looking into an old mustang

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yaris0128

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So in June of 2010 I sold my 87 Mustang GT to fund the purchase of my del Sol. It ran great but needed a lot of work. All of the electronics were shot. Like everything shuts off while your driving at night junk. Scary stuff. Anyway its been a life of regret since selling that car. Not that I dont enjoy having the del sol rather than the Mustang its just not the same without it. So I ran across this 83 Mustang GLX convertible the other day and I cant get it off my mind. The car is in amazing shape, the interior is super clean and original, even the radio. Its not a 5.0 V8 but its a 3.8L V6 with a 3spd auto. I could care less since I didnt drive my other one quick anyway. The dealer is asking $2495 for this car and I have a feeling this is a deal of a lifetime to get my foxbody back. Advice? It just seems hard to want to buy it since I own a convertible that gets 45+ mpg to buy a car that might get 20 if Im lucky to get the same summer fun effect. Please check out the car in the link.

http://www.linksata.com/view_vehicle.html?vehicle_id=MjI0
 
I say NO WAY! Hold out for a V8,unless you can and/are able to do a V8 swap. I do LOVE that red interior though! I wish my Z was the model that came with the red leather instead of the black. But imo,what makes a Mustang a Mustang is the AWESOME Ford V8!
 
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Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I say NO WAY! Hold out for a V8,unless you can and/are able to do a V8 swap. I do LOVE that red interior though! I wish my Z was the model that came with the red leather instead of the black. But imo,what makes a Mustang a Mustang is the AWESOME Ford V8!
Already owning the V8 before was awesome fun but to be honest it didnt blow my mind. Im a foxbody lover not just for the engine but for the styling. Its by far my favorite car and this being a V6 doesnt make a difference to me one bit. I baby my cars so my old V8 seldom saw faster than 50mph or 2500rpm. I love the red leather too.
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That's a pretty nice looking ride. If you could talk him down a bit on the price then I'd go for it as long as the headgaskets are okay. You could always swap to a 5 liter and a manual later on if you want more power.
 
Cute car! I'd dump the rims though and go with a size closer to stock.

I have a spot in my heart for 80's domestic leather interiors too. I like the styling of the quad headlight mustangs over the first aero lights.

If I were you I'd go in on Labor day weekend and make an offer.
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Originally Posted By: yaris0128
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I say NO WAY! Hold out for a V8,unless you can and/are able to do a V8 swap. I do LOVE that red interior though! I wish my Z was the model that came with the red leather instead of the black. But imo,what makes a Mustang a Mustang is the AWESOME Ford V8!
Already owning the V8 before was awesome fun but to be honest it didnt blow my mind. Im a foxbody lover not just for the engine but for the styling. Its by far my favorite car and this being a V6 doesnt make a difference to me one bit. I baby my cars so my old V8 seldom saw faster than 50mph or 2500rpm. I love the red leather too.
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well that's the problem right there. of course it isn't going to blow your mind if you're just cruising in it.
 
IMO the pinto chassis on the mustang II are better than the fox for handling. Ive owned over 6 mustangs and capri HO and like the way the mustang II drive over the "fairmont" crummy strut frontend. The car looks nice but its a 1700 dollar car at most.
 
If it looks half as good as that picture, I'd be all over it. It doesn't really matter (V8 or V6) if all you want is something fun to cruise around in. Now the 4 banger they put in some of the Mustangs of that era is another issue.
 
A few years ago i owned a 89 mercury cougar with the 3.8L.. It was a decent motor, good low end tq, but nothing above 4 1/2. Idled smooth, sounded nice, eng was all org at 198K miles when the head gasket gave out a dumped coolant in to the cylinders, and it would become near impossible to start cold. It even blew out spark plugs on a restart with that engine..

200K out of a 3.8L? Not bad..

On the other hand, i also had a 95 Taurus with the 3.8L... Blew a headgasket, coolant mixed with the oil, and then spun a bearing... this was at 101K miles..
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some are good, and some are bad.. with the V8, you can be almost sure its going to be a good engine. The 3.8L V6 on the other hand... its not a matter of if, but when..
 
Do you really have to have the convertible?

As many know, I love the Stang and have had my fair number of them. But the convertibles are just to loose for me, massive cowl shake and body flex. The torsional rigidity of the convertible is shot when they chop the roof off of a marginal platform to begin with...jmo.
The new ones, from '05 on, are much better in this regard, but of this vintage, and since you already have a vert, I would suggest sticking with a coupe. Especially if you get the V8 or plan on adding one later. The coupes handle and ride better imo.
 
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Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
Do you really have to have the convertible?

As many know, I love the Stang and have had my fair number of them. But the convertibles are just to loose for me, massive cowl shake and body flex. The torsional rigidity of the convertible is shot when they chop the roof off of a marginal platform to begin with...jmo.
The new ones, from '05 on, are much better in this regard, but of this vintage, and since you already have a vert, I would suggest sticking with a coupe. Especially if you get the V8 or plan on adding one later. The coupes handle and ride better imo.
Yes I like it because its the convertible. It has my favorite look of an LX notchback but its also a convertible which is also my favorite kind of car. I love convertibles and I always plan on having one in my garage. Too much fun driving on my vacations on the mountain pass highways every summer. Also how often are you going to find a foxbody in this kind of condition for that low of a price? If it were the V8 I can only imagine it would be 4k+.

To answer someones comment about cruising my old GT, yes I didnt drive it hard like ever but I did love the sound of that exhaust note and that is my favorite part of the 5.0. So I did get all the fun of having it but I wanted to be safe with it considering it was my dream car when I bought it and the last thing I wanted to do was crash it.
 
Thats cool...I definitely get the appeal of a vert. Just wanted to make sure you couldn't be talked into a coupe for the reasons stated.

You are right about the price, for a vert in that shape it is a good deal imo.
 
I'd be willing to bet that a 5.0 with manual trans gets a lot better gas mileage than this V6 with the 3 speed auto.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
I am holding out for my 1969 Mach 1 Mustang with 351 Windsor. When I get get one of those back I will buy it.


Heh my GF (now my wife) had a non-Mach '69 fastback with 3-on-the-floor, 351W with 2bbl carb., single exhaust, black interior, and no PS or AC. Gawd with the light butt and nothing holding the engine back, I can't tell you how much smoke we poured out of those rear wheel wells...those truly were the days.

Good luck finding a good//affordable example. Rust is the enemy. Listen for the rear-end howl (but I don't have to tell you that!).
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
I'd be willing to bet that a 5.0 with manual trans gets a lot better gas mileage than this V6 with the 3 speed auto.
Ya your probably right. I was averaging 25mpg with my 5.0 5spd and this V6 is rated at 22. But you never know I could get a decent 25 with it as well. But mpg isnt going to be a factor when you own 2 other cars that get over 40mpg.
 
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