Thinking of buying a Mystic '96

[callmedrlove]

Hi, I'm thinking of buying a 1996 Mystic Cobra with 125,000 miles on it. The only problem is that the one I'm looking at has a rebuilt title. It was originally wrecked with around 30,000 miles on it and was rebuilt. Since then it's obviously put quite a few miles on it. The car is in really good condition other than a couple tiny paint chips and one scratch. Interior is good. It has a lot of modifications, like Cobra type R wheels, X pipes, and some others. My question is, how much is this car worth with a rebuilt title? The guy is asking 6500, I'm just curious what's a fair price. Thanks!

 

[CobraRed_96_GT]

the engine was rebuilt and on top of that it has 125k miles? id buy something w/ less milage. Or save you money for a 99+. The heads/cams/ and intake manifold of the 96-98 is less than optimal compared to 99 and 00+. I got my GT w/ about 79k miles for 7k. But it was in perfect condition

 

[DropTopPony]

Its a Mystic so it holds some value...I see them going for 9-10k but its not a good title...offer 5k it can't hurt.

 

[callmedrlove]

Thanks for the fast replies, I appreciate the input. As for the first response, I'm kind of a noob when it comes to cars. I didn't realize that a rebuilt title necessarily meant the engine was rebuilt. The car was wrecked at around 30k miles and totaled, then rebuilt. Is it possible that enough damage was done to the rest of the car (i.e. the frame) that it was considered totaled and thus got a rebuilt title after being repaired? Also, does it matter that the guy is throwing in a quart of the Mystic paint, a car cover, and a set of x pipes with cats? I don't know car jargon very well (actually had a friend come with me because he knows much more than I do) but I've really gotten interested in cars lately and figured there's no better place to learn than by buying one. Also the engine still had the sticker on it saying when and who it was made by, don't know if that's an indicator that it's the original engine or what. If it would help I have a few pictures I took on my cell phone I could probably upload. Not very high resolution, 1.3 megapixels, but it's something. Also the guy said something about 96 mustang's being prone to overheating so he had some kind of special radiator or something like that, and also a short throw shifter and a new clutch. That's all I can remember right now, thanks a ton guys I really appreciate you helping a noob like myself, and bear with me if I say something that doesn't make sense

 

[callmedrlove]

Should have mentioned this before, but I forgot to ask. Is there any way to make sure this is a real Mystic Cobra? I mean, i know it's a cobra from the CarFax check on the VIN. But is it possible for someone to have bought a regular cobra and painted it Mystic? It certainly looks like the pictures I've seen, and I don't even know if that's possible, I was just wondering.

 

[Dragstr05]

Should have mentioned this before, but I forgot to ask. Is there any way to make sure this is a real Mystic Cobra? I mean, i know it's a cobra from the CarFax check on the VIN. But is it possible for someone to have bought a regular cobra and painted it Mystic? It certainly looks like the pictures I've seen, and I don't even know if that's possible, I was just wondering.

Not if its legit OEM mystic paint. For the 96 mystic cobra you could only get the paint if you could provide proof that you owned one and reason for needing the paint. Reason being the paint was used for counterfeiting money. The 04 mystic paint isnt the same.

125k miles isnt necessarily "bad". There is alot that goes into it. If you played it out right, inspected it really well, then you should be ok. As far as I'm concerned, if the frame isnt damaged in an accident, than for the most part it can be returned to the point where damage wouldnt even be noticeable. There are however good repairs, and bad ones. Obviously, the want factor goes into it being a cobra and on top of that a mystic. If I were in the market, I'd take it, provided all precautions are taken.

 

[04YELLOWGT]

A guy in town has a mystic and Im not even a fan of that body style but damn I love that car.

As far as the paint goes, if the car has been totaled that be a pretty good reason for Ford to sell it to you. He might have just had a little extra left over.

I do some checking around, find out who fixed it if you can. Also I would go take it on a pretty long drive to see if you can feel or hear any problems. The miles would kinda scare me too by just low ball and see where it gets you. You might be driving home a sweet ass Cobra!

 

[CobraRed_96_GT]

when u take it our for a drive, open the driver's door and look at the white label covered in plastic at the bootom of the jam and write down the number it says. Then post it here and we can tell you if it was a natural mystic

 

[jefferz]

According to the Yellow Mustang Registry, the Mystic Paint Code is LF

http://www.yellowmustangregistry.com/Production96.html

 

[bradvols]

As far as checking damage carfax it, see if you can find the owner at the time (if it wasn't the seller) and see what the damage was. These days insurance companies tend to total on what is repairable damage instead of paying to fix. As long as it was repaired well it should be allright, will never have the value of a non-rebuilt title mystic. Wave $5g under his nose and see if he bites.

 

[callmedrlove]

First of all, I want to say thanks again to everybody. I really appreciate the advice. I had already found the paint code for Mystic, I just didn't know where to look for it on the car, so I'll check in the door jamb. Also, I don't know who the original owner was but the person I'm buying the car from said that he knew the car had been wrecked by the first owner. The first guy hit a guard rail he said. I don't know who did the repair either, but I'm going to get it checked out by a mechanic before I buy. Again thanks for all the prompt help, it's been really useful.