About to own a Pony, but concerned

[Shawnlh]

Hello, I'm new here as I may be getting my first 'stang. The car I'm looking at is a '94 GT, 5.0 H.O., fairly loaded, with 135,000 km. My question is, is there any problems with this year that I should be concerned with? Right now I have a '98 Grand Am GT with a 3.1 and 96,000 km. It is an exceptionaly clean well running little car. I would be trading the Grand Am for the Mustang but I do not want to run into expenses as I cannot afford to drop cash into the car right now. I guess my main concern is the reliability and durability of the '94. I have been a Mustang fan ever since I was a preteen(20 years ago) and I have a chance to get one now, but I need a reliable, get to work, very low maintanence, daily driver. If this car will not let me down, let me know, your opinions will be greatly appriciated, and maybe a dream can come true.

[Crazy Horse GT]

ditch the gump motor co car, get the stang. lol

[GodStang]

Warning a Mustang will cost you alot of extra money!! First it is CAI and rims, then gears, new heads, new intake. Then you will want a better cam and N20 or a Supercharger. These things all add up and will cost more money. You say it won't happen to you but it will. I told myself when i bought my Cobra that I would not mod it. it lasted all of 2 weeks now i will mod.
HP is the worst drug. It is so addicting and can cost alot of money. People lose their loved ones to there addition to HP.

By the way you will love the Stang I promise. Get it!!

[Mr 5 0]

The 5.0 Mustang is extremely reliable but in a car with mileage in the 80,000 range, you have to expect a few problems here and there. A lot also depends on how the '94 was driven and maintained. When you look for a: reliable, get to work, very low maintanence, daily driver" a V-8 Mustang is not the logical choice. Gas mileage won't be great, either.

For what it's worth, I've owned my 1990 Mustang LX 5.0 hatchback since it was new. It now has 123,000 miles on it and I've used as a daily driver most of it's life - and yes, I've raced it, too. Repairs to date have consisted of water pumps (replaced 2), new clutch (plus flywheel and release bearing) @ 87,000 miles, exhaust system replaced at 90,000 miles, radiator rotted in 1999 due to road-salt accumulation over 9 years (replaced with a 3-row from Ford) and I replaced the ignition module at 100,000 miles as a precaution. Many tune-ups, brake jobs and tire replacements along with a few batteries and 61 oil and filter changes, to date (all performed by me). My last repair was a leaky lower intake manifold gasket, replaced last year. Everything else is original. I believe this speaks to the quality of the car and the engine.

My '90 LX has a few modifications, including a Motorsport 3.55 ratio rear differential gear, Global-West tubular sub-frame connectors (recommended for any Mustang), aftermarket shocks and struts (stiffer), Moroso Cold-Air Induction, a 'Pro 5.0' shifter and a few lesser things but basically, the car is stock.

My experience is with a Mustang I bought new and have carefully maintained so it may not apply to a 9-year-old 'Stang bought used. All I can say is that the Mustang 5.0 is a great engine, the car is decently made and while not a typical 'daily driver', it can serve as one if you don't mind so-so gas mileage and a less-than-soft ride. I believe the sportiness of the '94 re-design which included better ergonomics, the use of the reliable 302 (5.0) engine and with the nice handling characteristics of the '94, it's a good choice, if a Mustang is what you want. On the other hand, a Honda Civic is probably a better choice if you just want a dependable, reliable and economical car.

Your choice, your decision.

[b055]

be careful and make sure the fan works... i've had problems in the past with sn94 fans..

[Shawnlh]

Thanks for the input guys, I had stopped by the dealer and they had the car in the air with the wheels off (perfect timing). I noticed both front and rear crank seals are leaking, the tie rod ends are shot, and it needs a new steering rack, as well as an exhaust leak on the passenger side. After seeing how much work it needs and considering it only has 80,000 miles, I think the car may have been driven pretty hard. So, I'm going to pass on this one, but I do want to say thanks for your help. I will shopping for a stang so I hope you all don't mind if I have some more questions, Thanx.

[LX5liter]

Keep looking Shawn, there are a lot of nice cars in Canada. You can afford to be picky. A Mustand will be a nice dtep up from a Grand Am.