I should've stuck with my gut instinct. There's a reason why this is the newest car I've ever owned. Because the newer something is the worse it is. Too much plastic and cheap electronics. I'd guess at least 80% of the parts on this car are foreign made. They were never designed to last. It breaks you buy a new one. When Ford switched to EFI the "Built Ford Tough" thing went out the window. Taking an electric Ford Escape and slapping Mustang emblems on it shows how low Ford has sunk in the past 35 years.
That is the left side of your brain talking.
( The one that justifies driving an old car for reasons other than a new car is just too expensive). Plastic is everywhere in the car you’re driving, and there is nothing cheap about any of the electronics in use in any of the new products currently sold as new cars.
All of the safety/semi-autonomous electronics that are in cars now are there to protect those that can’t simply look over their shoulder before a lane change or while backing, (90%) or worse those that think the road is the place to start texting someone. (95%).
EFI when properly functioning is truly a superior fuel delivery system, especially when compared to a factory carburetor. And the “ touchy” ABS brakes are about the safest technology ever devised for a car ( probably controlled by its share of “ cheap electronics), both systems alive and well in the SN 95 mustang. As has been stated here numerous times, your choice to buy a hot-rodded mustang as a reliable daily driver is more about you than it is the car. While in unmolested state these cars are no different than any other on the road with regard to reliability, but those are far and few between. And now that you have, expecting to not have to replace stuff that is worn because of that, or because is just freakin worn out is very naive. You stated that you’ve replaced some
brake hoses, and the rear
lower control arms, and based on what you’ve said here, would almost guess that you’ve purchased your very own set of “foreign made replacements”, which are notoriously bad and short lived especially when using them for daily driver duty.
Built Ford Tough is a truck slogan, and since the F150 is still the best selling truck ever ( full of plastic and cheap electronics) it’s off center to use that when talking about a car.
I think you should cut bait, get the car running, and sell it. Buy a Toyota.