Question about buying a 94/95 GT

[luke_ftw]

I'm in the market for a 94/95 5.0L. These are my main questions:

Purchasing
How much should i be paying for one in good shape with moderate miles?
What are some major trouble areas i should check (i.e. electrical, fuel, accessories, etc)? Every car seems to have some major fault.
How dependable are they overall? My last car was constantly in the shop.

Aftermarket parts
What name brands tend to make better parts? I know a lot of people in my area swear by Edelbrock. I'm pretty clueless as far as V8 performance goes. My last car was an AWD turbo mitsubishi (but high school is over and it's time to move up ).

General modding questions
I hear a lot about X-pipes. What are the advantages or disadvantages of running that sort of exhaust system over true dual exhaust?
Are mustangs "get what you pay for" as far as modding goes? I mean, should i be spending my money on high dollar products or will "normal" give me simular results?

That's about all i can come up with right now. I'm sure i'll have plenty more questions later.

 

[super302]

I'm in the market for a 94/95 5.0L. These are my main questions:

Purchasing
How much should i be paying for one in good shape with moderate miles?
What are some major trouble areas i should check (i.e. electrical, fuel, accessories, etc)? Every car seems to have some major fault.
How dependable are they overall? My last car was constantly in the shop.

Aftermarket parts
What name brands tend to make better parts? I know a lot of people in my area swear by Edelbrock. I'm pretty clueless as far as V8 performance goes. My last car was an AWD turbo mitsubishi (but high school is over and it's time to move up ).

General modding questions
I hear a lot about X-pipes. What are the advantages or disadvantages of running that sort of exhaust system over true dual exhaust?
Are mustangs "get what you pay for" as far as modding goes? I mean, should i be spending my money on high dollar products or will "normal" give me simular results?

That's about all i can come up with right now. I'm sure i'll have plenty more questions later.

First off....welcome to StangNet

-Milage isn't a huge issue, but look for one under 120k for sure
-you can find a 94-95 GT 5spd, all power options for 4500-6000....(i just sold mine for 5350 )
-Some probs=harmonic balancer, crappy idle quality, throw out bearing squeel.
-brand names usually depend on the product (intakes=Trick flow, cobra, Edelbrock)....BTW-the stock intake manifold BLOWS!!!!


If i were you i would look for a mustang that atleast has aftermarket gears in it, save yourself some time and money

A GREAT place to loook for a car is corral.net then go to the classifieds section

good luck on your purchase and be sure to post pictures up when you get it

ALSO (very important) DO NOT GET AN AUTOMATIC, THEY BLOW BIG TIME

-Patrick

 

[Scot_94GT]

I would say a 5.0L is one of the most dependable performance cars you can buy. My parrents had a 5.0L powered 92' Cougar, annd it went way past 100k with no problems at all. There are plenty of mustang guys that have a 150k plus mile car than they beat the piss out of, and the engine just keeps on keepin' on. The only thing that seems to be a plague to the 5.0L is the rear main seal. It seems like everyone's leaks at one time or another....but remember...it's a RWD car, so it will be much easier to change than your AWD car was.

As far as parts...well...the only problem you will have is deciding which parts to buy. The aftermarket for the 5.0L is bigger than any other specific engine. You'd be better off doing searches on here, and on the Corral for each individual item you have in mind, since there are some people here who could probbably write a book about each part. I'd say "you get what you pay for" holds pretty much true though...as it is in most aspects of commerce.

And BTW...an x-pipe is true dual. If you look at some pics of an x-pipe vs. a h-pipe you will understand. And like I said before...you could write a college thesis on the pros/cons of h-pipes vs. x-pipes. I'm no expert on them but I from what I've heard, x-pipes have a slightly more "smooth" exhaust sound Vs. the h-pipes slightly more agressive/abrasive sound...that and x-pipes are supposed to make a couple more HP, but the difference isn't that big.

 

[greenlantern]

The only problem I can pass along to you about the 94-95 Mustang is the computer. As soon as you start doing intake or fuel mods your idle is going to go to hell in a hand basket, computers where horrible in those two years. Before you start doing any mods in these two areas consider doing some sort of mod to address the computer issue.

 

[tderrick]

Welcome to the game, baby!

The 5.0 is the best bang for the buck known to man...

The 94-95 is the pinnacle of Fox Mustangs (Fox 4 / SN95). Superior in most every way. Especially comfort.

I would suggest finding one from an older gentleman that is BONE STOCK.

I repeat BONE STOCK . You can't hurt the 5.0 motor in the stock condition. You also know it probably hasn't been run hard. If a car has gears,heads intake etc.
IT WAS RUN HARD. That's why someone builds a motor.

Search online for pictures of the stock engine bay and memorize it.

The only chronic problem with Windsor motors is the rear main seal. They have ALWAYS leaked. From the 1960s on. No big deal. You're a young guy, get a 5 speed/stick car and learn to pull the Trans and fix the Rear main / clutch stuff your self. You can do it easily with a buddy, a jack and some beer ...

I have had zero problems with my '95GT ( except the rear main, of course) . They will bury me in it

 

[luke_ftw]

good info guys. how much does it cost to replace the rear main seal (excluding labor)?

Also, what mods would i need to do to keep my ECU from freaking when i do air/fuel mods?
Can i get anymore information on x-pipe vs h-pipe?

 

[DFG 5OH]

well searching would help you out a lot...on here...or on corral.net, or GOOGLE.

 

[tderrick]

good info guys. how much does it cost to replace the rear main seal (excluding labor)?

Also, what mods would i need to do to keep my ECU from freaking when i do air/fuel mods?
Can i get anymore information on x-pipe vs h-pipe?

Seals are cheap ... $10-20

If your going to mod, do it right and buy a cheap laptop and a Tweecer RT tuner. That way, you can keep track of exacly what's going on.

Don't let the racing freaks scare you about our computer. With a Tweecer, it's fine.

X pipe = more exotic, raspy sound
H pipe = classic rumble, beefy sound

Mac pro chamber = perhaps best of both...

 

[ProKiller]

do a search on here about the x vs. h pipe discussion. its been beat to death.

IMO, get something that already has some mods done to it. I've done both now. My first car was bone stock only 27k miles, and i had to put sooo much money into it just to get anywhere near some of the guys on here. and if you still in school, you won't have a lot of money to do all the stuff.

I got the car i have now with pretty much everything you see listed done already. Much better buy for the few problems that came with it.

all in all, its cheaper to get the mods when you buy the car than doing it yourself.

price varies on what is all done to the car and the location. some people have paid 4 grand for theirs and thats the going rate, others paid 9k and thats a deal.

and either tweecer or a dyno tune usually fixes the idle problems.

 

[wrecked98]

Welcome!!
I just bought a 94GT with 134K miles on it for $3900. Yes the miles are up there but the car runs great. one way to tell if the motor in a car u are driving is getting tired is to test drive as many of the same type of cars as you possibly can. I think I test drive 6 5.0L stangs before I got this one. when looking for a car also make sure to check all the fluids and filter and if possible see if the owner will let you take the car to a shop to get checked out. You can get it checked out by a mechanic for as little as $50 so shop around.

Where do you live. I love helping people find cars! If you live in the portland/metro area I will keep an eye out for you.

-Tony

 

[94GT40]

I'm in the market for a 94/95 5.0L. These are my main questions:

Purchasing
How much should i be paying for one in good shape with moderate miles?
What are some major trouble areas i should check (i.e. electrical, fuel, accessories, etc)? Every car seems to have some major fault.
How dependable are they overall? My last car was constantly in the shop.

Aftermarket parts
What name brands tend to make better parts? I know a lot of people in my area swear by Edelbrock. I'm pretty clueless as far as V8 performance goes. My last car was an AWD turbo mitsubishi (but high school is over and it's time to move up ).

General modding questions
I hear a lot about X-pipes. What are the advantages or disadvantages of running that sort of exhaust system over true dual exhaust?
Are mustangs "get what you pay for" as far as modding goes? I mean, should i be spending my money on high dollar products or will "normal" give me simular results?

That's about all i can come up with right now. I'm sure i'll have plenty more questions later.

If the car is well maintained the milage is not an issue. I know of local guys around here that have stock bottom ends with over 200k miles and they are supercharged, weekend racers and daily drivers.

I paid $3000 for mine. Lower milage ones can be purchased for around $5000 in nice condition. There are quite a few for sale so shop around and test drive many. Don't get in a hurry and you can find a good deal on a nice car.

It was expertly maintained and is very nice for the year. Mine is stock [Actually haveing a custom "X" pipe installed today] and it has 189k miles on it and it puts out 10 more horsepower than it was rated stock. It is a daily driver and I am currently driving it back and forth to the plant everyday over 100 miles. It uses no oil and over the next few weeks I am adding an intake, heads, RR's, headers, etc...

Two things about buying with mods vs no mods. A stocker allows you do do all of the mods yourself and perhaps lessens the probility that the car was raced. A modded car while increasing the chance that it was raced, also increases the chance that the person really loved the car and took care of it. Also you can save money on mods by purchasing them with the car as opposed to doing them yourself. When buying a modded car try to be sure that the mods were done well. Also get a list of the mods and price them for yourself to give you an idea as to the extra value you are buying with the car.