Thinking about buying an 80s Mustang 5.0 Advice??

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needsducktape

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I am looking for my next summer car and I am currently considering older Mustangs or maybe even an older 300zx .... (Early 90s late 80s)

What kind of defects should I look for ? -I know the obvious, like leaking oil but are there any common Mustang quirks or tell tale signs of abuse?! How should the motor sound? Will maintenance cost be approximately the same, more or less than a newer car?


Needs to be reliable enough to get me to work during the summer months

This mustang caught my eye

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/3757257381.html
 
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I had an '86 and an '88 convertible. The '88 was highly modded with heads/cam/intake/blower/gears/roll bar etc .... Reliability will depend upon how hard it was driven, I would listen for anything unusual in the transmission or rear end. Also would test the A/C since it is R12.
 
Being a 1990, it is Mass-Air, so it will be more mod-friendly if you are going to change it. Car looks pretty stock, so it is a good candidate once you ditch that God-awful hood scoop.

I'm very familiar with these cars and their engines, so if you have any questions, just ask
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I like the early ones with the t10, the t5 manuals are weak. Ive owned 5 HOs but liked the early one with the mercury marine engine and the 4 speed and slapper bars.
 
I`ve had my 300ZX for 10+ years now and it`s been the best car I`ve ever owned. They will run forever if you maintain them. If you buy one,get one that`s completely stock w/absolutely NO mods.

PM me if you have and questions. I`ve owned 3 Z`s since the late 80`s.
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
Is the 5.0 motor considered reliable?

I know the 3.0 Nissan is bombproof


The 5.0L Ford (302 Windsor) is one of the best motor ever made IMHO. The only weak spot is the thin-wall casting block, which can split once you approach/crest the ~500RWHP mark.

Being a 1990, assuming the engine hasn't been rebuilt (which it shouldn't have been) it will have factory forged rods and TRW forged pistons.

You can do heads/cam/intake on it pretty cheap with a Trickflow top-end kit from Summit Racing. The TFS #1 cam will soften up the bottom end a tad, but it'll pull like a scalded ape north of 3K. IIRC, the kit is good for ~325HP.

They are insanely easy to wrench on too, if you are inclined to mod it.

If you modify it and launch it on a tire (ET Street, ET Drag, BFG Drag Radial) you may lunch the WC T-5 transmission. However a few friends of mine ran them behind 500RWHP mills reliably, even launching the car with the wheels in the air. They just never power shifted them, which, at that power level is an invitation for early tranny death.

On a positive note, they are dirt cheap to rebuild if you DO lunch one, and easy to replace.

I've got a 302HO in my garage right now that has 338,000Km on it, the last 60 or so thousand K being modified with heads/cam/intake. The engine outlived the car and 3x transmissions. I also have a 302 in my Town Car with heads/cam/intake that has 348,000Km on it.
 
Go for the Mustang. If you take off the heads at 100,000 miles, you can still see the cross pattern on the cylinder walls. They are very cheap and easy to mod with great hp per dollar returns. There are so many parts available for these cars, it will make your head spin. Pick up 5.0 or muscle mustangs magazine. yo'll see what we're saying.
 
What are the problem areas? Like I said, for the summer, its going to be a daily driver-

I think the AC would be a concern unless it was converted.
 
The A/C system is pretty basic, there isn't a whole heck of a lot to go wrong. Either it works or it doesn't, LOL!

Problem areas relating to what? The engine? The only one I can think of is the TFI module. Ford has a revised part for this, and I'd highly recommend going OEM rather than aftermarket if it does fail.

The powertrain in general is very durable. The suspension holds up well too.

I never really had any problems with my '87 that weren't self-inflicted, and I beat the living tar out of that thing if that's of any value
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I think the best quote I ever read about the 80s Fox Mustang was that it is "the automotive enthusiast's Swiss army knife." Its simple, rugged, and EXTREMELY well supported (even today) in the aftermarket. Even if you buy one and find that its been flogged, you can pretty much fix everything on it with a reasonable budget. Not so much true of the Z car. The Nissan 3.0 my be reliable enough, but its got NOTHING on a Ford 302 for reliability. Z's always been fun and relatively reliable, but not so cheap to fix. Well, maybe an old 260Z was... but even then not down in the Mustang realm.
 
Your problem areas will be car specific. Specific to the car you are buying. I would get a late 90s convertible (pre 99) with the Auto and put some loud pipes and a K&N and chip it and you're good to go. My Buudy had this combo and it was perfect for us old coots cruising around town again
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If when you test drive it an the motor isnt strong - skip it these cars vary from junk to great, individually.

BTW Ive owned a 69 428 Cobra Jet Fairlane, a '67 396 Chevelle and a 327 V8 75 vega (built it) along with many HO stangs. I never LOVED the HO 'stangs - they have the absolute garbage, floppy FOX unitbody but they can be made to go fast in a straigh line.

I you feel you may be too grown up for a 'stang, maybe try a vintage '93 Mark Viii with the INTEC DOHC motor. A Rocket, but be prepared to tinker with all the dodads and air/hydraulic suspension. Very Nice car (on the same basic rotten chassis IIRC )
 
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The fox body cars benefit significantly from the fitment of frame connectors, which join the front and back unibody frame sections together and significantly stiffen the car up. I had a T-top, and they made a HUGE difference.

BTW, here's a dyno pull of my buddy's 300RWHP '87 that he recently sold:



Engine bay shot:
NateStangTFSR02.jpg


And a nice shot of the car:
nate_stance01.jpg
 
A 300z is a whole better class of road car than a fox body. Mustangs are roofing hammer. I agree the 300Z would be harder to work on.

I would get a 3rd gen Camaro Z28 with a L98 over a "stang". Those handeled nice.
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
Is the 5.0 motor considered reliable?

I know the 3.0 Nissan is bombproof


Is the 5.0 considered reliable? Seriously.
One of the best motors ever built. If you are gonna try to mod it I suggest American muscle and join a couple mustang forums. Parts are easy to find and cheap.
Problems will be rust. Around the moon roof and anywhere a trim panel is glued on. They are easy to fix as far as parts replacement goes and 5.0 parts are everywhere.
Since its mass air you can change cam,exhaust and intake without really needing a custom tune however head work and stuff will require a custom tune.
Any questions just holler.
 
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Ive owned 5 HOs but liked the early one with the mercury marine engine ..
Never heard of that. As far as I am aware, Mercury Marine is a totally separate company that has nothing to do with Ford.

By the way, here is a beautiful '82 5.0 5-speed, pretty much stock but for a 100 hp nitrous kit. For sale too.
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