbo1177 · Feb 25, 2006

I was also wondering if anyone could explain the various model codes. I keep seeing adds refering to a C or A code. What does this code mean? Are there certain codes that are more desirable?

19stang66 if I do get a stang I'll let you know.

fasttback · Feb 25, 2006

jimbo1177 said:
I was also wondering if anyone could explain the various model codes. I keep seeing adds refering to a C or A code. What does this code mean? Are there certain codes that are more desirable?

19stang66 if I do get a stang I'll let you know.

Here are some engine codes browed from another site:

Model 65 66 67 68 69 70
170 V
200 T T T T T T
250 L L
260 (V8) F
289 2V C C C C
289 4V+ D
289 4V A A A
289 HiPerf K K K
302 2V F F
302 4V J
302 4V Boss G G
351 2V* H H
351 4V** M M
390 2V Y
390 4V S S S
427 4V W
428 4V P
428 4V CJ O O
428 4V SCJ R R
429 4V Boss Z Z

+ 64-1/2 -only-
* Cleveland -or- Windsor
**Cleveland -only-

Yes, certain codes usually bring different prices.

danny clemens · Feb 25, 2006

I was posting some engine codes but fasttback beat me to it. It's worth it to pay more for a car that doesn't have much rust in it because body work is very expensive unless you do it yourself.

fasttback · Feb 25, 2006

Well, that worked great. Let's try it again.

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