kjesse198

Hello everyone! I'm 18 years old and I love old cars, I've been looking at buying my first car, and I've been thinking about getting a 1966 mustang. They are in my price range and they look amazing. I was wondering if they are good for a first car, or if they will be too difficult for a newer driver. I like to tinker with motors, I've put a small engines on bicycles many times, and i think it's fun to work with them. Overall my question is do you think that a 1966 mustang would be good for my first car? or should i buy a newer one?

imp

If you plan to tinker deeply, and have no experience whatever with carburetors, that might sway the decision up into the mid-80s, fuel injection. The original Mustangs which were kept in the "rust-belt" had serious floor pan problems. Since the pan was the "spine" of the whole body, rust-through was a very serious problem. So, in looking at, say, a '66, crawl underneath and check the appearance of the floor. If the car originated in the Southwest, there is far less chance of rust problems, if it stayed in that area. One winter in Chicago can "eat" a car.

kjesse198

Thanks for the reply! I'm looking at local listings in California, so most I've seen say they have been a California car since it was built, so not much rust if any.

proeagles

Actually the older cars are a snap to work on compared to new cars with all the electronics. The hard part is finding a decent one and then parts. They do require much more tinkering than modern cars however and are no where near as safe. Drum brakes are horrible and if driven in rain through puddles can be quite fun when you realize that you didn't "drag" the brakes afterward to dry them out before that next stop at the red light. I'd really look into California law about older cars and modifying them, stuff like that. That is probably the most FUBAR state in the union that calls itself the home of hot rodding cars.

kjesse198

I have my eye on a few mustangs, but one i really like has front disc brakes, AC, (EPAS) electric steering, LED head lights, 3 point seat belts, and a lot more. It seems like a fair price ($8900) so I'm considering that one, it has a lot of safety features which is nice to have. It is a salvage title, but they have had it inspected twice full body and frame inspection. It looks like a fair deal.

Derf00

Depends on the condition of the purchase and the amount of free time you have. If it's a project car, No, I would not recommend it as a DD or as your sole car. It could leave you stranded, crunched for time because you have to fix it or it needs to be repaired all the time and it can also leave you broke due to costs in fixing things when you don't have time to do DIY. I had a co worker that bought a 1970 Torino as his only car for DD after about a year he had missed a lot of work and ended up spending more to keep it running since he didn't have the time to do the work himself. He sold it a year later.

imp

All good points, derf!

Gun Jam

It was pretty much my first car and ive been DD mine for the last 18 years.

Ive had more fun with that car that I thought was possible. that 2800 pound amalgamation of iron and steel has created a relationship that far exceeds that of almost all humans Ive ever met.

but yeah some days that beast is a ruthless **** it would be very good to have a backup car...I relied on my mustang as my only ride for like 6 years. When I got a backup vehicle finally, I found it very nice to not have to rush though repairs or barrow a car.

imp

IOW, you love your car?

barstowpo

Salvage title may make it hard to insure. Otherwise, excellent tinkerers vehicle. May not be the most reliable or comfortable or safe but you'll likely not lose money.