[redlawyers]

Hello all, I am totally new to the Mustang scene. I am looking at acquiring my first Mustang. I found a Y2K Procharged V6 with 50,000 miles on it.

Here is the low down on it from his advertisement:

BLACK WITH BLACK LEATHER INTERIOR
-3.8L V6 PROCHARGER KIT
-3 CORE INTERCOOLER
-TORSEN T-2 DIFFERENTIAL 3:73 GEARS 8.8 REAREND
-NEW LOWER CONTROL ARMS (SHOCKS AND SPRINGS WITHIN THE LAST 5YRS)
-RAPTOR SHIFT LIGHT
-SHORT THROW SHIFTER
-TRANNY REBUILT 2YRS AGO TO HANDLE BLOWER
-42LB INJECTORS
-WINDSTAR INTAKE
-70MM THROTTLE BODY
-SCREAMIN DEMON COIL PACKS
-MAC LONG TUBER HEADERS
-HI FLOW CATS
-FORD RACING MUFFLERS
-2000 COBRA R WHEELS
-ALL WORK PROFESSIONALLY DONE

$8495

Is it worth that much, or should I be offering less? I know that mods do not raise the value of the car. I am a newb on this. What "tell-tale" signs should I be looking for if the work was shoddy? I came from F-bodies so I am not experienced with what to look for in New Edge Mustangs.

Any help or feedback will be greatly appreciated.

MIKE

[BlueScreaM]

Link?

[Six Banger]

What procharger is he using?

[redlawyers]

Originally Posted by Six Banger What procharger is he using?

It doesn't say in the ad. I am going to call to get the low-down on it. Will post back soon.

[ESG-642T]

post pics, and we'll know who used to own it most likely-

[redlawyers]

Originally Posted by ESG-642T post pics, and we'll know who used to own it most likely-

Ok, I went and looked at it. Here is the Craigslist ad.

Impressions:

-The body is straight with no dings, damage and scrapes. 9 out of 10. Its legit under the hood. Very clean and its all professionally done. They have documentation on the install and parts.
-The interior is an 8.5 out of 10
-Procharger # P-1SC-1
-Includes SCT tuner which was in the trunk with some other parts.


The car is currently owned by a Pawn Shop! I was a little surprised when I arrived. I wasn't allowed to drive it, so I was able to just look only. Pawn Shop wants a deposit before a ride-along/test drive. I got a copy of the title at least for the bank, but the Pawn Shop blacked out the original title owner's name. So...there will be some hoops to jump through in regards to who am I paying the check to and how am I getting it titled to me since there are two sellers in the mix: The original owner and the Pawn Shop. Will this be a lot of paperwork to do? Let me know your thoughts.

[Six Banger]

You want $7300 for it?



I can do like $5500 no higher. I gotta make a profit here.






Jokes aside, it worries me that someone that put that much work into a car would pawn the think unless he was looking for a quick offload for some reason. I'd be sure to get someone to check it out to make sure the engine is okay and the supercharger works ok. You could buy the car stock for $3500-5000 and put a procharger kit on it new for $4500ish, so if you can get it for less than that AND its in good shape you're saving money and time, but still risk someone else's work having corners cut.

[punisherstang]

you cant drive it unless you put a deposit down?! so if you put a deposit down, drive it and its a piece of junk then they just keep your deposit?!......it looks clean but the deal sounds a little fishy to me.

[redlawyers]

Originally Posted by Six Banger Jokes aside, it worries me that someone that put that much work into a car would pawn the think unless he was looking for a quick offload for some reason. I'd be sure to get someone to check it out to make sure the engine is okay and the supercharger works ok. You could buy the car stock for $3500-5000 and put a procharger kit on it new for $4500ish, so if you can get it for less than that AND its in good shape you're saving money and time, but still risk someone else's work having corners cut.

Well, I asked the guy about the quick dump to the Pawn Shop. The Shop knows the guy personally. Additionally, the 1st owner was a city cop. He had bought the car new and then added the mods. Recently, he got married then had an OOPS kid. So....gone the Mustang went. He didn't pawn it, he sold it to the Pawn Shop. Now the Shop is selling it.

When I opened the trunk, he had a few extra parts including a SCT X3 programmable tuner just sitting in there. I was like "....umm is all that included?" The Pawn Shop guys was like...."Yep." He didn't know what the tuner was I think.

I forgot to mention that it needs tires as well. With those 18" Y2K Cobra R wheels, the tires will be $$$. It has 295 35s in the rear and 245s in the front.

I guess I could just write a check for $200, state on it that its "refundable" pending blah, blah, blah and my wife's approval. So if I don't like it, I can just go pick up my check, void it and keep looking.

[JTs03v6]

Looks good to me! I'd buy it for 6k. 50k isnt a lot of miles at all. Throw a ssm blower cam in it and be done.

[Six Banger]

good idea, if you can drive it for free and get a mechanic to check it out before you sign, then you'll be good. and tires wont be too bad on 18's

[JTs03v6]

From reading the list of mods, cars mileage and the pics...I can almost bet the owner has paid real good attention to detail and has taken good care of the car. You dont frop that kind of money into a ride and rag it.

and btw...my stock engine was procharged from 38,000 miles - 81,000 miles and still ran strong when I pulled it.

[redlawyers]

Originally Posted by JTs03v6 From reading the list of mods, cars mileage and the pics...I can almost bet the owner has paid real good attention to detail and has taken good care of the car. You dont frop that kind of money into a ride and rag it.

Yeah, I agree. After some thought, I am going to call the guy tomorrow morning and go over there with a check to put a deposit on the car. Pending everything looks good, my test drive was positive and the mechanic says its ok, I'll might just pick this thing up! There isn't a lot of Mustangs in my price range out here in Upstate NY that are in good shape with fair mileage.

Is there any "tell-tale" wear out items to look for while I am checking it out? Should the Procharger be making any specific sounds that would indicate that its not installed correctly?

[redlawyers]

Well, here is the long story...



After much debate, I gave the guy the deposit pending my mechanic's approval. Well, I took it for a test drive before taking it over there.

1st impressions was that it sounded real good. Quiet at idle and at 60mph. Deep sound. Sounded like a V8 GT...IMO. The exhaust was tastefully tuned for sure. The Procharger had a loud whistle that turned heads at stoplights. Anyways, it tracked pretty straight and didn't have too many loud rattles from the interior parts.

It was pretty fast. I test drove a 1992 5.0 LX with some mods before I drove this V6 and I have to say this V6 would pull on that 5.0 on the highway. I was overall satisfied so off to the mechanic I went that afternoon.

The mechanic experience was a different story. Upon lifting it up, we noticed it was driven in the snow! There were many areas around the lower control arms and other steering pieces that were rusty. The differential looked like it was dredged up from the Titanic. I was not impressed. There were many components that showed signs of snow and salt driving.

The rear end had the most positive attraction. It was all rebuilt. The rear trailing arm bars were custom with small lettering engraved on it. The rear shocks were new Tokicos and the springs looked OEM. The rear sway bar looked OEM too. The rear differential was replaced with a 8.8" with 3.73 gears. The differential cover looked brand new.

Additionally all four tires needed replacing immediately...which I already knew.

Something that caught my eye was the botched job of welding subframe connectors. WOW did they not do it right! They only tack-welded it. They didn't fully weld the joints like what the directions say from sites like Maximum Motorsports say. I was a little concerned to say the least on their function and reliability.

Looking under the engine area, there was some other issues. The rear main seal was seeping/leaking oil on the engine and tranny. The O2 harnesses were dangling above the front U-joint behind the transmission and shift linkage which indicates that he is simming the rear O2s after the Catalyst.

In conclusion, I decided to let this one go. I returned it to him and to his dismay I asked for my check back. I just didn't want to take a chance with it.
There is just too many unknowns. Like for example, did the previous owner EVER change the oil in the supercharger!!!??? It has to be done every 6,000 miles. For the money, I just didn't want to get into that many unknown variables. In its current condition it won't pas NYS inspection. That in itself is a deal killer for me because I don't know anyone who would just slap a sticker on it. Plus, the SCT tune turned off all functionality so I can't monitor EGR, EVAP or other sensors to see if its working correctly. I would have to pay a Speed Shop to go through it all and check it out. The SCT Tuner to our discovery was broken in the trunk!

Thanks for my long post. Chock up another fail for me in choosing Mustangs.

[Six Banger]

Originally Posted by redlawyers Well, here is the long story... After much debate, I gave the guy the deposit pending my mechanic's approval. Well, I took it for a test drive before taking it over there. 1st impressions was that it sounded real good. Quiet at idle and at 60mph. Deep sound. Sounded like a V8 GT...IMO. The exhaust was tastefully tuned for sure. The Procharger had a loud whistle that turned heads at stoplights. Anyways, it tracked pretty straight and didn't have too many loud rattles from the interior parts. It was pretty fast. I test drove a 1992 5.0 LX with some mods before I drove this V6 and I have to say this V6 would pull on that 5.0 on the highway. I was overall satisfied so off to the mechanic I went that afternoon. The mechanic experience was a different story. Upon lifting it up, we noticed it was driven in the snow! There were many areas around the lower control arms and other steering pieces that were rusty. The differential looked like it was dredged up from the Titanic. I was not impressed. There were many components that showed signs of snow and salt driving. The rear end had the most positive attraction. It was all rebuilt. The rear trailing arm bars were custom with small lettering engraved on it. The rear shocks were new Tokicos and the springs looked OEM. The rear sway bar looked OEM too. The rear differential was replaced with a 8.8" with 3.73 gears. The differential cover looked brand new. Additionally all four tires needed replacing immediately...which I already knew. Something that caught my eye was the botched job of welding subframe connectors. WOW did they not do it right! They only tack-welded it. They didn't fully weld the joints like what the directions say from sites like Maximum Motorsports say. I was a little concerned to say the least on their function and reliability. Looking under the engine area, there was some other issues. The rear main seal was seeping/leaking oil on the engine and tranny. The O2 harnesses were dangling above the front U-joint behind the transmission and shift linkage which indicates that he is simming the rear O2s after the Catalyst. In conclusion, I decided to let this one go. I returned it to him and to his dismay I asked for my check back. I just didn't want to take a chance with it. There is just too many unknowns. Like for example, did the previous owner EVER change the oil in the supercharger!!!??? It has to be done every 6,000 miles. For the money, I just didn't want to get into that many unknown variables. In its current condition it won't pas NYS inspection. That in itself is a deal killer for me because I don't know anyone who would just slap a sticker on it. Plus, the SCT tune turned off all functionality so I can't monitor EGR, EVAP or other sensors to see if its working correctly. I would have to pay a Speed Shop to go through it all and check it out. The SCT Tuner to our discovery was broken in the trunk! Thanks for my long post. Chock up another fail for me in choosing Mustangs.

Im not surprised about the snow driving, it is NY after all. But thats too bad everything was messed up underneath, it sounds like it was almost a really well done up car, shame to see someone didnt go the extra mile to do everything right.


And that part I highlighted will get you run out of town reallyyy fast around here.

[redlawyers]

Originally Posted by Six Banger And that part I highlighted will get you run out of town reallyyy fast around here.

I understand. It did sound low and mellow like a stock GT. Just my opinion. Thanks for your help.

[ESG-642T]

So, we chalk this one up to being rusted?

[redlawyers]

Originally Posted by ESG-642T So, we chalk this one up to being rusted?

Well, the seller is contacting the previous owner to figure out all the logistics. How to get it inspected, maintenance records, etc. The car isn't as rusty as my 2004 Mazda 6 daily driver. However, there is enough rust to assume it drove through a couple snow seasons. The driveshaft alone would need to be replaced since its the worst of it.

I turned away not just because of rust, but because there were too many unknowns with the car. The craftsmanship, reliability and lack of documentation of maintenance makes me question things. Just not changing the ATI oil in the Procharger since its purchase and installation makes me scared that over time of not scheduled maintenance it won't be working as well as it would have if it was more taken care before I got to it. Another example was the shifter, it was extra-notchy and the advertisement read that its got a rebuilt tranny and short-throw shifter. It behaves clicky and notchy.

If I knew the kid that owned it, I would be able to paint a better picture of what kind of machine I am getting into. One of my buddies told me that it's a gamble when I purchase "modified" cars. In defense, I am sure that owners of Mustangs on this forum who are selling their cars would have documentation on installs and schedules of maintenance that they can explain. Additionally, the forum members could back up the seller's claims to help guarantee that the craftsmanship of the installs are sound and the car overall is legit.

No harm no foul, I didn't lose any money. Just my personal time. All in all, I would invest the time and do things thoroughly to guarantee I purchase a decent vehicle.

One final note, the seller said that he would "call me" if he could get all the stuff worked out. I have my deposit so I have no commitment to him. I would consider it again if he dropped the price another $1500-$2000...he said he would replace all four tires for me also. So perhaps if he dropped it $1000-$1500, include 4 new tires and get an idea of a maintenance schedule then from the previous owner, I may opt to pursue it again.

[ESG-642T]

I don't think I have anything to document my car Then again its an 02 v6 mustang not a 03 cobra

[redlawyers]

So the seller called me this afternoon. He told me his tech had no trouble spitting out an inspection sticker. I asked him to explain the hanging O2 harnesses post-catalyst and all the other readings on the scanner saying "N/A". The scan tool doesn't even say "Not Ready." It just shows blank. He told me he had no answer. I told him that I didn't feel comfortable with my tech saying its illegal to inspect and his tech saying its perfect. On top of all of that, he didn't mention price or the inclusion of the replacement tires to try to get me back.