1998Slow 'Stang

Well, this is my first post and potentially my first my Mustang. I would also like to say sorry for such a long post. I'm doing my best to break up the lines.

I'm looking at buy a '98 GT. It seems like a pretty good deal, 92K miles, seems to have PI intake and heads if not heads and cams...maybe? (any ideas how to confirm/deny this without a teardown?) It doesn't make an strange noises and the clutch is nice and strong and it shifts smooth without any grinding.

The only problems with it is that almost all the rubber is rotten from the FL/LA/TX sun (I got CarFax on the car ) On the passenger side, the rubber/plastic skin on the interior side of the door is pealing away almost like it got wet and is coming unglued (result of possibly leaking window?)

And lastly it is supposed to have the Mach 460 system but 1 of the 2 previous owners decided to remove the amps and maybe even the speakers for the system. Anyone put one of these in and know how much time and money is involved?

He wants $4000 for it, does this sound like a good deal or how much should I talk him down? I know these are down on power in stock form but it still puts a smile on my face and I think its a great place to start, seeing how I like the 94-98 body style best out of the late models.

uberstang1

Rubber/Vinly/ Weather stripping is always easy fixes, hows the paint, undercarriage and mechanics of the car?

Daniel98GT

That does seem like s decent price considering the miles. It also comes down to what you feel you are willing to pay.

1998Slow 'Stang

I'm not sure what the silver color is called for sure, what it looked like from the factory but now its pretty dull and definitely nothing close to a mirror finish.

I've not looked too close at the under carriage but it's not rusty at all I did notice that. It starts like new, idles incredibly smooth, doesn't surge or anything like that, the transmission and clutch are fine as is the rear end. And made no strange noises over rough roads on the test drive.

I know for a fact that the trip meter doesn't work (not a big deal to me) but a big problem seems to be that the odometer wasn't moving. Not 100% sure, I was too busy having fun and listening/feeling for things out of the ordinary.

1998Slow 'Stang

Not a whole lot, I've got a very limited budget as I'm only 18 and going to start college in the fall. I'm not out to rip anybody off but I know this guy got it at an auction for very little and has been trying to sell it sense at least Feb.

1998Slow 'Stang

Last minute thought here, do you have any places you recommend I pay extra close attention to on the undercarriage?

trailor

hah man you'd be lucky if 92k miles was accurate. i had a guy try to sell me a 97 cobra with "only 74k miles"... odometer was froze up and trust me, that thing saw more than double that mileage. 2nd biggest waste of time i've ever experienced while car shopping, first being a thunderbird supercoupe i went and looked over at a stealership while on vacation in ATL... took 7 tries just to get it to turn over, then idled at approx 1700rpms, and blew a steady cloud of smoke out of both tailpipes, plus the "new" paint job was cracking all over the place, especially on the rubber and vinyl trims/molding (which shouldnt be painted in the first place...)

anyway, sorry to go on a tangent there. just be careful, that odometer could've stopped last week or 5+ years ago. also, keep in mind those odometers are easy to roll back.

PS new edge GT's, especially 99-01's, are getting around the 4k-6k range. unless ur stuck on the sn95 body style, i would personally recommend you shop for something just a tad newer with much better stock components.

1998Slow 'Stang

Thanks for the story, interesting stuff there. (no sarcasm intended) I know what you mean, I looked closer at the carfax (useless as it may be according to some) and it seems to have stopped working in Dec. of '10 when it was put up for auction with a about 1K fewer miles than it had the month before when it was registered.

Unfortunately, I AM stuck on the SN95 body style. I've noticed its something you like or you really dislike (most cases). To me it looks more aggressive than the boated, "plasticy" new edge body. No offense to new edge owners, I do still like some of the looks of the New Edge.

trailor

i agree with the dislike for the "plasticy" new edge styling. i just don't see why there couldnt be some functionality added to all the damn scoops.. but if it seems legit to you, then more power to ya. 4k is definitely not a bad deal

1998Slow 'Stang

I agree about the scoops. It seems like they would just add unneeded drag to the aerodynamics of the car. I also don't car for the grille or the belt around the horse on the New Edges, that could just be me being overly picky though. I think he only has 1 key and no key fobs so I may be able to talk him down a couple hundred on that, sense I DO NEED more than 1 key for it, well keys that start it.