I have two cars to look at, one is a "Classic" all original 50,000 miles, another has a new 302 engine and lots of new parts including shocks, starter exhaust, replaced interior and shows 60,000 miles. Both sellers said they believed the miles were accurate but could not say for sure if the odo had turned. So I am wondering if there was a way for me to check to see if 100 thousand or more miles should be added to the readings. Tom
------------- hi tom - i don't know what part of the country you in, but i have no problem telling if they have been rolled over the 100k mark.
if you know mustangs very well, you will know that there are certain points of wear that go with the car that was common for that year and you can tell if that part has been replaced or not.
and there are plenty of examples.
tip one - open the driver's side door and check for play movement. if the door is tight or loose will tell you the miles. still in doubt? go to the passenger door and do the same. this will tell you if the car was used by a couple or a single person depending on the wear pattern.
tip two - check the ball joints for wear. there's a lot of difference a
100k makes. and if the passenger side will be the first one to go because of the roughness of the road.
tip three - know your parts. usual parts that you mentioned are consumable. but other parts are not, such as chrome bolts. are they the stock plating or replacement plating?
there are a lot more that i could go into but it takes time to explain what you are checking for.
and if someone is asking why i know so much, i had an excellent teacher. he is one of the most leading authorities in restoring and selling of the old shelby, and rare mustangs. he will take an hour to examine a car and can tell you bolt by bolt what's original and what's not.
i got a chance to see a video he did on one of the "youngest" 1969 429 mustangs. it had 749 miles on it and was garage kept. he starts with all the owner's paperwork from the dealer, the factory papers, letters of recall or service bulletins, then goes to the interior checking to see if the seat belts and bolts are original. he checks the fabric of the seats, the door panels, and spends about 20 minutes, going through point by point inside the car. after that checks out, he then goes under the hood and starts in there doing the same process before doing the trunk and finally goes under the car from one end to the other.
here's some points i would question the owner.
why does the car have a new engine? it kills the value if it is not the original parts. what about the transmission? both should have original transmissions with no marks on the bolts from being taken out and replaced. and the rear end, how much backlash play does it have? still in doubt? check the condition of the diff. oil. at 50k, most people don't replace the original and it's an over sight, because they recommend replacement of the oil every 30k. most people don't, so the oil should look like it's got 50k on it, not 150 or 250k on it.
hope this info helps.
~ curtis
66 mustang 289
87 mustang GT
88 mustang GT T- top/auto
89 mustang GT conv
90 mustang GT
93 mustang LX - 5.0
98 crown vic P71 package