DanHS

My mom's car just lost it's timing chain, I told my dad not to buy that peice of crap '88 cutlass calais. It must have cost us well over $2000 to keep it running. Now I see here that people say the 2.3L Ford engines are very reliable, I certainly see alot of these cars. I noticed a few 2.3 Mustangs popping up for sale around here for very reasonable prices. If they're that reliable, then maybe one would make a good car for my mom. My big question is concerning how well they drive in the rain and the snow. My car spins it's tires in the rain and is very difficult to drive in the snow (I'm going to drive a 4x4 over the winter so I don't kill myself). How does a 2.3L do? I know it's not likely to spin it's tires in the rain, but how much control does it have in the snow? I would think that it's short wheelbase and relatively light weight would hinder it's ability to keep straight in the snow. Also, what size are those steel rims with the plastic on them? The old car has three new 215/60r14 Cooper Cobra tires, which I would use on a 2.3L if it had 14" rims. What should I get given I have a few chioces? My mom could use the extra room of a hatch, it would be slower, but would the extra weight in the rear help in the snow? Most of the 2.3s I see for sale are notchbacks, but if a convertible has a good clean top, will it stay dry and warm? Do you think this is a good car for someone who mostly drives to work 20mins each way, runs errands, takes my little sister around, and drives in all weather conditions?

e40water

Sure it sounds like a good car for a mom to have. Not like she will need 5.0L to drag race some rice to the corner store or anything. They are pretty cheap to fix as well.

RAGNAROK

Pros:
Rain is no poblemo. Since im in TN I havent had much experience driving in the snow , but the few times I drove my 2.3 91' notch I had no trouble. It wouldn't have been my first choice of my cars to use in the snow though. I would think the hatch would do better like you said from added weight in the rear. My 2.3 was driven constantly and was still running perfectly when I pulled it to swap in the 5.0. I never had any problems whatsoever with it. I drove it to visit my gf in college quite a few times and it was about a two and a half hour drive doing 75 on the interstate . I love the feeling of not being afraid of a car breaking down .Same goes for my 2.3l ranger , its going strong and is used to haul wood frequently in the winter. I drove it for 2 years when i built cabins , 45 minutes to work , 45 minutes back , 5 days a week. Has a lifter that has been knocking for a long time . These engines are bulletproof. Also an advantage is that most people havent beat up on 2.3 stangs because they aren't exactly speed demons. I bought mine for $900 minus transmission and the interior was imaculate. Had only minor clear coat issues and 1 dent on the left fender. Hatches or more plentiful since people alot of time buy notchbacks with the intent of swapping another engine in since they are lighter (and nicer looking IMO)

Cons:
They are slow. Real slow. Especially automatics. They cruise nicely with decent response , but if you pull out in front of someone you will probably end up crapping your pants while trying to escape being run over .Plus between my two 2.3 rides I have went through 3 auto transmissions in the last few years. 1 was under questionable cirumstances since I bought it used and I believe it was on its last legs already. but the others were in good condition when installed. Go with a T5 if you can.

All in all if I got the chance to buy another 2.3 Notch in good condition with a fair price , I would jump on it . They may be slow , but they will be slow for a long time LOL

smurfblue88

My 2.3 stang is horrible in the snow. I never spun tire on rain before the turbo, but after I almost killed myself when I went around a turn slowly and the back end shot sideways and left me perpendicular to the street.
But even before the turbo the stang was horrible in snow, spins like mad. I once got my car stuck in my front yard because it rained over night. Made big ruts in the yard which was great fun.

dzstang03

I wouldn't buy one..but thats just me
and any rear wheel driven car is goin to be ****ty in the snow..thats just common sense

1fakev8

Yea all rwd cars spin crazy in the snow. If u really want the car and she needs a car for winter keep it with the stock wheels and if she doesnt care about the trunk load it done w/ weights so that itwont spin as easily(more traction).

Guest

So you want to replace an 88 car with a late 80s early 90s car? tell her to get something thats at oldest a 95-96.

Obsol3te

94,95 didnt have the 2.3l option.

And my winter beater is my 2.3l
Just buy some decent snow tires and you should be ok.
Never had a problem in the snow.
Just don't drive like an ******* and you're fine.

And I've had these winter tires for, lets say 3 years now.

The tread still looks brand new , no way to burn any of it off really...
Car is unbearably slow.

Edit: Also, since it IS rwd. Wow is it fun in parkinglots
I have a series of vacuums lined up at my work, lined up sorta like this

0 0 0 0 0

As soon as the ground gets a tiny bit slippery I start to slalom
I'm damn good at it too!
I can spin the back around and be in total control, HAVNT HIT ANYTHING YET!

vfast

those 2.3 's are like tanks seem to run for ever....not a snow car but with some snow tires and driving careful might be ok.....a front wheel drive will plow the snow better. if it's an automatic would also help in the snow...really depends on the amt of snow days you guys have

DanHS

Thanks,
I know rwd cars always suck in the snow. my mom usually has so much junk piled in the back of her car though, I'm sure I could put an extra full size spare and a few cinderblocks in there and she wouldn't notice. Better yet a few car batteries. I'm just mostly concerned with getting a reliable car, money is a bit of an issue. My dad has bought four 80's compact GM cars. Unlike most of the bigger old technology GMs, these little things are crap and constantly break down. I have a good '76 Buick 350V8 sitting in the driveway, but it needs a little more work than we can take care of now, and it was in an accident that smashed the right side doors beyond use. My mom doesn't know how to drive a manual and I'm not sure she's willing to learn, so I have to get an auto. I saw two Mustangs for sale today, a 2.3 87-93 'vert, and a 85-86 'vert, I don't know the engine, and I don't know if the cars were auto or not, I just drove by. Another thing I'm considering is buying a durable full size car like a Crown Vic, and my mom can drive my dad's Taurus. It doesn't usually snow on Long Island more than once every few weeks, from December to February, but we get a few really heavy snows too. It managed to snow a lot in March when I got my Mustang.