First Time Driving A Stang

[Mustang5.0GT]

Now i see what the big deal is about mustangs. Toady I drove my first Mustang that im buying $3000 for an 88 Mustang GT Convertable. These cars are sick ! ! ! I was hitting 70 just getting into third gear after i dorove it i had to buy it. What are things to look for when buying a Stang? Only thing i dont like about it is that it has 95 leather seats that cannot be adjusted any furtherback too close to steering wheel but the rest PURE POWER ! ! ! SICK ALL I HAVE TO SAY S I C K. I was scared to floor it from the sound of the engine. what do these run stock?

[joe4speed]

I'm glad you liked it, when I first drove one I knew I had to have it too!

You can get into the 13's with a stock stang I believe.

[929PhoenixSquid]

Yup, that's the way it always is. You drive one, and BANG! You are hooked on 'em. Take it from a "converted" die-hard Corvette man. My sneaky fiancee used to say, "Hunny, why don'y you drive my Mustang for a while". Well........that was the end of my Corvette obsession. I HAD to have one. Nine months later, I own my first mustang.

WARNING: The mustang bug causes an undying obsession for buying parts and increasing power......it NEVER will end.

[lx mike]

my first drive in a 5.0 hooked me. my brother in law uncle stoped by and let me take his for a ride and even though it was a stock aod i could tell it had some "pep" to it and after that i started looking and found one and now i am on my second stang.

WARNING: The mustang bug causes an undying obsession for buying parts and increasing power......it NEVER will end

SO TRUE!!!

[Stroked408]

Got 2 myself a 90 LX converted to a GT and a 2000 Mustang GT.

You might want to double check some things when you get it,and start buying parts.

First off decisions on what to buy are going to drive you nuts.

2nd when you hear someone elses,make sure your credit card is at home,matter of fact cut them up now will save a few headaches.

3rd try not to,but it happens,try not to look at other cars as mere skateboards.

And last but not least,get ready for every import idiot driving a car with his hat turned backwards to try you

Guess I should have never said the last one but they are out there.

Congrats on getting one of the finest automobiles around here,good luck with it and have fun bottom line.

[Mustang5.0GT]

I want to know what to look for when buying It. Also how do you convert an LX to A GT. Should the clucth peddal be hard or soft. One more thing Do you think $3000 is a good price for a 88 GT convertiable. And give me a list of low buck mods i can do to my future stang to get it going fast(Like it dosent go fast already)

[Stroked408]

Converting a LX hatchback to a GT is relatively easy,you just need the lower ground effects,if you want to run fog lamps then you have to get a fog lamp mounting bar for under the bumper,but that is only if you want the extra weight.

It is a thread windsor power that talks about "First Mods" that is an excellent reference lot of good suggestions on there.

3k for a 88 Mustang is not too bad it is pretty hard to find a low mileage V8 Mustang around,but 3k sounds like not a bad deal,long as there is no rust,severe body damage,or ripped out torque boxes.

You can tell if the torque boxes are ripped out,when you turn into a driveway you will hear a loud clunk in the rear,and the car will almost dog-log when going straight. Had a friend of mines car do it not very safe I might add.

Anyway good luck with getting the car.

[Mustang5.0GT]

can you be a little more specific about the torque boxes and what is dog-low

[Stroked408]

I meant to say dog-leg,where if you drive through a puddle of water and instead of seeing just 2 straight tire tracks you see 4,that means you have some serious chassis problems.

The lower control arms are connected to the torque boxes,look at them and it will tell you what conditions the car is in,if you hear no clunk when you tunr into a driveway,you should be alright.

Sorry for the confusion.

[Dark_5.0]

I have an 88GT vert 5 speed..........The mods I have will get you I high 12 @sealevel.

[mongo]

Mustang 5.0GT,
Welcome aboard! I know for a fact that a stock 5.0 produces 169.9 horses at the rear tires. Now this is bone stock, absolutely no mods, right off the showroom floor. Another thing, stock 5.0's will run high 14's to low 15's in the 1/4 mile. Had a friend of mine take his brand new 5.0 to the track the weekend after he bought it, and those were the numbers he ran the whole time we were there.


Mongo
93' LX(The Green Monster)

[Unit 5302]

Originally posted by mongo
Mustang 5.0GT,
Welcome aboard! I know for a fact that a stock 5.0 produces 169.9 horses at the rear tires. Now this is bone stock, absolutely no mods, right off the showroom floor. Another thing, stock 5.0's will run high 14's to low 15's in the 1/4 mile. Had a friend of mine take his brand new 5.0 to the track the weekend after he bought it, and those were the numbers he ran the whole time we were there.


Mongo
93' LX(The Green Monster)

You know for a fact, about your friends car. 1 particular 5.0 generated a weak 169.9rwhp. That's about the weakest a stock 5.0 will get. I'm guessing it must have been an AOD, which has more power loss than a T-5. A 5.0 should dyno between 170-185rwhp, bone stock. There are some exceptions that will dyno more.

Just because your buddy ran high 14's/low 15's doesn't mean that his weak stock 5.0 should be used as an example for performance. Collective experience says a good driver should run anywhere from low/mid 14's to high 14's with a bone stock 5.0. The AOD vert's may edge into the 15's.

[Ieatcamaros]

May I add that you pay very close attention to the convertible top. A buddy of mine bought a vert(only one he could find in his price range at the time) and I don't think he even looked at the top's condition at all. It leaked badly, especially around the windows. He had all new linkages and a brand new top put on for about $1800. He was so hell bent on buying a mustang as soon as he could. I am not trying to tell you not to buy a vert for any reason at all, just trying to help you in your decision.

[Stroked408]

I sure do hope that was an automatic. I have never seen a 5-speed go that slow since 83,Unit5 is correct about the low to mid 14 range with a 5-speed Mustang V8,long time ago Tony DeFeo ran a 13.90 with a bone stock 87 LX only mod to it was bumped timing,and 5 pounds of over-pressure in the rear tires.

The best way to really give a car a whats-over take a friend with you that is not as giddy about the car as you are. They will point out things that you may miss,like rust here and there.

And be honest with yourself,just because you are willing to put up with some rust and here and there,does not mean it might not be a better Mustang down the road 5 minutes away.

Be patient,and do not get in a hurry.