So, I’m giving serious thought to buying a Ford Mustang some time after I finish Basic Training, at which point I’ll find myself living in California for a year or two for my tech school. I can’t decide whether I want a 60’s Mustang or one of the newer models. To make things more confusing for me, the Chevy Cobalt looks like a nice enough car to be had for four thousand less than the newer Mustangs, but of course isn’t the slightest bit cool or sexy (well, the name is cool).
So basically, I’d like pros and cons of the classic vs. new Mustangs, in terms of cost, maintenance, style, utility, and so forth.
I only know some second-hand because my friends growing up rebuilt classic Mustangs. I think there was a related thread about this in the last few days BTW.
Classic Mustangs still have plenty of parts available and lots of people and groups that know about them.
They can be used as a daily driver
They are easy to work on compared to most modern cars. You could do many things yourself.
The expensive cars are the ones that are largely original with matching numbers on everything. If you just want the experience of driving one, you don’t have to worry about that stuff much if you want to say $$$$.
Classic vs. new? Really, that’s your call as to what you really want and makes you feel good about the money you spent.
Understand that the original Mustang was a Ford Falcon with much more attractive sheet metal. There really wasn’t anything unique or revalutionary about it other than the styling and the marketing.
The new Mustang is much more powerful, safer, efficient and durable than the original. It benefits from many years of automotive advancement.
I’d say, if you want a museum showpiece buy the classic. If you want a car to drive, get a new one.
I don’t know if you care about originality as much as I do, but everyone around here has a new Mustang. Frat guys, sorority girls, late-20s business-school-grad types, midlife-crisis dads - they’re become pretty run-of-the-mill. I personally hate the new bulky-ass body style and think the new Mustangs look like cheap toys, but aesthetics is always going to be a matter of personal taste. I will say that I hardly ever see classic Mustangs cruising around, and, as a vintage car lover, it really brightens my day when I see one.
In the movies, if a badass hero has a Mustang, it’s always a classic, never a new one. Take that for what it’s worth. In my mind, a classic Mustang, especially a fastback, equals originality, style, bad-boy cool, vintage collector’s cachet, and an appreciation for auto history. A new Mustang equals “I want to be cool without putting any thought into it.” Just my own two cents.
I wonder though, could you make an 86 Mustang into a good Q-Car? It’s a fairly nondescript looking car, but with a rather roomy engine compartment, so you could lay down the rubber when the bad guys try to catch you/get away.
Although I searched the 'net and the Internet Movie Cars Database in vain for it, I distinctly remember Jeff Bridges driving around in a civilianized ex-CHP Mustang in the film “8 Million Ways to Die”. Yeah, not the right year, but the correct body style, right?
I owned a 1970 Mustang for years. You can actually by AM/FM radios that are custom built for classic Mustangs so you can install them without having to cut a hole in the dash. I listened to CDs with a portable CD player and adapter. When I finally had to sell the car ( ) I just popped the original radio back in.
I loved my Mustang, but it wasn’t very reliable. A couple of times a year, something would go wrong that would require fixing (starter motor going out, tranny went out, oil pump quit working efficiently, etc.). I treated it well, but when you are dealing with a car that is 30 years old, you are going to have maintenance problems. One advantage of the old Mustangs is that you can work on them yourself, if you know how; but now in my old age, I don’t know that I would want one as a daily driver. Just not reliable enough, IMO.
If it were me, I’d go with the classic 'Stang. People notice (in a good way) classic cars and you’ll stand out, without looking like a salesman in a cheap suit. Also, if you get reassigned to some place where you can’t take the 'Stang, and you can’t store it, it’s a lot easier to sell a classic 'Stang than it is a new car. Heck, just about every time you get in or out of the car people will be asking you to sell them the car.
A new car has oodles of nice features, but they just don’t have the same feel as a classic. Buy yourself a factory service manual, join a classic Mustang club in your area and be prepared to have a blast. Also, if you get one that somebody’s shoe horned a vastly larger engine under the hood than the car was originally equipped with, you’ll have a lot of fun at street lights.
On the flip side, I had a '73 Mustang in high school. Pretty reliable, but very rust prone. Last year I rented a new convertible in Maui, and was shocked at how well it handled and performed, even with the stock V-6. They’ve come a long ways in thirty-odd years.
Aren’t old (pre-1970’s) Mustangs rather dangerous? They had a gas tank integral with the trunk floor-so a rear end collision could rupture the tank (and cause a fire). Aside from that, the bodies were cheaply constructed (poor welds), and the convertables shake like jelly when you hit a bump. I’d stick with a new one, because the bodies are much better built. plus, anything from the pre-emission control computer days (mechanical carburators) is a big headache (unless you’ve re-carbed the car. Older Mustangs also had terrible brakes (most owners convert the front brakes to discs).
No warranty on a classic.
If you buy a '65 anything you are getting a car that other people have fucked with for 40 years. I will flat guarantee that no everyone that has touched that car in the last 40 years knew what they were doing. My daughter wanted a classic stang. We looked at maybe a dozen. I did not see one that I considered worth what was being asked.
Now if you go upmarket to a fully restored example, you may find something that is in great shape. But by now you are approaching what a new one costs, and there still is no warranty.
Bottom line for transportation buy new. For a toy car to pull out of the garage and wax on Saturday, and then go for a Sunday drive when the weather is nice buy a classic.
If you like to tinker with cars, classics are infinitely easier to work on. Lots of room, little in the way of electrical, no computers, etc., etc. And they look sooo cool.
) I just popped the original radio back in.