What To Do....need Some Opinions

88stang88

5 Year Member
Apr 28, 2005
310
7
39
St. Louis,MO
Hey its been awhile since I have been on here.

Sold the 95 Gt back in December due to a hail storm that pretty much totaled out.

Anyways I have been driving around my 2000 Silverado and been feeling like a have a piece of me missing.

Guy I know has a 94 Cobra that needs some tlc that wants to do a heads up trade.

Car needs ball joints,headlight switch,clear coat is peeling (but no rust),and front seats are toast.

It has full exhaust,b&m short throw,new hid headlights, and the ac works.

My Silverado is a 2wd ext cab 4.8. Manual everything.

Im between a rock and a hard place with myself on making this decision and could use a neutral opinion. KBB is almost identical for both vehicles so the value is similar.

Made a pros and cons with both vehicles. I am going to be losing the ability to haul stuff and the extra seating from my truck and maybe some reliability of the vehicles.

With that being said I used my 95 gt as a everyday driver and know the risks and responsibility of owning a sports car and the required maintenance to keep it running right.

The only problem pulling the trigger currently is my desire to have a stang right now. Half of me is saying pass and just outright buy one down the road whenever I come across a good deal.

Opinions are welcome!
 
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Do you have the money to buy one outright? If so, is your buddy's the best deal you can find?

Put another way: pretend for a minute that you sold your truck right now for cash, at a REASONABLE price. Scan C-list for all the Stangs for sale. Would you buy any of them over your buddy's car? If you pick his car as the best option, would you be happy to part with every $1 in your pocket from selling your truck, to buy his car? Even if it was from someone you didn't know?

Finally, are you happy enough with the buddy deal that when you discover hidden damage in the Cobra, that you won't be pissed at your buddy, even if you knew he knew, and failed to disclose? I'm thinking like a blown head gasket that was "fixed" with Bars Leak" or worn rings fixed with motor honey?

If all of that feels good, then wait tip tomorrow, ask again, and if you get the same answer, go for it.
 
This is why I asked for some opinions. I know that personal feelings and being blinded by desire will cause you not to think things thru fully.

Husky you could not have said it any better. I appreciate the honest opinion.

I talked to the guy earlier and looked it over another time and found some small things and advised him to correct them. I have not made a decision but I am definitely looking into whats available. Just from looking on CL the cheapest cobra in similar condition is asking 6800 and needs a motor. (Obviously that guy will never sell the car)

So for the small things that need done like ball joints,seats,head light switch,clear coat....it doesn't seem to be a terrible trade off.

The expensive end of this would be the paint repair or repainting this unless the motor were to blow...but even then its fixable.

Great part of being a 5.0 is you can rebuild for reasonable price.

I suppose its going to be a matter of sleeping on it some more and weighing the opinions out.
 
First off, I am sorry this got so long ;) I don't want to push you one way or another, but let me tell you why I wouldn't trade my '94 Stang for a 2000 Silverado (in any condition)...

Four years ago I bought a 2005 Monte Carlo for my wife who was supposed to make the payments but never did (of course). It was purchased to help build my credit up enough to buy a house so I didn't complain about having to pay for it. For 4 years I felt miserable. I am a car guy and I was driving a car I absolutely hated. I think I changed the oil once. I never vacuumed it. I gave it one bath the whole time I owned it. Having just paid it off a few months ago I have been on the lookout for a nice Mustang. A couple weeks ago I found my 94 Convertible which I immediately fell in love with. I sold the Monte cheap just so I didn't have to look at it any more. So think about that. I was driving a relatively nice 2005 Monte, and now I am driving a 94 Mustang. And I am soooo much happier.

My Mustang needs some work. But it is a solid car that hasn't been messed with too much. I put it on a lift and gave it a good look to see what might have been done. The underside is fairly clean and for the most part rust free. It has Ford springs (B's I am assuming), Tokico shocks, a BBK catted X pipe, and Flowmaster mufflers welded into the stock cat-back. It also has a Pro 5.0 shifter and an adjustable quadrant and cable. Other than that it is untouched.

There are some dents and dings that need repaired before it gets a full paint job. It needs new headlights. The interior and engine compartment showed signs of being driven down a dirt road quite a bit. But I am slowly getting that cleaned up piece by piece. Every day I clean and or modify something on the car. Today I just finished recovering my Mach 460 speaker covers which is a fun and easy little project. I also pulled the stereo and dash bezel and cleaned it all up. I also installed a nicer climate control panel that wasn't as faded.

The point of my story is I spent 4 years unhappy about the car I was driving. Having my 94 sitting out there in the driveway has changed me in a lot of ways. So if you are in the same situation as me consider what owning a Mustang again might be like. I have owned a dozen or so Mustangs over the past 25 years and not having one really sucks. I won't go there again.
 
Well I took a couple days to think this one thru fully and im still on the fence. I have come to conclusion that I cannot have the best of both worlds yet. The wife said she didn't care it was whatever makes me happy and if I am not happy she wont be happy and doesn't want to listen to me talk about what ifs. I am going to go ahead and trade and just buy a new truck at the end of the year. Might as well have a brand newish truck and have a decent cobra that I can put some hobby time into.
 
Cool! Now, don't look back. If it's a good decision today, then it was a good decision, even if some things don't go exactly as planned, although that almost never happens with old cars.:O_o:

pics?
 
Heart attack? Anxiety? Come on, fill us in! Really hope it's nothing serious.

Congrats man. If Kelly BB said they were equally valued don't sweat your decision.

Get the ball joints replaced and while you're at it throw on some springs and shocks. Koni Sport Yellows are the bomb man. At full soft they aren't bad at all. Crank em 5 turns and hang on! ;)
 
I recommend you read this...
http://www.kennybrown.com/kb101

I agree with the information there that you need to have a good idea where you want to go with the car before you start buying suspension components. Do a little research, make a plan, start with the chassis.

Lowering the car requires a bit of thought. I don't like to just slap some random springs and shocks on my car. I would recommend you at least buy spring, struts/shocks, and caster-camber plates. Have your car aligned after lowering.

I suggested the Koni Sports because not only does Griggs use them, but I remember back in the day Kenny Brown installed them with some of his setups. I had them on my 90. Everyone that rode in my car said it felt like a go-kart. You can't adjust the rears without pulling them off the car, but the fronts you could pop the hood and give them a turn and really make a difference in the way the car handled. You can pick up a set of the Sport struts and shocks for around $600 shipped. I would recommend using them with a specific rate spring such as the Ford C's. Just a heads up - this strut/shock and spring combo will give you a firmer ride. You will be swerving the pot-holes. But I loved it.

What do you plan to do with the car? Autocross? Track day events? Or just a daily driver?
 
Ha and the ideas start to fly!

Car needs to be restored to say the least.

Needs:
Ball joints
Seats
Paint
and a ton of small stuff (ie. key fobs,new keys for doors and trunk,headlamp switch,couple pieces interior wise need replaced like driver side insert where the lock and window switch is at has a broken clip,could use new carpet but will work for now)

Will def be a dd but the occasional trip to the track with a run or two might be a option. No autocrossing for me,don't think the wife and kids would enjoy a roll cage!

I know all about having the plan in place before spending money on components! Learned that from my last one, bought a tf top end and couldn't make up my mind with all supporting elements. Ended up with a stock 5.0 when it was all said and done.

Right now I just want to get it safe and riding better. Then worry about making it look good. Already sounds great and runs strong but may need some tires and def a alignment before running down the track.
 
Tomorrow morning I plan on going out early and washing it and detailing it. I expect to find a ton of other small stuff I need to replace along the way but thats the fun of getting a new/used car. Better to make a list and start scratching them off one by one.
 
Let the fun begin huh? ;)

It sounds like a trip to the local junk yard may be in order. I am fortunate and have a pick-a-part near me. I pay my $2 entry fee then get to browse around and snag whatever parts I want. And the prices are really cheap. I am currently in the same situation as you. I just bought my 94 and am still yanking stuff off the car to clean underneath of it. I have my rear interior quarter panels off now waiting to get the speaker grills recovered. My wife just bought a Stang 2 days ago and I haven't been able to touch mine since.

You don't have to have a roll cage for autocross racing as far as I know. At least some of the guys I saw running around the parking lot here in Indy didn't have them.

Anyway, the Koni's are more for carving the corners. If that's not your game you may want to look at other options.