Yeah, that is another possibility. I thought of it but didn't post it.

When the OP takes it to get serviced, they'll figure it out. A good idea is to find a local club like someone mentioned. A lot of people in clubs work on their own cars so they can teach you. If you're not comfortable with that, find a DIY garage in your area that rents garages with lifts by the day/hour. Many of them have professional mechanics to help you out/advise you if needed AND in some cases they also rent tools.


As for the other side topic (education/vs cost/vs income). It's not so much what your degree is in (if you go to college) but what you do with it.

Although, i can't see spending big bucks for a non-science degree (BA). Someone said 90K for their degree?? Unless you make $250K a year I don't see the benefit of being saddled with 90K in student loans for a degree that you'll be paying off for a decade or more.

Anyways, I have a Psych Degree (BS), and I work in international sales and make 90-110K a year. No student loan debt. Went to community college for the AA and lived at home while I got my BS.

College isn't for everyone though and I have some friends that make as much as I do without one. I also have some that make way less than I do and have a Masters....

Go figure.

 

I am somewhat forced to agree with Moosestang, though I might have said it more politely. My '05 has 90,500 miles on it and I am quite proud of how it looks though it is far from perfect. You seem like someone who does not maintain their car very well. It's all good and well to cruise around getting the waves and looking cool, but the flip side of that is you have to take care of your car. If you want a cheap car you can throw away when done, go find something used that's about 5-10 years old.

My suggestion from this point is to make a decision. Sell it or keep it. There is no wrong answer. It's about what you want and how committed you are to keeping your first car that mommy and daddy bought for you. You will probably have a son some day and lots of Mustang owners like to pass their cars down and I think most of us here still wished we had our first cars. If you sell it, fine. Move on to something else that you can afford and you won't feel bad when you treat it like ****.

If you decide to keep it, then it's time to develop a plan to restore your car. Go out to your car and look at it realistically. Don't look at how cool it is or what you would like to do with it. Look at the door dings and scratches. Look at the things that need repaired. Then make a list of what is wrong and go sit at Starbucks for a couple of hours going over the list. Decide what is acceptable for now and what is not. Some people can live with a few scratches. It would drive me insane. Prioritize the repairs based on safety first and cost second. Set a goal for when you want it done and how much to spend.

Buy a cheap second car, so you can take it off the road for a while. You can pick up any number of cars on Craigslist for $1500 that will provide transportation while restoring your Mustang. Use it and get rid of it when you are done. If you live in a snowy climate, you could use it as a Winter car while your Mustang stays nice and salt free in the garage. Or maybe fix a few things on it and sell it to pay for upgrades when the Mustang is done.

Next, get with people and learn how to repair your car. Find a guru who knows **** and stick like glue to him. Get a couple manuals and read through them in your spare time, not while you are working on the car. Start hitting some car shows and cruise ins and talk to car owners. It doesn't need to be just Mustang owners. Most repairs are generally the same no matter what the brand with only minor differences. IMHO, the Mustang Club of America is a waste, but you can find a local Mustang club and I think you'll find most people are more than willing to talk about their cars and how to fix them.

It all depends on your level of commitment and the ball is in your court.

 

BTW, I am a truck driver, I make $50k per year and I am fine with that. Don't let people's job or income dictate their level of worth in your life. It just makes you look like an *******.

 

^+5 Best piece of advice in this thread!

 

Just fix the car yourself. Back in the old days we had maybe a haynes manual or asked our neighbor. Fixing it builds knowledge,pride and teaches self sufficiency. Once youre good enuf at making repairs at some point u make enuf coin u can decide to work on your car for fun or pay someone...but broke and living check to check it sounds like you have more to learn still besides doing a brake job...those are called life lessons.

 

this thread gave me a laugh lol. All I know is I traded in my 06 4.0 last month with 91K miles on it and it was still like a brand new car, Ice cold A/c and all. learn proper maintenance, its not hard. I re did the whole suspension and brakes on my 4.0 with all new stuff by myself and I am a 20 year old self taught mechanic lol.

 

You've got a great looking replacement too! I was self taught until I started getting into some of the harder stuff like replacing cam's, gears...then I had my father in law who's a pro mechanic teaching me. The first "job" I ever did was replace the air filter on our Probe way back in 92 and by the time I was done, Ford had to replace the wiring harness. That's when I knew I was an idiot about cars and needed to learn.