Prospective stang buyer needs advice!

[nantucket]

first time mustang buyer, first time poster here at :SNSign: ! i've been browsing craigslist for a while now, and i found a 65' mustang listed at $7750. the description and pictures are below.

"1965 Ford Mustang coupe, Light blue, w/ blue vinyl interior, 200 cubic inch straight 6 engine which was rebuilt approx 15,000 miles ago. Engine runs perfect starts up 1st turn everytime(I would not hesitate to hop in this car and drive it to California tomorrow), no fluid leaks. This Mustang was in California from 1965-2003, its has been garaged since being brought up North. It has never been driven in the rain nor snow since being here. This car is rust and bondo free from top to bottom. Work done over the past year has been: new tires, new exhaust, new ball joints, tie rods, brake drums and pads, new front windshield. If you are looking for a Mustang to fix up look elsewhere, if you are looking for a Mustang ready to be driven, this is the one for you."

[Pics below]

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/7710/nnfjhylvfwedlcoddsqgvvrte5.jpg
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1963/geof4smqwgznat3uaurihwyyy3.jpg
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/4131/ekmfngiyn1cnarcndkpknghwh3.jpg

i'd like some first responses to this post specifically, but more over if you could help me out with some general concerns when buying a classic mustang (65-66 in particular i guess). What is known to go wrong? (e.g. breaks, tranny, whatever). Do you think i'd be happy with the 6? or is the v8 pretty much the best thing ever.

If i can get any help/advice in this department i'd greatly appreciate it. I look forward to reading and posting more in the future.

 

[BB1966]

First welcome to Stangnet!! Second are you going to hot rod it or leave it asis?? If you are going to hot rod it I would say find one that is already like you want it. You may have to look but you may spend less in the long run. Also that car had better be the "rust/Bondo free" (perfect) it says it is for that $$ (My .02)!!
The main thing to look for is RUST these cars are not on the Bondo can for no reason!!! The cowl (under the dash where the vents come inside) is the hardest to fix look there first.

 

[zookeeper]

If it were me, I'd put the condition of the car (as in rust) first and the engine and drivetrain second. Finding a rust-free car is so hard and so important that in all honesty it's the only real thing to worry about. All the mechanicals can be fixed or changed to suit your taste and desires later, but get a rusty foundation and nothing else really matters. If you wany to see the real condition of the car, look under the dash, not mucj was ever painted under there from the factory, so if the car sat outside for a long period, that's where it'll show. Also check under the car, looking mostly at the floorpans. They were only primered when new so they show rust easily, but also look for rusty or repaired floorpans, wrinkled metal (evidence of past wrecks) and/or baling wire fixes. A little detective work is needed sometimes to keep from being sorry later, so be thorough and don't get emotionally attached to the car just yet, there's lots of time for that later.
Also, keep in mind the general condition of the car and what it would take to make it perfect. For instance, how is the paint? It looks like it either needs a repaint or the picture is fuzzy. If it need paint, and you can't do it yourself, you could be looking at anywhere from $2500 to $5000 to get the car painted. Now you're into the car for over $10,000, is it worth that? Could you have bought a nicer car for $10,000? There is no right answer, and I can understand buying a fixer-upper and making it perfect as time and money allow. After all, I paid $7,200 for my car as a very nice, driver-quality original with every intention of building it my way. But be aware of what the car really needs to be perfect in your eyes. For instance, maybe after buying the car and driving it for a couple years, you decide it needs paint. When you reassemble the car, you notice the chrome trim looks dull compared to the fresh paint, so you buy new bumpers, emblems and have the stainless stuff buffed at the chrome shop. Then you decide the interior looks bad now that everything else is new, so there goes another $1000 on all new seats and carpets. To most of us, that's all part of the fun, but to other (as in normal) people, they just don't see the fun in it and instead buy a new car and foregt it. But there is nothing, and I mean nothing that compares with getting up early on a saturday morning and taking a drive in a vintage car of any kind. It's good enough to almost make you forget what you went through to get it...

 

[rbohm]

i'd like some first responses to this post specifically, but more over if you could help me out with some general concerns when buying a classic mustang (65-66 in particular i guess). What is known to go wrong? (e.g. breaks, tranny, whatever). Do you think i'd be happy with the 6? or is the v8 pretty much the best thing ever.

the stock six does leave a little to be desired for performance work, but for a daily driver it is a nice engine. the automatic makes things easier to drive as well. you can hop up the six if you feel you need a bit more power. if you think a V8 is what you want, buy one with a V8 in the car already as you will spend a bunch of money and time swapping everything out to V8 specs.

my first recommendation is to replace the stock load-o-matic dist for one from a 75-83 200/3.3l duraspark dist, and hook it to a chrysler ignition box and msd blaster 3 coil. that combination works great in my 66 falcon.

 

[BB1966]

My point was why buy a car you will throw half of away if you hot rod it?? Buy this one and keep it like it is or spend your $ on a nice body to build like you want it . All depends what you want for a Mustang.

 

[krash kendall]

Did anybody else notice the rare factory bench seat in it? If the photos and the description of the car along with the list of what has been replaced can be taken at face value, then that is fairly good price for an original rust free car. However, if you are new to the classics then find somebody knowlegeable and unbiased in your area to come inspect it with you. You could easily find somebody helpfull on this site to help you if you are serious about looking at the car. It says it was brought up north - whereabouts is it?