Looking into another Stang. Should I jump?

[nunly94gt]

Ok all you fellow lovers of the SN95, I've made a gallant return...again. I know what you're thinking "this loser shows up every 10 years". You would be correct, but man back in the early 2000s I was one of the big posters here.

Anyways, found a new car. 95 GT vert, 85k original miles. $5500. Car needs new seats and the paint is fading. New top. It's a few hours away from where I live and with my 40th (that's right I'm getting old) in one month, I'm seriously wanting to pull the trigger. I somehow got the wife on board too.
So my question to you guys aside from the obvious answer of "tell me where the car is and I'll go get it before you can" What should I look for?
I've never owned a vert mustang, but I do know wind noise and water leaks come standard. What are some warning signs on that?
Anyways, good to talk to you all again, maybe if this works out I'll be around a lot more.

 

[jozsefsz]

Mold / mildew (which can be hidden but the smell is hard to hide - if it has way too much air freshener be cautious) and rotten floor boards are good signs of excessive long-term water leaks. Crawl under that guy with a screwdriver and if anything looks suspiciously rusty, be careful as convertibles need a very solid unibody to remain structurally sound.

Congratulations to making it to 40, that isn't old for a dude (yes I just assumed your gender since you mentioned 'wife'). I remember feeling that way when I turned 40 and my (foreign) uncle said no, seriously, 40's are a man's best years when they're considered most 'attractive.' I found the same, the 20-ish honeys that I dreamed of in my 20's suddenly showed up. Now you're married so you can feel free to ignore, but you're not old. An SN95 is a safe level of midlife expenditure for some nostalgia, so I say go-to-town if the car makes you happy. Make sure it's a manual though, otherwise the wife will steal it if it's an automatic.

 

[nunly94gt]

Mold / mildew (which can be hidden but the smell is hard to hide - if it has way too much air freshener be cautious) and rotten floor boards are good signs of excessive long-term water leaks. Crawl under that guy with a screwdriver and if anything looks suspiciously rusty, be careful as convertibles need a very solid unibody to remain structurally sound.

Congratulations to making it to 40, that isn't old for a dude (yes I just assumed your gender since you mentioned 'wife'). I remember feeling that way when I turned 40 and my (foreign) uncle said no, seriously, 40's are a man's best years when they're considered most 'attractive.' I found the same, the 20-ish honeys that I dreamed of in my 20's suddenly showed up. Now you're married so you can feel free to ignore, but you're not old. An SN95 is a safe level of midlife expenditure for some nostalgia, so I say go-to-town if the car makes you happy. Make sure it's a manual though, otherwise the wife will steal it if it's an automatic.

Yeah I'm a guy lol. I honestly forgot all about structural integrity with a vert so I'm glad you brought that up. That's something I will be looking for. Most regular folks never think about subframe connectors, especially on a convertible. I'm honestly not interested in a convertible, but the price says otherwise. Car is a manual, but my wife can drive those, nothing is safe around here. Lol

40 may be the New 30, but I feel old. The military beat me up, and then 20 years of being a mechanic has taken quite the toll on me. At least now I'm making the move from grease monkey to manager so I will feel a little better when I get home.

 

[General karthief]

40??? SMH
Look at the doors at the top where it meets the rear fender, is the gap straight? May only be hinge pins or a sign of a sag, can be fixed (usually) with sub frame connectors and a strut tower brace but adjust the selling price accordingly.

 

[nunly94gt]

40??? SMH
Look at the doors at the top where it meets the rear fender, is the gap straight? May only be hinge pins or a sign of a sag, can be fixed (usually) with sub frame connectors and a strut tower brace but adjust the selling price accordingly.

Well the deal fell through, so no need to worry anyways. The search continues!

 

[manicmechanic007]

You had better do it if the wife is on board. Talked my wife into getting into Corvette fever a few months ago. Drove her to Montpelier, Idaho and almost bought a '69 Lingenfelter. It had been raced a bunch and had a bent up bird cage