Looking to buy a Fox, what do I look for?

If your really serious, You would want to look for a 79-93 as those were the Fox chassis mustangs.

Inside wheel well, check for rust.
Make sure it can drive around the block.
Make sure it can burn out and do dough nuts(sp?)
-rS

The first thing i look at are the body lines....the gaps between any part of the body that can be taken off, especially where the fenders meet up with the windshield and cowl panel area. If the car has ever been wrecked, it's really hard to get these to line up ever again, unless they really do it right (in which case you probably won't have to worry about it). Then get under the hood and look at the radiator core supports, top and bottom for damage, and look around the frame rails while you're under there.

Then i get under the back and and look at the rear end, specifically where the upper and lower control arms attach to the floor pan. These are commonly called "torque boxes" and are a high stress point on a car that gets a lot of beating, and they'll actually rip out over time. If there's ANY rust in this area, i usually steer away from the car altogether unless it's really minor.

Then i move up the bottm and just look for rusty floor pans or frame rails, look up around the fender wells for rust etc. Open the trunk and pull up the carpet and look there. (if you haven't guessed, i F'in HATE rust). I'd rather swap an engine than deal with rust.

If all that is A-O-K, then i'd turn my attention to the engine and transmission. Rev the engine until it hits the rev limiter....if the owner/seller doesn't like that or won't let you, don't buy the car! Some cars will run awesome on just a start up and idle but once you start driving them and put them under load they show their ugly side. An average running 302 should be able to take a rev limiter hit with no problem at all, and when you do hit it, look out back for smoke. The color of the smoke is going to tell you if it's burning oil or coolant etc.

Look for engine leaks of all kinds (but honestly with a 2k budget, you should expect some).

Sit down next to the front wheels (put a leg on either side of the tire) and grab a hold of the wheel with both ands and shake the hell out of it. If it moves a lot, it probably needs tie rods or worse. Also while it's running turn the wheel both ways and listen for the power steering pump to skreech and feel for play in the steering wheel.

If the seller doesn't mind, give it a good 1st/2nd gear burnout and see if it leaves both tire marks...if only one side marks then you probably need to rebuild the traction lock in the rear end.

Geez i've typed too much....someone else jump in

Check under the battery box for frame rot, and check the other side as well. Look out for torn torque boxes, see if the lock actuators work (easy fix if they don't, but good to use as a bargaining tool), see if the floor pans are cracked under the seats, and the rest should be usual stuff you'd look for on any used car.

I have nothing more to add except get a Notch.

Where are you located?

watch the strut towers an the area between the towers an fire wall. this is where my car rusted through. Drive it an make sure it tracks straight if not it may have been hit in the front or have worn front suspension/steering items.

85_SS_302_Coupe said:

The first thing i look at are the body lines....the gaps between any part of the body that can be taken off, especially where the fenders meet up with the windshield and cowl panel area. If the car has ever been wrecked, it's really hard to get these to line up ever again, unless they really do it right (in which case you probably won't have to worry about it). Then get under the hood and look at the radiator core supports, top and bottom for damage, and look around the frame rails while you're under there.

Then i get under the back and and look at the rear end, specifically where the upper and lower control arms attach to the floor pan. These are commonly called "torque boxes" and are a high stress point on a car that gets a lot of beating, and they'll actually rip out over time. If there's ANY rust in this area, i usually steer away from the car altogether unless it's really minor.

Then i move up the bottm and just look for rusty floor pans or frame rails, look up around the fender wells for rust etc. Open the trunk and pull up the carpet and look there. (if you haven't guessed, i F'in HATE rust). I'd rather swap an engine than deal with rust.

If all that is A-O-K, then i'd turn my attention to the engine and transmission. Rev the engine until it hits the rev limiter....if the owner/seller doesn't like that or won't let you, don't buy the car! Some cars will run awesome on just a start up and idle but once you start driving them and put them under load they show their ugly side. An average running 302 should be able to take a rev limiter hit with no problem at all, and when you do hit it, look out back for smoke. The color of the smoke is going to tell you if it's burning oil or coolant etc.

Look for engine leaks of all kinds (but honestly with a 2k budget, you should expect some).

Sit down next to the front wheels (put a leg on either side of the tire) and grab a hold of the wheel with both ands and shake the hell out of it. If it moves a lot, it probably needs tie rods or worse. Also while it's running turn the wheel both ways and listen for the power steering pump to skreech and feel for play in the steering wheel.

If the seller doesn't mind, give it a good 1st/2nd gear burnout and see if it leaves both tire marks...if only one side marks then you probably need to rebuild the traction lock in the rear end.

Geez i've typed too much....someone else jump in

Click to expand...

i just have to say i disagree with hitting the rev limiter comment. if i were ever to have my car for sale, anyone test driving it would get a smack upside the head before they ever hit the limiter. there is nothing wrong with my car, but i would never do it myself, so why would i let a stranger do it? i wouldn't mind letting someone take it for a spirited rip though, if i thought they were serious, so if you can you should at least do that. make sure to get to highway speeds too. often problems will only show up at high speeds.

for 2k, i think you should be most concerned about rust. the drivetrain stuff that may fail will eventually be replaced. (the mod bug will eventually bite....) just watch for major problems like burning oil or antifreeze etc. as with any other car. make sure it runs good and all, but major rust will very hard/expensive to deal with in the future. check the torque boxes like said before, strut towers, body panel gaps (means accidents), good idea to run a carfax, and look for any kind of major leaks etc that may be costly to repair up front or if they were to get worse.... also like 85_SS_302_Coupe said, check the front end, as this can be very expensive to fix if there are major problems, and not add any real value to the car once it's done....

with a 2k dollar budget I would be looking for a car that has as little rust/body damage as possible. if it even has a drivetrain great, a semi decent interior at this point would be a bonus. that kind of cash will not get a decent fox. up it to 3500 and your chances of finding something that you could make your daily will go up immensly.

lots of great rollers can be had for 2k, or even a 4 banger if that is your inclination, but I would say save up a little. or I am sure Ryan will chime in here any minute and tell you how he bought his car for 1600 (rust bucket)and then pic whore it again.

2k your going to be hard pressed to find anything worth while

What are your plans for this Fox? A Daily Driver, that eventually will get modded. An all out dedicated race car (drag or twisties). The answer to these questions should play a factor in to what you should be looking for, before buying. Do you care if the air condition system works or if the heater core needs replacing? Expect to pay more if you plan to purchase a "notch". I agree with pretty much everything said in the above posts. Either way, good luck in your search. Keep us posted.

I would also suggest saving a little more money and trying to at least get something in the $3,000-$3,500 range. There are still good deals out there, but you really are going to be limiting yourself to the crappiest crap for $2,000 for the most part.

For a 5-speed car, note whether or not it grinds going into any gear (reverse will always grind if you don't first shift to 5th; it's not synchronized). For an automatic, get the car out, warmed up, and make sure it shifts well into all gears, and be sure it goes into overdrive. Romp on it a little to be sure it will downshift, etc.

Check for frame damage. Check the torque boxes (spots were control arms run from the rear end to the unibody) CAREFULLY. As someone else said, check the gaps of all body panels, and see how the doors close, and if they have a lot of slop in them (grab the top and bottom of the door and see how badly it wiggles vertically).

5.0 motors themselves are really tough, and it takes a lot to really kill one. That being said, be sure it's making oil pressure when warm; otherwise you know it's high mile/beat/poorly maintained.

As someone else stated, I'd also smack you upside the head if you were revving the motor to the limiter or doing burnouts. Use common sense in that regard. Nothing wrong with doing a pull or two to 3,000-4,000 rpm, but don't go crazy.

The biggest thing is to be patient. Don't buy the first car you come upon without seriously thinking it over. Bring a notepad along, and list all of the problems you find with each car, and do the math to see what it will take to put a particular car to the way you want it. Bring a friend or two along to look at cars with you that aren't afraid to tell you when you're being an idiot.

Good luck.

I dunno....i wouldn't hit the rev limiter in a car i didn't own, but if the seller was reluctant to do so himself, i'd be weary of buying it. There's no reason a sound running 302 can't handle 6250 for a split second.


OOOHH something i almost forgot....this is a big one. Pay close close attention to any car that you go to look at that's always warm/up to running temp when you get there to look at it. Reason being is that if a car doesn't run so good, they may have to start it and get it idling before you get there so it starts easier. Show up when they least expect it and catch them when it's cold and hear it start cold and then watch for oil pressure to build. A buddy of mine caught a guy doing this trick. He realized something was up and was suspicious so he showed up unexpected with cash in his hand and had the guy start it up (knowing that with cash in hand he wouldn't back out) and sure enough, it blew all sorts of smoke on start up and missed and ran rough as hell until warmed up. He later heard that someone else bought it and tore it down and it had a blown a couple rings.

yay