What to look for?

[PFA]

Kind of new here... looking for some input.
I'm looking to buy a 94-98 Mustang GT conv. this week.
What things should I look for when looking at these? Where do they rust out at? What about suspension? Any frame issues?
I'm not real particular on the 5.0 or 4.6 so either will do. Is one worse than the other? I plan on looking at one of each this week.

Any help here would be appreciated. I just don't want to get burned here.

Thanks!!

 

[robmac36067]

well parts for the

5.0 are a good bit cheaper and easier to come by than 4.6 parts, I have a 98 gt convertible, things you may wanna check is the rear window, see if it leaks because that is a common thing, I can't really help you on rust as cars don't rust out much down here, check under the car for salt damage, other than that man these cars are fairly is great shape...but then again mine only had 56,000 miles when i bought it so everything was in pretty good shape.

4.6 or 5.0 doesn't really matter the 98 gt has 10 more hp than the 94-97's and I believe 5-10 more ftlbs torque.....many people will say blah blah get a 99-04 cause they have more power.....just get cams from a 99-04 and the 99-04 intake manifold and you can pretty much keep up with the 99-04's.

 

[ran260gt]

Look past the 94-98 and get a 99+ , for the price of the car and extra price of doing a PI swap you can get a nice 99+ and be done with it !

 

[SjStang00]

Look past the 94-98 and get a 99+ , for the price of the car and extra price of doing a PI swap you can get a nice 99+ and be done with it !

I agree, the 99-04 are, in opinion, the best ones. You can also get a vert too for a good price.

 

[ninjastang125]

I like the style of the 94-98 cars and if the performance is what your after in that body I would get the 96-98 cobra (best looking sn95 mustang)

 

[robmac36067]

lol

see I told you.......honestly a pi cam/intake swap is not that hard plus the 94-98's look better.

 

[Ponyup1]

see I told you.......honestly a pi cam/intake swap is not that hard plus the 94-98's look better.

I agree the 94-98 SN95 body style is the best looking in my opinion.
Just make sure the body lines match up and check under the car
for any big time rust.Make sure you get a Carfax to uncover the
vehicles history.I found in my experience that the 4.6L engine can
be more dependable and reliable.Taxi cab companys are getting
400-500K miles out of 4.6L engines before they need a rebuild.
The resale value is also higher on the 96-04 4.6L mustangs than
the 94-95 5.0 mustangs.The PI headswap or PI intake/cam swap
is also pretty easy just time consuming really.The suspension on
mustangs are not like a Cadillac they are not completely quiet.
If you purchase a 94-98 Convertible make subframe connectors
your first modification as it will take away the squeaks/noises and body roll
that all convertibles have.I never heard of any frame issues with these cars either.Just as long as you do your proper maintenance your mustang will last.

 

[Shiroelex]

The thing I look at first on most used Mustangs is the torque boxes. If they tear bad enough, the car might as well be considered totaled. Personally, if I were to build a 94-98 body style SN95, I would grab a 94-95 for the 5.0. From my past experiences in building up engines, the 5.0 is much cheaper and easier to get power from.