I need help again. Should I buy this mustang?

[mikehailey02gt]

So I've been waiting patiently and looking on craigslist trying to find good deals on mustangs I might be interested in. When I stumbled onto this one.

its a 2002 mustang gt
and heres the 411 i didn't write just copied and pasted whats on the posting;


Up 4-sale is my daily driver 17-26mpg mustang gt.This time im serious & wont back down.Lots of performance parts:new eibach pro kit lowering springs ,bassani o/r x pipe,magnaflow magnapack c/b,steeda pullies,steeda cai,3:55 gears,spec stg 2 clutch,kenwood excelon with ipod connect,kenwood 5x7`s all around jl audio 10" with punch amp for high`s & mtx for lows.mach 1 chin spoiler,mach 1 grille delete,pro 5.0 short shifter with mach 1 shift knob & poloished shifter bezel,staggered 18" wheels with near new tires ,new brakes++++++ list goes on & on reason its so cheap is that it has a rebuilt title but car is flawless

Fully loaded Mustang GT with a strong 4.6L engine with a 5spd transmission 88,800 mi..Fast,fun & reliable.Alot of upgrades in & out.Dropped the price for quick sale.REBUILT TITLE & no i will not take payments so please dont ask.Thank you



So what stood out to me the most was rebuilt ive done some research and i get a 50/50 reaction

1. dont buy the car, beware
or
2. if the car was rebuilt with quality parts and correctly why not.

what do you guys think?


he "dropped" the price from 5500 to 4,600 in the span of about 3 weeks.


help. honesty is always appreciated thank you.


here are some photos of the vehicle;





























thank you for looking.

[2007STANG]

it looks like someone took real good care of it

[Rich_Guy]

Did he say why its under rebuilt?

looks pretty good, has nice mods, i like the steeda cold air intake..i don't like how the exterior is painted though just my own taste

if the car is in good mechanical condition and you like it, i say get it, he has a lot of tasty mods

bring 4,000 cash and be like 4,000 right now and see if he takes it

[sonicpony03]

Hmm...you're probably right, it's a 50/50 chance. The guy either rebuilt the car, didn't turn out too well, just enough to run and "look" good, and is looking for a quick sale to an unaware victim...OR...he did a decent job, the car is just showing some normal signs of 88,000 miles - worn leather, faded chin spoiler and weatherstripping

Looking at the pics, to me at least, it doesn't look lowered, and pro kit springs drop those mustangs at least 1.5 inches. Where is the insert for the hood scoop. The engine bay is dirty as hell, mechanical/electrical problems could occur later. Who keeps the outside of their car looking that clean and ignores the engine bay all together.

Idk, he did say that it is a rebuilt title, I'll give him that, but it doesn't necessarily mean it was done right. Tough call man.

[Rich_Guy]

yeah forgot to mention that bro it really dosent look lowered....

[mikehailey02gt]

Well thank you all for answers Im still undecided I really didnt like it at first well the paint job but im starting too. dumb question; do 2002 mustang gt's have a shift up light on the cluster?

and i agree the engine looks neglected but i dont know im still lost. i hate the fact thats its a 50/50 chance.

were gonna have a friend of the family thats a mechanic take a look at it and if he gives me the green light i'll take it if he doesnt i guess i'll have to let it go and keep on looking.



** also i think the owner of the car is a chick.

wow.

[sonicpony03]

Quote: Originally Posted by mikehailey02gt Well thank you all for answers Im still undecided I really didnt like it at first well the paint job but im starting too. dumb question; do 2002 mustang gt's have a shift up light on the cluster? and i agree the engine looks neglected but i dont know im still lost. i hate the fact thats its a 50/50 chance. were gonna have a friend of the family thats a mechanic take a look at it and if he gives me the green light i'll take it if he doesnt i guess i'll have to let it go and keep on looking. ** also i think the owner of the car is a chick. wow.

That's a good way to do it. Having him look at it will pretty much decide whether the car is worth buying or not. I'd also take a good look at the frame and underbody. Look for anything out of place or suspicious that might indicate damage/alterations to the frame.

I don't think the GT's came with a shift light in stock form, probably an aftermarket add on.

[Otlaw80]

Before buying it, if u decide to, get the vin # and call the DMV. Make sure it can be plated. I know here in IL for a car to have a rebuilt/salvage title, it has to be inspected by the state, and the title will say rebuilt/salvage forever. Check fender well for a puddy like substance. body shops like to use it for quick repairs if it's an insurance claim. Also check to see if there is extra washers where the fenders bolt on, where the hood bolts on, where the doors,trunk, tail lights bolt on. Could be an indication of a wreck before and wasn't properly fixed by a body shop. Shims don't make the car straight, just makes it look OK on the outside.

[sonicpony03]

^^^Good info. It's amazing what shops will slap together and call "fixed".

[bloodyspirit058]

Quote: Originally Posted by sonicpony03 Who keeps the outside of their car looking that clean and ignores the engine bay all together

me... well i guess my engine isn't horribly dirty, but i wash the outside and call it good..

[sonicpony03]

Quote: Originally Posted by bloodyspirit058 me... well i guess my engine isn't horribly dirty, but i wash the outside and call it good..

Well, I meant when someone is trying to sell a car. If I was looking at a car and the seller popped the hood and the engine bay was dirty as hell, I'd start to have second thoughts. I mean someone could at least make an effort to clean it up when selling the car, it's bad enough they didn't clean it every once in a while before they put if up for sale. Hence, this GT he found. To me, to have the exterior perfect and the engine bay shitty = fail.

[mikehailey02gt]

Quote: Originally Posted by sonicpony03 Well, I meant when someone is trying to sell a car. If I was looking at a car and the seller popped the hood and the engine bay was dirty as hell, I'd start to have second thoughts. I mean someone could at least make an effort to clean it up when selling the car, it's bad enough they didn't clean it every once in a while before they put if up for sale. Hence, this GT he found. To me, to have the exterior perfect and the engine bay shitty = fail.

yea i dont pay much attention to the engine bay myself but i do clean everyonce in a while. nothing bad in cleaning it up to look nice. i do agree though if youre selling the vehicle a little touch up would be nice.

i really want to thank all of you for your tips i didnt expect this much of a response

when i check out the car i'll know what to look for where to look and what questions to ask.

im hoping this one isnt a dud.

once again thanks!

[SpectorV]

that car looks pretty rough, I would personally pass on it.

why do you want another gt?

[mikehailey02gt]

Quote: Originally Posted by SpectorV that car looks pretty rough, I would personally pass on it. why do you want another gt?

you think so? damn

and to answer your question i had posted a thread earlier about another mustang i wanted to buy. because i really want to mod the one i have now i have great plans for it but i need a daily driver so i've been looking around for other mustang gt's.

[PureVenom]

Well, since you're planning to mod, you would probably be better off modding the rebuilt one instead of your current car. That way you could replace a lot of the horribly kept items like the engine and what not and you'll know your DD is in good working order and has been taken care of.

I'm not sure I would buy it though. The fact they say it is lowered with eibach springs and it is obviously still a 4x4, it would make me question the rest of the description as well.

Granted, those pics are a year old so maybe it has been lowered since then...which also makes me question the ad. Why are you showing me pics that are a year old? When did the accident happen that made it become a rebuilt title? Was it after the pics were taken? If so, this is a basic bait and switch type deal...only using the same car.



EDIT: Also, I went ahead and made the pics show in the first post...save everyone from clicking the links.

[mikehailey02gt]

Quote: Originally Posted by PureVenom Well, since you're planning to mod, you would probably be better off modding the rebuilt one instead of your current car. That way you could replace a lot of the horribly kept items like the engine and what not and you'll know your DD is in good working order and has been taken care of. I'm not sure I would buy it though. The fact they say it is lowered with eibach springs and it is obviously still a 4x4, it would make me question the rest of the description as well. Granted, those pics are a year old so maybe it has been lowered since then...which also makes me question the ad. Why are you showing me pics that are a year old? When did the accident happen that made it become a rebuilt title? Was it after the pics were taken? If so, this is a basic bait and switch type deal...only using the same car. EDIT: Also, I went ahead and made the pics show in the first post...save everyone from clicking the links.

Thats something I did think of but my father who got me the car wants to help with the modding hes got some ideas for the car I wouldnt want to be ungrateful and ask him to mod the other one instead.

and about the pics thats very true im going to go see the car for the first time on saturday i'll ask her all the things you brought up to try and find more info on the car thanks.


***thank you for making the pics visible!!

[PureVenom]

Well, that's definitely a valid reason to want to mod your current car.

[bloodyspirit058]

why not just get some little jap car for a DD until you get your mods done on your current car? or do you plans involve not using it as a DD?