[Ragnarok25]

Short version: Found a mustang GT at an amazing price, but it stalls at idle when the engine is cold. Should I avoid this car?

Full version: Found a mustang GT premium convertible, exactly the year and look of what i've been searching for, not only that but i've bargained the lot down to a great price. 2250 for this car and its got 127k on it with an excellent condition engine and transmission. That catch, it has a salvage title from paint scratches all the way down the hood and both sides and also the engine stalls when its cold and the car is idleing. The paint scratches is no problem, a friend of mine works in a body shop and we can fix that for the price of the paint. The engine stalling when its cold and idling though... I had a camry in the past that did this and cleaning out the Idle air control valve fixed it, but i don't have experience with these cars. Is this the deal of my dreams or should I pass on this car?

Thanks! Any help is appreciated!

 

[alivingmustang]

Probably the IAC..runs okay warm? If so, go for it....cheap way to have some fun

 

[Ragnarok25]

Yeah, runs perfectly fine once she gets warmed up. Thanks!

 

[Cabikejumper]

It's a vert, Pass!


But if its a iac, it's only a ~60.00 part

 

[RunninOn6]

If it would be a second vehicle I say go for it! If not, I'd reconsider, but it could still be done.

 

[phayze]

If it's only 2250 and you just have to grab a new iac you'd be retarded not to pick it up.

 

[GTgoVROOM]

are you buying it from a dealer or private party?

are you in California? or are you in Texas?

 

[Ragnarok25]

It's from a dealer and i'm in tennessee.
She's a 2002 btw.

 

[Silver GT]

Was the car keyed or vandalized in some way to screw up the paint that bad? It seems like a good deal to me though, go ahead and get it if you can afford to put some more money into it.

 

[mischiefse7en]

i think you should dig a little deeper into the info on the salvage. Being keyed doesnt seem like enough damage to salvage an 02 convertible GT....

 

[97SVT]

Well mine has a salvage title because the bottom of the radiator support is bent :screwy:

 

[GTgoVROOM]

i think you should dig a little deeper into the info on the salvage. Being keyed doesnt seem like enough damage to salvage an 02 convertible GT....

actually, if it's down to the metal and if its on every panel of the body, it could very well be totaled.

the replacement of body panels PLUS full paint could very easily be more than the limit the insurance company has before totaling a car.

good example - hail damaged cars. By the time you take the cost of replacing the hood, fenders, windshield, roof, rear window, trunk, deck lids, paint, labor, and any other miscellaneous parts - a whole ton of cars will end up being totalled out instead.

What would you do if you were an insurance company? Pay $10,000 to fix the car, or give you $7,000 to get a whole new one and take the old car?

 

[Eagle2000GT]

+1 Our cars are starting to get old. It doesn't take much for an insurance company to total them. I have a 1998 F150 with 75,000 miles that fits the definition of KBB excellent condition. A woman backed into it denting the bed just before the rear wheel. Her insurance company told me they would probably total the truck. I fully intended to buy the truck back and fix it myself but the estimates just made it under the threshhold and they fixed it.

I just checked Kelly Blue Book for the value of a stock 2000 Mustang GT with 170,000. It's $4,000. I believe an insurance company totals a car if the repair is 80% of the book value so any body repair exceeding $3,200 would total my car. That is why I carry a $20,000 "classic" car policy on my car. I had it appraised when I first put the supercharger on and it qualified for the policy.

 

[bulloch27]

I'd pass 'cause it's a 'vert. Find out more on why it's salvage..... i'd be very hesitant to buy a 'vert that had structural damage. The 'verts are flimsy enough that structural damage could be signifigant and not worth straightening........ plus it's still a 'vert.

 

[WickedSnake00]

i think you should dig a little deeper into the info on the salvage. Being keyed doesnt seem like enough damage to salvage an 02 convertible GT....

I'd agree with this. Who knows what you'll find.

Of course it very may well be just paint. I just about :shitbrick when I got IN insurance on my stang because I saw some outrageous insurance claim number on it. I thought it had been trashed for that much money. I asked the agent what would cost that much. They gave off a list of possibilities. One piqued my interest. "How about a dented in quarter panel?" "Oh yeah, it'd cost that much no problem." I had bought the car with a dented quarter that I fixed with a $10 dent puller, some filler and rattle can paint, plus I got a new quarter with it for free.

The moral of the story is do your due diligence. You never know what it will end up being.

 

[95mustangGT/SVT]

It sounds like a fun project!

 

[mischiefse7en]

actually, if it's down to the metal and if its on every panel of the body, it could very well be totaled.

the replacement of body panels PLUS full paint could very easily be more than the limit the insurance company has before totaling a car.

good example - hail damaged cars. By the time you take the cost of replacing the hood, fenders, windshield, roof, rear window, trunk, deck lids, paint, labor, and any other miscellaneous parts - a whole ton of cars will end up being totalled out instead.

What would you do if you were an insurance company? Pay $10,000 to fix the car, or give you $7,000 to get a whole new one and take the old car?

I had this same thing happen to my 01 Lightning, whole truck was keyed. I got the whole truck repainted, insurance covered it and it was done at the Ford dealer for $2200 from what I remember

Check the VIN #, there's plenty of places online that do free reports just for checking vehicles for previous damage

 

[Ragnarok25]

Was the car keyed or vandalized in some way to screw up the paint that bad? It seems like a good deal to me though, go ahead and get it if you can afford to put some more money into it.

It was run through a barbed wire fence and into a ditch. So deep gouges going down to the metal on the hood and sides.

 

[stanger1944]

Again check for structural damage, still seems unlikely that it was totalled due to scratches down the sides. If it was run through a barbed wire fence it probably took a hard jolt somewhere.

 

[RunninOn6]

Where in TN are you at?