Interested in purchasing a '94 GT...

[tcsteven22]

Hi everyone,first post here and I've been toolin around reading up on these things and the more I read the more I want one. I stumbled across a green '94 GT w/ 5 speed earlier today and just had a couple simple questions to see if its worth checking out. This thing looks sweet,V8 and a 5-speed and fully loaded with 125,000 miles... The dealership wants $4,995 for it and kbb.com says its worth around $5,600 this is of course provided its in good running condition.

So my questions are,is 125k alot for the 5.0? Always wanted a stang and preferably a 5.0 but the milage has me a bit worried. The car looks great inside and out,good tires and shiny all over,interior looks great as well. No dings or dents or anything that would lead me to believe its not been taken care of. I've herd the T-5 (is that what this has?) is a good transmission as well but does it have any areas that could use attention? What are some common problems with these machines? I've read the 5.0 is a durable motor which is a plus but I'm sure it has its flaws like all cars. I'm not really looking for a car to beat up on,but a nice V8+stick with spunk (wild rides on very rare occasions) thats good for a daily driver (only about 3-5 miles a day),and I take care of my cars as far as maintanence goes...

Obviously I wont know the facts until I check it out tomorrow but does it sound worth my time? In all honesty gas prices dont really concern me to much,all I've got at this point (22 years old) are two turbo charged 4cyl.which IMHO lack alot as far as "power" goes even though both are in great condition (2.2 turbo dodge/2.3 turbo ford). Plus the few nicely modded V8 stangs I've herd just roar.... Something you wont get from either of my daily drivers lol. So whatcha think? What are some things to check right away before a test drive? What are some signs or things to watch for? Advice? Idea's?

Thanks

[Zim]

That milage isnt bad for a 5.0 at all.... I know people personally that have run the 5.0 balls to the wall for 280,000+ miles and its still going strong, so that 125k is nothing lol. Problems the 5.0 had usually have to do with the harmonic balancer and distributor. Besides that, the motors have been around so long that most flaws are pretty much gone. When you go drive it make sure and drive it hard while shifting high in the RPM range (close to redline) to be sure it still shifts smoothly up there. Also, when you put it in each gear... try shaking the shifter side to side and make sure theres hardly any play in that shifter while youre in gear. Besides that, the price sounds pretty good if its in excellent condition. Good luck, have fun.

[SpectorV]

You will find that the 5.0 mustangs are very cheap and easy to maintain. The parts are EASY to get and EASY to install. The car is easy to work on and nearly EVERY shop has experience doing it. It miles may be high but that doesnt really mean that much. I would take it for a day and let a shop change the oil and tranny fluid and inspect it for metal, etc etc and see how it runs after that (some places put stuff in the oil to mask problems, I doubt a ford dealer would but you never know)

Ford generally always inspects the cars pretty good before they sell them, and in most cases you can get a warranty for an X amount of time if you ask, but I would only do ford for the warranty.

The price seems good and im sure they have some wiggle room, just do not trade a vehicle in on it if you can help.

The maual transmission (t-5) is a great tranny thats really cheap to fix so you cant go wrong there.

If the car has been taken care of I wouldnt worry about it much.

[SpectorV]

also look at the motor and see how clean it is, check the metal intake and valve covers and look for leaks and what not that cant be easily cleaned. See how smooth the car drives under all conditions, and listen for odd noises as you drive at given mph's up to 65-75

[Bane-]

rear main seal is another notorious 5.0 problem

[tcsteven22]

Excellent,thanks guys I really appreciate your opinions . I'll go check it out later on my lunch break. I'll be damn sure to check it over as close as possible. If its a good ride I'll bite for sure,and if not I'll keep lookin... I almost settled for a '96 4.6L auto a few months back and glad I didnt! Maybe this is the one . I'll keep ya'll updated (with pics if it comes home with me )

Thanks again!

[Bane-]

yea luckily you didnt, those early (96-98) 2v 4.6's were dogs, but combined with the 99-04 topend put out more power then the 99-04's haha. would be around 270-280 due to higher compression.

[Tbird232ci]

Quote: Originally Posted by tcsteven22 all I've got at this point (22 years old) are two turbo charged 4cyl.which IMHO lack alot as far as "power" goes even though both are in great condition (2.2 turbo dodge/2.3 turbo ford).

Ive had a 2.2L turbo dodge, and still have my turbo ford.

If you mod them, you dont need to worry about a 5.0

What dodge did you have?

[tcsteven22]

I have an 85 Daytona turbo Z (I never drive it though,107k original as of now with some mods to the engine) and a 88 turbo coupe. I'd love to mod the T bird cause its a pretty nice car but it has that 4 speed auto which wont hold much and I just dont have the space,tools or knowledge for a T-5 conversion so I'm kinda stuck with it as is. I can mod the engine no problem but it wont do any good if the tranny craps out. I know very little about transmissions and cant cough up a few grand on the spot to have a shop do it either. Breaks my heart to cause its such a nice car (70,7xx original fully loaded in sweet condition aside from a couple tiny paint wear spots on the hood). Both of these do great on gas and cost very little on insurance and I dont wanna trade either in thats why I was thinkin on this mustang since corvettes are way to spendy and finding a good camaro/trans-am is almost impossible around here.

Speaking of that,I still havent made it down to test drive it but I talked to the guy who runs the lot and said all of his cars have gone through the shop for extensive testing and said it runs and shifts smooth. IMO the only thing wrong is the color,green is just... well... green. I'd prefer red or black but paint can be changed easily with enough $$$ so I can tolerate it. Tomorrow is my day off so I'll make it down for sure,just hope its as good as he claimed it to be lol.

[SpectorV]

teal green (aka puke or ugly green) or pacific green? (or perhaps the really really dark green?)

[Zim]

Im gonna guess that forest green

[powerhungry966]

do it man.. those cars have torq! aha i drove my friends 95 5.0 convertable for a week.. and all i can say is niiiceee.. might be a lacky on hp compared to the 00-06 gt's but nothing a lil boltons wont cure~!!

[Tbird232ci]

Quote: Originally Posted by powerhungry966 do it man.. those cars have torq! aha i drove my friends 95 5.0 convertable for a week.. and all i can say is niiiceee.. might be a lacky on hp compared to the 00-06 gt's but nothing a lil boltons wont cure~!!

Thats because you drive a V6. Anything feels like it has "torq!" compaired to a V6.

[Bane-]

[Zim]

dude, the sixxers arent bad for tq numbers... 5.0s just multiply that.. Hooray for pushrod motors

[tcsteven22]

Yeah its a pretty ugly green but runs good... Just trying to decide if I should get it or not. A few things I didnt like though,its not as clean as I would like it to be under the hood but I didnt notice any leaks... Shifts and runs pretty smooth but I guess I was expecting more power.... from a 302,Dont get me wrong it'd make both of my rides look pretty dang sad!. I'm gunna go check it out again and take some more mechanically inclined people with me tomorrow when I get off work... Everything works,seems like a decent deal,just not quite as impressed as I thought I'd be. Not like riding in a 91 corvette though but at least it can be modified.

[Zim]

If you're not happy with it, keep looking. Theres thousands of 5.0 sn95s out there... another one will be found for a good deal.

[snake99bite]

Make sure to inspect closely for leaks! The mileage is low for a 5.0 and should run fine provided it was maintained well! Make sure that it has good oil pressure @idle and while driving! Listen for unusual noises and make sure the clutch engages well and the trans doesn't grind at all! The price sounds right and would be a good choice for a daily driver! 5.0 Parts are pretty cheap these days! May burn a little oil but should still run strong for a long time! My friend sold his 87 w/322k and still ran fine!

[snake99bite]

A set of 4.10 gears and a couple mods will change that sluggish feeling for sure! You said you're not concerned w/ fuel otherwise go w/3.73's! Still gonna burn more fuel but well worth it!Don't forget,this is a fairly heavy car and Ford geared it for fuel economy and driveability!Change the gears first,best bang for your buck! Will make the biggest difference!Best of luck!

[snake99bite]

It seems to me there are some v8 haters in here!

[Zim]