varnco

I'm in the market for a mustang, in the 2000 -2003 year range, and wondering if I could get some tips on what to look out for?

I've seen many mustangs with high mileage, which is a good sign, but not too sure when people "expect" things to go wrong.

All cars have quirks and/or weak points... but then strong points too.

Thanks for any advice on what to look for!

Previously owned 1973 mustang and 1969.

NeoTokyo

Welcome to Mustang Forums.

A well taken care of car will have service records, they will know what has been done to it, when it has been done and how much it cost.

If you find yourself looking at a Mustang and the owner does not know anything about it then thats a good sign that they are flipping it and really dont care OR they never cared in the first place and never maintained the car.

The body and interior are beautiful chances are that the car has been maintained well.

If the Mustang has mods be sure that they are done correctly and that its not falling off or some sort of electrical hazard.

Really just look for the usual signs that there might be something wrong with the car.


If I were to write out everything to look for I would have a list of at least 100 things to look at in the first 5 minutes.

Since you were already a Mustang owner I am going to guess that you have a good mind to be able to tell when something isnt right about a car.


Weeding through cars that dont look like they have been taken care of is the first step.


Run a carfax or autocheck on the car too to see what kind of life it has had.


Do you have any other questions in general that we can help with?

NeoTokyo

Oh an you would be looking for an 01-04 Mustang.

For the New edge body style it goes 99-00 and 01-04.

While the body is the same from 99-04 some things changed between the mid-gen split.

Small things changed like spoilers, consoles, stereo head units/dash, seats, lower intake IMRC's, engine ballance, guage clusters and so on.

varnco

Thanks.

I guess specifically, what are areas on concern on the 00 - 04 models, if any? For example, the V6 Honda accords from 2000 - 2002 had issues with their Automatic Transmissions.

What is the expected miles that one can get out of a mustang, as far as the major components... engine and transmission/clutch? Some cars, for example are known for their transmission to go kaboom at 120K miles, while others will drop their timing chain at 90K, so if it's approaching 90K, better get it fixed before.

Thanks!

NeoTokyo

Really, there are no BIG problems other than the exhaust manifolds cracking.

Its best to replace with headers.

NYstang

The only major problems I can think of are the exhaust manifolds crack because of the AC condensor dripping on them, the E-brake freezes(problem on all SN95s), and the trunk drip rail collects **** and rusts out.

varnco

Ebrake freezing in the winter or just freezing as it's stuck?

Regarding rust... Live in the middle of Arizona desert with 20% humidity and sunshine 300 days per year. I don't think there's going to be a problem with rust.

If "freezing" e-brake is temperature related.. that's not a problem either!

So, what kind of miles should one "expect" an average 2001 - 2004 mustang to handle before requiring major Transmission or Motor work?

Thanks.!

NYstang

generally winter.


well, trannys are pretty solid- do your sevices, youll get 150k+. engines, there is a guy here with over 600k on his original engine.

varnco

My son finally got a mustang (2001) with 109K miles. It's a v6 automatic.

The engine to me feels sluggish, but I'm comparing it to my G35, which had 300+hp.

How "fast" should this be able to get up to 60? Passing lane capability?

Thanks!

NeoTokyo

Its not going to be super fast, stock 1/4 mile times are around the 16.50 mark.

Here are my runs in my 01' Auto Coupe. I am a big guy, 6'2" and about 370 or so when I raced with about 7 gallons of fuel at the start.

I dont have the slip uploaded but my personal best was 16.320 @ 84.7mph.

When my wife took it down the track I screwed up on the shift points in the tune (Was playing with it all night.) Based off of her 1/8 mile time we figured she should have ran a 16.18 had I had the shift point a tad higher.