ive recently started to consider buying a fox body mustang...anything from 86-93. im planning on getting a 99-04 gt in a year or so...but im also thinking that i could probably get a nice fox body to drive until then. anyway im only looking for a 5.0 for obvious reasons.

from what ive read and researched it seems to me that the 5.0 is a great motor and is also reliable. at all the used car listings it seems there are a ton of 5.0s with over 150,000 miles on them.

i just wanted to see how reliable you guys consider these cars. the ones in my price range seem to have anywhere from 70,000 to 110,000 miles on them. your opinions on the reliability of the engine/rest of car would be greatly appreciated.

thanks...

 

I bought an 87 GT back in 93 with 98K miles on it. I drove it to 174K with no engine problems. The T-5 went south becasue of the output shaft. Otherwise, I had no complaints. The guy I sold it to, drove until 210K, then decided to make a strip car out of it.

 

I have had multiple 5.0 HO equipped cars go high mileage....my '88 LX had 230K on the engine when I removed it for the supercharged one...the only thing wrong was a blown headgasket which I could attribute to my 107K of abuse(I bought it from the original owner with 123K on the clock)....I took that 230K engine apart and freshened it up with new rings and bearings ONLY...no need for boring or anything else....a machinist friend looked at the oil pump and told me I could re-use it as the tolerances were perfect(the car had religous oil changes since new) but I used a new one since my mind wouldn't let me re-use the original. That engine is still running today with the original pistons and has another 60K on it.

These engines are bullet proof when maintained.....don't let mileage scare you if it has had regular servicing.

 

My last Capri 5.0 (I've had 3 '86 Capri's) had ~165,000 original miles, no oil leaks, ran very strong, A/C still worked!! (Sold to buy Mach in March, '04)

I changed oil every 3000 miles with Mobil 1 synthetic 15w-50, not every ones 'cup-of-tea', but I stand by it under my driving conditions.

 

thanks a lot to everyone who replied already....if you guys(and everyone else) dont mind i have a couple more questions...

your replies are what i was hoping to hear. obviously,being mustang enthusiasts, we all tend to emphasize the pros of our favorite ponies....but has anyone heard of someone who had a bad experience with a 5.0? i know i havent...but i would be interested to hear any stories.

also...is any year from 86-93 mechanically much better than another? i know the 3.8s from 99-04 are basically bulletproof but the same engine from 94-98 had some head gasket problems. just wondering if the year would really factor into my purchase.

thanks again guys...

 

Well, I believe '90 had the highest horsepower rating at 225 of those years anyway. Other than the cobra r obviously or cobra then also.

 

The '88 Speed density Mustangs were the fastest....but unless you change to MAF then you limit your mods. The '86 5.0 HO engine had poor heads and flat top pistons....unless you fly cut or replace the pistons and change the heads you cannot run an aftermarket camshaft. The most you can do is get away with installing 1.7 rockers. The '93 had Hyperuetectic pistons(aka, Hyperpathetic/HyperUplastic pistons) while all other years used TRW forged pistons as original equipment. The forged pistons will take a LOT more abuse than the HP ones. 1989 started the Mass Air equipped cars and is the only year without an air bag. If you do not want an air bag then find an '89 model...if you don't mind having the air bag and no tilt steering then I would recommend finding an '89-'92 model.

 

what's up everyone i just found this site and this post and if you don't mind "stang fan" I have two question for the "Fox" experts.
1) What does SVO stand for
2) for the 5.0's what's the highest horsepower/
Thanks All...

 

SVO stands for "Special Vehicle Operations" and was the Ford Performance group before "SVT" which is "Special Vehicle Team". The 5.0 was rated at 225HP from Ford although there was a change in the way they rated during the fox years. The highest listed production 5.0 was the '93 Cobra listed at 235HP.

 

Thanks a lot SVO...

 

yeah as long as the oil was changed regularly the motors are totally relaible. the only thing to watch out for is the water pump failing. they seem to be like clock work around 90k. so ask the owner if it has ever been replaced. if not you might have to get one in the near future. had an 86 T'bird w/ 50. sold w/ 196k no prob ever exc for water pump. had 86gt sold w/ 200k. though i replaced the motor at 170k. though was my fault ran the belt backwards and drove 200 miles in 100 degree heat blew a head gasket. have driven every 5.0 i owned hard and never had any major problems minor emissions things hear and there hoses and such. just check for rust on undersides of doors, trunk and floor pans. they are the main places i have seen rust on these cars

 

I baught an 88 GT 5.0 about 5 months ago and it has 137,000 on it. The car has some mods on it and the engine runs excellent. The only thing was when I baught it the tranny was shot. I know that the automatic transmissions in the foxes arent the best. So if you want to get an automatic and you want to do some work on it, I would suggest that you save some money for some tranny upgrades.

 

I love my '82 5.0, I bought the car last january (1.5 years ago) and had it sitting in my driveway under a cover. When I got my license this past january I went out to start it and it started on the 3rd crank and went right to an idle, remember its carbed as well. I don't know the milege (rebuilds, etc.) though I know its high and it runs perfect, I've been driving it for over 7 months now. It's modded and pretty fast, if I ever forget why I like the car I'll get on it hard and easily remember, its pulls great up to the highest rpm I've been brave enough to go to (a little over 4,000). It does have a little rust on the bottom of the doors and bottom of the hatch like conv_stang said is common, though its all getting repaired when I get the car painted in a few months.