I could use some general Advice on owning a classic Mustang.

[Rousterfar]

Hey everyone, this is my first post to these forums. I could use some help and advice. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a child to own a Classic Mustang. My favorite year is 1969 since my dad had a red coupe from that year before I was born. My mother always jokes with me that it was the car that sold her on him.

I’m at a point in my life I am considering finally doing it and buying a classic Mustang. I have seen some good deals on ones online, but do have some reservations.

1. Honestly, I’m not a “car guy.” I don’t have the knowledge to do much more then an oil change at this point. I feel I could learn as I go, but I also know I will need a mechanic who knows what he is doing along the way. Is it hard to find people to work on classics like this? I wouldn’t want to take it to just any shop. What is the best way to go about finding someone?

2. Besides restorations and the sort what is the average maintenance cost for a car like this?

3. What should I look for when buying the car? What areas should I be careful to double check?

Any other advice or tips you guys can think of, please feel free to pass them along. If this all works out I may be spending a lot more time around this forum.

Thanks in advance,
-J

 

[SuperDave]

An early Mustang is a marvelously simple car BUT it is also true that maintaining a old car either takes a dedicated owner or a professional mechanic. A Ford (don't settle for a Chilton or a Haynes) shop manual for your year is a essential part of owner maintenance. These cars DO require a certaun amount of "fussing" but those of us that love them consider that part of the fun.

Often you can gain help and information from you local Mustang club or elsewhere on the 'net. Stangnet is is also a good source. Just about anyone who can spin a wrench can learn to keep these cars going. I don't know your area but there should be lots of opportunities to find someone.

Parts are generally readily available from the vendors on the web. The Mustang has great support from the aftermarket and the parts are affordable. Cost for labor and related parts are no greater than for any other car of comparable age.

It is best to buy the best and most complete car that you can afford. You'll never save money by buying a dogged out "Stang especially if you are inexperienced. RUST is the #1 enemy of the early Mustang. Seek the advice of a KNOWLEGEABLE Mustang purchase before you make any purchase. They can tell you what to look for and why. Not evey car person knows Mustangs so be careful to select someone that KNOWS the cars.

Welcome to the hobby!

 

[jikelly]

Welcome to the forum. Before you buy any car you should drive it somplace and have it checked out. There is information on what to look for when buying a classic mustang avalible on the web and I'm sure if you search the forum it will bring up something.

I don't know how hard it would be to find a mechanic for your classic. The best way to get info on that is to find other car enthusiast in your area and ask them, say at a car show or car club meeting.

I'm not sure what to tell you about average maintenance cost. Mine I would say are generally pretty low. I do have to devote some time to keeping my carb clean and tunned. I do my own work on my car. I had no choice but to learn how to work on it since I can't afford to pay a mechanic. It was scarry at first but once I got into it I discovered that it is really not that hard. Luckly I had quite a few people help me learn along the way to mechanichood.

There is a lot you can do with a chilton's repair manul and a 100 peice crastmans tool set. I won't lie to you it is not all roses I've had some pretty dark days when I thought there was no way that I could get the stang going again (usually because I didn't have money for an engine rebuild) but I always made it through somehow.

After 12 years, three engines, two transmissions, 6 starters, 4 powersteering pumps, a steering gearbox, 3 batterys, a number of alternators and 160,000 wonderful miles I would never give up my mustang. I have lost track of the number of hours and late nights I stayed up working on my stang, but I can tell you that it is an awsome feeling to finish the work, turn the key and hear the engine come to life. I know that my girlfriend and friends think I'm crazy at times for keeping it but my mustang is a part of my life. I wonder sometimes if I own it or if it is the other way around.

 

[steelhorse]

Welcome, So your in the Big D.. so am I. What part of town are you in?

Buying your first stang is great. Just look the car over well inside, outside, underneath in all the nooks and crannies and/or take someone knowledgable with you. If you need a little help or have questions just give me a shout I've had/still have many classics and a few stangs and can walk you through where and what to look for, depending on your skills, time and money. Feel free to ask/post up any questions you have

 

[Rousterfar]

Welcome, So your in the Big D.. so am I. What part of town are you in?

Buying your first stang is great. Just look the car over well inside, outside, underneath in all the nooks and crannies and/or take someone knowledgable with you. If you need a little help or have questions just give me a shout I've had/still have many classics and a few stangs and can walk you through where and what to look for, depending on your skills, time and money. Feel free to ask/post up any questions you have

I'm in the Lewisville area right outside of Dallas. If I do this it's going to be another 6 months or so before I can afford it, but I wanted to do some planning early.

 

[xoxbxfx]

Whats going on man... I live in Southlake which is on the other side of Grapevine from Lewisville. What kind of stang are you looking for??? I can help you if you find a mustang locally and check it out for you. Im no pro but I have been building my stang since I was 16 (3 years ago) and have learned a ton about them.

Dunno if you are interested but I will be selling my stang soon. Its a 69 coupe (I guess it was like your dad's). Its sorta torn apart now but its going to go back together and be put together right. Id be more than happy to meet up with you sometime and teach you as much as I can. Heck, if you want, you can come over and check out my project and sorta learn from the ground up. Right now my car is stripped down and the floorpans are coming out. I plan on putting in the new pans myself, por15 the whole interior and trunk, shave the engine bay, put in a universal wiring harness and drop in a fuel injected 302 motor. Dont want to sound like a weirdo but it would be a good learning opportunity if you want. Im jsut a kid that has learned something things and would be more than happy to help ya, especially if it deters you from ricers

 

[65shlbycln]

Hi!

I guess if you want a classic, but dont know much about them, the best way to go is to pay a little more for one that is already in very good condition. That way most of the bugs are already worked out. I had a very good daily driver '67 that i bought 4 years ago for about 7k, and had to empty a few grand in it to make it the great reliable driver that it was. so if i were you, i'd find a car that is around 10k, worth every penny and a bit more than the 10k, and learn little by little how to work on them while you driver her.

Thats just my opinion.

 

[Rousterfar]

Thanks everyone.

xoxbxfx I sent you an email. This is some good advice.

 

[mustangfb66]

I would say the best thing to do is to meet mustang people in your area and make a couple of friends. If you're planning on keeping the stang for any amount of time it would be in your best interest to learn how to work on it. This way you will save a ton of money on labor. Most people you meet are willing to help you work on your stang as long as you are nice, help them work on your car (instead of just watching them work on it for you), and pay attention to what they teach you.

And like was said above. Buy the best car you can afford, keep an eye out for the rust too.

Efren

 

[xoxbxfx]

Rousterfar... sent you an email back

like everyone has said, the best bet when buying a classic stang is to buy the most expensive you can afford due to the fact most of the hard stuff will be done. Rust is a killer to deal with, especially when it comes to the cowl of the car. You are better off buying a car that the rust was just fixed and the car is primer grey for $6000 rather than buying a rustbucket with a new paintjob for $3000. If you have someone do floorpans on your car, just labor alone is going to run $300 and that is a smiple fix compared to frame rails and cowl work.

another big thing is you need to think about what you want to do with the car. Planning is going to save you tons of money. I had no idea what I was doing when I bought my car and I wasted lots of money by fixing something and changing my mind and going with something else. I had a c6 transmission before (had it rebuilt for $1000) then bought an ArtCarr AOD for $2200. Now the C6 just sits on the garage floor. Complete waste of money. Are you looking for a complete origional car? Are you going to want to go fast? Do you want reliability for a daily driver? Lots and lots of decisions to make and your best bet is to try and make them now. Have your dream car in your head and drive towards it.

 

[Mytoy]

I have a couple of suggestion, buy the best car you can afford it will pay later on, subcribe to a Mustang magazine and join a club . I believe all the above will be alot of help

 

[Rousterfar]

I have a couple of suggestion, buy the best car you can afford it will pay later on, subcribe to a Mustang magazine and join a club . I believe all the above will be alot of help

Anyone know of any Dallas area clubs?

 

[66 BLAKE 96]

Anyone know of any Dallas area clubs?

http://www.ntmc.org/

There are some good people in this club, and they put on the best Mustang and Ford show I've ever been to: The Yellow Rose Classic.

 

[Pakrat]

Welcome! I called Flower Mound my home for a spell not too long ago. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw me tearing up the roads of Lewisville at one time or another.

I was originally going to suggest you contact xoxbxfx when I first read your post since he will be selling pretty much what you are looking for, but that seems to have taken care of itself.

I totally agree with buying the best car you can afford, especially when you are new. A car that only needs occasional fussing and attention is far easier to work on than a car that needs alot of restoration. If you are afraid you can not sit idle and save so long for a real nice one than consider some palce like this: www.jjbest.com to get you started. With only 20% down on a 10k car the couple hundred bucks a month will seem like nothing comaperd to the thousands a month you might need to fix one, especially if you have to hire folks to the work for you. Best of all the car will be ready to use right away and continually learn as you go.