Bought a car from an internet site--picking it up Saturday!
 

We found a 65' Mustang Fastback for my father for Fathers Day. Bought it after several phone discussions and I pick it up Saturday with full deposit refund and I can walk from the deal if it does not pass my inspection/satisfaction.

I need some good advice and tips for how people check out cars themselves. I was considering taking it to a shop for mechanical inspection and to a body shop for someone there to look over. I'd rather do some of it myself. Any help out there would be greatly appreciated.

Want to hear the horror story I have about a super clean '68 Mustang I bought that was in a bad front end accident and repaired just enough to conceal the fact the unibody was torn and it needed a whole new front clip? This was was looked over by myself, a total Mustang Motorhead, my Dad, the same and my uncle, a mechanic. The seller was really smooth.

Spend the $300 and get a PPI by a good local shop. Its worth every penny.

I spent $900 in failed PPI's looking for the right Porsche. They saved me from some real heartache.

John, where is it located?

Bill

St Louis Mo. (SW part of town) -- looking for some type of checklist I can go through that others have used when they inspect a vehicle. I'm trying to line up a PPI as well.

JonT,
Nice Father's Day gift! I'll have to send this thread to my family!!

One of the best tools you can take with you is a clean shop towel and a magnet. Drape the towel over the magnet, then with the towel between the magnet and car body, allow the magnet to gently attract itself to the car body. you can then move the magnet around, gently pulling on the free end of the shop towel to search for thick sections of bondo. When you get to a section of bondo the magnet will easily bull away from the car.

As for spots to check for rust:
Trunk lip
hood lip
wheel well lips
seat bolt area
rockers
kick panel area (bottom rear of front fenders)
frame rails
pillar bases
bottom corners of doors
step sills (under door when closed)
door hinge area
bottom of rear widow
edge of roof, (above windshield, rear window, doors, etc
head light buckets
around tail lights
front of floor pans where they meet the firewall
rear of floor pans in front of the rear seat.
all over the inside of the trunk!!
shock mounts (cant even count the # of 'stangs I've seen drop to the ground because of rusted out shock tower mounts!)

This is just an idea of where to start. Securing a reputable shop for a PPI is your best bet, however examining the above list will give you a general idea of how much care / work have gone into the car.

Good luck!
-Nick

Nick--thanks alot for that info. That's exactly the type of help I was looking for.

John, sorry I have been out of town for work and too busy to even boot my laptop up. You might not have enough time to order this from a parts place, but a Borders or something might carry it.

http://www.mustang-unl.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=MP38+01

Bill

Take a flashlight and look in the cowl area many of them rust out in this area as well.Also check the vin #'s on the inner fenders(under the hood where the fender bolts on)the vin# should be stamped and match the door tag and the title..Sometimes people only have a title that matches the door tag and not the car itself.

If possible, have a disinterested third party with you. The emotional investment is high enough that you might overlook some obvious danger signs.

Good luck!

I also reccomend you join the Mustang Club of America. You can join for your dad and do a member search there for St Louis.

We are all car guys here, but my experience has almost always been as positive with the Mustang crowd. If you do a search, and send out an e-mail or two, I would be surprised if you didn't get a local enthusiast to go look with you.'

http://www.mustang.org/

Bill

Bill--sent you pm.

Jon, did you get my e-mail back to you?

Hi Bill--for some reason I have not-what email did you use? my home address is jontheo911@yahoo.com. Im heading to KC tonight then SL in the am early.

Ok I just sent one to your home address.

Bill