So i got a really good offer on my current v6. I haven't had a single problem with it and its at 125,000 mi.

And ive found a 00' GT that really caught my eye. But the only drawback is it has 140,000 miles on it. What kind of things can go bad with this many miles?

Here's some of my questions, if you can fill me in about any possible problems i may experience!

-Is the plastic intake crack problem GT exclusive?

-How common is spark plug blowout? Should i be worried? and can it be prevented?

-Is the failure of the AIR Pump, Fuel Pump and Differential Pressure Feedback sensor that common?

-At what interval should the timing belts be changed? how much does this cost? and do they go bad around 140,000 if the car happened to have the original one still on?

-Do the motor mounts usually hold up pretty good?

So i guess final verdict is what do i look out for, and should i avoid a car with this many miles? so far my high mileage luck has been good, but i always do my research and thorough inspections! The GT im looking at is a 00' and is 100% stock still.

 

It is quite common (there was a class action suit), however there are some that never crack--if it still has the plastic manifold (many were fixed as the lawsuit's remedy, many just 'cause they broke) I'd use it as a reason to knock the price down a bit--a new manifold with the aluminum crossover is around $200 and not difficult to install.

Somewhat common, in can be prevented by always using a torque wrench (11-13lbft) when installing new plugs.

There is no AIR pump, as for the fuel pump and DPFE sensor--it's an 11-year old car with 140k on it, anything can break; tomorrow...

No timing belts, it's chain drive. If the engine has been properly serviced throughout it's life they've got another 100k in 'em easy.

Yes...

It's not so much the mileage, but rather how was it maintained for the last 11-years. Properly maintained (which just about no one does any more) then it's got another 100k in it easy--my brother's '99 GT has 145k on it, I'd drive it coast to coast and back tomorrow with no worries.

However if it's had several owners and has been typically "maintained" then anything could fail in the next 10k miles.

Another issue is that as cars go the GT's are as dependable as any modern car; except for the fact that many owners pound the crap out of them, and that is the significant fly-in-the-ointment--if any of the previous owners was a high-school kid run away...

I once saw a kid post that he "babied his car" and "only went to the track once or twice a month". Well by definition "going to the track" (and racing of course) is "beating the crap out of it", unless he didn't run it to see how fast it could go.

My general advice to people, regarding used cars of more than 3-4 years old, is that "If you will have to pay someone else to fix it, walk away and find something newer."

 

Well i know the car is entirely stock and they claim it has zero problems and has a new clutch and battery. So it's promising that it probably hasn't been beat on, epscially if it's owned by a single woman.

But ill just let other people fill in. Thanks for the in-depth answers cliffy.

 

"...they claim it has zero problems...", I'd tell you the same thing if I was selling it...

Was she the only owner? If so that's good!

 

I don't believe she was the original owner, which kinda leaves me worried. But i have yet to see the car in person.

 

how much are they asking?

 

Check it out well, sounds to me like you're a savvy car buyer though.

If the engine is too clean they may have power washed it to get rid of oil seepage traces, look for areas that are look new surrounded by corroded areas, look underneath for oil stains, etc.

The other thing I do on every used car I buy, particularly one of that age, is change all the fluids--even if the seller swears on a stack of Bibles it has just been done-do it anyway to establish a baseline.

 

Well their asking $5300 OBO for it. So id be willing to bet it needs new pads or tires or something so im sure if i did get it it'd be for less. Id really like to get it, but it's only happening if i can sell the current car.

Heres what it looks like:

 

That's at least $1k too high in this economy. KBB says it's worth (in excellent condition) $4740 private party, trade-in (which is what it's really worth) is only $3200...

 

All the mustangs seem expensive out here, believe it or not its one of the cheapest ones ive seen around here. But KBB is yet another took to negotiate the price down even more, thanks for pointing that out.

The other day I saw a 99 V6 coupe at a dealership advertised for 5999$ haha what a joke.

Ive been using NADA guides for pricing and it seems alot more closer to the prices reflected out here. Its been saying the price is around $4,700.