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Originally Posted by yelnats69 Hello I am new to the forum, and expect to buy a Mustang convertible next month,
I am not in the market for a new model, so I need to research the year and model changes from 1996 to the last shape before the new model/shape came out.
In other words what changes were made to each year that can be used to identify the year, I am in England till next month so dont get a chance to study the various year changes.
I fancy a six cylinder automatic in red or white or whatever, the condition will influence my descision, but I would like a loaded model. So if anyone is going to trade in their pride and joy soon we should talk, I am in Florida in April but will travel for the right car  .
Does anyone know where I can find this information on the net?
I expect you have been asked a thousand times, but is there anything that needs close attention when buying a used Mustange, any advice would really help.
Regards
Stan pinclub@execs.com |
Most of the members on this forum drive V8 cars, though of course there are V6ers as well. If you in fact are looking at V6's, the best of the modern stangs is the newest, an 05 (I own a 2002 GT). It is a completely new design, with styling borrowed from 1968. I've driven one, and they are good cars with much improved interiors, ergonomics, power (compared to past V6) and handling. Used V-6's are just beginning to appear in the aftermarket. I suggest you run a search on
www.autotrader.com around the Florida area (you'll need a zip code to center the search on) for 05 Mustangs. You might be surprised how many 05 V6's are available, although there will be few convertibles until the cars have had a chance to perculate through the market for a few months. Expect prices to be firm at about 10-15% under new list. Plenty of V6's are on the dealer lots (its the GT's that are few and far between). Dealers are offering V6's at a slight discount under MSRP right now, although I do not know if this includes convertibles yet.
If you want a "good year" for older stangs, the 2002 year was one that saw many evolutionary improvements over the similar 99-00-01 years. These improvements involved a broad list of suspension and drivetrain components, and represented a concerted effort to address numerous areas of the cars performance. 2003 and 2004 cars are essentially the same as the 2002, with minor differences.
The 96-98 cars were known to have more problems in general than the later models, particularly in regards to the motors, suspensions and transmissions (though most of the more famous problems were mainly with the GT's).
You can find relatively low mileage examples of 2002 - 2004 convertibles in the open market at excellent discounts when compared to new vehicles. Of course, autos with higher mileage or older model years commond less money, so you need to determine your maximum price range. Be advised that insurance on even the V6 mustangs can be high, so get an estimate of your total driving bill (cost + insurance).
Let us know what you buy. Good hunting!
tripleblack
Information on model changes 
