Hi,

My name is Denise and I am looking for a used Mustang. I am totally out of my league here so I am asking for advice since I have never had one before. I have always wanted a mustang since I was a kid, I am now 43. (You all can laugh now.) I would love to have a convertible GT but here in middle GA the rag top will eventually mold and have to be replaced every so often. I figure if I get a black top I can stretch the life of the top. Any secrets that can be passed on to me? Approximately, how much does it cost to replace a ragtop?

I talked to someone who had a convertible and he hated his because of all the noise you hear on the freeway/interstate. He also stated the convertibles are heavier than the coupes. Am I better off getting a coupe?

I have been looking at the reviews by Consumer Reports on these cars and they have not been kind. The only year that has good reviews is the 1998 mode. I find this hard to believe because there are so many on the road.

I have been doing a lot of research and have noticed that this car and a lot of American made cars don't hold their values compared to the imports. Why is this so?

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks !!!!

 

I love my convertible [sm=smiley20.gif]

oh and Welcome to the Forums

 

welcome to the forum and you ain't older than me, I'm 55, you're a babe by comparison! LOL In any comparison of Mustangs, the convertible model is always the heaviest car because of the extra steel bracing required in the chassis in order for it to have the rag top. this ain' bad mind you, just makes them a tad slower than the GT or LX models, at least in the Fox body models '95 and older. pretty sure this is also true with the later models also. I would recommend the hatchback coupe model myself as it will be much quieter and you don't have to worry about the top aging or someone cutting it to get into your car and steal stuff out of it too. consumer reports is much to critical about domestic cars in my opinion and I wouldn't let their reviews stop me from buying the car of my dreams. american cars don't hold their values as well nowadays as the imports have a much bigger share of the total domestic market and people think they are better built and longer lasting cars, but I don't agree 100% with that either. My '88 GT AOD Stang is still running strong as ever after 108,000 miles and over 400 full on passes down the 1/4 mile strip and it only stranded me out on the road once in all the time between Nov '87 and today. Ford's overall quality rating is much improved in the last 20 years and I would recommend a Ford product to anyone I know as the last 3 new ones I have purchased have been very reliable vehicles with very few problems at all.

 

welcome to the forums. better late than never to get your dream car. i have ONE of mine. only about 10/15 more to go.

 

welcome to the forum...

 

I didn't think people really broke into convertibles, I thought it was just a scare tactic used by my husband to keep me from getting what I wanted. I will check with my insurance company about break ins.

BTW, my family and my husband's family pretty much always buy Ford. I was just concerned about this particular model because there are so many on the road and for sale and their low resale value.

Are there any model years to avoid? Or should I not worry since I am buying used and if there were problems they would be already taken care of?

 

One would hope that the problems had already been taken care of, but thats usually not the case. People often get rid of a car b/c of a certain problem that they cant afford to fix or are tired of fooling with. As for year models, its usually a good idea to avoid the first year of a certain big change. Ive always been told to avoid the 94s b/c Ford still hadnt worked out every bug. The only thing is, the 94-95 year models were the last 5.0s.

 

No one's laughing, I thought I was a granny getting my first dream car 3 weeks ago at 34! I didn't get the vert for several reasons, mostly because I prefer the look of the hardtop. Other considerations were break-ins (a valid concern, especially with a nice sound system), the weather in my area (Seattle, hello, rain), and that I often tote around a toddler, and I felt we were safer in a hardtop. My coupe is my first Stang and I LOVE IT.
Get what you want. If you feel it, and you gotta have it, get it. There are plenty of verts in my area so they somehow deal with the mold, theft, etc.
Don't compromise on what you really want, because you'll probably be regretful if you get something else...sister, go out and get your dream car!

 

I found a nice car yesterday. It's in my price range but there are a few things that I found slightly odd. Keep in mind, I am buying this from a teenage girl who doesn't know what she is driving. She didn't tell me the year of the car or the engine size but it's a nice car so I need to talk to her father. The paint is a teal green so I am guessing it's early 90's. Maybe '94 and has 112,000 miles on it.

 

All I can recomend that others didnt is take your time. If its a toy car for you then obviously dont be in a hurry. I have a 95GT and it took me two months to find the one that I wanted. Also, where I live (California) convertibles are a target for thieves. Easy to get into. Welcome to the boards and good luck with your search!