Need some real opinions
 

Hey everyone, so I've been looking to replace my Monte for a little while now. I have pretty much got it narrowed down to a Mustang. I was going to do a Camaro or a Firebird. But I need a little more room then those have to offer. I also still want the V8 but I want better gas mileage then the 5.7l has to offer. I could go with a V6 Camaro or something but I know I would hate not having the deep sound of a V8. I know a lot of people on here don't care for Fords all that much, heck I used to not car for them either. But I've slowly turned into a "Car" guy rather then just a chevy guy, or a mopar guy like I used to be. If it has wheels and a halfway good looking body and sounds good, then I pretty much like it lol.

Anyway, I found this mustang here.

Honeycutt Auto Sales

It's a 1 owner 2004 Mustang GT with 110,000 miles. It looks like a pretty good car. But I wanted some other peoples opinions. I know this is a Monte Carlo forum. But from a car guy to other car guys, I want to know what you think. As a car, does it look like a pretty good deal?

We have plenty of people here with car passions beyond the Monte and beyond Chevy/GM. A few people moved from Monte to Mustang. I'm a "GM Fanboy" but not a "GM Purist". Generally speaking, I like GMs the most, but I can look at other cars and not feel dirty for enjoying them for what they offer.

My wife has an '01 v6 Mustang convertible (same body as that '04). I'm about 6ft 2in and tend to not like how I feel in the car. I feel like I'm looking at the top of the windshield, not through the windshield. The cock pit is rather tight for my liking (keep in mind, my passion is with '82-'92 Camaros, interiors were pretty spacious).

As for the deal, miles don't bother me, but my gut feels like the price is high at about $9k. That is a 9 year old car with 110K on the clock. Now, it's not apples to apples, but I paid $9k (plus tax, title, license) on an '04 Monte SS with 52K on the clock in 2008. Again, not apples to apples.
My BEST advice, got to KBB.com and look at the private party values on that car. Don't use this as a "rule" for it's value, use it as a "guide". This tells you what a blue book is, a base line. Next, do what I call a "reality check". Look for a comparable car on Craigslist, Autotrader, classifieds, other dealerships (if you look at eBay, focus on cars with bids, anyone can throw a car on eBay and ask something crazy thinking it might happen in the world wide audience). Checking those resources will give you a rough idea of actual value (and you can compare it to KBB and see how far off it is). Using all that data gives you some feed back.

Also, if you wish to pursue this Pony, find out what it's maintenance is. At 110K on the clock, you want to know have plugs been changed, trans pan dropped and fluid/filter change. FYI, I did a pan drop last spring on the wife's Mustang, Ford has a way to drain ALL the fluid (including what's in the torque converter, not just the pan). I admit, I did not drain the TC (I did not have the seal they mentioned to replace). Also, unless someone puts it back in, Ford leaves a surprise for you to find and clue if the pan has been dropped. During assembly, they leave a plug where the trans dip tube goes. When the tube is put in, the plug falls and stays in the trans pan!! Found that surprise and had to figure it out when I did this on the wife's Mustang. So unless someone put it back in, if you find it, then trans was never serviced (I was tempted to put it back in to keep it "original" lol).

If you do some good research and your homework on the car, your gut will tell you if it's a good deal or not more then we can.

Thanks, that's some good information. This one is a manual, would that trans pan trick still apply?

Honestly, not sure (and I saw the manual shifter in the pics, completely forgot about it). Since my experience with Fords is limited (and manufacturers tend to have common themes in their engineering), I am not sure if this applies to manuals. If the trans has a dipstick, then yes, I would say it does (but I don't think most manual transmissions do).
I had to Google search it to find my answer (as I could not figure out what this goofy ball with a stem and o-ring was). I found pics asking about the same thing on forums for many different Ford cars and trucks.

-Putting my Stang dislikeness aside for a sec-
I know you can make a 4.6L Mustang sound quite bada$$ so you wont miss the V8 rumble with a bit of exhaust work on that.
It's up to you man it's your car you gotta drive and see everyday, not ours :D

the 4.6 has the awesome unique "mustang" sound that i think sounds awesome but from what ive seen there not as fast as what people think. not sure if being fast matters to you anyway lol. and i do like the looks of them TBO

Yea in all honesty this is going to be a daily driver so I don't need 400+hp or anything like that. If I were to do that then I would certainly look into going with a car that has an LS1 or LS2 such as the Camaro/Firebird, or the GTO. I would certainly do some mods to wake the 4.6L up. But as long as I have a car that looks and sounds good then I am pretty much happy lol

My big concern would be maintenance on the engine and tranny. Being a GT, you have to assume the car wasn't just driven to church on sundays. I'd be more concerned with the transmission and clutch.

Ford has been doing that "tube in the transmission pan" trick since hte mid 60's..... I thought they would have moved away from doing that by now!

The 4.6 has a very distinct sound from any other engine... personally, I think it's the greatest sounding engine ever produced, but that's just one mans opinion.

I went with a Mustang, but being the fan of old muscle cars I am, I had to get the retro body! I went newer and V6 for hopefully more reliability, plus the new 3.7 puts down a lot of power...

The 4.6 in those cars was fair, and Ford left a lot of room for improvement. It was mysterious that when Chevrolet brought out the Camaro, Ford mysteriously found another 125 hp out of theri modular V8, and found another V6 capable of producing nearly 100 more horsepower.


I think if you haven't done so already, you need to find one... go to a car dealer or something and drive one. Drive it a lot. Take it out on the interstate, take it around town. If you're thinking manual, drive it through town a few times and see how it feels.

If you move up to the 05 body, you'll find they have a lot more front seat leg room and head room too.

My Dad has an 02 GT, 5 Speed. The 4.6L has been a bullet proof engine thus far and his has 150K on it. Original Tranny and Clutch too. And as mentioned, they sound awesome. My Dad's has Magnaflow catback.

The Mustang all together has been a pretty sound car, normal maint really, minor issues.

I am 6'1, so personally, I've always found driving it a tad cramped and I'm always looking for the seat to go back farther than it does.

I also think the clutch is ridiculously stiff in that car. Makes traffic/ city driving pretty crappy after a while...and I usually don't mind a stick in traffic, but the Mustang GT clutch in that year range is a bit stiff for my liking.

I think htere is a spring with a bolt on it under the dash where you can adjust the stiffness on the clutch......

I have to agree, that I think Ford has done some work to make their v8 Mustangs sound good and distinguished from the factory. You can almost tell it's a Mustang just by it's sound.

I agree with you guys. I think the Mustang Bar none is one of the best sounding engines out there. It's just something about the tone that is just right. About the only engine I think sounds close is the Hemi which sounds really really good as well. Anyway, size is not a big issue for me. I'm only about 5'11 and I'm pretty skinny. So I tend to fit in most cars pretty easily. My Dad and I are going to check the car out hopefully Saturday. Then I just have to hope they will give me a decent amount for my Monte since I still owe just over $10,500 for it.

If you want my advise... as a guy who just bought one.... I wouldn't buy that car on Saturday.


I think you need to find one, local, whatever, and drive it around some. Climb in and out of it 3-4 times. Get a feel for it. Check out the trunk. Pop the hood. Drive it again.

Then you need to tell the salesman you need some time to examine your finances and consider your options.

Next, I think you need to find another car and check ito ut. Just sit in it one time at least. I sat in a Camaro and drove a Honda Civic SI. I knew I wanted the Mustang.

For time frame reference, I drove a Mustang in like early November 2012 for the first time. I checked prices, checked my Monte again... then just looked at prices for a while. Then I drove by a lot and checked one out again...

Didn't make my move until November 2013.


Maybe you like to move fast, maybe not. Try putting your Monte Carlo up for sale and see if you can sell it yourself. The dealer may offer you a boatload, they may offer you the shaft.

If you have a buddy with a manual, Mustang or not, see if they'll let you borrow it for a day or so and see if you like living with it. I like a manual on some days but not for a daily driver.


Don't rush yourself into something... force yourself to check out another car and think about this for a time.

Thanks, I really appreciate it. That's some good advice.

For 9 grand? Ouch. I haven't looked up prices on them or anything, but that seems awfully high, especially since I found a 2002 Corvette recently with the same mileage for that same price.

I will say that a manual is fun to drive unless you have stop and go traffic. Then it sucks. I am a fan of that model Mustang, and yes they can sound very good. IIRC you have a 5.3 in your Monte. As far as power goes, that Mustang is going to be slower than your Monte stock for stock. But, RWD, a huge aftermarket...

Ultimately, get what you like and enjoy... You will be the driver. Have fun with your car shopping!

KBB says that trade in value is $6400 in perfect condition. But when you look up how much you should pay, private dealer is $8,000 in excellent condition and suggested retail is $9700. So it looks about right as far as price goes. However I know they didn't give but probably $5000-$6000 for the car. So I'm sure they have some wiggle room. Now I just have to hope they will wiggle if I go to look at it.

As far as a manual goes. I'm not real confident with one. I've driven one a few times. But I still have a lot of practice that I need to do lol. I just want one because I get bored of driving an auto. Maybe this will switch things up. As far as traffic goes, I very rarely drive in stop and go traffic. I have 6 stop lights from my house to my work. And most of the time I only get stuck at 3 of them. I don't do much driving other then going to work.

Check what KBB lists for private part (I think that's under "what's my car worth" last time I used it). I've used that as a guide to the car I'm looking at (it usually gave 3 rates, fair, good and excellent).

As for a manual, it grows on you if you're new to it. Once you can conquer a hill with confidence, you know all you need to :)
I only drove a friend's manual shift truck in a parking lot and on a non-busy street the night before I bought my Camaro. It did not take long to get confident. Keep the attitude "I can do this" and you will :)

I have to ask again... another member mentioned the horsepower, and they're right. You get a Mustang, and they offer you low trade in nad all, you're going to owe money on the Monte AND that Mustang you buy. You're going to dig yourself a hole.

Don't buy that car on Saturday. Even if you fall in love with it.


Drive it, try it out, run it through town, do whatever.


The next thing I would do is search for 01-02 Camaro or Firebird with low miles and go drive it. You might like it better. If you're a GM guy, you satisfy your need for a GM vehicle. Plus, after 98, the Camaro and Firebird had a 325 hp LS1 V8, and a 6 speed instead of a 5, like hte Ford had until they came out with the 5.0 in 2010? or so. The Mustang lost that battle, hands down. You can start modifying those and start from more horsepower too.


You said you "wanted more than these cars had to offer?" Have you driven one? Plus, mpgs, you're tlaking 2-4 mpg... ads up over the years, but I don't think it's going to add up to save you waht mods to that Mustang would need to get to the Camaro's level of performacne, and I don't think you're going to save more than $10-15 a month either way. What's the Mustang ahve that the Camaro and Firebird doesn't offer?

I really don't think you should buy this car without trying out something else. I always drive a few cars when I want something new just to have something to compare it too. Every single time, I loved the first car I wnated in the first place, but after driving other cars, I knew what people were talking about they compared options.


Just my $.02.... isn't worth much with the inflation rate and all these days, btu that's it!

P.S.... read the title under my name.... Fallen to the Dark Side - Resident Ford Man.

And I'm trying to talk you out of buying that car....

If you can tell me you drove both cars and prefer the Mustang, then go for it... but don't get a bad deal... there are lots of those cars out there. Several members here think that one is over priced. Don't be scared to walk away. There are plenty of Mustangs, plenty of deals you can make. Don't move too fast and get a car you'll regret.

I'm going to agree with the mustang man, if your looking to trade to RWD look for a 2002 pontiac firbird formula. You could probably find a private owner to trade straight across on and just owe exactly what you do on the monte. No dealer Is going to give you 10.5k for the monte even though they will sell it for 15k. When you go to trade cars take out a loan for the car you are getting and use it to pay off the monte. Honestly I would stick with the MC, and pay it down. But do what you want, its your car.

Thanks, my brother just recently got a 96' camaro which I have driven. I wasn't crazy about it, but it was only a v6 and was an auto. And I drove a 2001 Mustang GT with an auto a little while back and I did like the Mustang a little more. Now granted I'm comparing an older v6 vs a slightly less old V8 so it's like comparing apples to oranges. One thing I'm not a big fan of in the F-body cars is how much effort it takes to get out of the car. It may seem like a little thing. But when I daily drive it, and get in and out of the car nearly every day. I can see me not really hating that, but it will get old I think.

I probably won't buy that mustang just because I'm trying to make myself wait till I get my tax return. Then I may just soak my tax return into my Monte and help get the payoff down to basically what most places have offered me which would be around $9500 (going off of what I got back last year) Then I would be pretty much getting into a car straight up and not have any money roll over, or not have very much money roll over rather then have an additional $1800 or whatever go over to my next car like I would now. Until then I'm just going to keep looking and driving different cars like you stated. Who knows, maybe by then I can find a nice 2003-2004 Cobra for a decent price, now that would be sweet lol. Which ultimately is one of my favorite cars that I drool over every time I see one.

I really appreciate the input. It helps out a lot. I'm still pretty young (just turned 21) so I sometimes still get very inpatient haha.

I had a 98 Camaro v6 5-speed as a daily driver. Yeah it wasn't that comfortable of a car to daily drive.

The manual does make the v6 a little better though. Even better if you can get a 3.42 geared posi behind that v6.

It really helps to think A LOT about your finances and stuff. I've been all around what cars I want to restore / DD / fix-up, etc. Everything I have done has required a lot of planning before hand haha

There is a lot of difference in the 93-97 Camaro and the 98-02 Camaro/Firebird. A LOT of difference! It doesn't seem like it.. but hte interior is cleaner, more plush, the power is better, the aesthetics are a little better.... no way I'd ever take the older one, really. I never owned one but never had much trouble getting in or out. At your age, you should be able to get used to it, you're young, use that back ;) The V8 was also a torque and horsepower monster that the 3.8 can't hope to replicate. Especially compared to engines from its time......

But at the same time, owning all that, if it isn't comfortable, and the Mustang is an easier in-out, more reliable, easier to drive, more comfortable car for a similar amount of power, newer body, and easier to throw things in the trunk, service, etc., then go for it... but don't get too anxious. I think you're realizing what we're saying.... look all over craigslist, autotrader, everything. Span out to about 200 miles.

Like around here, Danville, VA nad Leesburg, VA always seem to sell cars cheaper than everywhere else. Find the town around you that seems to sell cars the cheapest. I bought my Mustang for about $4500-5000 cheaper than anyone else charged for a comparable car and only had to drive 245 miles one way to get it.

What places would you recommend looking at in VA? I'm in NC so I certainly wouldn't mind traveling up into VA to get a car.

Leesburg, VA and Warrenton, VA seem to have good deals on Autotrader.... both are near Washington, DC. Danville is above Greensboro on the state line... but NC is a big place and I have no idea hwere you are.

Seems like I've heard a lot of people tlak about Fayetteville, NC... don't know if it's good talk or bad talk though.

I live in Oxford, directly north of Raleigh by about 45 minutes... not too far from Virginia. This town is far from where you should be buying cars though! The dealers in this town think they're selling gold with the cars or something.

Uh oh, three members in NC... Too bad only one of us will have a Monte haha

Did you do the deed?