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I'm considering buying a 1987 to 1993 Mustang GT

I prefer a 90-93 (that what im searching for)

What are things I should look for, do they have any known rust location like 60s mustangs.

how should I evaluate it if its good or bad, what to look for, common problem etc...

I don't have experience in buying used cars

wildpony1986

As far as rust if its a hatchback check a the roof line around the lift hinges and along the run off lines..if they ever got stopped up that's where it will be...and as far as engine make sure its not to heavily modded cause you don't know the quality of the work or how much they may have dogged it...

DynamicmustangGT

Check the rear 1/4 panels right behind the wheels, and under the rockers.

jacostang

Foxes, also cowl area, look under the plastic cover behind the hood and make sure its not full of debris.. Rust can hide in there. 87-89 have the tilt steering you wont have that 90 and above with the airbag. Check the body panels for white ident tags for any replacements..

Clino

When I bought my last Fox, the one thing I always heard that was a golden rule was never buy a "lightly modded" car because these are the type of people who thrash on them the most. Usually someone who has put a lot of time, effort and money into their car has taken better care of it. After buying a couple and looking at countless in the process I would totally agree. It's always the car with the cheap underdrive pullies and cat back that has been hooned, rather than the one with the heads, intake and full exhaust or stroker motor.

This isn't always true of course, there is always the rich moron with more money than sense, but generally it's a good rule of thumb to start with when scanning ads.

afr347strokerman

A BIG thing to look for is in the engine bay...look around the outside of the side walls where the fenders bolt to anthe core support to wrinkles, cracks , and weld marks...just cause it say clean title doesn't mean so. Other tell tail signs are "fresh paint" or new headlights when the rest of the car doesn't look so good. It might have been hit in the front. Also open and close the doors they should just click closed. If you have to slam it...allllll bad, unless you don't mind having a wrecked clean title car lol

97GT03SVT

I agree with what everyone has said, though rare your best bet is to buy a 100% stock example. Those tend to be in the best shape. Another Issue I personally dealt with is that GT ground effects can hide some nasty rust. If you have the money it is always cheaper to buy something in great original shape compared to a fixer upper. Good luck, nice foxes are becoming a rarity.

93CobraGuy

Check the undercarriage as well. They do like to rust in the back of the floorpans and in the torque box area. In case you don't know what the torque box is, its where the rear lower control arms bolt to the chassis. Also check this area for stress and tearing, especially in a more modified car. Other than that, the previous posters nailed it spot on.

delz05

Follow the strut towers to the front rail assembly...beside the headers. Weak point, very prone to rusting out. Very expensive to repair...would stay completely away...

Typical floor pan rust, like almost all uni-bodies, lower door seams.

Convertibles are prone to be rattle boxes...unless never molested...

Avoid sunroof cars if possible...leaks, rust, and hard to find headliners.

Good luck...I hope you feed your addiction....cause that's what it is!!!

50Reasons

I dont know about the problem rust areas being in California but look at the front pillars for ant wrinkles and bends and like also mentioned above the rear torque boxes where the upper control arms connect to the body they tear some times from the car being beat on and look at the roof any wrinkles or dent are also indication that the body is twisted from a lot of torque from the motor with no sub frames hope this helps a little

hi5.0

Like the others have mentioned, rust is the evil to beware of in these cars - especially the hatchbacks. Also make sure the car has all the trim as some parts (like on the hatchback glass trim) can be difficult to find. May also want to check the floor pan for cracks/tears in the sheet metal where the seats bolt up. Check the area by the door hinges for rust - another known weak point. If the owner is cool, do a water test and pour some around the windshield/cowl area and see if any water drips into the foot wells or at least get a flashlight and look up under the dashboard/A-pillar area for signs of rust indicating leaks in the cowl area. IDK, dumb design if you ask me - big open area exposed to moisture and debris with insufficient drainage.
Best of luck with your search.

"CLASSICHATCH"

Very helpful posts for my Hatch.
I know what to look for over the weekend.