Im going with a friend tomarrow to go check out a 1988 mustang gt thats he wants to get. Im wondering when i go what i should look for when inspecting the car. what goes wrong on mustangs first or what problems occur most with fox bodys. Any help will be greatly appreciated, i dont want to tell him o yea thats a good buy and then it be a hunk of sh*t...thanks alot in advance guys.

 

Look for RUST under the car and in the trunk. Look for leaky seals front and rear main. Listen and feel all the accessory drives for bad vibration, and make sure you drive the car. When driving, listen for engine knock, ping, detonation, and listen to each gear for whining to tell if the tranny is ok. A little 3rd gear whine is no problem, but if they all sing, then screw it. Make sure you start the car up cold so that you can see if there is anything going bad because sometimes problems are hidden when the car gets warmer. Look through the paint in good light and from about 20 feet away to look for fading or scratches and dents. Other than that, just see how you feel about the seller and his intent. Good Luck.

 

Thanks alot..The car just got painted like 2 weeks ago so it better not be fading lol...He said he had the heads ported, 3.55 gears, and full exhaust. Is there anyways to tell that the heads were ported and how can you tell if he changed gears in the car. Doin 50 what gear should you be in and at what rpm?

 

Recent body work isn't that great of a sign......could be trying to cover somethings up, especially if you notice around the windsheild and in little nooks/crannies that there's overspray.

 

oo..Ill have to make sure to check aound for overspray, thanks i never even thought of that.