Members guitarbilly74 Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 A friend of a friend is trying to sell a 1996 Mustang - I don't think it's the GT or the Cobra just the std- for $1500 and he's willing to take the $1000 I have and the other $500 in 2 payments. To me, it sounds like a good deal because at the moment I can't really afford a bunch of car payments, but is this a good car?? I am mainly concerned about reliability, I don't want to have a car the is known to be unreliable. People bash American cars all the time but I had a '93 Saturn for well over 10 years with minimum problems. What do you guys think?? yay or nay?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members White_Van Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 That's really cheap, it has to have something wrong with it to be going for that much money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted August 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 That's really cheap, it has to have something wrong with it to be going for that much money. Well he wasn't really trying to sell it or really needs the money, he's kind of a rich guy and had the car just sitting there along with a brand new corvette and a Land Rover... it was his daily driver years ago but he made money and bought nicer cars and never even bothered to sell this. My friend talked him into selling it for that price to just help me out. So he's kinda "giving" me the car at that price. I drove it a little today and it drives nicely and looks clean. But how is the quality on these cars overall?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Detonator Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 A better question would be: How are the crash test ratings on that model? :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chad_sux Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 A better question would be: How are the crash test ratings on that model? :poke: Mustangs are really solid cars. I wouldn't be too worried about a standard crash (whatever that is) in the mustang. They are built as convertibles (reinforced everything) but are hardtops. Don't know the crash ratings on them, but I'm confident they are good. As far as reliability...well, that depends on the previous owner. I had a 94 GT and didn't take that good of care of it. But it still ran with little problems. Being that you are out west, you don't have to worry about driving in the snow with one. That was always my biggest problem with mine. {censored}ing things SUCK in the snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted August 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 A better question would be: How are the crash test ratings on that model? :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Detonator Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 [YOUTUBE]pOjyw4LfNXs[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mesa/Kramer Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 I had a 98 Mustang (v6) and had no issues with it. You have a very high risk in getting any depandable car in that price range, but sounds like you might have a good deal on the car maybe being worth more than he's selling it for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mooktank Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 I'd get it. Mustangs are fun and that one's cheap. They're also cheap to fix usually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stompboxfreak72 Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 With your luck lately GB I'd buy a bus pass..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madryan Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 those are pretty good cars. If it hasn't been beat to {censored} and has been maintained it should run fine for you. That V6 IIRC was a pretty good motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted August 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 With your luck lately GB I'd buy a bus pass..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mooktank Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 those are pretty good cars. If it hasn't been beat to {censored} and has been maintained it should run fine for you. That V6 IIRC was a pretty good motor. If it's a GT or Cobra it will be a 4.6L V8. The Cobras are DOHC though IIRC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members duncan Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 lolwat Buying a used Mustang? No, for a few reasons. One, people don't buy Mustang's to drive nicely...they buy them to bag the {censored} out of them. Two, domestic cars, especially of that age, don't have the best reliability ratings. And third, Mustang's are for douche bags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madryan Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 If it's a GT or Cobra it will be a 4.6L V8. The Cobras are DOHC though IIRC. He specifically stated it's not a GT or Cobra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Slaymoar Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 DO you have a chance to test it out? Go for a drive, feel for any problems, clunks, clanks, vibrations, look at the mileage... check the oil to see if a change has been made, simple things to see if it was kinda maintained properly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HELSTRUME Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Hell yea, buy it. My Bro had two 5.0s, and they were sweet. Fords about the only decent American car. Is it auto trans, or manual? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members superflyinmonke Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 When you mentioned a car that old, my mind went immediately to mileage. I can't tell you anything good about domestics after about 100000km ~ 60000m. If it seems like it's got lots of life left in it, I'd call it a good deal. If he's well off, he might have taken it to a mechanic every time there was something slightly off, which is usually a good thing. When cars are over 10 years old in Canada, one needs a safety inspection in order for it to be insured. I would say that you should ask him to pay for an inspection. If it passes, reimburse him, but if he wants his asking price, he should pay to repair any inadequacies of said inspection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LordThurisaz Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 I think if my aunt's driving a POS '68 "blue-ish" Mustang, and it still runs despite it's knocking, the odd feeling like it'll rust out and the engine will fall to the ground, the car has stayed together. Obviously designs have changed and quality too, but I think you'll be fine. Just make sure the tires aren't crap. Oh yeah, and no Mario Andretti's, okay? EDIT: And +10 on superflyinmonke's post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members silverfacechamp Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Ok....If it's not a GT or Cobra it'll be a V-6. The six that they used in that car is a 3.8 When Ford built that motor, they needed a v-6 on the market quickly and they didn't have anything in the works, so they essentially copied Buick's famed 3800 (232) engine. Buick's V-6 is one of the most reliable v-type engines ever made, so the bottom end of that motor is pretty much rock solid. However, Ford fouled it up and used cheap head gaskets and aluminum heads. Thus, nearly every 3.8 v-6 they produced had head gasket problems (read: expensive). I'm working on a '92 Sable right now that I bought for $40 that has a blown head gasket...the engine in that car is the FWD variant of that Mustang's engine. For whatever reason, the head gasket issue is not as common in the 'Stangs as it is the Sables, Tauruses, and Windstars. However, you will still need to be hyper vigilant about coolant and oil levels. Ford recalled those engines, I believe, but I think that car is too old to take advantage of the recall now. If the head gaskets are swapped out with good ones, that engine will outlast the rest of the car. If the tranny is a manual, you have one of the best drivetrains Ford has used in recent history. If the car is nice and has been taken care of, buy it. I generally don't like that kind of car, but I'd own one of those Mustangs in a heartbeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madryan Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 nay on the mustang.Look for a used Honda or Toyota. Even with lots of miles they go a long way. I was thinking if the dude drove it and then parked it for a long period it might be one of those low miles finds and thus worth the money. It all comes down to miles and maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members silverfacechamp Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 I was thinking if the dude drove it and then parked it for a long period it might be one of those low miles finds and thus worth the money. It all comes down to miles and maintenance. Yup. A properly maintained (and updated) Ford 3.8 is one of the best engines around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted August 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 DO you have a chance to test it out? Go for a drive, feel for any problems, clunks, clanks, vibrations, look at the mileage... check the oil to see if a change has been made, simple things to see if it was kinda maintained properly I did drive it a bit and it drives really well. I checked a few things, no visible leaks on the head gasket, no oil in the spark plugs, air filter is clean. The car has 130K miles, which is high but slightly below average for a car that old in CA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted August 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Actually, modern mustangs are not solid cars.What kind of miles on this one? 130k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted August 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Hell yea, buy it. My Bro had two 5.0s, and they were sweet. Fords about the only decent American car. Is it auto trans, or manual? manual transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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