car enthusiasts, mechanics

[Bob Sacamano]

etc. etc. come one, come all, need your input!

ok, today I looked at a '97 Ford Mustang, 2D Coupe

has 230,000 HMPG on it, needs a new exhaust, but other than that, it drives well, except for the rattling in the exhaust lol, it's been well-maintained, tires, brakes work, body is in good shape, the owner is asking for 2,000, I will try and haggle it down a couple 100 dollars

wondering if I should really get this car, it's nothing special w/ all the mileage and all, but for what I have, which isn't much, damn you courts! looks like a good deal, had my dad come along w/ me, and he says I should get it if it checks out in the daylight, but he doesn't really know much about cars, he just buys them, new ones, he has that luxury, I don't, so I need input from those who know more than him

comments?

note: I know this car won't last me much longer than 2/3 years, if that, but I need a vehicle to get around

 

[Rack]

See if the guy will let you drive it around. Check the oil before you do. Keep a mental note of the oil level. Drive it around for about half an hour or so. Let it cool off and check the oil again. If you see a noticeable difference, the engine could be ready to die. Could cost you a lot of money rebuilding the engine.


It's a mustang so you know it has been driven hard from time to time. If I had a mustang, I'd make it a point to drive the crap out of it every once in a while.

It's a mustang with A LOT of miles on it so the main thing is to make sure the engine checks out. If he claims it's been rebuilt, ask for reciepts. A lot of times guys will claim an engine was "rebuilt" when really it just got a tune up.

Check the tailpipes. Feel inside them. If there's a thick layer of blackness on your finger afterwards, it's probably burning oil.

Make sure you drive it for at least half an hour cuz some problems won't show up till the engine gets warm. Listen for knocking noises, clanks, etc...


Ask him what octane fuel he uses. If it's a 5.0 regular unleaded should be fine. If he's got a suped up engine then it'll require higher octane fuel (or it will run like crap) and that will cost you more money. Also, if he suped up the engine, he did it for a reason.

I'd need more info on the car to give you any more help.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

how much do you think a rebuilt engine would cost?

drive around for a half hour straight?

an exhaust? how much would that run around? 400-800 bucks?

 

[DMOB]

V6 or V8?

 

[JPM]

It's not just the motor you have to worry about with mileage that high, tranny, rear-end, suspension, stuff like that. $2,000 seems like a bit much for a car with such high mileage. Is it an 8 or 6 ?

 

[Aikmaniac]

etc. etc. come one, come all, need your input!

ok, today I looked at a '97 Ford Mustang, 2D Coupe

has 230,000 HMPG on it, needs a new exhaust, but other than that, it drives well, except for the rattling in the exhaust lol, it's been well-maintained, tires, brakes work, body is in good shape, the owner is asking for 2,000, I will try and haggle it down a couple 100 dollars

wondering if I should really get this car, it's nothing special w/ all the mileage and all, but for what I have, which isn't much, damn you courts! looks like a good deal, had my dad come along w/ me, and he says I should get it if it checks out in the daylight, but he doesn't really know much about cars, he just buys them, new ones, he has that luxury, I don't, so I need input from those who know more than him

comments?

note: I know this car won't last me much longer than 2/3 years, if that, but I need a vehicle to get around

As a big-time sports/muscle car buff, I would shy away from buying them used. They usually been rode hard their entire life. Yes, there is that exception where grandma left it covered up behind the barn for 20 years with 8k miles.

It sounds like you need something reliable for the next 2-3 years. I would suggest a mid-size car or maybe a pickup truck (s-10, ranger, etc.) If you don't mind buying an import (I don't), go with a Honda/Toyota/Nissan.

I helped my ex-gf buy a early 90's Maxima for around what you'd be paying for that Mustang.

Unless you buy them new, used sports cars and muscle cars alike aren't very reliable. There's always something to fix or like Rack said, higher PM costs.

 

[ROMOSAPIEN9]

Can't think of the name off hand, but there is a website out there where you can run the VIN# and get the entire vehicle repair history. I think it costs $20. I'll never buy a used car w/o doing that.

hope this helps, and best of luck to you.

 

[devman90]

CarFax

 

[locked&loaded]

get a corolla. 40 miles + !!!

and thats alot of mileage, alot of things coudl start to go.

 

[Viper]

The price is far too high for the mileage. Personally, I would shy away from it. If you do decide to buy the vehicle be prepared to dump money into it. A car like that will need constant repairs. It isn’t just the motor that has 240 on it.

If the car is a must have, make sure you take it to a mechanic. Have it checked out, they’ll let you know everything you need to know about the car.

 

[the kid 05]

If your looking for a car to just get you to point a to point b i wouldn't suggest getting a muscle car due to insurence costs i dunno how they are out there but here in IL pfft they get me out the ying yang (1200 every six for a dodge neon???)

i would suggest a mid level car for now like a cobolt/cavalier, focus or something alone them lines that way you save more money from gas and insurence and you won't have to dump alot of money into the car with all the millage

 

[MapleLeaf]

...on it. Also, it is a Ford Mustang so I would really check out the compression in the cylinders for the drop. I'm willing to bet there is a serious drop from the original specs.

My advice. First take it to a reputable shop. Have him run the engine through the dyno and check the motor - cylinder compression, oil pressure, etc. They know the drill.

Crawl under the chassis and take a look at the exhaust system. Check out the catalytic converter to see how bad the discolouration is. Severely discoloured or corroded exhaust and converter is a tell tale sign of hard driving.

Look at the suspension. CV boots, front discs and rear rotors. Tears in the boots and grooves in the rotors is another sign of hard driving.

Value is in the eye of the beholder so take your time. If you spend five hours pouring over the car and determine the car is only worth $1500.00 and get your deal then you have done well. That would be $100.00/hour for your time less your shop expenses.

The car may be sexy, but be careful.

 

[Kevinicus]

Eh, 80's, 90's, early 2000's Mustangs are all ugly, skip it.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

CarFax

Yep. it is carfax.

Another thing, if you go to www.autotrader.com, select used and go through the search criteria you may find the car.

IF you can find the car they have a free carfax report you can use.

Here is the catch about that though.

If the car has no history of crashes or other issues you will get the carfax free.

However if it does have a history of some sort, crash, engine replacement and so on, than it will just tell you that there are X amount of records found on the car and if you want to see that you have to pay for the carfax.

I have been doing a great deal of research lately. Looking for a new (used) car on autotrader.

It is pretty nice because of the search parameters and many dealers are linked into them so you can find cars in your area, by price, by make and model, by trim, by mileage and so on.

Another good thing is they have links to reviews of the car and also bluebook values so you can search to see if the price is about right for bluebook and so on.


Personally I would be VERY wary of purchasing a Ford, let alone mustang, that is a 97 with over 200K miles on it.

I guess if you were getting it just for the body and want to do a lot of work on it, than maybe it could be ok.

 

[JPM]

What exaclty are you looking to do ? Drag race, weekend warrior, Sat. night cruise.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

thanks for the info guys, but I think I'm going to pass on it, go the safer route, got my eye on a '93 Volkswagen Passat Wagon, 87,000 less miles on it than the 'stang, 147k, which is a heck of alot considering the most miles I'm going to use a year is 3,000 to 5,000, got a 6-CD changer, sun-roof, leather seats, heated driver seat

or a '92 Camry, just over 100k

and both cars are less than what this lady is offering, 1,700 for the wagon, and 1,465 for the Camry

 

[Bob Sacamano]

What exaclty are you looking to do ? Drag race, weekend warrior, Sat. night cruise.

just a car to get around

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

just a car to get around

VW and many of the japanese and South Korean Hyundai is catching up to japanese, brand cars are pretty reliable in higher mile areas. Not sure about the years on those but now days they seem to be better quality than many of the american cars.

I took that into consideration when I have been looking at cars now as well.

Did you try www.autotrader.com you may find some deals on there from local dealers.

It seems like you are a very limited budget so it may be hard to get a car without having huge amount of miles on it. But if you have to go with one with a large amount of miles you are better off with the foreign cars IMO.

 

[Concord]

just a car to get around

Then don't buy that car.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Then don't buy that car.

It would seem that his budget is pretty low at this time for a car.

If he is looking at cars with that many miles than he unless he is lucky he is not going to get a car without some problems.

So he may have to settle for a car that may not look that great but still runs steady.

While in Louisiana, I saw an ad one time in one of the trade papers down there that made me laugh but still sticks in my mind some 15-20 years later.

It was for an old VW rabbit.

I don't remember the miles on it but it was over 100K, and at the end of the ad it said....looks like crap but runs like a scared rabbit. :laugh1: