New to Mustangs. How Long do they Last?
 

I am new to mustangs, and I want to pick up a used one for the daily commute to work.

How many miles do the engines and transmissions last? What years are good? What years are bad? Etc.?

I am looking at probably buying a 1998 or newer car. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

It depends greatly on the year you pick, options of engine/transmission/rear end ratios, how it was driven before, and how you'll drive it when you get it.

In my case, I can say that a 2006 Ford Mustang GT, driven somewhat spiritedly, will last for 131,000 miles, with the only things done to her being a couple of brake jobs, some tires, a couple of battery and alternator swaps, and oh yeah, I lowered her 1" and put upgraded suspension parts, but that's it, and still going strong, although she's gonna need a new rear upper control arm next.

I can also say that a 1986 Ford Mustang SVO will just crap out all of a sudden for no dang reason, warping both the head and the block a full 1/4 inch out of flatness when the gasket between cylinders 1 and 2 just disappears at 75K.

Others will tell you that I'm speaking wrongly, and their '86 SVO is still going strong, and it's the 2006 Mustang that's just not dependable, having their transmissions or engine or ? poop out at 75K.

Mustangs, and cars in general, are like that. Some are just better somehow than others. Different build days, running changes, people treating them right before you got it, or not... You really don't know what you'll get until you get it.

It is the same story as ever: It's a car, it's complicated, and it's always, *always* buyer beware, no matter what you buy.

All that said, the Mustangs from '89 and up are pretty good if kept up in maintenance, and if you're handy with fixin' things, there are just *so many parts* for them you should be able to keep them running for years and years.

I 've had personal experience with three Mustangs. The first was an '85 four cylinder automatic that I bought well used for my daughter to use to commute from home to college in her freshman year. It had one major problem and that was the carburetor. This was the time when carburetors were on they way out and from my experience the Japanese were the only car makers that knew how to get a carburetor to do all three things. Good power, good driveability and clean emissions. I am an old guy with a fair amount of experience with carburetors and I was going nuts trying to get decent driveability with that car. Otherwise it was OK. Fortunately we were able to sell it for what I had in it and I got her a used Toyota for a decent price and she used it for the rest of school with minimal problems. The 2 nd. Mustang is an '01 SN95 series with a 3.8 six and a five speed manual. It had 115,000 miles on the odometer when I bought it. The actual mileage wasn't that great since someone had replaced the original 3.27 rear end with 3.73. The previous owners had screwed up some of the wiring, the clutch and it had worn out aftermarket shocks and struts. I had the car on jacks in my garage for nearly a month fixing things that the previous owner[s] had screwed up before I dared to drive it regularly. However once I had everything working properly I can say without reservation that it has been the most "stone ax " reliable car I've ever owned. I replaced the original engine and transmission at the quarter million mile mark with low mileage used ones from LKQ since the original engine was low on compression on # 6 and it was starting to use too much oil. 5th. gear synchro was going in the transmission too. I now have around 355,000 miles on the chassis and a bit over 100,000 miles on the replacement engine and transmission. 2nd. gear synchro is worn in the transmission and the engine seeps a small amount of oil from the rear main seal. Oil consumption is about 1/2 qt every 4,000 miles. There are some new cars that use that much or more. I have replaced the shocks and struts and brake pads and rear calipers, but these are normal consumable parts. Basically I think the SN95's are 20th. century model "T"'s. Simple, and somewhat crude, but tough as nails. The 3rd. is a '14 GT six speed manual that I bought new just before the new generation '15's came out. I have just a touch over 14,000 miles on it so it's really too soon to know for sure just how it will hold up. So far it's not needed any warranty work and I haven't had anything worth complaining about. I still use the old SN95 for most of my daily driving.

IMO, after owning different types of Mustangs over the past 4 decades, most Mustangs will last a long time provided the prior owner (preferably one owner) took care of the car. It's really that simple. No constant 'pedal to the metal' abuse, and good maintenance records are key. Also the lower the mileage, the better naturally. Anyone that has bought any of my prior owned Mustangs, that I bought new, got good 'used' cars that will last a long time, from my '82 GT to my '04 'vert. The same will hold true for my current ride some day down the road.
Good luck with your search and be willing to travel a bit to get that sweet one owner, low mileage car. It's worth a weekend of fast food, gas, and a cheap motel if necessary. Just a fun road trip anyway with a buddy or loved one.

They can last at least 52 years

Do any of the engines have aluminum heads?

Like any other used car, it depends 100% on how the previous owner(s) took care of the car, maintenance, oil changes, cleaning, winter storage, etc. Ask a lot of questions on these and ask for receipts/car history, it will give you a ballpark figure of how long the car will last.

Maintain the car.. Fluids Cleaning etc. It will last forever... Oh Yea no traching it as you drive it...

You can get some solid opinions on the cars that had the old 4.6 and v6 motors as they have been around forever and have tons of miles on them.


It gets a little more complicated with 2011+ cars as the engines are still fairly new and most don't have a bunch of miles on them.


Having said that, it really does depend on two main factors..


1. How well it was put together on its birthday.

2 How well it was treated by it previous owner.

Scheduled maintenance is the key to a long lasting vehicle. Have the dealer look at the vehicle report that is readily available on their service dept. computer. If it's have regular oil changes, and no serious problems you should have a nice car.

With that said there are also many other area you need to inspect, i.e. brakes, tires, the overall condition of the car, etc. Sounds demanding, but it's not that hard. And well worth your time. Good luck.