Possible Mustang Purchase

[Revenant]

I am looking to buy a newer car for my wife and I to drive. I am
especially interested in 96- mustangs with the modular V8. I am wondering about reliability though. My wife will be using it as a commuter, and I really don't want her to end up stranded. My previous experience with GM products has turned me off to american cars altogether, but I have hear good things about the mustangs. I am only really interested in V8's and manual transmissions. We are budgeting between 7 and 8 thousand for a car... can a good one be had for that? What kind of life expectancy do the cars have? What should I look out for? My wife is a small asian woman, will she have any problem with the stock clutch? Any help would be greatly appreciated!