20yr old car, <3k miles = pitfalls?

[lindermant]

I've discovered a one-owner, garage queen 1986 Mustang GT (5.0L V8, 5sp trans) with
What pitfalls could be lurking in a 20 year old car with so few miles?

 

[AcuraTech]

More info please.
-Was the car started at least once in awhile?
-Does it start now?
-How does it run?
-How often was it taken out and driven?
-Have the fluids been changed regularly in the last 20 years? -
-Why was this car barely ever driven?

This will provide much needed insight.

 

[AcuraTech]

Oh, sorry. If you havent looked at it yet you probably dont know those answers. All I can say is that many pitfalls may lie in a car such as this. They may not be readily apparent either. Often times, without correct maintenance, having a car just sit is worse than driving it. Fluids get acidic and eat away at metal, mice make houses on the engine with bits of wiring insulation, etc, etc.

However, if this car was maintained well, (fresh fluids annually, driven occasionally, etc) it could be a sweet find. How crazy would it be to have a showroom fresh 86' 5.0?

 

[TheTanSedan]

Dry rot and rust are the killers. Most metal surfaces will see corrosion. Cylinder walls, brake cylinders, etc. Hoses will be dry-rotted, as will weather-stripping. Wiring is likely a problem.

After 10,000 miles of driving, don't be surprised to have worn out any and all enthusiasm for this car.

If in fact it were driven (not enough miles, though) then it might be okay. I'd pass on it unless I had three/four other similar Mustangs at the house.

 

[XS650]

Where is the car, and what kind of conditions has it been stored under.

Like others have said, there are all sorts of potential low useage problems. If it's had reasonable fluid change intervals and stored in a dry climate, it might not be too bad. Still, expect some problems to surface when you start driving it.

The biggest problem might be what the owner thinks it's worth. From a pratical standpoint it has less value than a well cared for example with 50,000 miles. From a collectors standpoint, it's another story.

 

[lindermant]

all good questions - that I don't have answers to yet

I'm going to call the guy tomorrow and arrange to see the car when I travel to see family in two weeks (again if it hasn't sold). The car is NE Ohio, ad says never seen rain/snow, garage kept; pic of car looks great, but I'm afraid that since it has
It's neat to find essentially a showroom fresh '86 5.0, but I don't want to get my hopes up yet. The price isn't out of line, considering what folks are asking for 86-93 Fox body 5.0's with many more miles.

 

[Kestas]

Ditto to above comments on rubber parts. This includes the seals on the car. How well it will serve you in the future depends on how often it was exercised in the last 20 years. Was it started every month, or did it sit for a long stretch unused?

 

[CBDFrontier06]

Definitely run the A/C...that's one of the worst systems to leave unused for long periods.

If it was in a garage or storage unit, I'd go for it...but if it sat outside, I'd keep looking.

Must be nice to have the resources to buy a car like that and let it sit for 20 years.

 

[TheLoneRanger]

As was stated, a lot of the soft parts are likely needing replacement. They will be easy to find though, since the aftermarket is loaded with parts suppliers for the Fox Mustangs.

That's a rare find, and a worthwhile buy. Hope it's still there.....

 

[Donald]

Hope this is not one of the Mustangs with a drop in gas tank. If so its super dangerious in a rear end accident.

 

[Ross]

I kind of collect Pontiac Fieros. Back in 2001 I purchased an 88gt that only had 740 miles on it. The car had only been started a handful of times since 1988. Nothing special was done to it. The owner just put it in the garage and turned the key off. I exchanged every drop of fluid and the car is like new, the only issue was a varnished up fuel sending unit. That was the only problem in the past 6 years that I have owned it. Even the air is ice cold. It now has 2,500 miles on it.

I also purchased in 1999 a 88gt with only 370 miles on it. Once again I exchanged all the fluids and the car was like new. I only onwed it a year before I sold it, so I don't know if any other problems came up.

I have also purchased 4 other fieros in the past 5 years, each with less than 15,000 miles on them. The only issues that have come up is one leaky rear caliper and one leaky water pump and that is it for 6 total cars. The fluid exchange is a must. The brake fluid in the clutch lines and brake lines turns real nasty and must be exchanged.

 

[johnd]

I got a 1962 Pontiac Catalena from an aunt in 1980. It had about 40K on it and hadn't been driven even 1000 mi. in the last three years. Everything rubber, pretty much, had to be replaced including the brake booster. Within about a year the lifters had to be replaced as they were varnished up and wouldn't clean up. Eventually the autotrans had to be rebuilt. It was my daily driver from 1980-1999 and i sold it with 190K+ on it to a collector from another town. I wouldn't have the slightest hesitation to do it again with another car. As long as you anticipate that some things will have to be done, don't worry about it.

 

[Matt_S]

I would caution you that, if this car is a garage queen today, don't expect it to be a daily driver tomorrow. If you keep it as a garage queen, you'll be satisfied. If not, you'll probably be thoroughly disappointed for the reasons mentioned above. If you buy it, at the least I'd change all rubber parts and fluids before driving it.

 

[lindermant]

I called on the car today and spoke with the owner's wife. Yes, the car only has < 3000 miles! They are the 2nd owners - the car came with the home they purchased last year

And to think I got a fridge when I purchase my home...

My dad lives pretty close to the seller, and he's going to take a look at it this weekend and report back to me.

 

[Mike_dup1]

Just be careful with the brakes the first time driving it. I know someone who enherited an older car. When she went to back out of the garage, the gas pedal stuck and brakes failed. She slammed into the house across the street. Cost $4g to fix the car and nearly $10g to fix the house. She never drove the car again after that and eventually sold it. It was a 1964 Olds Holiday 88 with less the 10,000 miles on it. It had been parked since about 1970. The owner lived into her late 90's.