I bought an ill maintained 2003.
EXTREME Moderation
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 7,895
From: BLAM-O
RE: I bought an ill maintained 2003.
go to the dealer and see if they can get you a new vent. I'm pretty sure it's not actually fake.
as for the blue color, go to your local home depot and purchase some spray cans of white and red and create the most american muscle car evar.
I've been told meguiars plastix works well on headlights. there is also a sticky in the detailing section that uses wetsanding.
you should invest in a repair manual, either from ford or a chilton or haynes type thing.
as for the blue color, go to your local home depot and purchase some spray cans of white and red and create the most american muscle car evar.
I've been told meguiars plastix works well on headlights. there is also a sticky in the detailing section that uses wetsanding.
you should invest in a repair manual, either from ford or a chilton or haynes type thing.
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 550
From: PA
RE: I bought an ill maintained 2003.
dont feel bad man. when i bought my '99 i was just in such a hurry to by a stang, that i got it (with 80k) for $7,500. didn't really look at it at all. after i bought it and started actually looking around, i noticed:
the paint was so horribly faded and scratched
the passenger side quarter panel had a dent in it.
the underneath was ding up and scratched all to hell
the cats were smashed in
the driver's side front tire had a nasty lean to it
the rear tires were completely bald.
the interior was faded and scratched
the seats had a couple of burn marks
the speedo didn't work right
3rd gear synchro was screwed
air filter on the cai was BLACK with dirt because they never cleaned it
i changed the oil when i first got it home, and it was BLACK as hell
the paint was cracked on the rear bumper AND on the trunk
all the weather stripping was crap (the windows wouldn't even seal and it let water inside)
SO.........
i traded it in last summer for my '00, and i spent an HOUR looking over and under the car. i test drove it 4 times, laid on the ground and weaseled myself under the car to look under, pulled interior pieces out to make sure they weren't broken, checked every bit of carpeting and leather to see if there was any burn marks, stains, rips/tears. everything. the car was mint. i traded the 99 in and got $1000 less than what i paid for it, and got my car for $10,700.
i feel ya man....
the paint was so horribly faded and scratched
the passenger side quarter panel had a dent in it.
the underneath was ding up and scratched all to hell
the cats were smashed in
the driver's side front tire had a nasty lean to it
the rear tires were completely bald.
the interior was faded and scratched
the seats had a couple of burn marks
the speedo didn't work right
3rd gear synchro was screwed
air filter on the cai was BLACK with dirt because they never cleaned it
i changed the oil when i first got it home, and it was BLACK as hell
the paint was cracked on the rear bumper AND on the trunk
all the weather stripping was crap (the windows wouldn't even seal and it let water inside)
SO.........
i traded it in last summer for my '00, and i spent an HOUR looking over and under the car. i test drove it 4 times, laid on the ground and weaseled myself under the car to look under, pulled interior pieces out to make sure they weren't broken, checked every bit of carpeting and leather to see if there was any burn marks, stains, rips/tears. everything. the car was mint. i traded the 99 in and got $1000 less than what i paid for it, and got my car for $10,700.
i feel ya man....
Thread Starter
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 312
RE: I bought an ill maintained 2003.
I think that's what's wrong with my tranny. The second gear synchro is screwed.
I don't think my car is in as bad condition. The oil is clean and the fluids look good. The paint looks good too. The interior isn't horrible aside from what I mentioned above. In fact the seats have no burn marks and are clean. The glass on the dash is a bit scratched but no biggy.
I don't want to trade it because I got such a good deal. Anywhere else an 03 with 50k miles is at least 13k. At a dealership 15k. Surely if I put $1000 into it I can make it into a good conditioned car.
I don't think my car is in as bad condition. The oil is clean and the fluids look good. The paint looks good too. The interior isn't horrible aside from what I mentioned above. In fact the seats have no burn marks and are clean. The glass on the dash is a bit scratched but no biggy.
I don't want to trade it because I got such a good deal. Anywhere else an 03 with 50k miles is at least 13k. At a dealership 15k. Surely if I put $1000 into it I can make it into a good conditioned car.
4th Gear Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,541
From: Durham, NC
RE: I bought an ill maintained 2003.
www.50resto.com can fix your pass. bezel (whether clips or whole piece), the fake a/c vent (which is either the very weak drivers side vent, or defrost vent), hoodinsulation (which i've never heard of itbeing fire retardant, only insulation between engine heat and paint), bumper (be sure to check for under body damage too) and seat belt. A/C lights are no problem to replace, the headlight haze is oxidation, aluminum polish fights the same condition, try aluminum polish, if not...www.americanmuscle.com sells them cheap. And auto stores carry washer fluid and wipers.
if you have the parchment interior, im parting out my interior and can help you out with the interior panels,a/c lightsand HVAC system if you want also...either way sorry to hear bout the rotten buy, hope it works out
if you have the parchment interior, im parting out my interior and can help you out with the interior panels,a/c lightsand HVAC system if you want also...either way sorry to hear bout the rotten buy, hope it works out
Thread Starter
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 312
RE: I bought an ill maintained 2003.
ORIGINAL: ponysnake99
www.50resto.com can fix your pass. bezel (whether clips or whole piece), the fake a/c vent (which is either the very weak drivers side vent, or defrost vent), hoodinsulation (which i've never heard of itbeing fire retardant, only insulation between engine heat and paint), bumper (be sure to check for under body damage too) and seat belt. A/C lights are no problem to replace, the headlight haze is oxidation, aluminum polish fights the same condition, try aluminum polish, if not...www.americanmuscle.com sells them cheap. And auto stores carry washer fluid and wipers.
if you have the parchment interior, im parting out my interior and can help you out with the interior panels,a/c lightsand HVAC system if you want also...either way sorry to hear bout the rotten buy, hope it works out
www.50resto.com can fix your pass. bezel (whether clips or whole piece), the fake a/c vent (which is either the very weak drivers side vent, or defrost vent), hoodinsulation (which i've never heard of itbeing fire retardant, only insulation between engine heat and paint), bumper (be sure to check for under body damage too) and seat belt. A/C lights are no problem to replace, the headlight haze is oxidation, aluminum polish fights the same condition, try aluminum polish, if not...www.americanmuscle.com sells them cheap. And auto stores carry washer fluid and wipers.
if you have the parchment interior, im parting out my interior and can help you out with the interior panels,a/c lightsand HVAC system if you want also...either way sorry to hear bout the rotten buy, hope it works out
How do you fix the light behind the AC? I don't see how to get to it without removing the entire middle column. I also need a regular vent because the left middle one doesn't turn when you move the lever.
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 223
RE: I bought an ill maintained 2003.
Ok, first off, half of theses things can be easily repaired.
I think that you should first do a full inspection from A to Z before starting to repair the car just to make sure that there aren't any REAL costly repairs to do.
After doing that inspection, you can probably repair all theses small details. If the engine is ok and the transmission is rebuilt correctly, I don't see a reason why the car wouldn't perform up to 200,000 miles as long as you do the recommended oil changes and car care.
Now, I've taken the time to give you solutions to your small problems to the best of my knowledge. Maybe someone can help me out and give other solutions to help you.
Here it goes :
-The passengers side panel with the power windows is loose and can be pulled out.
I had the exact same problem, you can either order a new side panel from ford or glue it in place. Easy fix
-The fake AC vent all the way to the left on the driver's side dash is missing.
Go to a junkyard and try to find an undamaged AC Vent that you could use for your car : shouldn't be too hard to find, especially if you're only missing 1 AC vent. However, before doing that, I would check with ford to see if it really is supposed to be a fake ac vent (I can't access my car right now to check, it's stored).
-When you turn the headlights on, the module with the AC controls only lights up on the left hand side, the other half stays dark.
There's a light that's burned behind the module. You can probably take off the front dash and see what kind of light goes there and find a replacement light an any hardware/car store. They probably sell for around 10$/peice. That's an easy fix too : just find a how-to remove your front dash with google.
-When you open the hood, the browninsulation underneath the hood is supposedly there to contain fires. On the left hand side, part of it looks scratched up and rough. My friend says that's a sign that the car might've caught on fire before.
That question will be fixed with the COMPLETE inspection of the car. I'm canadian and I know that CAA (AAA for you guys) offer here a complete inspection : they check everything : the compression of the motor, every single compenent and the depth of the paint (that will tell you if the car has ever been repainted = if it has been repainted, it means that the car was likely in an accident).
-The right rear tire doesn't match the other three tires and is almost out of tread. I know that's $150right there.
Could be related, like someone said, to your clutch problems. Do the inspection and figure it out.
-The left side of the rearbumper appears to have been hit and shoddily repaired
You can go to the junkyard and try to find an undamaged bumper but that might be hard. I would get quotes from different shops are your home and have it changed and repainted.
-Car has paint chips on the front hood.
That's normal wear considering it has 51,000 Miles. You can go buy touch up paint and fix the small chips easily. Cost = around 15$.
This is a do it yourself job, just take the time to do it and make sure you clean your car correctly before applying the new touchup paint where it's necessary.
-The headlights have thehaze syndrome already. I know this is common but 2003s shouldnt have it yet. I see it on 99-01s frequently and barely starting to creep up on 2002s. It'snot horrible butit's not cleanable either (I tried for an hour scrubbing.)
No idea what to do with that. If you buy new headlights, it's easy to change : usually you just have to replace the headlights. It's really easy to do, I would search the web for a how to.
-There is a distinct burning smell whenyou turn the heat on. Doesn't happen with cold AC.
No idea. There's probably dust somewhere that's being burned by the heater, which causes the smell.
-The car is the ugly midnight blue color.
LOL, can't do anything about that.
-One of the owners was a smoker.
Clean the car over and over and over again and go buy some strong industrial products to really get the smell out. It can be done.
-There was no windshield wiper fluid and the windshield wipers are shot.
You just have to replace the wipers.
-It has that annoying seatbelt play problem.
The warranty on the car should cover that problem.
-The worst problem of all: My tranny might be shot. First of all, the clutch is really really light. Maybe it was adjusted, I don't know. The car doesn't slip when I shift but sometimes when I shift to second gear, it grinds like I let off the clutch too soon. This happens 1/25 shifts. Even happens when I hold it in second when I let off the clutch. I hope it's not an expensive or hard fix. Wouldn't be so bad if it was third bc I could skip over that gear but second is just too crucial.
No clue.
Hope this helps,
Nick
I think that you should first do a full inspection from A to Z before starting to repair the car just to make sure that there aren't any REAL costly repairs to do.
After doing that inspection, you can probably repair all theses small details. If the engine is ok and the transmission is rebuilt correctly, I don't see a reason why the car wouldn't perform up to 200,000 miles as long as you do the recommended oil changes and car care.
Now, I've taken the time to give you solutions to your small problems to the best of my knowledge. Maybe someone can help me out and give other solutions to help you.
Here it goes :
-The passengers side panel with the power windows is loose and can be pulled out.
I had the exact same problem, you can either order a new side panel from ford or glue it in place. Easy fix
-The fake AC vent all the way to the left on the driver's side dash is missing.
Go to a junkyard and try to find an undamaged AC Vent that you could use for your car : shouldn't be too hard to find, especially if you're only missing 1 AC vent. However, before doing that, I would check with ford to see if it really is supposed to be a fake ac vent (I can't access my car right now to check, it's stored).
-When you turn the headlights on, the module with the AC controls only lights up on the left hand side, the other half stays dark.
There's a light that's burned behind the module. You can probably take off the front dash and see what kind of light goes there and find a replacement light an any hardware/car store. They probably sell for around 10$/peice. That's an easy fix too : just find a how-to remove your front dash with google.
-When you open the hood, the browninsulation underneath the hood is supposedly there to contain fires. On the left hand side, part of it looks scratched up and rough. My friend says that's a sign that the car might've caught on fire before.
That question will be fixed with the COMPLETE inspection of the car. I'm canadian and I know that CAA (AAA for you guys) offer here a complete inspection : they check everything : the compression of the motor, every single compenent and the depth of the paint (that will tell you if the car has ever been repainted = if it has been repainted, it means that the car was likely in an accident).
-The right rear tire doesn't match the other three tires and is almost out of tread. I know that's $150right there.
Could be related, like someone said, to your clutch problems. Do the inspection and figure it out.
-The left side of the rearbumper appears to have been hit and shoddily repaired
You can go to the junkyard and try to find an undamaged bumper but that might be hard. I would get quotes from different shops are your home and have it changed and repainted.
-Car has paint chips on the front hood.
That's normal wear considering it has 51,000 Miles. You can go buy touch up paint and fix the small chips easily. Cost = around 15$.
This is a do it yourself job, just take the time to do it and make sure you clean your car correctly before applying the new touchup paint where it's necessary.
-The headlights have thehaze syndrome already. I know this is common but 2003s shouldnt have it yet. I see it on 99-01s frequently and barely starting to creep up on 2002s. It'snot horrible butit's not cleanable either (I tried for an hour scrubbing.)
No idea what to do with that. If you buy new headlights, it's easy to change : usually you just have to replace the headlights. It's really easy to do, I would search the web for a how to.
-There is a distinct burning smell whenyou turn the heat on. Doesn't happen with cold AC.
No idea. There's probably dust somewhere that's being burned by the heater, which causes the smell.
-The car is the ugly midnight blue color.
LOL, can't do anything about that.
-One of the owners was a smoker.
Clean the car over and over and over again and go buy some strong industrial products to really get the smell out. It can be done.
-There was no windshield wiper fluid and the windshield wipers are shot.
You just have to replace the wipers.
-It has that annoying seatbelt play problem.
The warranty on the car should cover that problem.
-The worst problem of all: My tranny might be shot. First of all, the clutch is really really light. Maybe it was adjusted, I don't know. The car doesn't slip when I shift but sometimes when I shift to second gear, it grinds like I let off the clutch too soon. This happens 1/25 shifts. Even happens when I hold it in second when I let off the clutch. I hope it's not an expensive or hard fix. Wouldn't be so bad if it was third bc I could skip over that gear but second is just too crucial.
No clue.
Hope this helps,
Nick
