[fire chicken]

I asked this question at another Mustang site...had 50 views and no comments.

Lets see if this community is any more friendly...

For 5 years my daily ride has been a 91 Miata. Not very studly I admit but the MPG was good. It is now very tired and I am tired of it. Time to man up and go Mustang. I am looking for an early 2000s GT w/5 speed. I found a nice 2001 for sale with 150K miles on it for $6500. It was real nice inside and out. Didnt look like a car with 100K let alone 150K. Everything seemed real tight during my test drive..brakes were soft but that can be fixed.

The clutch pedal was really stiff compared to other vehicles I have driven. Reminded me of a 3 speed, 70 Chevy Pickup I had years ago. Is that normal or did someone put in some kind of competition clutch that would make it harder to push the peddle? I want this car as a daily driver and could see having one very tired leg or one very muscular leg...

Also, is it unreasonable to expect 200K miles out of a well cared for 4.6 V8?

Thanks for any advice.

[Triple A]

Any vehicle can last 200,000 miles of taken care of properly. Personally I'd look to on with fewer miles than that, but if it seems to be in good condition then go for it. And mustang clutches are a bit heavy, especially compared to a miata's which feels like your stepping on air.

Welcome to the forum.

[Jaa1456]

I would shop around. You can definetly find something with less miles for that price. Try looking on autotrader

[02NightRider]

I believe that deal is a rip off. Just my opinion though. I picked up my 2002 GT with 58K on it and put it on the road for 10 grand.
Yes, the clutch is much heavier on mustangs then some other cars so that's to be expected. Hope you find a nice one . Keep us updated and we will try to help you out as much as possible.

[T.Richardson]

you can get a better deal than that.

I dont know where you live but....

here's a 2002 GT with 103k miles in Baltimore for about 9k

2002 ford mustang gt 5 speed clean

[B's04gt]

A few questions.

Are you responsible? (Mustangs are nothing to joke around with)

Can you finacially afford them? (Is it going to put any finacial strain on you for buying it?)

What are you looking to get out of the car?


There are many types of mustangs out there.

I have a 2004 mustang gt. 5 speed. Its been one hell of a car and I have enjoyed every moment of it. I respect the car cause I know what its capable. It can be dangerous if you under-estimate it. My vehical has 78K miles on the car right now. Its ran like a top. Only problem I have had with it was a cranked intake manifold. (~200$ fix and 4 hours of my time. First time I have torn into an engine)

Also, this car isnt going to do great on gas. You wont get close to what you were with the miata. I average 15-17 miles a gallon if I pussy foot it. (all in town).

These cars are a blast and you'll enjoy it. Price wise. I have seen 99-04 mustangs go for anywhere from 5k to 13k. For example there is a mustang around me that has 55k miles on it and they want 10K for it. You can find mustangs with lower amount of miles for cheap. The mustang you described I wouldn't go for

If you look harder you can find them cheaper.

Another thing; where are you from? I browse craigslist A LOT and would'nt mind helping you find something that could spark interest.

Welcome to the forum, its the best one you'll ever be apart of.

[war1ock]

I dont know how set you are in the new edge deals but you can find some nice clean low milage 96-98 GT's for a decent price. I bought mine 2 years ago for $5500 with 61k. All about shopping around. And i would try to find an bone stock car, that way you know it was most likely taken better care for(most of the time). Unless of course you want a already modded car. Good luck hunting!

[BigSmith]

I got my 96 mustang gt here in canada for 4,600. It has 110,000 miles on it but it was in such good shape i couldn't pass it up. Mustangs are waay more expensive here in canada. That works out to like 4500 USD. I thought it was a good deal. New edge gt's never go for less than 10k :S.

I put like 5000 miles on it so far and it needed a wheel bearing and my intake manifold was cracked. So i did the PI swap which took me like 4 hours or so. Other than that its a gem! Just general maintenance. Don't be scared of the 96-98's being slow, everyone seems to exaggerate it. A couple mods and it will be a rocket i can assure you! Get 3.73's!!!!

Also a heads up make sure when you test drive it the engine gets to full temp. Because thats when funny things start to happen. Thats what i have noticed anyways with the high mileage 4.6's.

[cobra-drifter]

Originally Posted by Triple A Any vehicle can last 200,000 miles of taken care of properly. And mustang clutches are a bit heavy, especially compared to a miata's which feels like your stepping on air. Welcome to the forum.

Same goes for RX7s and 240SXs, which is what i'm uste to

[97S281]

I guess he never came back to check his thread? He made it on 12/24 and has not been back on since.

[Silverrider]

yep must have kept the miata... lol

[1996 GT]

Find something lower mileage. As stated before mustangs have always had a heavy clutch. Mines still cable and feels stiff as a rock and i love it.

Originally Posted by BigSmith I got my 96 mustang gt here in canada for 4,600. It has 110,000 miles on it but it was in such good shape i couldn't pass it up. Mustangs are waay more expensive here in canada. That works out to like 4500 USD. I thought it was a good deal. New edge gt's never go for less than 10k :S. I put like 5000 miles on it so far and it needed a wheel bearing and my intake manifold was cracked. So i did the PI swap which took me like 4 hours or so. Other than that its a gem! Just general maintenance. Don't be scared of the 96-98's being slow, everyone seems to exaggerate it. A couple mods and it will be a rocket i can assure you! Get 3.73's!!!! Also a heads up make sure when you test drive it the engine gets to full temp. Because thats when funny things start to happen. Thats what i have noticed anyways with the high mileage 4.6's.

I picked mine up for 1000 in st cathrines in Canada. 171 000km so about 107 000 miles?

3.73's are the best thing ever done to my car, really woke it up.

[fire chicken]

Hey all....I'm back!!! Miata sold tonight. I drove 2 different 2002s yesterday and liked both. My favorite was the red one with the cassette player!! Both were at dealers and both has about 93K and both were about $7900. I would like to spend less because I am a cheapskate and my daughter is in college $$$. I might try and look for a cherry 96-98 as was suggested above. I have 6,000 in cash and a 79 Firebird that my wife says I should sell but don't want to. Its a 301V8 2-barrel grocery getter with 69K miles and a nice back-up car. Thanks for all the comments above...and don't worry B's04. I'm a big boy and I realize the pros and conns and the responsibility. I think at 45 years old I can finally have a car with a little grunt and manage to not kill myself.

[fire chicken]

And both 2002s had nearly bald tires. Why do fly by night used car dealers like to sell cars with bald tires??

[96-GT_Josh]

Well like stated above thats a rip.

My 96 gt has 198k and still going stong. No noises, ticks, knocks, power loss, oil burning... Nothing. Pretty much bone stock and spins wheels like hell in first and second. And will even get sideways from 10-15 mph.

And it was free!!!

But here in baltimore I searched a 100 mile radius and found 3 96-98 cobras with 20-40k miles from 8-10k.

Also found a 98 Saleen with 21k for 10995. Gts in the same radius are going for 2-5 with 40-100k miles. Deff. Search around more. Deals can be found if you look. And dont be afraid of the NPI 4.6L the money saved on a 96-98 instead of 99-04 the power can be made up plus some.

And the SN95 looks better than the new edge... IMO.

[twinmill]

Payed 5800 for my gt auto 78,000 keep shopping around

[fire chicken]

Ive been finding good private seller candidates but they are gone before I get to them, or they are already modded up and I really want a stocker. Sucks having a full time job when you need to be on the spot with cash for a good deal. I am still optimistic.

[fire chicken]

Another no go...2000 GT with a dent in the door that the craigs list ad failed to mention. Ive been told if I settle for a V6, my Man Card will be yanked.

[armenianboi]

2002 mustang gt 5spd 400hp. ?

[Tang Stang]

What part of the country are you located in, OP? That really has an effect on the price of these cars. Around here (St. Louis), the prices are quite a bit higher than you'll see in places like Texas or CA.