adivondinca

Hi Everyone!

I found a 2003 V6 Mustang for sale, pretty cheap (6000 Euros).. but I have some doubts:

1. although it only has 40,000 miles on board, the clutch is very hard to press... could the clutch be ****ed up? maybe someone drag-raced it before - the engine doesn't seem to be leaking oil anywhere...

2. the steering wheel is shaking very bad at low / high speeds and there is absolutely no oil in the power-steering.. Is it a matter of the tires (which look very old and worn) or could it be something more serious (although the steering seems to turn just fine)

As the current owner didn't pay any taxes for the car in 2 years so I can't drive it to my mechanic - and trailing it would mean 200 euros at least - so would really appreciate your advice...

NeoTokyo

Well to get an imported car for that little isnt a bad deal even with a few issues and the fact that it only has 40,000 miles makes it even better. I would do a full carfax and autocheck on it though to make sure everything checks out, meaning no wrecks or odometer discrepancies.

The clutch being stiff could be that they have a stronger aftermarket clutch in it.
You can pull the clutch pedal straight up to adjust it in case someone changed the clutch and did not do this.

Put power steering fluid in the res with the front end jacked up and turn the wheels clock to clock to burp the system of any air.

Depending on your skills these are all things that you could take care of yourself even down the the worst case which would require replacing the parts.

I dont know what shop labor rates are in your neck of the woods or how bad exchange rates are to you when buying oversea's parts but I dont see a lot of money needed to fix the issues it has.


Also, as for the clutch, some people just are not use to a manual cable engaged clutch system, if all you have driven before this point were hydrolic clutch setups then of course this is going to feel a little stiff to you, its just the nature of the manual cable system.

At worst you could have to replace the power steering pump and power steering rack.

NeoTokyo

Oh, and welcome to the Forums.

Frantz

If drag raced means had some fun with a yank tank then probably so, that is half the fun of a car like this, even a v6. If you are concerned it saw actual hard track time I wouldn't be too concerned as it would be sort of a waste to even bracket race a fairly stock v6 stang. the steering wobble is probably tires or alignment (no matter what it shouldn't be too much). And PS isn't hard to fix (there is probably some leak as you noted the lack of fluid). For the clutch, are you saying it feels hard for other model cars or from other mustangs? Every car has a different feel and if your used to little compacts then the mustang will feel heavy. It sounds like a good price to me, not sure what stangs go for over in the euro zone though.

adivondinca

well, I owned a 1999 Mustang before (during a 6 months stay in Mexico) and the clutch felt much better (maybe due to the fact I replaced it when I bought the car).

a full Carfax might me a challenge as the car was imported to Europe from Canada 7 years ago - don't think they will be available..

I am really in love with those cars, the one I had in Mexico had 200k miles on board and it drove great! It's more difficult to own one here, I will have to ship the parts from US + pay increased taxes, because of the engine size... but really worth it!

very keen to have my first real car (after 6 years of 1.4 liters cars, typical here) - thank you all!

NeoTokyo

Where abouts do you live?
Its great to have international members.

adivondinca

I live in Romania, the country where a Mustang is something very hard to find, because it's not produced for the European market + the state makes sure you buy small engine cars by putting some huge annual taxes on the cars, based on engine size + the gas price..

i never thought about buying such a car.. before falling in love with her on the other side of the ocean, now I don't want to own anything else

a_page06

I think many mustang lovers feel the same way...minus the ocean.

I'm not sure about why the clutch could be hard to press, but keep in mind that anything power production related (engine, clutch, transmission, driveshaft, rear end) related, isn't just the car's comfort features, but the very function of the car itself. If there's something that obvious with how it drives I'd probably steer clear myself, but with your particular geographic location/availability it becomes a harder question. Keep in mind getting replacement parts/a mechanic with the required knowledge to replace those parts, unless you plan to do it yourself of course, may be hard to find.

belairbrian

Another thought.

You mention it is 9 years old, has 40,000 miles and has been by the ocean. Was the car stored near the ocean for an extended period of time?

If so there could be some rust on the moving parts of the clutch system causing a bind.

adivondinca

no, it's been most of the times in Romania.. but you are raising a good question as the guy didn't drive it in quite some time and there is a lot of humidity here, horrible winters and raining - so could be some rust hidden..
is that something difficult to fix?
Any idea if this car has a problem with the rust (if I will drive it moderately in winter, when there is some salt on the road?)