Sasha2394

I'm looking at getting into the classic Mustang game and wanted to get an opinion from some of you on what I should offer this guy on a Mustang that is being sold here locally. The car was running (poorly) and then when it died the starter would not engage the flywheel again to spin the motor over. The body is in pretty good shape and the underside of the car looks fairly solid. There are some rust bubbles on the rear fender lips and a little around the base of the roof by the quarter windows. I have run the VIN and it shows to be a 1966 289 2V, with Wimbledon White and red interior. Is there an easy way to tell if the motor in the car is the original 289? Please let me know what you would offer this guy for the Mustang based on it's current non running condition and also if he gets it running again. Also the car has front disc brakes on it. Were disc brakes an option in 1966 or did someone convert it?
https://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/5782725966.html

User 92421

ballpark 4500
maybe idk hard to say without being there

Sasha2394

Thanks for your response!

Gun Jam

The price on this stuff is going up....I doesnt look like a total disaster and appears to be quite original (if you are into that..thats a big plus) its probably got close to 200k miles but who knows...

7K may not be unreasonable... without being there is tough....try to look at as many as possible and compare prices to condition....you could offer 6k

If the cowl doesnt leak water and the floor pans aren't rusted out, there are no dents, the bottom of the doors is not rusted out, it might be a good deal for 6k.

However rust bubbles around the base of the roof is concerning thats not a typical place for rust to accumulate....check it careful for excessive rust.

groho

Before you get into the "mustang game" you probably need to measure your abilities and inventory your tools. These cars can be allot of work, either you do it yourself, or you pay someone to do it for you. The latter can get quite expensive, and actually finding a good ole skool mechanic is getting harder and harder. The car you have selected is a good starting point, before you make an offer, get in the trunk and look at the bottom of the fender wells and inside the rear quarters, then get under the car and look at the low points; the rear seat pan where you put your feet, the front floor pan where you place the drivers/pass feet. you're looking for rust through and pin holes. if there's bubbles, then theres rust. Sheet metal replacement panels are not that expensive, but the labor to do the work is costly. Interior seats and wiring is cheap and easy to replace. Check your abilities before you buy, determine what you can do or are willing to take on, and what you need to farm out before you buy. $7K is high for this car, $5K would be a fair price, $3-4K is probably what its worth.

Sasha2394

Thanks for your quick responses and all of your great replies.

Gun Jam

They aren't THAT much maintenance.... yeah they are kicking 50s door down so yes they need stuff from time to time (much more than maybe a 5 year old car) but they are so cake to work on and the **** that goes wrong is often quite trivial and easy to fix they really are quite fun to work on...but yes if you have never picked up a ratchet you might indeed be in over your head...But you can learn and you'll be the owner of a living legend...a keeper of history.

fastbackford351

^troof^

I never sat on the side of the road in a classic car because I couldn't repair something. Traveling with a good "oh schit kit" is a must. tools, spare coil & ignition box, and a lesson I learned the hard way, there is no real good way to make a field expedient carburetor spring on the fly so carry one of those to. You'll probably never need it, but if you do, it could save you a six mile walk.

Sasha2394

I appreciate all the great advice. I've done most of the mechanical work on our current vehicles for a while so hopefully I won't be completely lost with the older Mustang. Though I'll probably be searching the forums quite often for advice. I did take a friend with me who is familiar with Mustangs. He didn't see any major ssues with rust. Floorpans and most other trouble areas were good. We've made him an offer and pick the car up tomorrow. If anyone is interested, I will post back in a couple of weeks and let you know if we've made a huge mistake. Ha.

Gun Jam

awesome dude it should be a fun ride....if you've messed with any of the newer vehicles maintenance wise...this will be a treat.

Ive driven mine daily for 16 years...and only last month or so did I have to have it towed. I spun the distributor gear off the end of the distributor shaft (MSD **** up) at 6200 rpm it shat out fire and everything im sure it looked quite impressive to the car behind me. Obviously I had a spare distributor but by the time I figured out what the hell was wrong (20 min) it was dark out and I was off the freeway rather than spend another 20min getting the backup dizzy installed I just had it towed...I could of had it running but whateves. They 99.9% of the time will warn you about upcoming failures rarely do the just die on the spot...the dizzy spent 2 months trying to tell me it was about to fail but I couldn't figure it out in time....thats what it comes down to.