bgoose99

As the topic says, I am in the market for a 99-04 GT. This will be my first Mustang, and I am very excited. However, I want to go into the deal with as much knowledge as possible...and what better place is there to seek advice?

So, I guess the things on my mind are:
What should I look out for?
What things would be deal-breakers?
Should I be worried about 70-80,000 miles?
I'm looking to spend about 12-13k - would the money be better spent on a newer car with fewer miles, or a slightly older car and more mods?
etc.

Any insight you guys could give would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Adam03GT

For 12-13k (depending on where u live) you should be able to get an 03/04 GT with around 30,000 miles. Dont settle for anything less.

Look for the basics:
Body condition
Engine appearance
Interior condition
Basicly see if it was taken care of.

When you go to test drive it give it some throttle.. If it studders then you know to walk. Dont worry what the hell a dealer has to say about it.... You need to TEST drive it... Not baby around the block because that shows u nothing.

As far as color, auto/standard, and whatever else... Its all personal preferance and there is not necessarily something that you need to stay away from.

Just keep in mind while you are shopping that these mustangs are a dime a dozen.... Some people like to idolize and overprice but dont go for that.... You will know when you have found a good deal!


Good luck!

sitnlopro99gt

Ill sell you mine

Mark99GT

Are you looking for a car to mod up or just cruise in? If you want to mod the car, look for a Cobra. The 4v engines respond much better to mods. You can get a 96-98 Cobra for a good deal less than your price range. If you don't like that body style, and want the GT then look for straight body lines. The spacing between the hood/fenders and fenders/doors etc should be even and equal. Misalignment is a sign of collision damage and body work. Rust is a no brainer. See if its got a plastic or aluminum intake crossover (aluminum is what you want). The less mods the better, less chance its been beat, but be honest with yourself too-its a Mustang, they get beat.

If I could go back, I would have picked up a 96 Cobra instead of my 99 GT. I didn't know as much then as I do now...

bgoose99

I definitely want to mod the car, but it will also be my daily driver. However, my daily drive, round trip, is only about 30 miles.

The only thing that scares me a little about the 96-98 Cobra would be the high miles - I want it to spend more time on the road than on jack stands.

The car I end up with will likely never (make that rarely) see the drag strip. I want to focus more on cornering and making it fun to drive so that the wife and I can take it out on the weekend and cruise the back roads.

y2kStangGT

I bought mine with mod and i believe the previous owner took good care of it. it has mod doesn't mean it was beating. I have had no engine or transmission problem.

get a carfax. i'm sure you can tell if the owner is a good care taker from the way he talks. some are sincere and honest (look for them). some are just bsing and trying to get rid of their stangs (stay away from). Like mention above. check the body lines to see if they line up. check to see if the engine is clean or dirty. if you look at the car you can tell if the owner has been taking care of it. if the car looks dirty and have stain here and there then obviously the car is nothing but a piece of transportation to him.
i bought my car knowing nothing about mustang.
however i was lucky because the car came with great mods that i have no clue about.
i just found out that i have coil-over after over 7 months of ownership. i bought mine 00 with 38k for 11k. i don't think you can find a 04 with 30k for 11-12k. Good luck.
oh yeah, be patient. don't jump on the first one you see.

Fobra

you could a high mileage cobra for 12-13k, but really a GT is fine, it comes to about 1k more dollars if you start with a GT as opposed to a cobra, (when you swap and build a 4v) so its not a big deal really

if i had to do it all over again i would bought a clunker v-6 and gutted it.. but it depends on what you want

Mark99GT

Mustangs get beat. Period. Car fax is junk. I got the car fax report on my car begore I bought it. Guess what, it was WRECKED (I found out a year later). The dealer rebuilt the entire front end and made it look good. I also crashed my car. I paid out of pocket to fix it andis still not on the car fax report (I paid to see out of curiosity). Anybody can neglect a car and then clean it up before selling it to make it look good. But I totally agree with your last statement. Be patient, if you think something is off with the car, walk away. There are plenty of mustangs out there...

2002GTforME

If it is a 5-speed, drive the dog crap out of it and see if it grinds any when going in gears, especially 3rd.

The leather on these cars all seem to crack and split pretty quickly.

The seat belts suck. My girlfriend slammed the door into the belt latch even after I told her 20 times she has to feed the belt back because the retentioner is weak.

Pull up on the doors and see if there is any play in them- if so, it was likely used for short trips in and out instead of longer highway miles.

If you find one you really like, take it to an independent mechanic and have it inspected. This should not cost you more than an hour's worth of labor at a shop and could save you a huge repair bill down the road. If it has repairs needed, they can give you an idea what to expect cost wise and you might be able to use that when negotiating price. Also, some mechanics will cut you a deal on the job taking out the inspection fee that you paid for initially having the car taken in.

Carfax will show you anything involving a report to the state police/highway patrol, local police, or involving an insurance claim. An out-of-pocket repair for a collision will NOT show on Carfax. Still worth the price though just because you are adding additional information to your arsenal. I'd buy the one-month unlimited and run every Mustang you are serious about.

All makes and all models have their plusses and minuses. Go in with reasonable expectations; don't finance one that you can't afford to have up on the jack stands here and there with some parts out of your wallet, and lastly HAVE FUN! In my opinion nothing sounds better than a nice Mustang!

bgoose99

Thanks for all the great advice...
So, a little tease of what I ended up with:

Thanks again guys...I'm off to the 05-08 section.