1. Home
  2. Ford Mustang Forum
  3. 100,000 miles and counting

100,000 miles and counting

Thought I'd report in that my 95 GT just hit 100,000 miles last weekend. Here's the picture of the odometer:

formatting link
More pictures of my Mustangs are here:
formatting link
This is a lengthy post, but I think the occasion warrants it. :-)

I still love this car, although I will probably replace it shortly with a

2005 GT. I just wanted to report about the experiences I've had with this car since owning it...

I bought the car in January 1998 from a Chevy dealer of all places. It was just by chance that I drove by the lot one day during lunch hour, and there it was. I stopped to get a closer look, and ended up buying it a few days later.

The car is optioned as follows:

1995 5-speed Laser Red GT coupe w/grey cloth interior 2.73 traction-lok axle 16" cast aluminum wheels ABS speed control pw, pdl power driver's seat am/fm/casette/cd a/c

It was a completely stock one-owner car with 24,675 miles. It looked to be in perfect condition, except for a couple minor, almost unnoticeable scratches. The dealer gave me the former owner's name, and allowed me to call her. She actually lives near me, though I don't know her. She claimed to have loved the car, but had to part with it because she just had a baby and needed a bigger car. The car never had an accident or any problems.

One more thing to add about the purchase: The Kelly Blue Book retail value of the car in Jan 98 was about $16,190. This particular was on the dealer's lot for four months! They first listed it at $16,295, after a couple months lowered it to $14,995, and when I came in, they agreed to sell it for $12,995. Not only that, but it needed new rubber, and they agreed to pay for a new set of replacement Firehawk SVX tires and an alignment! So I thought I got a pretty good deal, especially considering it was from a dealer. The salesman explained that during the four months, quite a few younger guys came in interested in the car, and likely would have bought it, until they found out what the insurance was going to cost... But insurance is not a problem for me at my advanced age and good driving record.

Not counting oil/filter changes, which I have done myself every 3000 miles with Mobil 1 10W-30 and Motorcraft filters, here is the complete maintenance/repair record since I've owned the car:

1/29/98 - replaced stock sucky speakers with 4 Polk 6x8 speakers $139.90 2/5/98 (25,043 miles) - dealer-installed Ford anti-theft/remote entry $371.00 2/16/98 (25,267) - dealer turned warped front rotors under warranty $ 0.00 9/1/98 - replaced battery with Sears Die Hard (Silver) $ 69.99 12/28/98 - replaced spark plugs, air cleaner (myself!) $ 27.00 6/9/99 (37,146)- replaced speed control servo $263.15 12/30/99 (43,461) - flush cooling system, replace serpentine belt $123.80 6/5/00 (46,235) - replace Firehawk SVX tires with Dunlop SP5000 $535.20 7/1/00 (46,995) - replace distributor cap, rotor (myself) $ 24.58 2/19/02 (59,564) - replace clutch assembly, rear main seal $511.07 2/20/02 - replace spark plugs, air cleaner (myself) $ 29.00 7/30/02 (65,628) - replace front brake pads, turn rotors, replace transmission fluid with Mobil 1, replace fuel filter $266.30 9/6/02 - replaced battery with Sears Die Hard (Gold) $ 60.21 9/9/03 (81,992) - diagnose Check Engine Light on, and replace MAF $314.53 11/14/03 (86,513) - replace tires with GForce KDWS, rear brake pads $667.75 11/21/03 (86,846) - replace radiator $292.69 1/28/04 (90,023) - replace alternator, serpentine belt, idler pulley $426.95 ======= Total $4123.12

So, in my mind, this hasn't been a bad car at all. I'm pretty sure the clutch replacement was due to the original owner's driving habits, since I've owned standards all my life and have never had a clutch problem before.

Right now, the car runs as well as it ever has, and everything on the car is still working. It burns essentially no oil, gets 24+ mpg on the highway, and about 17 mpg on my 5-mile city work commute.

I don't think there's any car that offers the bang-for-the-buck value of the Mustang GT, and basically can't wait to buy my next one!

-Bill J.

Reply to
Bill Jones
Loading thread data ...

Congrats on the milestone!

Hey, I've got a pic like that, except mine says zero miles. It's like having a brand new 22 year old car! :)

formatting link
rolled over to
formatting link
last Jan.)

Reply to
Garth Almgren

When my stalwart, unsung-hero 89 Tempo hits 200,000, I'm going to crack open the cluster and affix a Ford-odometer "2" next to all the zeros.

Yours deserves the h> Around 9/22/2004 9:41 PM, Bill J>

Reply to
67RMOD

You need to get out more.....

=======

Reply to
Jim Warman

I'll probably need to rebuild the engine before that. As is, the main seals leak pretty badly and the valves are starting to be a little noisy.

Not bad, though, considering the first time the valve covers came off was at about 101k (now at 104k). They were leaking some oil, and when I pried them off, I found only trace evidence of the original gaskets. Fixing that cut my oil consumption in half.

Especially considering I got it for next-to-nothing from my Grandma with only 50k on it! :)

Reply to
Garth Almgren

I don't get it... ;-) You mean cuz I spent the time writing the post?

I had a half hour to spare last nite to write it, so I figured that someone might be interested in the maintenance record of a Mustang daily driver.

the only thing I regret is that I forgot that my news posting program wraps the characters at 76. Here's a re-post of the record, hopefully formatted better:

1/29/98 - replaced stock sucky speakers with 4 Polk 6x8 speakers $139.90 2/5/98 (25,043 miles) - installed Ford anti-theft/remote entry $371.00 2/16/98 (25,267) - turned warped front rotors under warranty $ 0.00 9/1/98 - replaced battery with Sears Die Hard (Silver) $ 69.99 12/28/98 - replaced spark plugs, air cleaner (myself!) $ 27.00 6/9/99 (37,146)- replaced speed control servo $263.15 12/30/99 (43,461) - flush cooling system, replace serpentine belt $123.80 6/5/00 (46,235) - replace Firehawk SVX tires with Dunlop SP5000 $535.20 7/1/00 (46,995) - replace distributor cap, rotor (myself) $ 24.58 2/19/02 (59,564) - replace clutch assembly, rear main seal $511.07 2/20/02 - replace spark plugs, air cleaner (myself) $ 29.00 7/30/02 (65,628) - replace front brake pads, turn rotors, replace transmission fluid with Mobil 1, replace fuel filter $266.30 9/6/02 - replaced battery with Sears Die Hard (Gold) $ 60.21 9/9/03 (81,992) - diagnose Check Engine Light on, and replace MAF $314.53 11/14/03 (86,513) - new GForce KDWS tires, rear brake pads $667.75 11/21/03 (86,846) - replace radiator $292.69 1/28/04 (90,023) - replace alternator, serp. belt, idler pulley $426.95 ======= Total $4123.12
Reply to
Bill Jones

Some of us old farts can remember when 50K mile valve jobs were nearly the norm!

My '00 GT has racked up 105+K. It's had 3.73s since day two and somehow survived a year and a half in the service of my older college daughter after she wrecked her '95. (When I got it back for good it had 3 qts of blackest Mobil1 oil left in the crankcase, blown pinion seal and a host of other items!) Performance wise it's probably down, but since I never dyno'd it and can't remember it's 1/4 mile performance from '00 I can't tell. It does get autocrossed on a semi regular basis and is still the overacheiver it's always been.

The only required replacements have been one battery, two sets of tires and shocks. It has just started misting at the speedometer cable plug...it's second leak.

All in all, not too shabby.

bradtx

Reply to
B2723m

Nah. 'Cause you've only racked up 100,000 miles in ten years.

dwight

Reply to
dwight

Consumer reports give the current stang average reliability. That is actually better than the average American car. In 98, I think it was, the stang got a better than average reliability score. Unprecedented for a American muscle machine. This type of vehicle was always in the reliability gutter in the past. Even the latest firebird/camero had decent reliability. John

=======

Reply to
JohnR

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 04:41:35 GMT, someone posing as Bill Jones chisled in the wall:

Hey, you've just about passed the break-in period. :)

What you shoul've done is something stupid like I did in my wife's '98 Maxima where I took a picture of 70,000 miles at 70MPH...

formatting link
:)

Enjoy that one, I always loved the red GT models.

Reply to
filesiteguy

So go 71mph and take a pic of 70,000 you mean?;) Just messin :)

Reply to
Gagan (mwarrior)

My 88GT has 237,000 miles on it, by that reckoning your 95 is just now getting broke in.

=======

Reply to
ironrod

The Tempo is certainly an unsung hero... I sold my '86 5 speed at

209,000 miles. I had to replace the clutch at 140k, but the lining was still good, the springs in the disc popped out when the retainers fatigued. Cheapest car to own & operate we've ever had. The guy who bought it from me was shocked at the good conditon & driveability... he'd never even sat in a car with over 200k. Of course, the odometer said only 9,000 mi.!

Rob

Reply to
trainfan1

LOL! Same -exact- thing happened to mine, at 165k. It was down to about 1/2 the springs by the time I got it in. Throwout bearing went "zzzing" with every shift on the way to the garage. The guy showed me the clutch, and said it had approx. 25% of the lining left.

Cheapest car to own & operate we've ever had. The guy who

For us as well. It's been there for us when a variety of other cars have failed. I am amazed at how clean the oil still is after 3,000 miles, and that it comsumes so little of it. I just can't get rid of it.

Reply to
67RMOD

Figured I'd get into the fun too! '88 t-bird 5.0L = 209,000. replaced the trans at 170, now the valve covers are leaking, and a little leak on the main seals. Runs a little rough and noisy, but hey, it drives, and still moves when I get on it! Currently planning a rebuild/replacement motor.

And now for the title shot: '97 F150 5.4L = 334,000 Replaced 1 battery, 1 fan belt, 2 sets of plugs, 2 coil packs. NO leaks! Still drives like a champ. Just worry when the thing is going to actually give out. Keeping it just for the experiment!

Reply to
Christopher Wall

I doubt you'll live long enough to see it croak. Chevy trucks are the same way. Damn few ever actually wear out to the point where they become undrivable. Ladyfriend's '86 F-150 needed a new 5.0 engine this year because of various oil control problems including valve seals, rear main, front main, and her timing chain & gear were badly worn. She went with a Ford reman with the 3 year warranty. Excellent value.

Interesting to note the effect that the conventional oil caused massive oil passage plugging problems. The stuff had crystallized on the inside of the valve covers, and when chunks came loose, they first plugged up the return galleys along the valve train, and what got back into the pan plugged the oil pickup screen. There was at least 3/4" of this stuff stuck to everything inside the engine, and I'm sure it was a factor in the early demise of various seals.

The new engine got Mobil One 5w30 from day one, and this won't be a problem even again. Only other problems were a leaking injector, and the locking gas caps were causing fuel system problems. (Tech notes that every locking gas cap he has ever tested has failed pressure testing, and they're all junk.) Returning to non-locking fuel caps dropped the emissions levels considerably. Food for thought.

'The Beater' turns 190k this month. This pales in comparison of course, and I just had to dump another $350 into it for new halfshafts. When it hits 300k, I'll get excited.

-JD

Reply to
JD Adams

Wow, Sounds almost like my story. I had the exact same car, except the axle was 3.08 (you sure yours was

2.73 ??I thought all tracti>Thought I'd report in that my 95 GT just hit 100,000 miles last weekend.

Remove NO-SPAM from email address when replying

Reply to
Rein

You are probably right. When I sold my 95GT after 92K miles, it still didn't burn oil at oil, no smoke at all. Always did 3K oil changes, but used cheap havoline oil and motorcraft filters.

Remove NO-SPAM from email address when replying

Reply to
Rein

Yeah, I'm sure... Check the sticker inside the driver's door jam. The Vehicle Certification Label. There's a code on there for rear axle ratio labeled 'AX'. Traction Lok codes are:

M 2.73 Z 3.08 E 3.27

Well on mine, the paint on the taillight assembly itself looks faded compared to the body paint, but it hasn't come off yet.

The paint is generally very good for a 10 year old car. The metallic red looks great in the bright sun. The only problem really is that the original owner used a bra (and must have left the car out in the sun a lot), and a sharp eye can see where the rest of the paint faded slightly. I keep it garaged at night, wash it weekly, and wax it every 3 months or so with Meguiar's products, and the finish has held up.

-Bill J.

Reply to
Bill Jones

Got it. I think mine was Z. I can't check because I sold the car in January

yeah, that's what I meant. When I waxed the car and wiped it with a white towel I could see the red paint come off.

Mine had a bra on it also by the previous owner but it was hardly visible. Only paint failure was already on it when I bought it. I think the previous owner had some bird-crap sitting on it too long and it made a small spot on the hood. Other than that, it looked pretty damn good. I waxed it even less than you (only once or twice a year) and washed it every other week or so, and less in summer since it's too hot here to wash it yourself. Also garaged at night.

Remove NO-SPAM from email address when replying

Reply to
Rein

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.