Would you buy a 1998 Mustang with 200,000 miles on it?

[SamRoc]

Neighbors selling a black on black 1998 Ford Mustang convertible GT for $1500. Thought it would be a good car for my daughter for the summer as shes in college in NYC the rest of the year. Its got alot of miles 200,000. Checked out the value, and it is less then the sites say, but i'm kind of afraid of buying a car with that many miles on it.It has one dent in the back, but its not too bad, can be fixed easily. Any Mustang owners out there who can help me out? thanks!

 

[Jestocost]

I don't know. That's a lot of miles in total, but it's only about 17,000 miles per year. That's certainly not ridiculous. I'd be more focused on what maintenance might be required as you could be looking at some pricey repairs to keep it running. Maybe even more important would be if you want your daughter tooling around in a RWD vehicle if she's going to be anywhere that could get snow.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would only buy a convertible if you have garage parking for the car.

 

[SamRoc]

Thanks! I should have explained that she will only be using this from May - September. My neighbor said we could probably just put in the garage and have her use it again next summer when shes home from college again, or just turn around and sell it for $1500 again. It runs great, saw it today.

 

[Shelby5514]

Check to see how much the insurance is going to cost. Depending on her age, it could be more than the car itself.


Does she know how to drive a RWD car in snow and ice? With it being a convertible, the car weighs less and more prone to sliding.


ETA: You must have been posting while I was typing.

If it's in good condition I say go for it. Mustang parts are pretty easy to come by.

 

[SamRoc]

Check to see how much the insurance is going to cost. Depending on her age, it could be more than the car itself.


Does she know how to drive a RWD car in snow and ice? With it being a convertible, the car weighs less and more prone to sliding.

Shes only using it in the summer.

 

[Shelby5514]

And now I was editing while you were quoting.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Thanks! I should have explained that she will only be using this from May - September. My neighbor said we could probably just put in the garage and have her use it again next summer when shes home from college again, or just turn around and sell it for $1500 again. It runs great, saw it today.

A running car under 2000 is a bargain. If it needs repairs then you can either dispose of it (sell very cheap) or fix it and keep it.

Ask about the tires, find out how old they are.

 

[John VN]

A Mustang GT can many times mean a car where the rubber on the tires was burned off rather than being worn off. Quick accelerations and stops.

Have your mechanic give a once and then a twice look over to get an idea as to what might definitely be needed now and in the near future.

This advice comes from a former Shelby GT350 owner.

 

[Art 1]

No.

 

[dejr_8]

only if it had been owned by jon voight

 

[dis-happy]

Have your neighbors always owned it? We have a 1995 Ford Explorer with 190,000+ miles on it and it runs great. Purchased new by a family member then passed on to us....we know that all maintenance and oil changes have been done over the years. The car won't die, but its usefulness is running out for me (was great for hauling horse things over the years); I'll probably be selling this spring for $2000. which is less than dealers are listing for similar car/miles.

 

[Jex]

Check to see how much the insurance is going to cost. Depending on her age, it could be more than the car itself.


Does she know how to drive a RWD car in snow and ice? With it being a convertible, the car weighs less and more prone to sliding.


ETA: You must have been posting while I was typing.

If it's in good condition I say go for it. Mustang parts are pretty easy to come by.

Pretty sure most verts actually weigh more due to the under body structurel support.

 

[C.Ann]

A Mustang GT can many times mean a car where the rubber on the tires was burned off rather than being worn off. Quick accelerations and stops.

Have your mechanic give a once and then a twice look over to get an idea as to what might definitely be needed now and in the near future.

This advice comes from a former Shelby GT350 owner.

I would be concerned about how the previous owner/owners had "abused" it - as well as the cost of insurance..

Other than that, the post above is a wise one..

Good luck with your decision..

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

No, because I would never pay Mustang insurance for a college aged kid. Heck, I wouldn't take it for that purpose for free...

 

[a1tinkfans]

Neighbors selling a black on black 1998 Ford Mustang convertible GT for $1500. Thought it would be a good car for my daughter for the summer as shes in college in NYC the rest of the year. Its got alot of miles 200,000. Checked out the value, and it is less then the sites say, but i'm kind of afraid of buying a car with that many miles on it.It has one dent in the back, but its not too bad, can be fixed easily. Any Mustang owners out there who can help me out? thanks!

Uh, no IMHO, I would not want my college age child "stuck" somewhere, late at night.......I always say....someone elses troubles (thats usually why they sell them ) I can do without......
Good Luck deciding.........

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My dh just came home and said no no no however he said other words that were not disfriendly. He knows cars and if he says no, it means no. We only buy used so it is not like we are afraid of used.

So sorry OP, have to change my answer.

 

[WDW_lover_in_SC]

That's too many miles on too much of a sports car for me.

 

[MouseketeerOvaHere]

I would check how much the insurance is going to be for a under 25 driver on a convertible sports car first. The cost of that alone might change whether you consider buying it. In the mid-90's my brother had a mustang coupe 5.0 and he said parts were so expensive. I'm not sure if that is the case these days but he was always broke as a teenager and he worked on the car himself. I would try and find her a late 80's, early 90's sedan. They seem to have reasonable insurance costs. I purchased a 89 corolla with 178,000miles on it last August to drive back and forth to work 50 miles away to save on gas (my other vehicle is a truck). Paid $1000 and put on new tires ($200) and all has been golden, so far. Anyways, I would weigh the total costs and see if it is within what you want to spend. Good luck.

 

[browneyes106]

The price is good. But I agree with others the insurance for a sports car might be high. I have known a few people who have had converitables and their insurance was sort of high. Ask your neighbors more history about the car regarding any problems they have had with it.