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First time vintage mustang buyer advise

3K views 27 replies 16 participants last post by  tom991 
#1 ·
#2 · (Edited)
If you mean the burgundy convertible for $9500, that may be too much for all the work that will hafta be done. They car needs a lot. If you mean the Sauterne Gold or Ivy Gold 66 with 101 pictures for $16,000 that popped up, that may be in the ballpark. You'll almost always pay less from an individual sale than a dealer, unless there's some emotional attachment for you both. I don't see the stats / text on the car's details, but it looks like all it needs is to re-dye or replace the carpet and enjoy !!
Main thing with a Mustang is RUST. Look EVERYWHERE, under, between, inside, through and through...maybe have it inspected by a knowledgeable VMFr in the area, and talk em down a little ! ! Then smile when people honk and wave at you ! !
 
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#4 ·
Welcome to the forum!
A very decent looking daily driver, but in 101 photos, there is not a single shot of the engine compartment or underside of the car. This is a Indianapolis dealer and I think it is safe to say that this is probably a Midwest car. I don't believe it is possible to put a value on a car without knowing more about it. Even a shot of the door tag (assuming it is original to the car) would help to determine the trim level and equipment that came from the factory. I'm a bit suspicious of a dealer that wouldn't want to show the condition of the mechanical and structure aspects of the car!
 
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#5 ·
I will say don't be terrified of a little bit of surface rust as some of the components on the undercarriage were not even painted from the factory BUT BEWARE significant rust on floor pans inside and out, the cowl and under dash area, the rockers (and if it's a convertible the torque boxes), the frame rails and rear leaf spring attaching points, the trunk floors and drop-offs, the wheel lips and the rear quarters, and directly behind the front tires, the bottom corners of the front and rear windshield, the inner bottoms of the doors... I could go on.
 
#6 ·
A big question for me is, are you mechanically handy? These old mustangs need a lot of TLC. I have a friend who bought a 66 convert without knowing anything about them other than he wanted one. He is as far from any mechanically ability as I have ever seen. So if you are not mechanically inclined or don't have a lot of very good friends who are, I hope you have deep pockets.
 
#7 ·
First off, inspection, inspection, and inspect it again! Do it personally or have someone knowledgeable about Mustangs do it for you. The shady can hide lots of problems, so it is always buyer beware. Since you are knew to vintage Mustangs, take the time to learn where to look for rust.

Common problems are rust, mismatched VIN tags, poor repairs done in the past, and on and on. Not trying to scare you, but one must be aware that buying a vintage Mustang is not the same as buying a typical used car. Age is not a friend to these cars if they are not cared for properly.

The question of how mechanically inclined are you is a good one. Getting a good running car and improving it over time is a great hobby. Buying a rust bucket is very expensive even if you can do a lot of the work. If you have to farm the car out for restoration, even more money and risk involved.

I somewhat knew what I was getting into when I bought my 70 Mach 1. It was described as being rust free, yet there were hidden rust issues. Not as serious as many have found, but a full cowl repair was needed and not something most owners are willing to repair on their own. Fortunately I can and I am doing the work, so it is only the cost of repair panels and paint.

I hope you find a car that meets your expectations without spending too much. Good luck and let us know if you join the club.
 
#9 ·
Hello everyone
Thank you for all the helpful information to answer bsolo66 questions no I’m not very mechanically incline but I know people that work on cars as a hobby to be honest with all of you I’m spilt in between buying a 60’s mustang coup automatically no opinion on engine or a 80’s corvette manual transmission no opinion on body style I’m sure you guys don’t want to hear that and I’m sorry I didn’t read the whole description be I didn’t realize it’s a inline six cylinder I agree with you that too much money
 
#10 ·
Chris H
Hello everyone
Thank you for all the helpful information to answer bsolo66 questions no I’m not very mechanically incline but I know people that work on cars as a hobby to be honest with all of you I’m spilt in between buying a 60’s mustang coup automatically no opinion on engine size I didn’t read the whole description be I didn’t realize it’s a inline six cylinder I agree with you that too much money
 
#11 ·
Hi Chris and welcome aboard. My best advice would be to join a Mustang enthusiast group with a presence in your area, make some acquaintances, and find somebody willing to go along with you to do a pre-purchase inspection.

Values are pretty easy to obtain... Hagerty Insurance has a valuation tool on their website. It's determining condition and what potential repairs might be needed that can make it complicated.
 
#13 ·
I think you should start looking at some cars in your area even if you don't intially intend to buy.

It will be good practice. You'll start to know what to bring with you, ex. flashlight, cardboard. maybe even jack and jackstands if you're seriously interested and the owner will let you put it up.

The more cars you look at, the more you will know the real world market in you area. You'll then be able to recognize a good car when you see it and negotiate a fair deal.


And get a book to familiarize yourself with the different years and options. I like the Illustrated Mustang Buyers Guide. It's been in my library for over 20 years and I still use it for reference.


Good Luck
 
#17 · (Edited)
To the extent that ChrisH hasn't been scared away permanently (lol), I offer the following suggestions:

I commend you on your caution moving forward into uncharted territory (for you). Unfortunately, the more common scenario is a novice Mustang enthusiast comes here after buying a car off the internet sight unseen and quickly discovering that he/she is the proud new owner of a rolling piece of iron oxide held together with gallons of Bondo, duct tape, baling wire, and bungee cords. To conform the obvious, the Vintage car hobby does have some dishonest people lurking around so trust your own eyes when looking at a possible purchase. Knowledge is power when it comes to buying ANY 50+ year old car. As indicated by others in this thread, the most expensive mistake is not realizing that major structural rust (both visible and hidden) can take a wheelbarrow of money to fix properly. I have seen some cars that are so badly rotted that even if the asking price was "free" it would still be a bad deal. Being massively upside down financially in a car can seriously detract from the many pleasures found in the vintage car hobby.

The next thing to consider is that paying someone else to repair and maintain your car can elevate the cost of ownership to dizzying levels very quickly. Many folks here turn their own wrenches to keep maintenance costs down. Fortunately if you have the curiosity, access to a work-space, time, tools, and determination, you might surprise yourself with your own abilities as you learn the ropes of working on cars that come from the Fred Flintstone era of automotive electronics (LOL), as many here have done before you.

The common wisdom around here tends to favor the idea of buying the best car you can afford that otherwise meets your criteria. This advice is based upon the proven fact that a "done" car can usually be bought for far less than the cost of buying a fixer-upper and spending the time and money to bring it up to the same quality level as the "done" car. Being able to drive your car on day one has its benefits too. A basket case project car is generally not the best choice for a first venture into vintage car ownership.

Attending local car shows, Cruise Ins, and Cars and Coffee events (wherever it is you live?) will give you an opportunity to talk with other Mustang enthusiasts and learn about the Vintage Mustang opportunities and resources in your area. If this forum is any indication, many Vintage Mustang folks are friendly and helpful when it comes to sharing knowledge and resources. In the 19 years I have been involved with Vintage Mustangs, I have found this hobby is more about the people than the cars. I have met people from all over the US as well as Europe and Australia, many of whom I now consider friends.

Circling back to the original question, the '66 Coupe linked to your initial post looks like a nice car. If that car was for sale out here in NorCal, I would say the asking price is at the upper end of the price range but, if it is as solid as it appears, it could be a good buy. In any event, a pre-purchase inspection by someone knowledgeable and honest is a must. Post your general location. Perhaps there is VMF member local to you that might have a spare couple of hours to help out the new guy/gal.

Good luck with your search, proceed with patience and let us know what you find.
 
#19 ·
To the extent that ChrisH hasn't been scared away permanently (lol), I offer the following suggestions:

I commend you on your caution moving forward into uncharted territory (for you). Unfortunately, the more common scenario is a novice Mustang enthusiast comes here after buying a car off the internet sight unseen and quickly discovering that he/she is the proud new owner of a rolling piece of iron oxide held together with gallons of Bondo, duct tape, baling wire, and bungee cords. To conform the obvious, the Vintage car hobby does have some dishonest people lurking around so trust your own eyes when looking at a possible purchase. Knowledge is power when it comes to buying ANY 50+ year old car. As indicated by others in this thread, the most expensive mistake is not realizing that major structural rust (both visible and hidden) can take a wheelbarrow of money to fix properly. I have seen some cars that are so badly rotted that even if the asking price was "free" it would still be a bad deal. Being massively upside down financially in a car can seriously detract from the many pleasures found in the vintage car hobby.

The next thing to consider is that paying someone else to repair and maintain your car can elevate the cost of ownership to dizzying levels very quickly. Many folks here turn their own wrenches to keep maintenance costs down. Fortunately if you have the curiosity, access to a work-space, time, tools, and determination, you might surprise yourself with your own abilities as you learn the ropes of working on cars that come from the Fred Flintstone era of automotive electronics (LOL), as many here have done before you.

The common wisdom around here tends to favor the idea of buying the best car you can afford that otherwise meets your criteria. This advice is based upon the proven fact that a "done" car can usually be bought for far less than the cost of buying a fixer-upper and spending the time and money to bring it up to the same quality level as the "done" car. Being able to drive your car on day one has its benefits too. A basket case project car is generally not the best choice for a first venture into vintage car ownership.

Attending local car shows, Cruise Ins, and Cars and Coffee events (wherever it is you live?) will give you an opportunity to talk with other Mustang enthusiasts and learn about the Vintage Mustang opportunities and resources in your area. If this forum is any indication, many Vintage Mustang folks are friendly and helpful when it comes to sharing knowledge and resources. In the 19 years I have been involved with Vintage Mustangs, I have found this hobby is more about the people than the cars. I have met people from all over the US as well as Europe and Australia, many of whom I now consider friends.

Circling back to the original question, the '66 Coupe linked to your initial post looks like a nice car. If that car was for sale out here in NorCal, I would say the asking price is at the upper end of the price range but, if it is as solid as it appears, it could be a good buy. In any event, a pre-purchase inspection by someone knowledgeable and honest is a must. Post your general location. Perhaps there is VMF member local to you that might have a spare couple of hours to help out the new guy/gal.

Good luck with your search, proceed with patience and let us know what you find.


Great advice Jeff - this should be a sticky (or hopefully you've saved this on your computer for the next one that comes along)

John
 
#21 ·
Hello everyone
I’m not offend or scared from anything you all have said to me I’m just cleaning house and closing all my forum memberships I would like to know how to delete my last post because it’s a Duplicate of the one before It did find another mustang
1965 Mustang Need a little work but a lower price so I’m kind of going in the right Direction maybe? going to send the guy a email tomorrow like you guys told me I need to get my feet wet and go check some mustang out
https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/d/zionsville-1965-mustang/6983808360.html
 
#22 ·
This one's a six cylinder as well. It may be good practice to go take a look. From the photo's it looks like there's been some patching going on inside the trunk area using "plain" sheet metal and it looks as though there is some body filler in the lower rear front fender, rocker and door area.

If you have an old magnet... not the flexible vinyl kind, but like the old round ones they used to rivet to a butterfly clamp.... stick it in your pocket. You can use it to see if there is a lot of filler in a particular place as it will tend not to "stick" to the metal.
 
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