Considering a Mustang, help me out!

Mike M · 2004-08-24T02:58:28+00:00

Hey, new to the group but maybe some of you older hands can help meout. I have a friend who's good with cars but he's more of a Pontiacguy and doesn't know the ins and outs on Mustangs. I'd appreciate anyadvice on the following topics. Just to set up my questions, I live incentral Ohio, so snow is a factor, but not a big one. I'd be stickingstrictly to street driving and not doing much in the way of tuning.Probably looking for a 6-cylinder unless I find a teriffic deal on aGT. Here goes:I'm looking for a car in the 2000-2004 year range. Any majordifferences in the quality or performance in that range?Convertible or hardtop? I could probably keep the car garaged, but itwould have to be exposed to the elements during the winter.Also related to weather, how big of a factor is the traction controlin wet and snowy conditions?How do the automatic transmissions do as far as performance andreliability? (I can drive and will consider manual or auto).Any mechanical issues that tend to crop up in the 20-35K mileagerange? That's probably where my search will turn up the most vehicleswhen price and model year are factored in. Anything to look out for?Finally, any other general advice in buying a newer, pre-ownedMustang? I appreciate any help you guys could give me. Thanks!