I'm not really familiar w/ stangs, but i've been kinda lookin' at 98-04 mustangs (some 96's, if cobra or something) lately, since i'm gonna get a car pretty soon. I just want to know, what kind of problems are common, how much do they cost to repair, how often they occur...etc? Also, when buying used, what mileage on the odometer should I try and stay under?

Reliability is kinda an issue for me (since it will be my ONLY car), and i know in general american cars aren't very reliable, but i'm just trying to gauge how this generation mustang is...

 

'99-04 was the last bodystyle before the '05. '98 puts you into different style & less hp. We have a section called 'Recalls & TSB's' that will give you a lot more info the cars regarding common problems. You can also learn a lot from each section in the forum - the 4.6, 5.0, etc. I've heard a lot of people say bad things about my year, but I've had my '98GT for 2 years w/no mechanical trouble other than a $60.00 pinion seal. Mine may be atypical, I don't know.

Mileage-wise, a lot of books go with 15,000-18,000 miles a year when figuring price. I usually drive 20,000+ (depending on no. of long road trips). High miles doesn't always equal a bad car. You can have a newer car with low miles, but if it was driven hard & not maintained, then you're likely looking at problems.

When you can, try to be a little more specific about what you're looking for, price range, etc. & we can help out more. Be warned, though, Mustangs get in your blood. Your need for power, speed & more Mustangs will follow the purchase of your first one.

 

i don't know who told you that in general american cars are not very reliable.........because i've never had anything but an american car and they have ALL been reliable.

especially my first mustang which i beat the living **** out of and never had to do anything to it except replace a water pump and about a dozen clutches......but the clutches were because of abuse.

i've had my 2000 for about 2 years now and i had a few problems in the first year but they were all covered by the warranty.

i suppose that some japanese and european cars are known for being reliable......audi, honda just to name a few......but if you take care of your mustang you'll have one helluva car.......that you will love.......and you'll probably always want another one......especially if you get a vert.

 

American cars will last as long as YOU, the driver/owner, want them to, as with all cars. If you properly maintain a car, it will be reliable. When you assume that american cars are not reliable, it makes an *** out of yoU and ME lol, j/k, but american cars have been given some false reputation for being unreliable and they are not unreliable.

 

+1

not to mention that when your import breaks, I guarantee it will be more expensive to fix. I have a 00 V6 stang I've owned since it rolled off the delivery truck. Had a couple of problems the first month (all covered under warranty) and no problems since. Had a clutch replaced about a month ago (still had 25% left on it) and just installed a new water pump that had a slight leak ($80 bucks total doing it myself). Try changing a WP on an import, nope gotta pull the motor apart and do the timing belt/chain on those buggers.

 

Yea I second that..

American car do get a bad reputation, and yes every now and then you will run into some nooks and crannys but definitely nothing serious. Like with any other car you were to buy you must maintain it in order for it to last long

Also with the milage on a used car, I bought my mustang with 39K miles on it. Obviously the lower the better but for a used mustang I would say to definitely try and get one with under 40K miles, 30-35K on a used mustang would be great.

Also forgot to add.. If your really going to buy a used mustang, I would definitely have a mechanic check it out before you throw down the deal, because like the posts above me have referenced, even though it may have 30K miles on it, the user before yourself may have beaten the living crap out of it, and that stuff won't show from the outside Just some advice.

 

not to mention euro/japanese parts are super expensive and almost always have to be ordered.

 

how much are you gonna spend? id try to get a car w/ under 30k miles