Young4myAge

Hi all,

New to this board. My car was recently totaled and I am strongly considering a used '05 or '06 Mustang as a replacement. Can anyone give advice on what to look for when buying one of these machines used? I have heard that some of these can be hit or miss when it comes to workmanship so I am looking to be especially well prepared to evaluate them when I go shopping. Any suggestions you can give me for evaluating the car on the lot and during the test drive would be appreciated.

I'm also interested in your experiences with the Mustang as a daily driver. I live in the snowy north and I'm somewhat concerned about how a Mustang will hold up to a Pennsylvania winter. Will this car survive the ice? What can I expect when moving from FWD to RWD? I have heard that with RWD understeer can be more pronounced and the car rides slippery in the ice or rain. My driving split is roughly 70/30 city/HWY, but a lot of those HWY miles area relatively shortmorning commute or a multi-state trip where I like a V6 or better for passing and merging.

Thanks for your comments.

my77stang

the main thing is to get something still under warranty which most 05 and 06's should be. most issues these cars have are fairly minor and easy to fix, just irritating. i would check the passenger floor board up front and see if the carpet is musty, because alot of these cars have leaks up there.

as for traction, the traction control system does really good, even in the snow from what i have heard (im a florida boy so no direct experience)

i highly recommend a GT. they are more powerful, hold their value better, and get almost the same gas milage as the V6's

28HopUp

I bought my '06 coupe used with 10K miles. It has the Pony Package, which includes a GT-inspired suspension, sway bars front & back, and 17" Pirelli's on Bullitt wheels. It rides much better than my '05 vert, and I like having the fog lights in the grille.

Listen for the front-end clunking over small bumps - it's not really a big problem, but is is annoying. Check for signs of body repair (color mis-match, body panel fit). Get a CarFAX report if possible. If you buy an '06, chances are very high that it was NOT in Katrina or Rita (they rolled through in the Fall of 2005). I took a pass on a simlar car to the one I bought - it was modded and I didn't think the 17yo driver babied it the way I would. I waited and found exactly what I wanted on AutoTrader.

chirostang

Find one with low miles that wasn't beat to death when driven. The Mustang is a great car. I think that you'd be making a great choice by buying one.

Rt1Rebel

There are only two reasons you should find a car this great used.

1) It was wrecked.
2) It was repoped or is being sold for financial reasons.

Obviously you should do everything you can to make sure you are buying a case #2.

raubt

My V6 (with the Pony package, while is a somewhat exhanced suspension over the base model) is my daily driver here in Edmonton Alberta (north enough to know what winter is all about) and the car holds up great in the snowy weather.

Traction control is extremely helpful in bad road conditions, and so far for me, even on my stock Pirelli all-season tires, I haven't had any real problems. Good winter tires might want to be an investment you look into, but I haven't bothered and it's been more or less okay on stock tires. I have gotten stuck 2 or 3 times over the last 5 snowy months, but if you take care not to slow down too much in the deep slushy now and just watch how you're driving, you'll be okay.

FWD to RWD is definitely going to be a switch for you, as the FWD's handle much, much better in the snow and bad weather (I've spent a bit of time driving a FWD Chevy Cavalier in the winter), but if the Mustang and it's rear-wheel drive is giving you problems, you can always just add a few sand bags or cinder blocks or whatever to the truck, and that will help you out quite a bit.

I forgot to mention: Because you can break the back tires loose (from traction, I mean) at any time you want by giving it some gas (turning off traction-control with the easy-to-reach button also helps), rear-wheel drives are WAY, WAY more fun to drive, especially in the snow. The snow/ice keeps you from burning up your tires, and you can pretty much fishtail the car on command, so it's always good for a nice stress-relieving laugh. And it's not something I can really describe, you kind of just have to feel it, but once you get used to the RWD, it feels better having the car push from behind than it does being pulled around by the front wheels. Try one out and you'll see what I mean.

billyjo

Make sure like the prior person stated the leak is bad. Tire ware is another indication of how it was driven, Listen to the car start up and how it sounds cold. Make sure you turn the radio on and play one of your disks and also check if the bass is up or down to make sure there not hiding a blown speaker. also check under the gas pedal for a large dent. If you find that then dont buy due to lead poisining. Good luck and remember to not go with the first offer.

ZZLEGEND

for sure go on some of the other threads here that talk about the water leak which seems to be some what common on some cars on the right front floor board next to kick panel. if you look at any for sale, run your hand over the carpet on the passenger side. but on the good side,,,these cars are fun to drive.

maniacmikey

Yea look for the water leak,I bought my 06 two weeks ago and found the leak today. Little frustrated but the dealer will fix it. Funny thing is I bought a 96 new and that one leaked in the trunk.

Young4myAge

Thanks for all these responses. I am a 50 y/o weekend warriorand now that the kids are gone I deserve some fun