160,000 Miles to much on a Mustang?

UpRise_5.0

Founding Member
Jun 16, 2002
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Canada
Hey,

My buddy in has is willing to sell me his 1991 5.0 mustang to me for cheap $1600 US it has 160,000 Miles (250,000 kms) on it. Nothing has been rebuilt or anything.

THe car is in good condition just the high miles.

So anyways what I would do if I bought it was rebuild the engine with better heads and intake,rebuild the rearend with 3.73's, and mabye even the tranny.

And I would only drive the car 3 months (summer) a year.


I just want another (would be my 3rd) mustang to blast around in.

So would it be fine with all those miles still, or is it not worth it?
 
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It really depends on how well the car was taken care of.

For $1600 it sounds like you really can't go wrong.

If you are going to put money into the heads and intake and such what's another $1200 on a new shortblock?
 
UpRise_5.0 said:
Hey,

My buddy in has is willing to sell me his 1991 5.0 mustang to me for cheap.

So would it be fine with all those miles still, or is it not worth it?

If he's your buddy then you know better than anyone else how hard he's run the motor, but 160K isn't that many miles IMHO.
 
244K
195K
198K

*shrug*
They are getting their second wind.

But, a car can have 20K on it and be about to throw a rod. Again, it's all in how it was cared for.
When I turned my last motor in for a rebuild, it only took a 2000 dry wire hone and a polish of the crank. Everything else checked out good. 188K.
 
my buddy has 2 90 gt's. one of them has 165k miles on it. all stock. the other has 148k on it with a few mods (3.73s, edlebrock intake). the stock one is still running. the modded one... well lets just say we were cruising along at about 1600rpms and heard a loud bang then felt a bunch of vibrations... i had to tow it back to his house with my beater blazer (with 188k miles on it ;) ) the modded one obviously had a HARD life. the motor didnt even make it to 150k miles while the stock one is strong as new. if the cars been taken care of then you shouldnt even worry about it. 160k is just broken in on some 302s :)
 
I'm in the vicinity of somewhere well over 200k on mine (unknown due to the wrong speedo gear previously being installed for the 4.10's, made it read 10 MPH high). I gave $2000 for it. It looked like a turd when I picked it up, but I was only concerned about the mechanicals - rebuilt motor and T-5 swapped in about 20k ago, 4.10 gears w/rebuilt LSD, A/C delete, battery relocated to trunk, and seats from what appear to be a fancy-editioned '86 GT (hoop headrests with fishnet material in the middle, supposedly a Recaro seat, I dunno). I've spent the past few months polishing this turd - yeah, I'm a chronic turd-polisher, I'll admit it - and it's coming along nicely, aside from the occasional annoying issue that's arisen ... namely that demonic possession incident, the floormats that almost killed me (got jammed under the pedal at WOT and wouldn't let it up), and now the front tranny seal that's glazed a fairly new clutch by gradually, over the past couple of months, spewing DexIII all over it (and everything underneath the car clear back to the rear axle).

It's my favorite turd, and I've no intentions of flushing it anytime soon ... though I worry some stupid old geezer will pull out in front of me and destroy it, just as soon as I get everything just the way I want it (which happened with my previous car).
 
My 87' LX performed very well for me purchased for $2.5k at 97k mi. in 96' and ran her up to 201k mi by 98' she consistently pulled 12.90-13.0's, had 110 passes most on slicks at 5K launches, countless street racing.

Only problems she had was one waterpump replacement, very small tiny amount of oil smoke out the pipes on the interstates around 190k. mi (with 4.10's RPM's at 3200) and she mauled up 5 T5's ( i had ample supply to keep T-5's built for her plus they out accelerate Tremecs). Sold her since i had/still have my 92' LX for $1500 with no trans.

My 92' has performed great also lost her first motor at 187k mi.(a nut actually backed off the connecting rod *boom* while i was driving down the I-10 wondering why from the sound i had a T.O. bearing going out). Put in a 85' motor w/ 125k. on her, lost that motor otw back from Wa. St. at 183k mi on it. Bearing failed on it understandble since that motor always ran 32-3500 rpms on the open roads with some 6000 rpm spurts during it's tenure.

Her next motor was a used 92' with 76K mi on it which lasted for 221k mi. and was in great shape but i didn't never get that vibration totally cured and while running the guts out of her on the interstate the crank finally gave an broke.

In short ford built a good motor just keep good tune, fresh oil, and deal with any vibrations associated with the motor or drive-line. Gonna to see what kind of use i get out of a brand-new DSS, larger oil cooler, pump, and pan, go to 3.55's from 3.73's to cut down on the open road RPM's( i run close ratio 5th trans on my cars). :flag:
 
I have a little over 160k on the engine in my '65. It came out of a '94 GT. It runs very strong and doesn't blow one bit of smoke. Tranny is also in great shape for 160k. Shifts very smooth and doesn't grind.