Guitylerham

Hello all, my name is Tyler and I'm a new member here. After reading back some 100 pages into the forum I have gotten some great information. The 'Stang bug bit me last year and I've been dreaming of having one ever since. I have my eyes set on getting a '66 coupe and no one can talk me out of it. It's funny how I can fixate my desires on something and everything else just doesn't spark any interest like it does. I love the shape and look of the '66 coupe above all others at the moment. I feel fortunate that I want one of the more common cars, knowing that 1966 was the Mustang's best year, and also that I'm not looking for the rarer fastbacks or convertables.

I live in Seattle, Washington. Right now I have a '90 chevy lumina that is on its way out. I'm going to college at the university and would love to get mustang as my daily driver. But I have some concerns (well my dad has some concerns, heh):

1) is it possible to have a classic as a daily driver and only car? I figure it all depends on the base car that you buy; the more money you spend the closer to perfect a car you can buy. I don't want a concours car so I'm not looking for restoration. But I do want one that I can call my own and be proud of. I don't have much auto mechanic experience behind me except for replacing my current car's radiator, alternator, brake pads, heater core, engine struts, just basic stuff. But I am mechanically inclined and I love to build!

2) can I spend around $4000-5000 on a decent car and work on it from there?

3) my parents are advising me to go and spend $2,000 on athe basic sedan CLONE that looks identical to every other car out there. They say that since we dont' have a garage to dedicate to the mustang and that I"m a student that it will be for my best interests to get a dependable car. UGH.

I guess I'm just wondering if other peopel are or have been in my same shoes. I've spent countless hours reading everything I can on these cars from repairing the cowl rust, how I don't want to swap engines out!, suspension upgrades, soundproofing, seatbelt upgrades, interior upgrades, anything I can find on the subject!

I really love this site, by the way and I hope to become a frequent member!
-Tyler Hamilton (this will be confusing as I know there is at least one other Tyler here already!)

Shifty101Easy

for 5k you could get a daily driver.

if you have a little determination and know how then u can make it reliable....dont just jump on the first coupe you find either.

watch out for rust up there in seattle.....lots of moisture i believe...

66ckurt

well im 18 and have a 66 coupe as a daily driver im not going to school but work fultime plus (restomods are more expencive than i thought). My car was a rarer find its a cally car and when i bought it it only had 119000 miles on it and ran like a dream. since then ive spend every paycheck that i can get my hands on to it. The problem ive been having is down time, if your like me and like to go fast and such your gunna break **** and u can;t always get the parts you need that day or finish projects in one day so ive been going back and forth from my car to my moms. On the bright side there insanely simple cars to work on besides tuning ive been able to do everything myself. i spend 7500 canadian on mine and have put in about that to parts. IMO id want a secondary car until you get the car in top shape( im planing n buying a 944 porsche). So if u can steal your parents car, have the money for the car and parts you'll need, and have somewere to work on it id say go for it

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Soaring

Yes you can. If you can do all things you have already stated you can, then you can wrench on a 66. However, the 65 and 66 are basically the same car, so don't just limit your search to a 66. Try to find a 289 V8 car, unless you can be satisfied with the 200 CI 6 banger. Whether or not you want a C4 automatic or a 3 or 4 speed manual will be detemined on what you can find in the Seattle area, and if you can drive both trannys. My suggestion is that you contact the Seattle Mustang club and ask the members there where you can find a decent daily driver in your area.

atomsk680

im 17, and am looking for a car for me in college. im a Sr in HS right now, but i got rejected 3 times for college :-( , so now i go 6 more months longer then planned too work on my car after i find it. Well, i had a similar predicament for space. My dad said that since his 71 mach was in the garage we didnt have room, so i told him to move his 06 mustang out front, he didnt like that, so we settled on moving my moms escape out front so that my classic can get room under our carport in the driveway! so tell your parents to move one of their cars, cause a classic is more important then any other car. and Yes to your other 2 questions.

ideal_mustangs

I'm 20 and have never owned a "new" car. I've got a '70 F100 that has been my daily driver since I got my license. Drove it to high school everyday and everywhere I go. I have been driving it to college now for two years and it has never let me down once. I would trust an older vehicle more that a new one personally, because if a new one breaks down your screwed, but if my old truck breaks down, I can get out and fix just about anything that could be wrong beside the road...besides a major engine or tranny problem. I've only invested about 1500 in it also. I used to drive my mustang pretty regular also, but after painting it, I'm afraid of getting it dinged or something like that.

dawtips

Crazy or not, I am 20, live in Seattle, goto UW, and I just bought my Mustang back in September. I use my Stang as my daily driver, the rain really sucks but its doable, especially after I upgraded to front disc brakes. I have replaced my stock intake and carb, new fuel lines and tank and have installed 3-point seatbelts. I plan on doing suspension and dropping in a 350-400hp engine with a 5 or 6 speed transmission by July. Shoot man, I am always looking stangs in the greater Seattle area so I could let you know if I see something.

Guitylerham

Wow, I was looking forward to reading a post or two but was happy to find six! Anyway, I'm not really looking for a hotrod or a racer, just a classy beautiful looking car to drive. I'm gonna look for an auto as I'm not too fond of driving standard around here though it sounds fun! I'm holding out for a 289 too. It's funny, the reason that I like the '66 is simply because of the trim! I know that the first few years up until '67 were basically the same but what I really like is the '66 grill (the free floating horse on top of the grill, with out the cross-hairs), I love the side scoop "fingers" over all the other designs, and I also like the wheels too! I'm sure that I could easily swap out all this stuff and make a '64-'65 look like it, but I figured I might as well stay true to the year. But you're right, I do still look at any cars up to '67. I am a little worried about rust up here so I do look in other states occasionally (craigslist). I did contact my local mustang club but it's a little ways away from me. I won't let that stop me from joining and inquiring with them though.

Hey Dawtips, that's pretty crazy that we go to the same school! What year are you? I'm a sophomore. Yeah I'm always looking for coupes anywhere I can. I think I've been on craiglist several times a day for the past year! My heart truly skips a beat everytime I see someone driving around in one. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to see myself driving anything but one for the rest of my life, oh boy.

Thanks for the encouragment everyone. My savings leave much to be desired but I plan on working this summer. So for now it's all about learning all I can.

dawtips

I'm a senior, but I work full-time in the athletic department. So that only leaves me time to take two classes a quarter which means I wont be graduating till '08 or so. Anyways, I bought my stang at www.memorylanemotors.com. I probably paid a little more than I should have for my mustang, but I knew it was straight, stock and clean. If you wait, I'd be glad to show you her sometime. Let me know soon tho, I have knee surgery in two weeks and she will be going into a garage for about two months.

Guitylerham

Yeah man, that sounds good. I'd love to see it sometime. The quarter starts next week so I'll be at school every day. What's it look like for you?