4th Generation Mustang GT. Fun to drive?
 

I've never had a muscle car of any kind. But I've been poking around at Corvette C3/4s and Mustangs.

I'm a bit amazed at how cheap the Mustangs are. I realize they were made by the millions, and the 4.6 motor drags down prices, but you can get very clear cars for $6-7k.

With a manual, it would seem like a lot of cheap fun. Cheap to tinker with as well.

I'm going to check out this 2001 on Tuesday.

2001 Ford MUSTANG GT Premium - REDUCED

http://images.craigslist.org/00F0F_j...kZ_600x450.jpg

Looks like a nice car for the money. I've never really liked the 4th gen due almost solely to the seating position. I'm 6'2" and I feel like I'm sitting up on some cheap stool. But others don't find that to be an issue.

I was given a ride in a supercharged one once.

It ate up the pavement like a time machine bending space.

Fast in a straight line, not very safe feeling when juiced up on steroids though.

They are everything you said and Mustangs have the largest aftermarket of any car produced.

The GTs are pretty doggish...but that little DOHC motor can be a maniac for cheap. If thats what you like.

The GT is a SOHC (2v) motor.... is that what you meant?

Could you elaborate on the 4.6 bringing down the prices? Is that not a good motor?

My dad's got that motor in a Lincon Town Car is the reason I asked.

I've got the motor in my F-150 as well. IMHO its a good motor. It does have individual coil packs on each plug, and that can be a pain to track down if you have one coil partially or intermittently failing.

When the 3rd generation of Mustang came out, it featured a 302(5.0) V-8, in keeping with tradition that stretches way back. When the 4th generation came out, purists were disappointed that Ford chose to take the same 4.6 V-8 they were using in a wide range of products, and stick it in the venerable Mustang. It gave people fits that your dads Lincoln, my F-150 and the Mustang all shared the same engine.

I was also an utter dog in the early 4th gen cars. I think it made 215hp. Later (I think 99) they put new heads on the 4.6 Mustang, and that brought the power up to 260hp. Still, thats not a whole lot for a 'Muscle' car. Improvements were made over the years, but I think its still regarded as ugly reminder that bean counters get to make some of the decisions.

That just my humble opinion.

New edge Mustangs
 

I like mine, but it has 300 HP with a tuner, CAi and larger throttle body. Starting in 1999 they came with 260 HP from the factory. Since my car is a 2002 Stage 2 Roush with a few tweaks it has great handling. Performance parts are reasonably priced and plentiful. For $5,000.00 you can add a supercharger and easily get 420 HP. DP

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1408325679.jpg

funny you should mention the Coil over Plugs. I'm helping him track down a miss that new plugs didn't fix and I just ordered a set of coils for it.

I've been a Mustang fan for a long time and I sometime shop for them online. Haven't pulled the trigger yet though.

Ah, yes... the favored chariot of Vanilla Ice. "Rollin in my five point oh, ragtop down so my hair can blow". I was in high school when these came out and they were *the* car for every daddy's boy jock to have. I dismissed them since I had much more hp to play with in my Barracuda, but then one day I drove one.... and I have to say, it was a fun car.

I always wondered how they could class the 71-72 was still classed as a First Gen.
Even the 70 was a departure, but those hideous 71-72 beasts belonged in a group all their own.

Fun cars if you can handle the typical cheap Ford interior of the era. Parts are dirt cheap and available locally, reliable, simple to fix, fun in a simple sort of way. A modern 5.0 is really the first recent Mustang that interests me, and I would LOVE to find a good deal on a Boss 302.

well they [ford] call the early downsized cars mustake II

but the real 63 1/2 thru 66 are type 1
the the 67-68 were bigger
as it went on they gained size and weight
until the mustake II

I'm assuming he was extrapolating the conversation to include the Cobra. Those had DOHC heads, correct?

I'm assuming he was talking about the Cobra engine.

Have to wonder if the modern 5.0 (Coyote) could be packed under the hood without to much surgery.

Yeah, sure. I was thinking Terminator mod motors which are DOHC.

The late '90s Cobra had a hand-built DOHC 4.6 that put out 305 HP if I remember correctly. I still recall a comparison test with a E36 M3 where they preferred the 4.6 to the S52 in the M. Those cars can easily be found for under $10k, and '99-'04 had an IRS.

I'm afraid if I buy one, its going to be damn tempting to blow another $5k on a Kenne Bell supercharger. 425hp from an otherwise bone stock motor is pretty impressive. Did a bit of research, and the stock 4.6 internals are supposedly good up to 450hp.

I like the prior model if for looks than no other reason. lusted for one big time in high school/early college years and loved the sound with the flowmasters so many used on them. drove a couple and thought they were a hoot.

That's a conservative/driveable set-up.

I'm connected to 3 guys with '03 Cobras...yes a bit different engine, but all make well over 700rwhp, one is 945!

get a later one.... SN97http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1408384725.jpg