1993 LX 5.0 or 1996 GT ???

[04Red-Snake]

I have been wanting to buy a 2nd Mustang to get around (2004 Cobra is in the garage - not for daily use).

At the time I have come up against the following choices:

1993 Mustang LX 5.0
Red, hatch, grey cloth interior, black dash, 5 speed
Original 30,000 miles (carfax clean)
Car looks brand new inside & out - flowless original paint.
Asking $13K

or

1996 Mustang GT
Blue, grey interior, black dash, 5 speed
Original 21,000 miles (carfax clean)
Car looks brand new inside & out - flowless original paint.
Asking $10,995

I believe I might be able to get the LX for $12K, or the GT for $10K.

I love both cars, both are in excellent condition - could not hope for better. However, I am undecided as to which one I should get.

What do you guys think? What would you do? Pros & Cons? Any advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[MAXX RS4]

Most people love the 5.0's because of, well, the 5.0's that are in them. Personally, I'd choose (and I did choose) the 96 gt over the 93. Not only does it have less miles, but the price is just that much better. With the 2k that you'd save, you could easily have it faster than the lx. I have a 96gt with over 100k miles and slush box, that's chipped, has brake and suspension work, and has simple cheap bolt ons. The mods I've done were well under $1k and I walk over 5.0s.

With the 96 you have a more sophisticated and technologically advanced car that will outperform the lx at the same cost. And it looks sexier too. :banana:

And the color combo of the car is the best you can get besides the dark red. ;-)

 

[EastCoast5.0]

If your just going daily driving it and keeping it mostly stock then maybe consider the 96. It'll be more refined and more comfortable for driving everyday.

BUT, if really like the foxes or you plan on modding it, I'd look at the 5.0. Depends on how far mod wise you wanna go though. You get to a certain point with the 96-98's and you'll have to do the PI swap.

 

[poopnut2]

Are you tall? If so, without switching out the 96 seat tracks to 99+ tracks you're going to be hard-pressed for leg room. I personally think that both cars are overpriced. Neither of those cars are worth $10K IMO. The 5.0 will be more dependable than the 96', cheaper to maintain, and cheaper to mod but like I said, way overpriced. The 96' is a good looking car, but still overpriced, and like I said will have absolutely no legroom without modification.

I personally think you should keep looking.

 

[04Red-Snake]

Guys - Thank you very much for your comments. You all made some very good points.

Whatever Mustang I buy now will be for daily grind. Thus, I will not modify beyond the usual small stuff - i.e. H-pipe w/ cats, cat-back, CAI, etc. No big modifications. I am saving my money for the good stuff for my 2004 Torch Red Cobra.

Here is a bit of my story . . . I am 40, and have been driving American muscle cars since I was 14-15. Over the years I have had my share of Mustangs, Camaros, Chevelles, etc. Mustangs are by far my favorite. I have had to date 1 X 1998 GT, 2 X 1998 Cobras, 1 X 2003 Mach1, and my latest - a 2004 Cobra. All my cars have been daily drivers. I have always taken excellent care of them, but especially over the past 10 years due to long commutes to work, the cars get a bit bit-up, not to mention that they rack-up the miles fast.

Six months ago, I finally got tired of this situation. I had just painted white racing stripes on my 2004 Torch Red Cobra, when within a week I had already been hit by a couple of small rocks damaging (again) my paint. Thus I immediately started looking for a daily driver . . . not a Mustang, something bigger, more comfortable (my daily drive to and from work is 140 miles / day), safe for the highway, maybe a bit for more functional for the family (my wife does drive a 2002 Ford Windstar - we have 2 boys), not too expensive, etc, etc. Well, I ended up buying a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis - silver, leather, digital dash, the works. Bought it from its original owner, the car had only 13,000 miles (older couple / grocery getter), for $11,000. Despite the verbal abuse (LOL) from my family and friends over the fact that I am now driving the most Sr. Citizen car in America, this damn thing is great! As much as I hate to admit it, this car is so comfortable on the highway, has all the toys, gives me consistent 23 miles / gallon, and it is for all practical purposes great to have as a second family car. However, 6 months have gone by, and I missing driving a sports car on a daily basis. Although my commutes are long, I always looked forward to driving my Mustangs or Camaros, etc. As I get to work long hours, I am not really driving the Cobra, however, I do not want to put it back on the highway. Thus, I thought about selling the Grand Marquis, and getting a second Mustang. This second Mustang would fulfill my need to drive a sports car on a daily basis, while keeping the Cobra protected and low miles.

As you can see, whatever I buy I am not going to mod all that much. I had initially leaned towards the LX as I have never owned a 5.0 Mustang, and know they are cheap to maintain. However, I am now leaning a bit more towards the '96 GT because of price, it is newer, less miles, and the fact that I love blue (the LX is red and my Cobra is red - too much red ...).

Funny enough, my family and friends have now for the most part advised me to keep the Grand Marquis as a daily driver, and just concentrate on modding the Cobra. However, I guess I am not 100% ready yet for the ultimate Grandpa mobile - LOL.

Sorry for the long story, and again thank you very much for your help. I appreciate it.

 

[JiggaStyles09]

in all honesty the 4.6 would probably be a better daily driver as it is a newer car and more refined than the 5.0 (better interior, better breaks, etc).

personally though i would get a 5.0L, i just love the styling (esp the coupe) plus like said above it is cheaper to maintain and its lighter.

 

[redstang]

stock for stock, 5.0 is better than a 96 gt, IMO. Yes, they make squeak and rattle a bit, but probably not one with 30k original miles. thats a damn good find! i'd pick that puppy up, she'll last you 300k miles and more

 

[poopnut2]

Too bad you're not in the market for spending around $20K. A Mercury Marauder would satisfy ALL of your needs. Mach 1 engine in a Mercury Grand Marquis!:-D

I still believe both of those cars are overpriced. You could find a low mileage, 50,000 or so mile 93' Cobra for $13,000. Only bad thing about them is the lack of cruise control which might be nice on your long work commute.

Have you not considered an LS-1? 300+rwhp and with a 6-speed you'll get around 27-28mpg on the freeway. Even though people give a lot of shit to the GTO, you could probably find an 03/04 at a good price and it's a perfect family hotrod.

 

[04Red-Snake]

in all honesty the 4.6 would probably be a better daily driver as it is a newer car and more refined than the 5.0 (better interior, better breaks, etc).

personally though i would get a 5.0L, i just love the styling (esp the coupe) plus like said above it is cheaper to maintain and its lighter.

I also believe that the GT would make a better daily driver. However, I have already owned a 1998 GT (yellow w/ blk leather interior), and feel the LX would be a "different" car as I have never owned a 5.0 before. I love the way both cars look, but I have to admit that I have something for the LX - again, maybe because I have never owned one.

 

[04Red-Snake]

stock for stock, 5.0 is better than a 96 gt, IMO. Yes, they make squeak and rattle a bit, but probably not one with 30k original miles. thats a damn good find! i'd pick that puppy up, she'll last you 300k miles and more

Thanks fastwhite86GT - I wish you could see the pics (I do not know how to post them). She looks like she just rolled out of the show room . . .

 

[04Red-Snake]

Too bad you're not in the market for spending around $20K. A Mercury Marauder would satisfy ALL of your needs. Mach 1 engine in a Mercury Grand Marquis!:-D

I still believe both of those cars are overpriced. You could find a low mileage, 50,000 or so mile 93' Cobra for $13,000. Only bad thing about them is the lack of cruise control which might be nice on your long work commute.

Have you not considered an LS-1? 300+rwhp and with a 6-speed you'll get around 27-28mpg on the freeway. Even though people give a lot of shit to the GTO, you could probably find an 03/04 at a good price and it's a perfect family hotrod.

Poopnut2 - Thanks man. Some of the cars you mentinoed would be great, however I really do not want ot spend more than $13K tops.

I know you feel both cars are over priced, however you should see the pics. Both cars look like they rolled out off the showroom floor. Mint inside and out - not a scratch! In your opinion, what are these cars worth?

I tell you what I just found - a 1996 Cobra, red, blk leather interior, original owner, 36,000 original miles, for $13,500. the car looks brand new! It even has new tires - BF Goodrich G-Force.

LS-1s are out there at great prices too. I had a 2002 SS, blue, blk leather interior, 6 -speed, and it was a blast to drive. However, I would rather have another Mustang at this time.

Maybe I am just going thru another mid-life crisis . . . LOL. I am looking however . . . Thanks for the advice.

 

[Shaneo0oMac]

you already owned a 98 well its gonan be the same as the 96. IMO, the 5.0 would be a better choice in several different ways,

Its cheaper to maintain

Looks a hell of alot better then the 96

Alot more fun to drive and better performing stock

Stil the price on that LX is over priced, you should be able to find a fox with about 50,000 miles for around $6500 if your looking hard enough

 

[poopnut2]

Poopnut2 - Thanks man. Some of the cars you mentinoed would be great, however I really do not want ot spend more than $13K tops.

I know you feel both cars are over priced, however you should see the pics. Both cars look like they rolled out off the showroom floor. Mint inside and out - not a scratch! In your opinion, what are these cars worth?

I tell you what I just found - a 1996 Cobra, red, blk leather interior, original owner, 36,000 original miles, for $13,500. the car looks brand new! It even has new tires - BF Goodrich G-Force.

LS-1s are out there at great prices too. I had a 2002 SS, blue, blk leather interior, 6 -speed, and it was a blast to drive. However, I would rather have another Mustang at this time.

Maybe I am just going thru another mid-life crisis . . . LOL. I am looking however . . . Thanks for the advice.

If that LX was a coupe, I could see it going for around $10,000, but it being a hatch lowers the resale value to probably around $8,000. I guess it's what it's worth to you though more than other people. The 96-98' cobra have held their value really well over the years. That seems like a good price for that car. Again though, you should already know that the 96-98 model mustangs lack a LOT of leg room. I plan on getting a 96-98 cobra at some point and I the first thing I do will be to switch out the seat tracks at least, if not the entire seats for 01/03/04 style seats.

If you can get the cobra for $13,000 or less I say go for that. The LX is probably a beautiful car but if you ever sell it, you'll realize just how overpriced it was.

 

[MachGT]

You can pick up a new edge GT for under 10K and have 50 more hp then the 96 along with 25+ mpg highway

 

[04Red-Snake]

poopnut2 - Thanks again for your help. I agree with your comments regarding the seat. That used to be a pain for me every now and then with my 1998 GT. I also agree that the Cobra is the way to go if the price is right. Thanks again for your comments and help.

MachGT - Thanks for your help. I had not thought about that. I will take a look to see what is available. Thanks.

 

[twista]

1996 Mustang GT

 

[Matts00GT]

Buy my car. I'll give it to you for 11k! Convertibles rock in Florida! http://www.kawiforums.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=43546

 

[04Red-Snake]

Buy my car. I'll give it to you for 11k! Convertibles rock in Florida! http://www.kawiforums.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=43546

Matts00GT - Sounds like a very nice car and a good deal, but I am looking for a hard top. Thanks again.

 

[satanismymotor]

87-93 5.0> 96-98gt