newbie, lots of questions

[steveo3002]

hi all

im from england, we never got the mustang here, although theres some imports

im really keen to buy a late 90's stang..i have a few questions

how do these later cars stand up to rust in bad weather states?? where should i look to see if the car has started to rust??

were they coated/galvanized when new??

we get the odd bit of snow and ice here..not real bad, are they usuablein bad weather or would i need another car?? we dont really have many rear wheel drive cars with big engines here

any thing else i need to know??? common problems??

[Unit 5302]

Cripes, nobody has responded?

Though I haven't been out looking, I don't remember seeing these cars with rust on them a couple years ago. That being said, many people choose not to drive the Mustang in winter weather.

The most common areas to see rust on previous version, and just about every other car I've looked at is at the bottom of the door panels. Open the door and look at the bottom of the inside. Also, the fox body cars from 1987-1993 had some real issues with rust just above the rear wheel wells on the quarter panels.

True undercoating is an option, but I don't believe it's commonly applied.

Here's the scoop on the Mustang GT. The 4.6L V-8 makes quite a bit more torque off idle than most of the cars you're going to have easy access to. In fact, in very icy weather, you may actually want to start the car off in second gear. The factors that combine to make the Mustang GT a real handful in snow are as follows: Short wheelbase, 55-60/45-40 weight distribution, a limited slip rear differential, a torquey lower rpm engine, tall gearing, and higher performance street tires. Snow tires should be mandatory for anyplace that receives frequent snow and blizzards (every week). I would highly recommend replacement of the factory Goodyear Eagles with a better tread for M+S use for anybody that drives in inclement weather.

The Mustang GT can be driven in bad weather (we average 150cm+ of snow annually here). I've done so with the 5.0 fox bodies for years, and they are much more likely to misbehave than the SN95 cars and later 1994+. The body styles are 1987-1993, 1994-1998 (5.0 1994-1995), 1999-2004, 2005.

The V-6 equipped models are pretty much like any other rwd car. No limited slip, shorter gearing, narrower tires, and less power.

[xxxBlakexxx]

I have never seen any rust on a 1996 and up Mustang. Maybe they are still too new. I live in PA and we get plenty of snow and ice here. Mine is a 2000 with 65k miles on it and no rust of any kind on it.

[steveo3002]

okay guys thanks for the replys so far

[SMOKE]

Agreed I haven't seen it as an issue, yet.

[bjack]

Cherri-O mate! I actually spent two years in your lovely country back in the 90s in the Army Exchange Program, down in Marchwood, Southhampton. Great experience!

Personnaly I've never noticed any rust problem with the 90s mustangs although I'm sure exceptions do exists. How well established are the repair shops in your location for American cars? When i was over there they were few dealerships equipped with American car specs, i usually had to travel to one of the U.S. military bases for technical repairs such as diagnostic analysis. The British enthusiasm for American cars was limited and support was also. It appears that has changed......spot on!

Cheers

[ivy95gts]

Well, as far as rust goes RARELY do I see one with any issues... and it's always in the later body styles. With you wanting a late 90's that won't really be an issue. As far as the weather goes... well, I can't speak for the others... but they aren't the most fun things to play with in the snow. If you happen to be getting a 4.6 it might not be as bad as a 5.0, but my experiences are with 5.0's (torque monster in most cases). 96' and up and you should be safer. If your thinking about a 4.6 though, let me offer some advice to go with a 99' and up. That's all also if your planning on getting a v-8. As far as power output go, the P.I. platform makes a big difference. Most 96'-98' owners end up making a head and intake swap for these such parts in the long haul anyway, so it would save some time and money. Well, hope I helped you out in some way. Good luck.