[jimlj]

I am looking for a '65ish Mustang. If I can find a nice driver I'll get that, if not I'm looking for a project. Where do these cars rot/rust away? What should I look for when buying a car?

Also what is a price range? I have seen several projects advirtised in the $2500 range. I have seen drivers in the $6-7K and "restored" running $10K up. Is that about normal?

I want a nice looking mechanicaly sound drive and enjoy car when I'm done. I not after a show car trailer queen.

[sixtsixstang]

Bring a small magnet with you when you look at the cars to check if bondo has been used to make any repairs. Check the rear quarter panels, door bottoms, around front and rear glass, trunk floor, and cowel. Check out floor pans from either under the car or from inside if you can lift up the carpet. Your prices seem about right to me. I'm sure I left out something so someone else should add some more to look for. Good luck!

[Chuck M]

All early Mustangs were prone to rust issues. Most of them are expensive to repair especially if you are paying to have them fixed. Spend extra money on a rust free car and you will save money! A clean early coupe that is a nice driver but nothing special will start around 6500 for a 6 cyl and about 1500 to 2000 more for a C code V-8. Fastbacks & convertibles are about double that. You will pay a premium for an A or K code engine, and a 4 speed will add a few bucks too. To repeat, rust free is the key. Find a reputable mechanic to check it out for you BEFORE you buy it. Climb under the dash with a flashlight and shine it up. The cowl area under the dash is one of the most rust prone areas and one of the most difficult to repair. Light surface rust may be apparent but there should be no heavy scaly stuff or, God forbid, holes.

[derfiticulum]

The magnet does a great job of finding rust on the quarters but the cowl is the place I'd be most concerned with. Best way to check for significant rust damage there is to take a bucket of water and pour it into the cowl. The water should pour out behind each front wheel behind the front quarter panel. If there are any rust holes in the cowl some of the water will pour out through the kick-plate portion of the firewall under the dash. This is what led to the notoriously rusted floor pans in the early Mustangs. The cowl had those problems because the inside of them was never painted. Just bare metal waiting to get rusty.

[jimlj]

Thanks for the input. This is the information I was hoping to find. One of the cars I am looking at has had the floor pans replaced, sounds like I need to look at the cowl.

[Calponycarsmike]

As far a price goes they are all over the place depending on the year, equipment, condition, and region. A $10,000 car in California may only be a $8,000 in Ohio just because of the market and demand. Just get a good feel of what they are selling for in your area.