Looking to buy a mustang

[bjaro5187]

Hi this is my first post and I figured this would be the best place to ask my question. Here is my current situation; I live in Fort Wayne IN and have wanted a classic mustang for a while and finally have a little cash to spend. I have around 4k-5k to spend initially on a car. After I replenish my funds I plan to restore/rebuild the car.

My first question is when buying a classic mustang are there token points to look for as far as trouble spots go?

Second this is my first car that I am restoring how difficult would you say mustangs are to restore?

 

[dsmGST91]

I picked my 73 convertible up last month, for 3,000. It needs a little work, but was able to be driven home. I redid the interior, and luckilly, there isnt any rust so new paint will be coming soon. I'm having a blast, real fun. As what to look for, with any car, look at the lines. If any are out of line/gapped, etc. it probably has had some damage. Fluids, hacks, etc.

 

[steemin]

Hey,
I live in the booming megatropolis of Ft . Wayne as well.
In my opinion the best starting point for a car in your price range is to find a car with a solid frame and floorpans. Also look carefully for rust in the cowl area.
This is a very expensive area to resolve/restore rust issues. To check for rust in this area simply pour approx. 1 qt. of water into the cowl. If it leaks inside the car you have a problem.
Resist the temptation to buy a car that looks complete and seems to be ready to drive in your specified price range.. You will be buying shoddy workmanship and someone elses problems..
Ideally try and find a complete solid shell that is ready to restore.
Good luck in your search.
Scott

 

[bjaro5187]

Scott where in fort wayne do you live? Im out southwest...send me an email to bjaro5187 with your number or where you live. I might need some help from someone who knows a thing or two about mustangs when I find one im interested in.

 

[steemin]

You have got mail...
Scott

 

[FlipStyle12oo]

yea...i'm new to classic mustangs too. where exactly is the cowl area?

 

[69 Capecod]

infront of the windshield. where the wipers come out of.

 

[69 Capecod]

I would be carefull of rot,rust in the floor boards also check the trunk. on the fenders get a magnet and check for bondo the magnet wont stick to the bondo as well as to the metal check the botom of the doors and wheel wells. you can save a lot of money if these are solid.

 

[Pakrat]

I would suggest you buy the best possible car you can afford, you would get three times the car for double the price. Consider looking into somone like www.JJBest.com for assistance. A $10,000 car would be far more reliable and ready to use with little or no immediate attention required. You would only have to put up about $2,000 of your 4-5k and not only be on the road immediatly but can learn the basic maintanence as you go instead of trying to learn on a car that needs a total restoration. You'll have money left over for the unexpected as well. The best part is that they will go out free of charge and fully inspect any car you are interested in, if it is not worth the asking price they won't let you buy it so you can't possibly go wrong. Because it's simple interest you can pay it off as soon as you want and save alot of money or take your time and only pay $150 a month. Either way it's easier then spending every dime you have now and then letting the car sit while you save and save to pay for every little single thing that needs work until it is finally reliable 1 or 2 years from now.

I am all for restoring cars back form the dead don't get me wrong but I do not reccomend anyone start out that way when experience is limited. Alot of people have a misconception that they can buy a car for 2 grand and in 6 months and another 5 grand they will have a car that is worth 15k - 20k. In all honesty you rarely get out what you put in.

 

[69 Capecod]

Hey pakrat
Do you work for www.JJbest.com or what?
LOL I allways see you posting them. I am going to check them out now!

 

[69 Capecod]

ok Im sold!!! Thats where I am buying my next car from. Now how do I convince the wife HMMMMMM.

 

[Pakrat]

Hey pakrat
Do you work for www.JJbest.com or what?
LOL I allways see you posting them. I am going to check them out now!

LOL, no I don't, but they did help me make my dream come true in the easist fashion possible so I recommend them the same way I recommend hagerty insurance. I just think alot of people are unaware that folks like this exist specifically for the purpose of our hobby. You just can't get a car loan for a classic at the bank and have you seent he rates on personal loans lately?

I remember spending a couple years to slowly squirrel away 4 or 5k to buy a car and I was so disapointed at the cars I looked at in that range. I hated the thought of tapping my savings and still having to save and work for a few more years before I finally got to enjoy the dream I had realized. When I upped the range to 10k I found better cars but still all the local ones had rust everywhere, hidden and visual. I had to open the whole country up to my search to fine the right candidate and even then flying out everytime to inspect a car would have cost me all my money and buying sight unseen or relying on a set of eyes that gets paid his fee regardless of the condition the car is in was not really an option I wanted to persue. JJbest was simply the answer to all my problems so I pass it on whenever the topic comes up. Fortunately at the time I had no other car payments and was able to pay the loan off in 18 months instead of 60 and hardly payed any interest at all. The best part though was driving the car right away and not having my first repair needed for over 3 years, plus I had only put down 2k of my 4-5k so if something did go wrong I had the cash to fix it right away too not to mention tax, title, registration, insurance, etc.....

I fully plan to make my next car a total long term back from the dead project and likely only sell my current car as the funding to finish it off towards the end but 16 years was a long enough wait the first time around and I wanted to be on the road ASAP.

 

[johnsstang04]

If you want a low dollar car, than look at a 1964-1968 v-8 mustang coupe or a 6-cyl convertible. Don't buy a 1971-1973 mustang in poor condition, they are much more expensive to fix. 1969-1970s are also a little pricey to fix, but not quite as bad. Basically, the older the car, the easier it is to fix. You can buy a nice '71 or '72 mach 1 for about $10,000, which is a great muscle car for the money. Usually you can find problems by closely inspecting each section of the body. Look for bondo or wavy areas in the paint. Rust can be hell, but accident damage is even worse. The cowl leak is bad, but not the end of the world. I think Pakrat would agree that a 1969 convertible is the only way to go!

 

[Pakrat]

I think Pakrat would agree that a 1969 convertible is the only way to go!

Whole heartedly and in particular the GT if you can find it, obviously.

I disagree on the damage/rust issue though, I think it's a case by case thing. It took me forever to find a true rust free car and I chose to fix the damage as opposed to having to replace rusted out areas in another car. I thought it was better in the long run to deal with the known than the unknown.