Gen 4 mustangs

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Kurtatron

Kurtatron

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Apr 7, 2010
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Hey everyone

I am thinking about my next car. My winter beater/DD is a 1999 Toyota Solara. It has 205k miles. I am kinda just waiting for the thing to explode. The transmission has grinding gears, and there are some other issues with it. The engine was well taken care of, and it has been reliable for the last 3 years.

I am thinking of replacing it with mustang as my DD. The most I have ever spent on a car is $2700. I am thinking of getting a 4th generation mustang GT. I want one for the fun of a V8. Strangely, the Solara got me interested in larger engines because it has the V6. I love the V6, and want to try a V8. My budget will probably not exceed $6k. What do you guys think? A 2003 GT any good? Are they somewhat reliable and fun to drive? Alternatives? This car will be my DD.
 
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I think they are a good value for what they are. Overshadowed by the 4V New Edge models and 05+ so they are not the one that everyone wants, and they made a lot of them. No more crappy T5 or T45 manual trans after 2001.

If you can get a nice one with mods for that price, do it. Probably the best value muscle/pony car out there right now. 15 years old means they are probably at the bottom of their depreciation curve.

That 03 Cobra was a huge deal when it came out, it was all over the car mags at the time. 390hp/tq was a lot in 2003.
 
I remember one day when I lived in Farmington Hills and we had ice...I spent a few minutes waiting for a V8 Mustang ahead of me to get going up a very slight hill in our apartment complex and finally gave him a quick flash of brights to let him know I was going around him and zipped by in my little CRX like it was nothing. He didn't look too pleased with his vehicle at that moment...I didn't run snows at that time, probably had Sears Roadhandlers on it!!
Got rid of the CRX and got an Outback when I moved to New England...
 
Minor nitpick: that's an SN95 Mustang, I wouldn't use the term "gen 4" because that's really the Fox Mustang. I never liked the looks of the SN95 all that much, but there's no denying they're EXTREMELY reliable and durable cars, and can be a lot of fun too. Super well supported by the aftermarket. I wouldn't hesitate to buy an SN95 Mustang as a daily driver.
 
The Sport Trac is a great car for me, but Only if it were my only vehicle. I still got my old Previa. That's the thing I use for hauling junk and road trips. I realize there wouldn't be a need for a truck if I keep the van around. Why not just go with what has worked for me last few years, a sedan DD and a summer hauler.

Thanks for the info on the SN95. I'll look into that. I probably won't be getting one anytime soon. I am in no rush to get one until I see a good deal. I am looking for a garaged, minimal owner car.
 
What about the convertible roofs? Are they really as bad as people make them out to be? Leaking, chassis rigidity, freezing cold in the winter? I would love to drop the top on a cool summer evening.
 
Originally Posted by Kurtatron
What about the convertible roofs? Are they really as bad as people make them out to be? Leaking, chassis rigidity, freezing cold in the winter? I would love to drop the top on a cool summer evening.


Convertible tops are that bad and more. I consider them wildly unsafe and generally refuse to even ride in one.

The 94-04 Mustangs are a great platform. The 94-98 are close to my heart, I have owned 2. A lot of the trim parts are obsolete from Ford, but there is a strong aftermarket industry.
 
The V8's of that era only put out 260HP or so and came with a 3.23 rear gear. Not particularly fun. But the good news was they were cheaply modified and really could open up if you had some money. I can't compare my '02 to what you want because it still has less than 70k miles. I'd never consider it for daily driving use. I've heard that with a set of winter tires on them they do just fine in winter. If I had $6k for a max and wanted performance, there's plenty of options. I nearly pulled the trigger on a similar priced Mazdaspeed 6. AWD and fun to drive.
 
If you live in a snow region you'll want to invest in dedicated snows. Look for a v6 accord coupe if you find a stick they are snappy cars.
 
I just bought one a month ago. A 2002 GT convertible for $4,000, had a couple paint blemishes and an oil leak. Fixed the leak for less than $10, re-painted one of the side scoops for about that much, and will try to track down a front fender without peeling clear coat for $25 at at Pick and Pull on black Friday. It might have "only" 260 HP but unless you're planning on racing it or wringing it out from every stoplight, that's less important than you'd think for a daily driver. It has plenty of torque right off idle to be fun. Managed 22 mpg with a combination of freeway, stop and go traffic, and 60 miles of pure city driving.

Typical city MPG is about 18.

It doesn't snow here and barely rains, but if it did, a RWD V8 convertible would not be my choice of winter beater.
 
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One thing I was noticing was that it's almost impossible to find these things for sale in decent condition. A previous poster is right that they seem to be at the end of their depreciation curve, and it seems that at this point they're just considered old beaters that nobody takes care of, but the fact that you see so many of them still driving around that look beat to [censored] says something about their reliability.
 
I have a Y2K GT 4.6 for my daily driver and it is very reliable. I bought it wrecked and fixed it up. It has the automatic transmission and gets anywhere from 18-23 mpg. just driving it around locally. These are very good cars.

MUSTANG.jpg
 
Even though 260hp is not much by today's standards, it's a lot to me. Plus, the V8 sound is intoxicating to me. I can't wait to get one. It'll probably be spring next year that I get serious about buying one.
 
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