Please help me decide to buy this or not

[ahhjaws]

Hey, I have always wanted a Mustang, any type, and year. Well, I came across this repo'd one today. It's a '97 Boss Mustang. 4.6L 5 speed, 116,000 miles, but I don't know if the previous owner did any other modifications (he had NOS system installed but took someof it). Was that a good year? Is the 4.6L a good engine? Any pros/cons do you think? Thanks a lot!

 

[Sleepy1]

It depends on the asking price. The 96-98 mustangs didn't have the new and improved heads that give the 99+ mustangs the 40hp increase. I personally would be shy to buy a car that someone was running nitrous on. You don't know what they did to it...and engine damage could be extensive. I also don't care for that sticker package...I prefer the sleeper look. I don't know what your price range is, but I'm sure you could find a better deal out there.

 

[Sam98]

They are good cars if you can get a reasonable price on it, but they only have 215 HP stock compared to 260 HP for the 99 and newer GT. I have been very happy with mine, particularly since I installed the blower...

 

[ahhjaws]

Yeah, that NOS got me worried too. I'm going to get it checked out by a couple good friend mechanics to see if there is any damage. I'm definately not an expert, but it looks like it was kept in extremely good condition. I'll have more info tomorrow. Asking price is 7500. How hard would it be to swap in the newer heads? (if it wasn't done already, which could have been)

EDIT: Also, how hard would it be to remove the stickers? I don't really like them, nor really care if they are on.

 

[Isaac-1]

I would also be worried about any internal engine damage, its hard to tell without pulling the heads. Given the combination of NOS and miles, I would not buy it unless I had the money to replace the engine. Assuming the graphics have been on there since the car was new, if you remove them you will never get rid of the discoloration in the paid where it was exposed to the sun vs. where it has been protected.

 

[JonJon]

I'm sorry, unless it's a -crazy- good deal, I wouldn't get a car with BOSS stickers and clear tail lights.
Oh, flaming pony too.

 

[ahhjaws]

Next question, if the engine turns out to be fine, do you think I should. Still has a lot of miles, but it "looks" in good condition. We'll tear it apart tomorrow.

An the clears are probably leaving.

 

[jrc_03_gt]

It depends who put the 116,000 miles on it . Im guessing it was not grandma.

 

[decoy562]

I would personally wait, there are cars in better shape out there.

 

[Wills Black 98]

look around and you can find a better deal than that one. especially if you dont like many of the things on it...

 

[Sam98]

It depends who put the 116,000 miles on it . Im guessing it was not grandma.

The mileage isn't really a problem, the 4.6L routinely hits the 200K mark if properly maintained and not overtly abused. You may get a better deal if you express the concerns here about the motor, potential past abuse, etc. I would be far more concerned about rust and accidents because people who mod their cars like us, usually take good care of them (even if they romp on them occasionally)...

Good luck, it looks like a good car if you don't mind the possibility of having to replace the motor down the road...

 

[Screwed2V]

Run away from it. And be careful to call any late model mustang a "Boss". They're only stickers.

 

[menasci]

Run away from it. And be careful to call any late model mustang a "Boss". They're only stickers.

 

[ahhjaws]

Well, I ran a carfax on it, and everything checked out. It looks like there were 2 owners, and the the guy who put in the NOS and mods only had it for about 15,000 miles. The first owner registered it as a fleet vehicle, so I'm guessing he just used it for travelling with a business, and thats where the miles added up. But I'm checking the engine out more in just a little bit. If anything (if the other guy hadn't already) I'll swap in the +99 heads since that is what everyone says is wrong with that year.

 

[dorock]

I say buy it does the engine knock or smoke another thing you can do take it to high rpm almost totherevlimiter listen for any knocking and use a peice of white paper behind the exhust while at full throttle to see if any oil is discharging from the exhaust check for oil leaks and pull out one of the spark plugs and see if they have been fouled good luck

 

[Sam98]

Well, I ran a carfax on it, and everything checked out. It looks like there were 2 owners, and the the guy who put in the NOS and mods only had it for about 15,000 miles. The first owner registered it as a fleet vehicle, so I'm guessing he just used it for travelling with a business, and thats where the miles added up. But I'm checking the engine out more in just a little bit. If anything (if the other guy hadn't already) I'll swap in the +99 heads since that is what everyone says is wrong with that year.

Fleet registration typically means the car was originally leased, used as a rental, or could have been a company car. So you are saying from 101,000-116,000 the car potentially had NOS? I'd be wary about the motor/transmission if that is the case. Even so, if you can get a bargain...go for it.

 

[01GT eibach]

Run away from it. And be careful to call any late model mustang a "Boss". They're only stickers.

Exactly, late-model Boss Mustangs are an embarrasing nod to the awesome Boss Mustangs of the late '60's and very early '70's. They try to make themselves out as being credible like a Steeda or Saleen car, but they are usually at best a MOUNTAIN of stickers with MAYBE a new catback.

Monty Python voice: run away, run away...

 

[ahhjaws]

Well, we checked it over and still need to run some tests and things tomorrow. From what we can tell, there was no NOS hooked up at all. So there was a little misinformation I got. There is just a couple switches that anyone could have put in. As far as the BOSS goes, I really was just looking for a GT when I ran across this. I would take the decals off, but I would think they would leave a mark. There are some mods additions to the engine that I really like so I think I'll go ahead and see if I can get it.

 

[Wills Black 98]

mac? intake
Steeda Timing Adjuster possibly pulleys also.
C/C plates, possibly springs also
i see also a wiring for an amp, so an aftermarket system was probably installed?

are you 100% sure there wasent NOS at one time?

 

[ahhjaws]

I'm not 100% sure, but we couldn't find any lines elsewhere. And the tech said that if there was NOS, then he'd only be able to get a very small shot of it at any time, so the likelyhood of him using it alot wouldn't be that great.