New driver.... Which mustang to get...
 

Hey,
I'm 15 still currently and will be 16 here in a few short months (I have them counted down to the day, lol). I'm looking to get a mustang as my first car. My parents would make me pay for the thing myself, which brings me to my dilema. I really want a 1995 model of some sort.
I have a chance to get an '89 Convertable Mustang (red) w/ a 5.0 liter engine all for only 1,000. It has 90,000 miles on it.
Anyway, I can't decide which one I should get, I really would prefer a non-convertable type mustang, and i really dont like the 89 body style so i'd prefer the '95, but the 95 would be considerably more to buy and considerably more on my insurance bill. So my question is, what do you guys all think I should get, the '89 or a '95.
If you say a '95 any suggests on waht specific model to get?

There will be a lot of people who tell you not to get a v8. I'm not going to be one of them, its not what you asked. Here are some pro's and cons on the two cars.

'95
Pro-Newer
-better looking (opinion)
-Airbags
-Rigidity
Cons-Slower
-Cast pistions
-$$ Insrance AND Purchase

'89
Pro-Better base motor
-Cheaper
-Drop top cruising
Cons-Body flex
-13 years old
-you think its ugly

One thing you may notice the more you get into Mustangs, is how that body grows on you. I'm a bigger fan of it now than when it was new. No matter what, get a pushrod motor. Don't get a 96-new car if you want to keep it and make it fast.

I'd say go with whatever you can slip past the parents and keep the racing on the track.

I say go for a 64 to 70 they are cheap(if you look around) and you can play with them for less money(plus they aren't a dime a dozen). Do yourself a favor though think about what you want and what you are willing to do. A first car can be fun or it can be a pain. Dont rush into something just because you like it. I would look for something that needs work but is driveable. Anyway good luck and enjoy the legacy.

if you were my kid, you would not be getting a v8, but you aren't, so that's irrelevant...........

one thing you have to ask yourself is why is that mustang only $1000..........

sounds to me like you want the 95, so my advice is:

get the 95 model if you can

Bad cold starts, rust, 39 to 32 years old(ie worn out suspention, brakes, etc.) Not a good dailey driver, IMO

Old cars are usually a PITA at times. Something is always breaking.

woops, i meant to say 1500, and im only getting that price because the person thats selling it is a family friend. Selling it to anyone else hes gonna higher the price (also, its so hceap because it was his mothers and she jsut passed away, so he just wants to get rid of hte car). Anyway,

But The Duece, what did you mean by


"Don't get a 96-new car if you want to keep it and make it fast."?

haha, I agree... I have a 99, and it's pretty fast:D

hey now...i learned on a 95 towncar! :D

for your first car, size of the motor doesn't matter, size of the car doesn't matter, respect for the car, the elements and for those around you is what matters. People sometimes act on impulse and do something stupid and yes the faster the car the quicker the stupid impulse desicion can become catastrophy, but just think before you act!!

I've done alot of stupid things and I had alot of fun, but I had an unusally high respect for all things when I started driving and this made a big difference.

My personal picks in order would be:

'03 cobra
'03 mach1
'99+ GT
'67-'68 fastback w/o all the chrome
'93 cobra
'89-'92 lx 5.0

I wouldn't buy a '95-'98 I think they're b-tch cars, sorry, my opinion.

If I were you:
'89-'92 lx

The parts available are tremendous, they're easy to work on, they can look very good with the right body kit, they're cheap to own. Don't worry so much about the cars miles, you'll probably end up replacing the whole suspension, driveline and rebuilding the motor for horsepower in the long run, anyway. really, Mustangs are that addictive!:D

good luck

First, it dEuce, I don't know why everyone misspells it.

I have 97. The 96+ cars all have the 4.6 Modular motor. If I had it to do over again I would wait on a 302 car. To do a head and intake swap on my motor would cost $2,000. And that's for 'not that great' heads. Parts are too expensive, and everything needs an aftermarket piece. Heck, it would cost me $150 to bump my timing. All you need is a timing gun and a screwdriver for a 302, but I have to buy an aftermarket piece that only ONE supplier makes.

Sorry, I was venting. The 302's are easier and cheaper to modify. That was my original point.

GRRR! its such a hard decision! lol

Well, I'm completely bias ;)

I'd go for a 95 GT. You get all the benefits of a 5.0L PLUS the nice interior!

A newer car may cost more now, but may not in the long run...

Either way it's only your first car! It's not like you are stuck with it forever!

If that 89 vert is only 1500, and its a nice clean car (not perfect, but not banged up either), you certainly could get it, drive it around for a while, make it look pretty, and sell it for more than you paid. If the car is nice, getting 3 grand for it should not be a prob at all, at least down here anyway.

hey bro welcome to the madness, i can't thank you enough for not gettin a rusted out chebby or a POS civic, thank you for keepin the blue oval goin..

to yer Q's, if yer a newbie learnin on somthin, i suggest you(yer gonna hate this) get a POS you don't care about. i learned on a 5.0 crown vic an i put many hondas in thier place, that 5.0 torque..i learned how to handle the power of rwd, the layout of a 5.0 lil nuances... especially how to pilot a car safetly an I can honestly say i'm glad i waited untill was out of highschool before gettin my GT. I respect its power more, i bought it, an am aware of my limits as a driver. unless yer steve mqeen, yer gonna wreck yer first car.. its inevitable. the queston is do you wanna muss up a stang or a pos?

that said, the 4.6 96- are a lil skitish. Am's not as big as 5.0, headers are a pain to replace, lil subtlties compromise their abities for powermaking. sucky Low end, some powertrains, trannies, might still be under warranty.. but they do look nicer than the 94-95 with rounded edges of the 96-98 years

the 4.6 DOHC cobras are nightmares up top tho..

the 5.0s are becoming few an precious, strictly from a "good reliable" point. most are well over the100k mark sporting aftermarket support out the wazoo. the quintesential drag car is a fox 80's lx 5.0. lighter than the GT's but same exact power plant.
go with a 89-93 if you can with EFI for a reliable PoV.
good luck findin one that hasn't been smashed up.

next up is the 94-95 5.0. the last year of the 302, but new body style of the 94-98, not a screamer, but very nice with simple touchs: wheels, springs, etc. plus they are becoming rare.

geeze $1,000 :eek:
most fox 5.0s with low milage are 6-10k.you didn't sa if the 5.0 was manual? Autos are funky, i searchd long an hard for a 5.0 5spd, but ran into too many basket cases that had either smashed em up or modded them wrong.

strictly from 1/4 mile pov, convertibles suck. really heavy, don't get a 4.6 drop top if you wanna run it.

if you want the easiest and the most aftermarket, then get a fox body 90-93. why not the 87-89? i will tell you why. 90-93 have better suspension geomtry. have 140 speedos. better color trims. 16" wheels 91-93. better transmissions. nothing wrong with other fox bodies though, but these are the best years. as for the SN95, stay with the 94-95 if you want to upgrade. its cheaper, and easier to comprehend than the mod motors. mod motors in my own opinion are better, but too expensive right now for parts. also if you get the fox body, you have more choices. Hatch, Notch or vert. Notch is the best i think. i have a hatch. i like it, but i think the notch looks better. hope that helps!

I'm only 18, so I can easily remember being your age. Whatever you do, don't get a classic unless you have a lot of extra time, and a LOT of money (because you'll end up spending about 3 or 4 times what you think you will). The '95s are nice but will be very kinda expensive for ya and insurance will be quite a bit more. The '89 will have a few problems that will need to be worked out. If I was you I'd buy the '89 vert.

Don'y get anything with posi either....go to the link in my sig to see my fastback and click the link to read the story about my wreck.....:( ;)

WEll ill let you know from experience and because im biased:p . I would definitely check out the 89, make sure there is nothing wrong with it major, 1500 is cheap,, believe me i waited 3 years until i got my car, and i was looking for a car all 3. The 95 mustangs are nice, however my best friend has a 95 v6 and it has some problems, it misses, and the check engine light has been on since he bought it (Cam positioning sensor). Of course, the interior is nice and the stereo system is awesome, mach 460. Its a nice car, but the v6 is slow, i dont know if this even matters, but it is just plain grandpa with a walker slow. But it is a really good looking car. My preference would be the 89 vert. I have an 88 Vert, and i LOVVVEEE ITT. drop the top down and just cruise cant beat it. Then you get the sound and power of the 5.0, and all the girls:D . haha, and the 5.0 is extremely dependable, and easy to build. But yeah, the classics are awesome ( I have a 69 mach1 also). But they cost a lot of mulah. But they are just sweet, if i had to choose which one to cruise in tho, i would opt for my 88. The 69 is my, gotta go home and get the big boy, car, when its finished anyway. But I SAY GO FOR THE 89!

16 y/o with a V8 Mustang...man, good luck with the insurance either way. When i got my Stang i was 18 and the insurance raped me on a 6 cylinder. I had a 91 Buick Regal for 2 years, it was a great car to learn how to drive with.

My suggestion to you is to get a regular car first so you get comfortable behind the wheel. Stepping into a V8 when your 16 is dangerous because you want to race everyone, but the experience isnt there.

PS - I recently joined the V8 crowd (woohoo) 1986 Chebby Monte Carlo SS (305) <---boat anchor (needs major rebuilding and tons of TLC)

I am only 17, this mustang was my first car. Before i got it i drove a 79 Bronco with a 4 bbl 400 in it. 285 hp:eek: . A v8 isnt something to be afraid of driving, or when getting a car. You just have to be smart. Yes, insurance will rape you, they rape all kids. Of course, if your parents have a carthat insurance would be cheap if you were the primary driver, becom the prim driver of that car and be a secondary driver on your stang. I did this with my Bronco. I am the primary driver of it, 240 every three months for liability. But i made i so i am the secondary driver of my stang, so it is only 150bucks every three months, since i am the primary driver of the bronco. Insurance cant rape me that way. Whatever you decide, just be smart, try to keep the racin at the track, dont be dumb with your new car. Have fun:D

I would go for the 89 5.0 Convertible, you won't find anything drivable without major problems for $1500 otherwise. I bought my '89 for $1500, but i ended up doing alot of work on it (most of it voluntary for modifications) because it was an older car with 114,000 miles on it.
If you try and buy a newer model mustang most of them are still pretty expensive because depreciation hasn't caught up with them yet and by the time it's paid off it'll be worth quite a bit less than what you buy it for. I love my '89 because it has a 140mph speedometer, 5 speed, already had quite a few modifications when i bought it and is easy to modify because of the relatively low cost of aftermarket parts (which are about 1/2 as much to buy than any import crap on the market).
Just imagine, being in high school, with a fast 5.0L convertible.....can you say chick magnet :D
No matter what you get, just remember these words of wisdom based on my experience as a dumb testosterone driven teenager (i turned 22 earlier this month):
1. Don't screw around AT ALL in the rain, the rearend will fly around faster than you realize what's happening. You can get away with it a deceptively large amount of time...it only takes one loss of control to hit things.
2. Literally don't waste gas racing people on streets, speeding tickets will hurt your pocket book, racing tickets will get your license taken away, losing control.... very easy to happen and might injure you or someone else. I'm addicted to racing at the track now, there's no chance of getting a ticket and you have numbers to back up what you say.

You don't have to listen to any of this, but i am talking from experience of having 3 at fault accidents with one 19 over ticket, please be safe no one wants to see another mustanger get hurt :D

Anyways, good luck and i hope you get a stang you can enjoy for years to come!