Hello all,

First of all, I would like to say that I do not own a mustang but however would like to get one. I think it looks nice but in the past I have heard that Ford aren't reliable vehicles to own and re-sell value aren't so great so never did buy one.
Recently I really want to buy a convertible V6 mustang between year 2000 - 2003 and I was thinking the best way to find out about the vehicle is to ask the enthusiast on the forum about the car.
So I'm wondering if anybody can please tell me from your experience the following:

-how many years have you own a mustang?
-what model and year?
-any major, minor, or common problems you encounter?
-are you happy with the performance on the mustang?
-are labor expensive on mustang?

I have always been an import car guy since I was told when I was 19 that domestic aren't reliable so I don't know anything about domestic. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

i've owned my mustang since my 18th birthday, im about to turn 21 so i've had it for a while. it's got 165K miles and runs strong, i still race it all the time and a red line at least once per drive. i've never had a true major break down, split belts, preventative maintenance, stuff like that and these cars will treat you well. theres a guy on here with about 550,000 miles now, yes over half a million miles and he hasnt blown a single part except a water pump just recently so if u wana call that un reliable, thats on you lol. as for the year go with a 99 or 00, 01-04 use a IIRC system in the intakes that are a pain to work with if you plan to play with the engine. there are a good amount of companies that produce many good performance parts for our cars including a m112 supercharger upgrade (check the stickies). for the labor costs thats cheap as well.

 

neo8222 - thank you for your quick response. So the IIRC system are hard to work on, but are they a good thing to have for the mustang?
Which year is best to own? Please note, I am looking for a convertible.

I want to be clear on my questions. I am not hear to bash Ford in any way, I have no idea about domestic since I never had one before because the reason noted in my first post. I just don't want anyone to be upset thinking I'm hear to talk trash about their cars.

 

Ive owned my '96 V6 since '02, The only real problems Ive had have been caused by me in my modding processes. I'm at right around 300k miles on the original engine and transmission. As for performance I was satisfied at first but once you start modding you're never satisfied...but that's not all that bad of a thing. And labor is pretty cheap, especially seeing as they're very easy to work on yourself.

And it's IMRC not IIRC

 

Ive only had mine for about 3 weeks but Ive known plenty of people who have or have had them.. I was used to owning imports also(eclipse, del sol, miata) and I must say in the 3 weeks Ive had mine I have found it much much easier to work on and cheaper to find parts... I just re-did the back brakes and it cost me about $90 for both calipers and pads and took me about 45 mins to replace everything and bleed the brakes... when I did the back brakes on my Miata it cost me about $130 for 2 calipers and pads and took about the same amount of time... Ive found tires cheaper, general maintenance is easy(I bought mine to fix it up and it needed quite a bit of work) and ive found it both easier and cheaper...

Only thing I know some stangs are notorious for is the SN95s(older ones like 94-96) are known for the Odometer going out but its a relatively cheap and easy fix..

If you treat a Stang right it wont let you down... plus if something does go out and you need a cheap fix junkyards always have em and if you go with the 94-04 types then some parts are supposed to be compatible. I know for sure 94-96 is... and ive learned all this in 3 weeks just from being on this forum.. There are a lot of knowledgable and helpful people who own these cars and are on this forum to share their knowledge

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys.
I guess parts and labor is easy but how often does one have to fix them?
Also how are the re-sell value on stangs?

I had own civic Si before, and the parts are easy to find as well and also easy to work on.
But I had a 300zx even though I enjoyed it very much, reliable, and fun car to drive but when the gaskets leak, I was quoted with a $2000-3000 labor to replace the gaskets because the engine bay is so tight and its hard to work on.

The good things about all these imports that I ever owned in the past was when I decided to let them go, I either make a little money or broke even so I'm pleased with it.

The reason I want to buy a mustang because I think they are reasonably cheap for the year and milage for the convertible.
I tried looking at Nissan 350Z roadster, Honda S2000, BMW Z3 and Z4, Eclipse Spyder...etc. They are quite high in value compare to the mustang even in the older models.

 

Had mine since i was 16...

its an 02, only major problem was the passenger side header and that wasn't a problem because I wanted long tubes anyway. Any other problems were caused by me I'm sure.

Oh its not IIRC, its IMRC and its really not a huge deal...

 

I've had at least one Mustang since what...1994 or 95? (Wow, I feel old). Most have been well into the 100,000 mile range - even the old ones. I love them. Reliable, easy to work on if you need to, parts are easy to come by (b/c so many are interchangable with multiple years)..... Bought my 2000 in 2002 and have beat the living crap out of it for 200,000 miles over 8 years.


The 99-04 V6 cars are very straight forward. Ok in all areas (performance, cost, gas milage etc...) and will last forever if you take care of them. The only big hang up is the passanger side exhaust manifold as mentioned. Nothing too big to worry about.

 

My 2000 has been in the family since 2001, currently at 154k miles and ran hard all the time, only problems its had have been caused by me...

 

Sounds like Mustang is a good vehicle to own in regards to reliability and maintenance from the feedback I got from you guys
I'm typically looking for 2000+.
I'm not sure why when I was younger 10-11 years ago people warned me about Ford.
The only noticeable thing I can see by shopping around lately is that the value of the Mustang depreciate a lot faster than imports but if I'm getting a 10 yr old car it should eliminate the majority of the "new car depreciation".