ChiefD

Greetings! Thank you for welcoming me and for any future support you may provide. I am fresh to this forum and I hope to become quite active in it. Before that happens, I must first get back into Mustang ownership. The reason I wanted to become a mustangforums.com member first is because I need advice. My first and only Mustang I ever owned was a 1967 Fastback. It was legit! I miss it and I want to bang my head into a concrete wall every time I see one. I feel so stupid for letting it go, but I needed the cash at the time.

This time around, I'm looking for modern comfort (AC, Cruise, Tilt, Handling, Performance, Reliability, etc.) and I'm also looking for something economical that won't break the bank. In my research, I've found myself leaning toward the 1994-2004 era. I prefer to have a Mach 1 or a Cobra. I can appreciate a nice GT, but my urges tell me that I need something a little bit more significant. My budget will only allow for a maximum purchase price of $13,000. I don't want anymore miles than 70,000 and the car has to be something I can feel proud about and take to shows.

I understand that I'm going to have to allow for a few minor imperfections, but that's what keeps it being a project. I'm okay with that. I like to tinker. The advice I'm looking for is as follows:

1. Of the 1994-2004 era, would the Cobra or the Mach 1 be a better choice?
2. Is my maximum price limit going to get me what I'm searching for?

3. Are there any issues with these Mustangs that I need to watch out for?

Thank you for any and all advice. I look forward to hearing from you and even more to the day I get to bring my new baby home! Have a great day!

jwog666

1 the 03-04 cobra is better(supercharged), the prior cobras and the mach1 were non supercharged
2 maybe, but you may have to pay a little more to get a car clean enough to take to shows
3 no more than any other car

ChiefD

Thanks for your response jwog666. Like you said in your response, I realized I'm going to have to pay at least $15 - $16K for an exceptionally clean and low-mileage Cobra or Mach 1. With that in mind, I acted on an impulse today and purchased a torch red 2003 GT with under 46,000 miles. This car is what I consider to be exceptionally clean and like new. It's a deluxe package with the torque wheels and light tan interior. It gets delivered on Friday. I absolutely can't wait!

I'm now in a position where I hope I don't see anything better come along for the same or lesser price. I've been looking for a while now. Everything I look at for under $10K seems to have some sort of issue I just can't live with. I needed to find something that is almost perfect and turn-key. I paid $10K for the car. Sounds a little high, but it's so darn clean. I'm a guy who's willing to pay extra for clean and unmolested. Clear carfax and only 2 owners.

Red is my color and I love the light tan leather interior. How would you say I did? Could I have done much better for the money? I didn't want something that was already hopped up and possibly driven hard.

jwog666

$10k seems about right for a clean low miles car, congrats! the nice thing about the GT is that for $6-7k you can always add a supercharger down the road and keep up with the new GT's happy motoring!

88 orangepeel notch

Welcome to the forum, congrats on your '03.

movielover40

Welcome aboard.

Decent price there on your car based on condition and mileage.