Is this 2004 Mustang a good first buy?
http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/5268286903.html
I don't have much money if you cant tell already. It seems like a good buy except for the miles, 186k. How long do these mustangs tend to last and what parts most commonly break? How much would it be to get it fixed? I would obviously have it checked by a mechanic before buying. Looking for a first car hence i barely i know what im doing. Any suggestions/advice is appreciated. Thanks.
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stever
Guest Posts: 52,454
In "rough" condition, it's worth about $800, private party. Trade-in would be $300 but a dealer is likely to take it straight to auction or the crusher.
Dash lights not working usually means no power to the gauges, the idiot lights don't come on when you turn the key on, etc. Could be something simple like fuses or something difficult to fix, like messed up wiring or something expensive, like the ECU/computer.
It could be a good project car - maybe the car care center would be willing to take it on now as a project to get it running and then you could learn about brake jobs and more complicated stuff next year.5
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"Runs but needs some work" is code for "this $1,250 car will cost you another $5,000 to make it road worthy".
If the repairs were cheap and easy the seller should have fixed them before listing the Stang on craigslist.
On the good side, the price is right when I appraise it here ("average" condition).
And there may be better "first" cars for driving in snow country. Something with FWD for example.
Also, the miles are so high as to put the car at high risk. Statistically speaking, averaging out all 2004 car, this one's life is over. But it's true that some cars beat the statistics, and you might get it up to 225K.
So if you're willing to risk $150 or so on an inspection, and you've previously driven this car without any drama occurring, then give it a shot and once you get the mechanic's report, you'll know what to do.
Speaking only for myself, with ultra high mileage cars, I only offer junkyard prices.
"It runs.. It hasn't been driven in a while. I am the second owner I bought it with 10k miles on it. I bought it in 2005 from a ford dealer. The tires are decent on it. It has a slight bit of rust on the wheel well (it is 10 years old). The overall body of the car is solid and in good condition. I would like to say it gets 18-20 miles per gallon, as it is only the V6.
I believe it will likely pass inspection right now but has not been inspected in over a year it was due this month but I am not going to register or inspect it as I would love to sell it before winter cause I don't have the time to take care of a second vehicle. There are no lights on the dashboard.
As far as work... Hard to say for sure I know it could use a tune up (oil change, spark plugs, etc.) I will be honest it does need some minor exhaust work. Your welcome to come see it in person.. And look at more closely. It is not registered or inspected.
I don't have any pictures of the interior at the moment. I can tell it's pretty clean (no rips or major stains on the seats). It is tan.
Let me know if you want to set up a time to see it.
Thanks. "
But it's still not a $1,250 car. If you're okay with spending some bucks fixing it up, that's one thing. But if you want to drive it right away, you may not be able to get it to pass inspection for a while.
No lights on the dashboard - ugh.
Used cars aren't cheap but this one doesn't have much in the way of good vibes about. It would help if you were thinking about doing some of the work yourself or had an interest in learning. An inspection would help sort things out. How to get it to the mechanic is another question since the registration may be expired, and it's likely not insured either.