New To Mustangs

[Cannon77550]

Hey guys! Im in Galveston Texas. I fell in love with a buddies '00 vert so i figured since im in the market for a car why not get me a mustang! Im looking at getting a mustang gt on a 3k budget right now. Have my eye on a few and figured i would join here and scan the forums. If anybody has any tips or things to watch out for lemme know. Thanks

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Welcome to Stangnet.

Are you wanting a new edge mustang as well?

Snoop around the different subforums, that’ll give you an idea of the different kinds out there.

It’s good to have you with us.

 

[Cannon77550]

Ive got my eye on a 94 vert, a 98 hard top, and a 04 new edge. The 94($3k) with 5.0 has a pretty good list of mods, full exhaust, e303 cams, 75mm throttle body, 24lb injectors, 3.73 gears, lowering springs, and been tuned and a few others(the guy was planning a turbo build). The guy selling the 4.6 98($3k) says it has a stroker kit with 30lb injectors, chio throttle body, has aftermarket 18's, lambo doors, bear 6 pjston and oversized rotors, and comes with a folder full of reciepts of work done and bolt ons added. The 04($2.5k) is mostly stock but except intake and off road x pipe and possibly gears he said(from previous owner). But he said its throwing a code for hot air flow sensor... dont know if he means o2 sensor or maf. He also said steering is loose. The only one i have seen or test drove is the 98 and shes a beast. Got any advice?

 

[Davedacarpainter]

The biggest problem with buying a modified vehicle is that you’re depending on the previous owner not being an idiot.

Sometimes we’ll intentioned builds end up a little funky due to mismatched parts.

Me personally, I don’t like lambo doors, that one would be out. Plus it has six piston Baer brakes? Lots of mods done and selling it for less than the price of the brakes alone? Makes me wonder why it’s so cheap.

Honestly, the ‘04 would be the one I’d check out. Find out what the code is that it’s throwing. If it’s mostly stock, it could have only been hammered on just to stock hard. Better base for your car that way, then you modify it to what you want. Get a code reader and find out what it’s issue is.

The ‘94 doesn’t sound too bad either, no major modifications, just hopping it up a little. It’s a convertible though, you’ll want to check out for stress cracks in a few different places if it’s been beat on a bit.

Kind of depends on the style you like too. I like the edge over the older sn95’s.

They’re all cheap though, I wouldn’t bother with the ‘98. It’s too cheap. Makes me suspicious why he would sell it for that amount.

 

[Cannon77550]

The biggest problem with buying a modified vehicle is that you’re depending on the previous owner not being an idiot.

Sometimes we’ll intentioned builds end up a little funky due to mismatched parts.

Me personally, I don’t like lambo doors, that one would be out. Plus it has six piston Baer brakes? Lots of mods done and selling it for less than the price of the brakes alone? Makes me wonder why it’s so cheap.

Honestly, the ‘04 would be the one I’d check out. Find out what the code is that it’s throwing. If it’s mostly stock, it could have only been hammered on just to stock hard. Better base for your car that way, then you modify it to what you want. Get a code reader and find out what it’s issue is.

The ‘94 doesn’t sound too bad either, no major modifications, just hopping it up a little. It’s a convertible though, you’ll want to check out for stress cracks in a few different places if it’s been beat on a bit.

Kind of depends on the style you like too. I like the edge over the older sn95’s.

They’re all cheap though, I wouldn’t bother with the ‘98. It’s too cheap. Makes me suspicious why he would sell it for that amount.

Im looking for a daily but not trying to make payments or break the bank making it drivable. I really appreciate all of your input. Just dont wanna end up with a 3000 dollar yard ornament lol.

So where should i check on the 94 for stress cracks? A convertible would be nice since i live on an island and all, would make those summer cruises pretty fun. It has 150k on it but the guy that owns it is a mustang guy and has built several over the years and he seems pretty trust worthy. He is also throwing in all the extra parts he has laying around for it. Hood, fender, upper and lower control arms, another intake, an aluminum radiator, and a few other random things. He did say it needs a new tune though, what is that gonna cost me?

The 98, the guy bought it from his buddy cuz his buddies wife didnt want him to have it and he was gonna rob the motor and trans for an old pickup. It does have paperwork to show a rebuilt on the motor in '12 but it has sat for atleast a year that i know of but i suspect longer since it hasnt been registered since '13. Although i have no clue what has happened to it since then. Now he is just trying to get his money back. Or thats the story i was told. I dont think he did any work and his buddy just put the wheels on.

The 04 is pretty rough cosmetically and has 179000 miles. The a/c leaks, and windows dont currently work, big problem in texas lol. He said a hose leaks on the a/c. Although i like the looks of the edge, the miles and issues with a/c and windows worry me along with the loose steering.

Im gonna go try to check out the 94 Wednesday evening. Hopefully this weekend ill be able to check out the 04. Will post in the sn95 forums afterwards.

 

[Cannon77550]

The biggest problem with buying a modified vehicle is that you’re depending on the previous owner not being an idiot.

Sometimes we’ll intentioned builds end up a little funky due to mismatched parts.

Me personally, I don’t like lambo doors, that one would be out. Plus it has six piston Baer brakes? Lots of mods done and selling it for less than the price of the brakes alone? Makes me wonder why it’s so cheap.

Honestly, the ‘04 would be the one I’d check out. Find out what the code is that it’s throwing. If it’s mostly stock, it could have only been hammered on just to stock hard. Better base for your car that way, then you modify it to what you want. Get a code reader and find out what it’s issue is.

The ‘94 doesn’t sound too bad either, no major modifications, just hopping it up a little. It’s a convertible though, you’ll want to check out for stress cracks in a few different places if it’s been beat on a bit.

Kind of depends on the style you like too. I like the edge over the older sn95’s.

They’re all cheap though, I wouldn’t bother with the ‘98. It’s too cheap. Makes me suspicious why he would sell it for that amount.

Im looking for a daily but not trying to make payments or break the bank making it drivable. I really appreciate all of your input. Just dont wanna end up with a 3000 dollar yard ornament lol.

So where should i check on the 94 for stress cracks? A convertible would be nice since i live on an island and all, would make those summer cruises pretty fun. It has 150k on it but the guy that owns it is a mustang guy and has built several over the years and he seems pretty trust worthy. He is also throwing in all the extra parts he has laying around for it. Hood, fender, upper and lower control arms, another intake, an aluminum radiator, and a few other random things. He did say it needs a new tune though, what is that gonna cost me?

The 98, the guy bought it from his buddy cuz his buddies wife didnt want him to have it and he was gonna rob the motor and trans for an old pickup. It does have paperwork to show a rebuilt on the motor in '12 but it has sat for atleast a year that i know of but i suspect longer since it hasnt been registered since '13. Although i have no clue what has happened to it since then. Now he is just trying to get his money back. Or thats the story i was told. I dont think he did any work and his buddy just put the wheels on.

The 04 is pretty rough cosmetically and has 179000 miles. The a/c leaks, and windows dont currently work, big problem in texas lol. He said a hose leaks on the a/c. Although i like the looks of the edge, the miles and issues with a/c and windows worry me along with the loose steering.

Im gonna go try to check out the 94 Wednesday evening. Hopefully this weekend ill be able to check out the 04. Will post in the sn95 forums afterwards.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Let me invite a couple guys here that have convertible and sn95 experience. @mikestang63 @95BlueStallion

They can give you more ideas of things to check on the '94.

 

[mikestang63]

check the following for signs of tearing

• front and rear torque box area
• In and around the shock towers
• floor pans
• door hinges
• inside door jambs
• rocker panels
• inside the trunk

It will be very tough to see with the moldings but you can try and look around the windshield A frame

 

[95BlueStallion]

Can you post up pictures of the cars you are considering, or links to the for sale ads?

The 98 sounds way too modded for the price, and not tastefully done either. That can mean lots of mismatched parts, leading to problems. If you are looking for a daily driver, I would try to find as close to stock as you can. In my opinion, its hard to trust someone else's mods when you need to count on it every day.

@mikestang63 laid out good places to look for problems. Overall you will be able to tell from driving them whether its a POS or decent. I will say this, I personally think a pushrod engine is much easier and cheaper to work on than the modular engines, so I would shoot for a '94-'95 model. Thats just me though.

 

[Cannon77550]

Heres linķ to the 04

https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/d/04-mustang-gt-40th-anniversary/6450530524.html

https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/d/2004-ford-mustang-gt-40th/6437085072.html
Same car two diff adds. Looks rattle canned to me.

Heres the 98. This is the one i went and looked at. It ran pretty good. I dont have any under hood pics of this one. But have a crappy quality vid that ill attach here

View: https://youtu.be/2kDz1b-8j1o

View: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1944804775786294


And this is the 94
Look what I just found on letgo! https://app.letgo.com/k8Mk/yHsGAdCuwJ posted by Jacob

I appreciate the help guys. Just wanna be happy with my cheap purchase lol.

 

[Neuron]

It makes a big difference on purchasing as to whether you can fix the problems yourself. If you can't then I would save up more and get a stock good one and modify later as your budget allows.

 

[RaggedGT]

Kind of depends on the style you like too. I like the edge over the older sn95’s.

Cuts me a little deeper every time you say something like that dave

 

[grumpy150]

Hey guys! Im in Galveston Texas. I fell in love with a buddies '00 vert so i figured since im in the market for a car why not get me a mustang! Im looking at getting a mustang gt on a 3k budget right now. Have my eye on a few and figured i would join here and scan the forums. If anybody has any tips or things to watch out for lemme know. Thanks

Welcome. My only advice is these guys know what there talking about.and they have already givin you great advice. My opion unless that code is a serious issue. I would go 5.0

 

[Cannon77550]

Welcome. My only advice is these guys know what there talking about.and they have already givin you great advice. My opion unless that code is a serious issue. I would go 5.0

Ya I know. Just browsing around here I can tell these guys know their s***. I been looking again. Found a 95 with the 5.0 today. It has an oil leak but I should be able to get that taken care of since he only wants 1500 and I got 3k to spend. Runs good and I don't hear any knocks or ticks. Body's a little rough and has an iffy body kit on it but it looks like it is overlayed ontop of the original bumpers. But it's only got 129k on the odometer. Which is pretty low for what I've found around here in my price range

 

[grumpy150]

Cuts me a little deeper every time you say something like that dave

I agree nothing like a notch. It' just my favorite

 

[mikestang63]

Ya I know. Just browsing around here I can tell these guys know their s***. I been looking again. Found a 95 with the 5.0 today. It has an oil leak but I should be able to get that taken care of since he only wants 1500 and I got 3k to spend. Runs good and I don't hear any knocks or ticks. Body's a little rough and has an iffy body kit on it but it looks like it is overlayed ontop of the original bumpers. But it's only got 129k on the odometer. Which is pretty low for what I've found around here in my price range

go price out the cost of repairing a rear main seal

 

[Cannon77550]

go price out the cost of repairing a rear main seal

From a quick Google search it looks like between 500 and 800 depending on where I take it. Eventually I will have a garage again and be able to do my own repairs but until then... I'll take the hit at a shop. I gotta say though, I'm used working on the f150 I had and the mustangs got a lot less room to work under the hood.