Hi,
I am looking at purchasing a "new" (used) car - mustang 2004 convertible. Told the woman I'd give her a call today letting her know my decision (so please reply today if you can, thanks!). Took it for a test drive, overall seemed to be okay, but:
a) Seemed to 'drift' slightly (like maybe 1-2 degrees) when turning left/right. (I.e., didn't seem to "grip"/"hug" the road like other cars, but seemed to be slightly 'loose'). Noticed the tires were almost worn down, not sure if that was it (no snow on the ground, but cold pavement). Found out later that the car had two accidents, once a minor fender bender in the rear, second was more serious in the front right part. Everything apparently replaced with OEM parts, but not sure if this would have caused structural damage to the chassis (she said no/that the mechanic said no, and replaced/fixed what was necessary).
b) Popped the hood - coolant reservoir was near empty. Asked owner about it - she said it's fine/normally like that. (Big white canister in the front, maybe 5% full at the very bottom). Is her statement accurate? Didn't know this was related (until did a google search) - but there was white smoke coming out the exhaust - although I don't know for how long (I didn't pay attention to that) - might have been 10-15 seconds, or might have been consistent. (It was parked/while running).
So my questions:
a) Is there actually some kind of coolant leak based on my description? Or is having a low resevoir normal for a mustang?
b) Is there 'potentially' a serious issue with the car 'if' it ever had a fender bender in the future structurally? (Right front was bashed in, so front panel/lights/etc were replaced).
c) What would you offer to buy it? She was asking about $8k.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
I am looking at purchasing a "new" (used) car - mustang 2004 convertible. Told the woman I'd give her a call today letting her know my decision (so please reply today if you can, thanks!). Took it for a test drive, overall seemed to be okay, but:
a) Seemed to 'drift' slightly (like maybe 1-2 degrees) when turning left/right. (I.e., didn't seem to "grip"/"hug" the road like other cars, but seemed to be slightly 'loose'). Noticed the tires were almost worn down, not sure if that was it (no snow on the ground, but cold pavement). Found out later that the car had two accidents, once a minor fender bender in the rear, second was more serious in the front right part. Everything apparently replaced with OEM parts, but not sure if this would have caused structural damage to the chassis (she said no/that the mechanic said no, and replaced/fixed what was necessary).
b) Popped the hood - coolant reservoir was near empty. Asked owner about it - she said it's fine/normally like that. (Big white canister in the front, maybe 5% full at the very bottom). Is her statement accurate? Didn't know this was related (until did a google search) - but there was white smoke coming out the exhaust - although I don't know for how long (I didn't pay attention to that) - might have been 10-15 seconds, or might have been consistent. (It was parked/while running).
So my questions:
a) Is there actually some kind of coolant leak based on my description? Or is having a low resevoir normal for a mustang?
b) Is there 'potentially' a serious issue with the car 'if' it ever had a fender bender in the future structurally? (Right front was bashed in, so front panel/lights/etc were replaced).
c) What would you offer to buy it? She was asking about $8k.
Thanks for any help you can offer!