Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Gunslinger on January 03, 2005, 10:11:30 PM
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I didn't want to clutter up the 05 mustang thread so I figured it deserves a new one.
my wife is dead set on geting a Stang convertable GT 99-02 model. I am against it myself and would rather see her (if she wants a sports car) in a celica GT/eclips or something like that but this is what she wants.
Does anyone have any advice on what to look for in the different models and such. I've seen them priced out around $8-10k for one under 50K miles wich is right around were I like to buy a car.
anyone know what kind of highway milage they get. I know its not gonna be great but it has to be better then our explorer wich is a gass pig.
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I have a girlfriend that has a '99 GT. Sweet ride, but it's lacking in the top end HP Dept. Oh, and forget about using the backseat for anything but infants or a couple bags of groceries (and I mean SMALL bags.)
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Originally posted by rpm
I have a girlfriend that has a '99 GT. Sweet ride, but it's lacking in the top end HP Dept. Oh, and forget about using the backseat for anything but infants or a couple bags of groceries (and I mean SMALL bags.)
I seriously don't want my wife to have alot of HP and we have two kids both under 5. ty for the advice
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A friend of mine has an '83 GT convertible that she bought new. She got out of the hospital a few months back and as a present to her, her husband and I freshened the whole thing up. 230,000 miles and aside from a little faded paint and a wore out driver's seat it's in perfect condition. She's maintained it very well.
The biggest thing I look for when judging a used sports car is to see if the previous owner ragged on it. Make sure the back tires have the same amount of tread as the front. If they don't, someone was smoking them up. Also look in the rear fender wells and undercarriage for rubber residue that might have been kicked up. If it's an auto trans, hold the brake and shift from reverse to drive a couple of times with the door open while you listen for a clunk sound from the driveshaft. This would indicate a worn out u-joint and another pointer to hard driving. Make sure the oil is in good shape on the dipstick and also pop off the filler cap and check the underside for build up. Cars with performance decals in the windows, exhaust systems and other mild upgrades are signs that you've got a worn out pony on your hands.
As for mileage you're probably looking at around 20 on the highway. Mustangs can be great cars and there's tons of aftermarket products out there. A few bolt on parts and a weekend's worth of time and you can make quite a performer for just a little bit of dough.
Cougar
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Originally posted by Gunslinger
I seriously don't want my wife to have alot of HP and we have two kids both under 5. ty for the advice
Don't get me wrong, it can still get away from you if you are not careful, and has plenty of acceleration for freeway passing...but don't think you will set any 1/4 mile or top end records with one. Oh yeah, the stock exhaust sounds awesome.:aok
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Originally posted by rpm
Don't get me wrong, it can still get away from you if you are not careful, and has plenty of acceleration for freeway passing...but don't think you will set any 1/4 mile or top end records with one. Oh yeah, the stock exhaust sounds awesome.:aok
You know it's what she wants. They're pretty cheap so that cures some of my woes. I really don't care how fast the thing is a V8 in that kinda car is gonna be faster than anything I've ever owned. Also I've heard them engines are a dime a dozen stock so if there's any problems there it wont be that much of a heartach. The only problem is I've never owned a mustang and really don't know what to look for. There was one on the resale lot on base for dirt cheap but it looked like a kid owned it before and I said hell no (stickers and illegal tinting).
Thanks for the advice couger. I'll be checking it out.
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The problem you ARE going to run into are the Teenagers that literally rag the watermelon out of em. Personally, I would ESPECIALLY shy away from the Automatics. Sticks are EASIER to maintain IF a problem should arise. You are more than likely to encounter either a Clutch or Hydraulic Slave Cylinder issue with the Stick.
Btw, HP isn't what you should be concerned about, it's the Torque. Torque gets you going and the HP keep you going. Torque and gearing.
Karaya
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Originally posted by Masherbrum
The problem you ARE going to run into are the Teenagers that literally rag the watermelon out of em. Personally, I would ESPECIALLY shy away from the Automatics. Sticks are EASIER to maintain IF a problem should arise. You are more than likely to encounter either a Clutch or Hydraulic Slave Cylinder issue with the Stick.
Karaya
how hard is a clutch change out compared to any other V8 style engine?
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Clutch work for me is simple man. I was just comparing a $200 aftermarket clutch to having to tear apart an Automatic (including roughly $400 for a brand new Torque Converter). People can try to make arguements all day about Automatics (and how "realiable" they are). Bottom line, the Mustang is a sports car (regardless of the opinion of some) and Manuals can handle more abuse than Autos.
But to answer your question. Clutch change would take me about 4 hours and 3 beers :)
Karaya
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Definitely go with the manual. Yeah, the hydraulic clutch is a pain, and it WILL go out at some point. But, I don't think they are any worse or harder to repair than any other Hydro clutch. If you want to see what you are in for, check out an online Haynes manual. I think AutoZone.com has one.
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If it's going to be your wife's daily driver, I'll go against my own preferences and suggest getting an auto. They take less attention to drive and sometimes futzing around with the gears instead of collision avoidance can result in an otherwise avoidable accident. You'll lose performance and cool points, but it's a convertable so you're obviously not getting it for the racing circuit. If you want to race a convertable, get a miata and have twice the fun at half the cost :)
Get the car up on a lift and look for floorpan cracks. If you off-road a mustang, there's a good chance you'll break the rear suspension mounts at the attach points to the floorpan. Sometimes they're welded back together, sometimes the owner doesn't notice so the floorpan crack slowly grows until pieces start falling off.
Swaybar mount cracks can also point to suspension mods that have been removed prior to resale. Brake rotor cracks or severe front rotor discoloration can point to multiple hard stops from high speed. Chips on the wheels can indicate curb impacts from doing donuts in parking lots... Are all 4 wheels IDENTICAL or has one or two been replaced? Does the front wheel camber look normal or did the previous owner dial in a bunch of negative camber? Are the springs seated correctly or are any rotated slightly off the normal perch, indicating either a complete in-motion unload (as in car went airborn then bounced) or a poorly done spring swap?
Just some things I look for, not necessarily mustang specific except for the rear suspension mounts.
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Ok change one to change two. We found a pretty good priced one that is not a GT (I actually like that....cheaper all around and ALOT cheaper insurance)
It's a V6 4.3 automatic w/ 55,000 miles on it.
kellyblue book on it is $9800 and I have them talked down to $8500. It's just what I'm looking for in price and payments and they even have a pretty good bumper to bumper 2 year warrenty.
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That sounds like more of a "wifemobile". Once again, the only thing you have to worry about with automatic is lifespan. On average, if they are well cared for, you can expect from 80-100K before they thrash. Then you have to pray you get a "good" rebuilt, which in my experience is a pig in a poke.
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Off topic question: is horsepower a measurement of force or of energy?
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I hve never, ever had an auto go bad, and have many that went over 150,000, some to 250,000 with hard use (trucks). On the other hand, I have replaced the crap out of clutches on cars and trucks.
If you ain't racing, you don't need or want a standard (unless it is a little econobox, where you NEED one to get on the highway).
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Originally posted by hawker238
Off topic question: is horsepower a measurement of force or of energy?
It's a measure of WORK, in ft-pounds per second. (force per unit time)
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Originally posted by Gunslinger
Ok change one to change two. We found a pretty good priced one that is not a GT (I actually like that....cheaper all around and ALOT cheaper insurance)
It's a V6 4.3 automatic w/ 55,000 miles on it.
kellyblue book on it is $9800 and I have them talked down to $8500. It's just what I'm looking for in price and payments and they even have a pretty good bumper to bumper 2 year warrenty.
FYI the GT package adds weight which any gear head will tell you is counter productive. A pony with same equipment drivetrain and w/o the added weight if those ground affects and (non functional) spoiler, will outperform a GT.
Hard tops are lighter than soft tops because there is additional frame bracing on the soft top models.
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Originally posted by Gunslinger
Ok change one to change two. We found a pretty good priced one that is not a GT (I actually like that....cheaper all around and ALOT cheaper insurance)
It's a V6 4.3 automatic w/ 55,000 miles on it.
kellyblue book on it is $9800 and I have them talked down to $8500. It's just what I'm looking for in price and payments and they even have a pretty good bumper to bumper 2 year warrenty.
Slinger,
Take it through a thorough test drive, check for any gear slippage, etc. There is nothing wrong with geting your wife a V-6. Damn right the insurance is cheaper! Just, make sure that tranny is good to go.
Karaya
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4.3L V6?
not 3.8L?
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OK I bought one for my wifey today she's real happy with the car I'm really happy with the deal.
Its a 2002 GT, had only 29,000 miles on it and I got it for $6k below kelly blue book. I went with the automatic because it came standard with 75k powertrain warrenty.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/210_1105667003_img_0667.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/210_1105666922_img_0669.jpg)
the only think I don't like about it.....LEATHER SEATS! but hey its her car.
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I did my drivers ed in a 00 mustang GT. Failed it ounce because i raced a ricer. LOL i won!!! it had a 5 liter v8 or sumthing like that. but th gears were a bit worn ( it was a drivers ed car). but yeah the back seats are no fun, i had trouble fiting into the front seats:aok
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nice car... I bought one for my last wife and enjoyed the convert aspect from time to time.
They are light in the butt.... you can't hardly drive em in the rain without spinning the rear tires from every stop. They let yu sit upright but are short wheelbase so are not that comfortable to drive for long.
well put together car with few glaring flaws.
lazs
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Well dang! Just missed this thread... I just listed this peach (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4519775554) yesterday. 1 owner, garadge kept, the interior looks brand new! You don't see leather in this good of shape on a 10 year old car.
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Originally posted by VWE
Well dang! Just missed this thread... I just listed this peach (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4519775554) yesterday. 1 owner, garadge kept, the interior looks brand new! You don't see leather in this good of shape on a 10 year old car.
thanks for the thaught but its not what I'm looking for. I really don't like that body style. I'm not sure when they changed it but I started liking mustangs again when they made the lines a little more boxy.
BTW Laz with the exception of the last two weeks we dont get much rain here. In case we do, and I havnt tried it out nore do I know nothing about it cept that its puter controled, the car has push button traction control. Like I said I dont know anything about it cept its supposed to help. Snow however, is whole other moster. In case of said snow my jeep will be the primary vehicle again.
Like I said it was what I was looking for and a good price plus its really a sharp looking car.
My brother in-law in vegas owns a grafics business and I'm gonna probably have him go wild on it. he's really creative but hates the ricer look all the same. BTW for those that live in Vegas he is really talented I'll give you his business number if you email me. My wife says he does all his pinstriping by hand.
either way I drove it to work today and had a blast.
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The only thing I don't like about that body style of Mustang is the silly looking bulge in the middle of the hood. Those sorts of bulges look good on some cars, but not that one. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
J_A_B
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I freaking HATE Fords and especially Musturds (hehehe). BUT...I have to say Ford has its watermelon together over GM with the GT40 and the new Mustang. Wife and I saw a '05 GT today that was a light metallic green and it looked awesome for a Mustang. My hat's off to Ford for doing it right. Grrrrrrrr......
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Originally posted by DiabloTX
I freaking HATE Fords and especially Musturds (hehehe). BUT...I have to say Ford has its watermelon together over GM with the GT40 and the new Mustang. Wife and I saw a '05 GT today that was a light metallic green and it looked awesome for a Mustang. My hat's off to Ford for doing it right. Grrrrrrrr......
I tend to agree with you. I liked the 90'smustang and that was the only ford I liked. I tend to hate fords myself as well. The body switch to the round one of the late 90s was hidious at best but these (the 2002) I do like. We looked at an 05 that wasnt a GT and to me up close they don't look so good. not without the grill lights. Either way it was a good deal and its a nice car for my wife (IT's WHAT SHE WANTS SO IT ELIMINATES POTENTAL BEACHING.....OR AT LEAST PUTS THE ARGUMENT IN MY FAVOR)
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Originally posted by J_A_B
The only thing I don't like about that body style of Mustang is the silly looking bulge in the middle of the hood. Those sorts of bulges look good on some cars, but not that one. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
J_A_B
WE AGREE!
I'm sure it would please you to know that is a plastic nonfuncional air intake closed off by fake plastic solid grill-like moldings. The same is done for the side intakes.
:)
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Originally posted by VWE
Well dang! Just missed this thread... I just listed this peach (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4519775554) yesterday. 1 owner, garadge kept, the interior looks brand new! You don't see leather in this good of shape on a 10 year old car.
Hey I might just come and buy a car off ya.
But fair warning I was in the business for a number of years at
reliable Chevy and bailargeon ford which is now North central ford
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Every time I wash my '98 trans-am I complain and gripe about all the damn scoops all over the front of the car, but... every single one of them leads to either something hot that needs cooling (brakes) or something sucking air (air filter). The bumper air scoops that feed the front brakes are nice on track days, and the functional (from the factory) cold air intake is proven to add a couple of HP on the track plus it's just cool that GM made the scoops functional without looking stupid.
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Originally posted by eagl
Every time I wash my '98 trans-am I complain and gripe about all the damn scoops all over the front of the car, but... every single one of them leads to either something hot that needs cooling (brakes) or something sucking air (air filter). The bumper air scoops that feed the front brakes are nice on track days, and the functional (from the factory) cold air intake is proven to add a couple of HP on the track plus it's just cool that GM made the scoops functional without looking stupid.
whats funny is Grun is correct. Not one of these "intakes" actually intake any air they are purely cosmetic.
However, a freind of mine wants to sell me his old 85mm cold air intake and throtle body dirt cheap. Again I'm not sure I want my wife having MORE HP. BUT, it will aid in fuel efficiency right?
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"I'm sure it would please you to know that is a plastic nonfuncional air intake closed off by fake plastic solid grill-like moldings. "
Oh of course, because we all know how much I love plastic.
"BUT, it will aid in fuel efficiency right?"
The fuel efficiency you get out of this car will depend almost entirely on the driver. If your wife ever complains about bad gas mileage, you know she's driving it way too hard. Driven lightly, the Mustang's mileage will be well in the 20's with ease. Drive it hard and it'll drink gas like mad.
My wife used to get about 17-19 MPG out of her Lincoln Continental. I would get 22-24 MPG in the exact same car. The driver makes a ton of difference.
J_A_B
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A cold air intake could improve fuel efficiency a little bit, but keeping a clean air filter will help just as much. The cold air intake will help more with drivability as the car will have fewer little "flat spots" where acceleration seems to sag just a touch, and the engine will be more responsive and have more power when it's hot.
Just going to a K&N air filter on my car gave a noticeable seat of the pants improvement in how the engine responds to throttle movement, and getting rid of the air silencers would supposedly make it rev even easier, but that's because GM used intake restrictions to help detune my engine from the power produced by the same engine when it's in the vette. I also noticed more intake noise which sounded like more air rushing in with less restriction. A louder but slightly deeper whoosh, if that makes any sense. I never did dyno my car but I swapped back and forth a couple of times with the filter and I could tell the difference in how the engine responded.
So yea I'd personally say a cold air intake is a good thing, but keeping the filter clean or using a free breathing type of filter can be just as important. Just don't spend too much on the cold air intake kit because you probably won't get it back in fuel mileage. Your engine already tunes itself based on air temperature and volume, so it'll just tune itself to account for the lower intake vacuum and cooler/denser air. That probably means more power and responsiveness, not more fuel efficiency.
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The new 2005 Mustang GT apparently responds so well to a Steeda cold air intake that it requires a reflashing of the processor. Total power increse is stated to be on the order of 20 rwhp and torque - all for only 300 bucks. I'd really like to see if this is borne out.
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I have a K&N F.I.P.K. on my Camaro as well (its a 3.8) and the noise did get louder as well. Tradeoff was more accelleration like you said.
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Originally posted by DiabloTX
I have a K&N F.I.P.K. on my Camaro as well (its a 3.8) and the noise did get louder as well. Tradeoff was more accelleration like you said.
Yep a K&N air filter is noticably louder than a stock paper filter in my 99 V6 Mustang.
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"and getting rid of the air silencers would supposedly make it rev even easier, but that's because GM used intake restrictions to help detune my engine from the power produced by the same engine when it's in the vette."
Sounds like you drive a '94+ B-body. If so, you drive an example of what is IMO the best 4-door vehicle GM has ever produced. Which particular model do you have?
Get rid of "home plate" and "first base". Anyone who has ever seen the engine of a '94 to '96 B-body knows exactly what I mean. These things have no effect on the engine in low RPM ranges but they really strangle it badly when you rev it up. Removal of these devices will grant you noticably more power in the upper RPM range. I don't even understand why GM put them on in the first place; it makes no sense at all. Why anyone would WANT to make an LT1 quieter is beyond my ability to comprehend.
J_A_B
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I have a 1998 Firebird Trans Am with the 5.7L aluminum LS1 V8, the pinnacle of pushrod engine evolution (IMHO). It's as smooth as or smoother than the overhead cam mustang engines, reliable as heck, puts out tons of power (and gets more each year) yet seems to be more fuel efficient than the 4.6L SOHC mustang V8.
It sucks air from the front center of the engine bay right behind a little cold air opening between the bumper and front edge of the hood. The intake is restricted by sucking through a little slot however, and after the air filter there are 2 big bellows on both sides of the tube from the filter box to the throttle body.
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I had no idea GM also did the silencer thing with the F-body cars. Thanks for the correction.
It's pretty senseless if you ask me, especially in a dedicated performance car.
Regarding fuel efficiency, I've noticed the same thing with the LT1 compared to the 4.6 in my wife's Grand Marquis--the GM engine is far more powerful and more fuel efficient at the same time.
J_A_B
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Originally posted by eagl
A cold air intake could improve fuel efficiency a little bit, but keeping a clean air filter will help just as much. The cold air intake will help more with drivability as the car will have fewer little "flat spots" where acceleration seems to sag just a touch, and the engine will be more responsive and have more power when it's hot.
Just going to a K&N air filter on my car gave a noticeable seat of the pants improvement in how the engine responds to throttle movement, and getting rid of the air silencers would supposedly make it rev even easier, but that's because GM used intake restrictions to help detune my engine from the power produced by the same engine when it's in the vette. I also noticed more intake noise which sounded like more air rushing in with less restriction. A louder but slightly deeper whoosh, if that makes any sense. I never did dyno my car but I swapped back and forth a couple of times with the filter and I could tell the difference in how the engine responded.
So yea I'd personally say a cold air intake is a good thing, but keeping the filter clean or using a free breathing type of filter can be just as important. Just don't spend too much on the cold air intake kit because you probably won't get it back in fuel mileage. Your engine already tunes itself based on air temperature and volume, so it'll just tune itself to account for the lower intake vacuum and cooler/denser air. That probably means more power and responsiveness, not more fuel efficiency.
Actually, a "dirty" K&N filter is more efficient than a freshly cleaned one.
Karaya
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Karaya
It's more efficient in terms of trapping more particulates but doesn't flow more air when dirty. But you're right, and I was mostly talking about conventional filters when talking about making sure you have a clean air filter.
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Originally posted by A_Clown
FYI the GT package adds weight which any gear head will tell you is counter productive. A pony with same equipment drivetrain and w/o the added weight if those ground affects and (non functional) spoiler, will outperform a GT.
Hard tops are lighter than soft tops because there is additional frame bracing on the soft top models.
This is what I post.... and THAT is what he buys...........LMAO
are you related to my wife Gunslinger? hehe
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yo gun
i have had a drop top gt 01 for 1.5 yrs now..
bought it with 17k miles on it..i now have 50k....
..1) i had clucth replaced after 2..inspections..relube..of throw out bearing...it was making a squeak noise..not to loud..but i could hear it...IF i lightly touched the clucth peddel ..it woudl stop..
so..they did the ...bahh..never mind..i forgot..u got an auto..ok..
2) INSPECT YOUR soft tOP..ALOT..If you ever see any of the seams..pulling apart...WARRANATY!!!...I just got a brand new top on mine..part of a seem was peeling...And BAM..you either have a 1-3 year warranty on the soft tops....CHECK it!..they cost anywhere from 1.1k to 2k for a cloth top.
3)..My rear "passenger" i say that word lighlt..as i onll put skinny hos in the back..umm..not seat but bench..funny as hell its frikn small....
back to the window..the rubber moulding between the 2 windows.,,gets screwed up..It has a sheetmetal reinforcment in the rubber...the window will screw it up..and it can cacth on the window glass as it rolls down...stopping the windo..
well after 2 warranty replacemnts,,they now tell me the window is grooved and will destroy the rubber piece evently again...Cost of a new window..somthn liek $500 bucks...WHAT?..soi im writing letter to GM of dealership..
other then that,,..its been dammm fun..especially in the sweet cali weather
I will never drive with out a radar detector again
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Originally posted by A_Clown
This is what I post.... and THAT is what he buys...........LMAO
are you related to my wife Gunslinger? hehe
It's my wife's car not mine. I could care less if she has more HP or not really. My biggest concern was that she got the car she wanted so I didn't have to hear about it for the next 3-5 years. SHE wanted a convertable.
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Originally posted by A_Clown
This is what I post.... and THAT is what he buys...........LMAO
are you related to my wife Gunslinger? hehe
So his wife is supposed to get what you would get? Wake up and smell what you are shovelling.
Gunslinger, it seems like you picked a good one from the bunch. Just be conscious of some of tips we have given you. You'll enjoy that thing. No doubt in my mind.
<> Gunslinger.
Karaya