Hello everyone. Sorry if this isn't in the right forum, I just couldn't find one that better suited the topic.

I turned 17 last November and got my license the following January. I live in a middle class family with a newly single mom who just got herself a somewhat decent job. I am currently driving her car, a 2008 Avalon XLS which I do like, but it's becoming too big of a hassle for the both of us and it's time we start looking into cars for myself, which I've always wanted.

Now, it's always been a dream of mine to own a Mustang ever since I was playing with Matchbox cars as a toddler. I also love American made cars, a value which as you can tell skipped a generation in my family and doesn't really matter to my mom.

A long story short, the maximum budget we're dealing with here is likely around $5,000 (Just for the car, not including what insurance will cost or anything like that), and the lower the better. I will need an Automatic transmission. Based on that, I have a few questions.

What is the latest year I can expect to find for a price like that?

What type of mileage should I expect for those demands?

Where should I look for it?

I also want a convertible. Is this realistic for now, or based on my needs should I save that until I'm older and have my own salary?

Should I just scrap my Mustang dream until I'm older and have my own full time job, because I won't be able to find a decent one with my demands? If so, what car should I try and look for instead?

 

Im sure you could find a 96-98 gt for $5,000

ex: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

 

Wow, that's a pretty nice deal. For anyone who wants to link to an example, I'm in Hawthorne, New Jersey. The north east part of the state, just about a 20 minute drive from New York City.

I really like that car, shame it's out west.

Would it be stupid to get, say, a 2002 with >100,000 miles, as opposed to something like that, an older one with fewer? Is newer better?

Also, don't necessarily worry about the convertible part, I'll take any Stang at this point.

 

what body style did you have in mind?

 

To be honest anything as far back as 1994 I like body-wise, but I don't know if I want to date myself that far back. I would prefer something from 1996-2004, as reasonable as I can get into a happy medium of specs and price relative to $5000.

 

are you looking for a 6 or 8 cylinder? that makes a big difference in how new and what kind of mileage you can get for $5,000.

 

It doesn't matter to me, whatever you think is better. To be honest, that doesn't even mean much to me, but once I have my own car to love I planned on getting into it and knowing all about cars and it.

 

You'll want a GT. I like the 99-04 body style better than 94-98. Start looking on ebay, craigslist, and autotrader. Be patient and you'll find a good car. Less miles is normally better but not always the case.