hey, i am new here and i wanted to ask a couple of questions to some people that know 5.0's in and out. I have been looking for the past couple of months at getting a 5.0. I recently found a 92 lx notchback. It has 87,000 miles and some extras, like a mild cam, headers, and the cat's are hollowed out, to name a few. Right now he is asking 5,500. But the ac compressor is bad and the heater cooler needs to be replaced as well. Now, does anyone know how much these will cost to replace, and should i get new or used out of a junk yard? Also i dont think that i am going to be able to get my hands on some of the older coolant that they dont make anymore, so how hard would it be to convert the ac system over to the new stuff. Next, i plan on using this car as a daily drive. Do you guys think that 87K is to many miles for a daily driver? How long should i expect the car to hold up and what kinds of problems should i be worry about? Anything anyone has to say would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
New guy needs some advise
- Thread starter townethug
- Start date
ECU5.0
Banned
well first off 87k miles isnt even broken in yet...haha...mine is a daily driver with 196k on the clock. there are guys on here running over 200k. as for the heater core and ac compressor goes. heater cores are pretty cheap and youll want to buy a new one....but paying someone to install it is going to be expensive. its somewhere in the 12-14 hour range in labor. its not a hard thing to do...i did mine with no help and with almost no knowledge of what to do in about 7 hours. the a/c compressor is going to cost you around 100 bucks i think..maybe a little more...and you can pay a shop to retro-fit it for r-134a. you can buy retro-fit kits at advanced auto or autozone also. again, with only 87k miles on it..there probably isnt anything that is wrong with it. you might want to check the fan clutch and the water pump. make sure all the fluids are clean. and check the torque boxes for damage. if you get on the ground next to the car by the door and rear tire...there will be an arm that goes from the axle to the frame...the part that connects to the frame is the torque box. just make sure the welds arent busted and it looks straight. sounds like a nice find though...good luck
TrophyHead
15 Year Member
87,000 miles is perfect for a daily driver. I'd be weary with anything over 120,000 miles. (I lost my tranny, waterpump,and radiator at around 120,000 miles).
The heater core is a major PITA to fix. You have to tear out your whole dash board. Replace it with a good replacement heater core you only want to do this once. As for converting the car to R-134A I dont see any promblems with doing that.
The heater core is a major PITA to fix. You have to tear out your whole dash board. Replace it with a good replacement heater core you only want to do this once. As for converting the car to R-134A I dont see any promblems with doing that.
You can bypass the heater box if you don't need heat, if you are in the warmer areas. I think the AC compressor will cost a bit more than 100.00 tho, more like 400.00 new me thinks ( not really sure tho). I paid 150 to convert to the new refrigerant, plus replacing a hose. I would also be wary of the milage also, since it could easily be 184,000 on the clock, and if he is the first owner its kinda hard to prove otherwise. Finally, the car WILL need some TLC when you get it, and things WILL breakdown too. Its part of the Fox Body ownership experience. Just don't get too depressed. Go get a shop book, and have fun doing as much of the work you can yourself.
houstonstangguy
Founding Member
yeah did you do a carfax report on it?? it will list each time it has been registered and the mileage. considering it is a coupe, i agree, it could easily be 184,000. any signs that it was hwy patrol? mine had the trunk pop yellow button relocated to the knee pad under the steering wheel on the right side, the holes in the pillars from the spot lights, the holes on the dash and in the black cluster cover from the computers, and the holes in the dash above the glove box where the interceptor label was. if it was hwy patrol, at least here in tx, they auctioned them off after 100,000 miles of service.
pay whatever you think you are ok with. in the end you have to be able to sleep at night. either way it sounds pretty good, but if it has high miles because of hwy patrol, then he could be lying about other things. get a compression check at least. I had my a/c completely replaced last summer and it cost me a grand. the heater core was fine but while he was back there working on the evaporator for the a/c i told him go ahead and swap the heater core. he did and ill be damned if 13 months later (warranty was 12) the damn core started leaking. i am in houston so i just bypassed it.
pay whatever you think you are ok with. in the end you have to be able to sleep at night. either way it sounds pretty good, but if it has high miles because of hwy patrol, then he could be lying about other things. get a compression check at least. I had my a/c completely replaced last summer and it cost me a grand. the heater core was fine but while he was back there working on the evaporator for the a/c i told him go ahead and swap the heater core. he did and ill be damned if 13 months later (warranty was 12) the damn core started leaking. i am in houston so i just bypassed it.
QDRHRSE
New Member
townethug said:
Don't be so sure. No matter how you look at it the car is old. Simple green and pressure washer will work wonders on an engine compartment. Somebody with some good detailing skills can make a very driven car look almost new. The 5.0 302 is a very durable engine and a car with a lot of miles can still run great....burn and leak a lot of oil....but still feel strong.
Aye, you probably won't know, especially if he is trying to rip you off. Knowing what I know now, I would check the wear indicators on the ball joints, and look under the car for oil leaks and trans fluid leaks. They usually will show wear after 100,000 ( the ball joints). BTW, my car, with 127,000 miles on it, had the STOCK WIRES on it. It either had 92 or 1992 printed on em. I couldn't believe it when I saw them.
The car is probably the real mileage, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.
The car is probably the real mileage, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.
