1996 Ford Mustang V6 base 3.8 V6

Summary:

Good 2 door coupe for long distance motorway cruising

Faults:

Head gaskets went at 41,000 and auto box shudder from purchase. This was cured on the second attempt with a complete flush and refill, including the torque converter and cooler.

General Comments:

The car seems to be well built, the interior is solid, but there is a substantial amount of noise transmitted over bad roads, not clonks as such, more the sound of the tyres hitting the bumps, its only noticeable on very bad roads though, possibly because the car is poly bushed.

I have changed the stock 15 inch wheels for 17 inch wheels of a 98 GT, and it transforms the look of the car. My car was imported in 2006 from Japan, and is in as-new condition.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th November, 2007

12th Sep 2014, 12:29

The above review was written by me. My, my, my, how things went down hill soon after this was written.

The engine failed again at 50,000 miles (crankshaft bent of its own accord), needing a total engine replacement. When stripping the old engine, it was apparent that the metal used in the engine was exceptionally poor, with poor castings that had so much flashing they would cut your fingers.

The gearbox shudder returned and took three further flushes to fix.

Oil leaks, suspension failures, and just about every sensor needed replacing between 42,000 and 50,000.

The most 'original' fault was the front McPherson struts seizing - I've never seen this before in twenty years around cars.

The initial good impression sore off when it became obvious the car was completely worn out by 50,000 miles. Avoid this terrible poor quality car like the plague. The noise over bumps was general wear in the suspension; all the bushes and ball joints were starting to wear out.

I will never buy another Ford, or American built car. I now drive a SEAT Leon, which I have done 33,000 miles in (nearly 104,000 now), which has been a joy to own thanks to vastly superior VW build quality and engineering (SEAT is a Spanish company owned by VW; the Leon mk1 is essentially a Golf mk4 with a different body).

16th Sep 2014, 21:07

I found your Sept. 12 comment interesting. I live in the US and have owned many Fords over the years, including seven Mustangs with various engines. I have never encountered a single problem with any of my Fords before 100,000 miles. One of them was driven over 300,000 with virtually no problems at all. I currently drive an eight year old Mustang and a new Escape turbo. Both are absolutely flawless, and the build quality of the Escape rivals far more expensive vehicles. I would not hesitate to purchase another Ford based on the stellar experience we have had with all of ours.

1967 Ford Mustang Coupe 289ci (4.7 litre)

Summary:

A must have modern classic

Faults:

Snapped strut rod - had to get a new part made as apparently they "Don't break". Wasn't expensive, but took 3 weeks.

Original carpets are worn, but still in good condition for age.

4 drum brakes won't stop you very quickly!!

General Comments:

This car is fantastic. The '67 really took the mustang to iconic status, the lines are more aggressive than the 65 and 66 models however everything els is much the same.

The 289ci engine (4.7 litres) is nice and torquey and gets you off the line quickly and will sit at 90 on the motorway at about 2500 to 3000 revs.

The C4 automatic gearbox is still solid and doesn't clunk.

The mechanics on these cars are pretty much bullet-proof, at 100000 miles the engine has only just bedded in and there are no major leaks or faults. The gearbox is sweet and the rear axle is solid.

These cars are incredibly easy to work on because they are mechanically simple and there is so much space under the bonnet.

The steering is very light and the handling is much better than expected however combined with rear wheel drive and old brakes it does require that you change your driving style accordingly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th February, 2004

24th Mar 2005, 17:58

I also have a 1967 mustang that I am going to fix up for a project. it's only got a 200 cid straight six. but I agree with you when you said these were bulletproof. and you have good taste because it's a ford!

13th Oct 2006, 12:22

You Both have good taste picking this car. I recently got one from a rich kid at school. He gave me the 67 mustang for free and it runs. Needs paint and intereior work, but other wise the engine rocks, at 145 000 Kms its killer, Ford all the way!

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1987 Ford Mustang 5.0 GT 5.0 V8

Summary:

One word: FUN!

Faults:

Nothing... Except clutches. This car made a hooligan of me and I got through two of them!

General Comments:

This car put a grin on my face for seven years.

Neck-snapping performance. Changing down from fifth to third gear when overtaking was like a rocket boost.

Enormous fun to drive. Great handling, although you have to watch out over-steer in the wet especially. I had owned a 2.8 V6 Mustang before, but I wasn't prepared for the power of the 5.0 V8! A much better car than the Toyota Supra I had before it, particularly from a driver's perspective.

Not as good on fuel as a V6, but what do you expect? At 21mpg it was reasonably affordable though, and well worth it for the kicks!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th October, 2003

1980 Ford Mustang Ghia 2.8 V6

Summary:

Fun to drive, compact, and fairly economical

Faults:

Nothing major went wrong on this car in the time I had it. The only thing I had done to it was servicing.

The only thing I can think of is having to replace tail-light bulbs rather a lot. They seemed to blow out quite frequently.

Alloy wheels suffered from surface corrosion.

General Comments:

One of the better cars I have owned.

Great fun to drive being a sporty rear wheel drive car. It drove similar to a Capri. In fact the 2.8 V6 fitted to my car was a German-built engine and was the same as fitted to the Capri.

Fairly economical on fuel. 26mpg.

Compact dimensions make the Mustang an ideal American car for the UK.

I also loved the fact that my Mustang was a hatchback coupe - it made it that much more practical.

Whilst quick it was no muscle car, being more like a cut-price European GT.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th October, 2003