Ok everyone, I defer to your collective wisdom.

My main mode of transport, which was not a stang, was recently totaled after a kid ran a red light and took off 1/2 my front end.

I am considering replacing it with a 94 GT 5.0 which I stumbled across in my local area, Jacksonville, FL. The GT has about 80K miles on it and the few pics I have seen show it appears to be in fairly decent shape.

While I have long admired, I have never owned a mustang. As a result, I have no idea for specific things to be on the lookout for, such as common problem areas.

Here is my question, what, if anything, should I be on the lookout for when and if I personally check out this car???

All comments appreciated, as I admit to knowing little in this particular area.

Thanks in advance. :worship:

 

I think the best thing for you to do is take it to a reputable mechanic, and let him give it a once over. He'll pull the wheels and check the brakes, as well as the coolant and oil (no head gasket problems). Its worth doing this to save $$$ and a potentail headache down the road.

Good luck.

 

Eleven years old and only 80k miles?

Great if true. Make sure it is not actually 180k miles.

 

I second the mechanic. A little cash upfront could save you a ton of money later.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I agree that if 80K miles is accurate then the vehicle appears to be a low mileage car for its age, which suggests it could be in fairly good condition if it was used as a toy or weekend type car?

I was also already considering the mechanic issue.

However, I guess my better question would have been, are these cars known for certain problems that I could identify myself, i.e., floor pans always rust, or some other type of problem the 5.0 engine may also be known for that would be easy to check?

Thanks for any answers...

 

The body themselves are going to be fairly sturdy. They aren't mich like the older cars that will rust out as quickly.

It might be a bit loose because of age, but you can always stiffen that up afterwards. generally, just give it a once over and make sure its in good shape. The 5.0 are pretty sturdy engines too. Others may have more input there.

 

Only a couple of things as I owned an early 94 GT 5.0 liter. Mine was Laser Red, this particular color was prone to "rot", yes rot. The paint would literally peel away from the car. I have seen several that were repainted using a different formula than the factory application. Mine never fell off, but was always very low in quality. Ford later changed Laser Red to fix the problem.
Seating- the padding in the front seats tended to be of poor quality and wore quickly.
The e-brake cable touched the drive shaft after a while, basically the use of the e-brake would cause a bracket under the car to bend and lead to the cable coming into contact with the driveshaft creating a scrubbing noise. Very irritating. A spot weld would fix it.
Cowl squeak- under the windshield wipers, the plastic cowl cover would "chirp" under certain conditions, like high speeds and wind buffeting. Removal of the cowl and placing some electrical tape over the clips will fix this problem.
Rear package tray squeak- over bumps, the rear speaker deck/package tray would squeak. In the trunk, I put shims I cut from a paint stirring stick in between the tray and the base that held it up.
Other than a few annoyances, it was a good car. I traded it with around 82,000 miles due to my divorce not the car.

 

Thanks, super helpful.

And I ran a car fax, the car is an 80K car that has had only one owner.

 

good luck. they hold up alot better than the foxes. my moms 96 was traded in w/ like 90k+ other than a few rattles still ran like a top. yes i know its a different engine. but the basic car is still the same

 

Hi !

I've got a 94 G.T. and i've found it to be generally a reliable and fun car to drive, mine has less than 30,000 miles, i'm the second owner.
I've not had any problems with the paint, but, mine is Performance Red, and it still looks pretty good.
If the car you're looking at has the AODE, you might want to pay attention to that as the 94's have a weakness in the box, i had to get mine re-built so i had the latest up-grades incorporated at the same time.
Just change the engine oil and filter every 3,000 miles or so and you should'nt get any problems there.
There's no particular rust traps that i've found, but, water does tend to settle where the hinges for the trunk lid are, it does'nt seem to be able to run off anywhere, i just pay particular attention to that area.
Apart from that it's all good!

Hope that helps,

Regards,

Angus.

 

Make sure the car was not in any serious accidents.

Get the car up in the air and check to see any evidence of repair in the font apron, lower rails, rad support etc.

Also look at the paint in direct sunlight and look for any poor bondo work.

 

Nice color, but it was called "Vibrant Red"(same Paint code ES) in 1994-95 and only available on the GT and only 2,453 were built in that color in 1994 and 1,625 in 1995. Then it was dropped until 1999 and renamed "Performance Red".
I always look twice at any Vibrant Red 95-95 GT.

 

thanks again guys.

If AODE refers to auto trans, the car I am looking at is is a 5 speed Manual and is black.

Also, guy says the drivers seat motor is no good and the seat is stuck all the way back. I figure the cost of a new seat motor will come off the selling price, no more problem.

However, he also says the odometer is busted a few months ago. The miles seem to match the records from the Carfax, but the Carfax also said one owner and this guys tells me he bought the car used from a dealer four years ago...

 

Jason, Hi,
yes, strictly speaking it is Vibrant Red, but whenever you quote the paint code to anyone they always say, Code ES, yeah that's Performance/Vibrant Red!
mine also has the Saddle cloth interior which according to the 1994 Mustang sales brochure it should'nt have, it should only be Opal Grey, Black, or White (on the convertible)
My Mustang is one of the Middle East Export Mustangs so it's also got no cats at all on the exhaust, a different type of fuel filling pipe and the computer is calibrated to allow the use of leaded fuel which is still widely used in the Middle East.
There's also a variety of stickers on it in Arabic with the Ford logo on as well, but, apart from those differences it's identical to any other 94 G.T. Mustang.

Regards,

 

how much is the guy asking for the car??

 

the guys asking price is over KBB PP good and excellent, so its too high for me to pay anyway.

Based on the above info, what is a good price to pay????

And the car is NOT red, so the paint issues noted above are not a facvtor, unless the black paint in peeling, in which case I walk anyway...

 

I'd say 5-6 grand is a good price, also is the car a convertible?

 

No vert, but i am no longer considering the car due to its need to be a daily driver of considerable reliability as my job often requires extended road trips and it would cause a considerable amount of trouble if I were to become stranded.

Thanks for your replies though.

 

I have a 95 GT, and I think these "lost era" of Mustangs ( meaning the 94-95 5.0's) are some of the best they made. You get the looks, styling, and updated features of the newer SN95 body style, but with the ruggedly simple and affordable 5.0L. Best of both worlds IMO.

 

Agreed I was looking at 94-95s like crazy, until I found my 2000 with a price I couldn't pass-up.

I still want a 94-95 just to have benefits of the 5.0, but better looks than a 87-93 Fox.