Help needed; '71 Mach worth buying?

[Anselmo]

Hello, I'm new on the forum and as a newbie in need of help/opinions/tips.

I'm from Finland and been looking for this '71 Mustang Mach 1 that's on sale;

http://www.nettiauto.com/ford/mustang/5899225 (pics are really bad, sorry -been struggling with them myself)

However, there's several weird thing about this particular Mach, e.g.

-paint (not original factory color?, two-tone hood without working ram-air?)

-rear bumper guards (never seen those on Mach)

-gas tank cap (should Mach 1 have pop up cap?)

-rear suspension (is it jacked up with blocks etc?)

-rear decal (has both mach 1 and mustang logos?)

-dual exhaust (should 302 cid have only one pipe?)

What do you guys think, is it worth buying? Any tips and details I should check. It's 302 cid, brought from the States last summer. Motor and tranny are said to be renovated, paint is not original. It's 12000€=16000$.

It's a limited market in Finland, so the prices are bit higher than In USA, getting a car from States would require roughly 1500-2000$ for shipping + taxes.

All opinions and help is appreciated! Thanks already!

I would of course make an offer which would be significantly lower than the asking price, but I'm not sure if this one is worth purchasing

at all. I would eventually like to restore it close to original. VIN matches for '71 Mach with 302 cid.

 

[cudak888]

Lousy stripe job, but it does seem to add up. In response to your questions:

• Bumper guards were part of the exterior Protection Package, though I don't recall if this was available when the urethane bumper was carried in front. Have to check.
  
• Cap is correct for a '72, but there may have been a running change in the pop-down cap.
  
• It has been jacked up via longer shackles. Can be reversed with stock shackles.
  
• Since they put the side stripes too low, they couldn't use the "Mach 1" fender decals along with the corresponding "Mustang" lettering below it. With two "Mustang" decals left over, I take it they decided to slap one on the trunk. Tacky, but, again reversible.
  
• Exhaust is not original, nor are the tips. The rear valance has no cutouts, which indicates it had a single exhaust to start with, which would be correct for a base 302 (as a side note, 1971 Boss 351's and '73 models were the only Mustangs of our era to come with dual exhausts with turndowns and no cutouts).
  

The hood outline is also narrower than factory, but not unacceptable enough for harsh criticism.

Some time with a stripe remover, a bit of polishing, and a new stripe kit could rectify the most offensive (if originality is a concern) appearance issues with it. I wouldn't exclude the car from your shopping.

-Kurt

 

[Anselmo]

Thanks for the info!

I've seen bumper guards on the option list, but with mention '(NA Mach1...)'

The stripes would have to go anyway and I've been thinking of getting it repainted (and taking account of that in my offer).

I've heard that the extension shackles are bad for handling. Do they wear other parts?

 

[OLE PONY]

You would need to definitely check it out in person as most importantly to most would be to make sure it has a sound body. Check the body panels for rust repair to see if quality work was done. Check the floor pans and trunk floor. The cowl area, where the plastic grills are in front of the windshield, are notorious for rust through and can result in water leaking inside on the floor boards and carpet.

Of course, the wheels are not stock either.

Looks like the seller would have cleaned it up a little better for that selling price. Good luck and let us know what you find out.

 

[Boss1Ray]

Here's a good reference for the correct placement of the sidestripe:



FYI FordIsMyBoss is the owner of this very original Boss 351.

Ray

 

[imusa76]

In 71-72 the rear bumper were available for rhe fastback but not available for the mach 1.

The Vehicle Identification Number will let you know if its a true Mach 1 or a just a Fastback.

sent from my Samsung SIII via TapTalk

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

The hanging insulation in the interior under the dash is a sign that someone has been working in that area, or that water is coming through the cowl- make sure to get a good look.

The car will need new rear leaf springs, the shackles are there to keep the rear end high enough with worn out springs- If it has air shocks, the upper mount/attachment needs to be inspected.

Here in the states I would consider that a 5000 car (Honestly I've seen nicer for less) but I don't know if importing these cars is a practical option for you.

 

[Mister 4x4]

I agree with everything everybody's mentioned - pay attention especially to the rust-prone areas (floor pans, shock towers, rear upper shock mounts, battery tray/appron, cowl, firewall, quarter panels, rocker panels, lower door areas, and trunk area). You'll also want to check for the presence of bondo (filler) in the front sections of the fenders - it seems like every one of these cars I've seen have had some kind of front fender damage because of the drivers not realizing just how long they are.

The rear bumper guards could be from a swap during any repairs that were done prior to the repaint. I'd also want to see the VIN to make sure it was a Mach 1 vs. Fastback - that by itself should affect the asking price, as well as some of the other "oddities" that are either non-Mach 1, or being potentially a poorly done "Mach 1 clone" (stickers, mostly).

Good luck with it - I hope it goes the way you want it to.

 

[Don65Stang]

I also agree with all the info mentioned above.

Additionally, the headlight bucket housing trim pieces look like the 1973 version and not the 71-72 version.

 

[Mister 4x4]

I also agree with all the info mentioned above.

Additionally, the headlight bucket housing trim pieces look like the 1973 version and not the 71-72 version.

Holy Cow! Nice catch!! ::thumb::

"Dead Eye Don," That's what we'll start calling you. rofl

 

[Boss1Ray]

I also agree with all the info mentioned above.

Additionally, the headlight bucket housing trim pieces look like the 1973 version and not the 71-72 version.

Don gets the microscope out on these pics!

Crazy!

Ray

 

[kidwithfastback=fast]

I would not buy it for that much. I would offer around $12,500. It may have rust/mechanical issues. it may be a hack restoration so be warned.

 

[Anselmo]

Wow, I'm truly overwhelmed by the response, thank you all for the answers, tips etc.!

This has to be the friendliest and most active forum I've ever posted.

According to VIN it is a sportsroof Mach 1 from Deadborn with 302 cid two barrel (1F05F...)

It's 3,5 hour drive to check the car, so I'm still thinking whether to go and see it myself or juts skipping

the deal and waiting for something else. It's -15 celsius and kind of off season at the moment, there's

usually more classic cars on offer later on the spring. Although with higher prices too. Seller has been

quite reluctant to post me more pics and info, so I suspect there might be something honky in the car.

Thanks for the info and all the details; if I'll offer something I can use all this info to rationalize the price.

I had so far only added the wheels+rims, rear bumper, paint job and drivers seat upholstery (in bad shape, this much

the seller told me) to the budget speculations.

 

[Finmach]

Anselmo, try the Finnish Ford Mustang Owners Club board, get yourself registered (for free) and feel free to start a topic about the car. I bet that somebody from the club has allready checked the car and they could chime you in whetever skip the ride or go for it. It's been for sale for some time now. I didn't find any previous information or discussion about that specific Mach 1, but I am pretty sure that somebody from the Club has inspected the car.

www.mustangclub.fi/board

If this '71 - '73 forum is helpfull and friendly and I know that the Finnish Mustang club is too a very helpfull forum with you native language.

Good luck for you car hunt! There's also a green '71 Sportsroof with 9 K€ for sale but its not an Mach 1.

 

[rpmcarter]

Wow, I'm truly overwhelmed by the response, thank you all for the answers, tips etc.!

This has to be the friendliest and most active forum I've ever posted.

According to VIN it is a sportsroof Mach 1 from Deadborn with 302 cid two barrel (1F05F...)

It's 3,5 hour drive to check the car, so I'm still thinking whether to go and see it myself or juts skipping

the deal and waiting for something else. It's -15 celsius and kind of off season at the moment, there's

usually more classic cars on offer later on the spring. Although with higher prices too. Seller has been

quite reluctant to post me more pics and info, so I suspect there might be something honky in the car.

Thanks for the info and all the details; if I'll offer something I can use all this info to rationalize the price.

I had so far only added the wheels+rims, rear bumper, paint job and drivers seat upholstery (in bad shape, this much

the seller told me) to the budget speculations.

I see the answer in this post. DON'T BUY IT!!! At that price, i dont see the value matching the condition. If its a 302 vs a 351 that is a lower price automaticly. but the real deal ...is the seller being reluctant to provide pic's etc..

Some auto-pilot warning statements for me is:

"has a/c just needs Freon" So my response is always Okay I'll pay you the $x thousand for it ....and I'll throw in $50.00 extra, you go get the a/c serviced and we have a deal. I've NEVER been taken up on that deal before.... They always run away from the deal. common sense would tell you that if you want 12k or 15k for a car...you cant afford 50 for the a/c service....LOL!!!

There are many others but I dont have time to list them...hehe

 

[gewalker]

Horn is wrong, too.

 

[Paul of MO]

Rear leaf springs are flat wore out. It has rear shackles that should lift the car about 4 inches but the car is setting level.

Hmmmmmm............

Paul

 

[Anselmo]

Thanks for the tips. This particular Mustang seemed like a big and risky compromise. I checked the taxes, tolls, and exchange ratio more carefully and now I'm actually getting a car from States; lot more to choose from and prices are way different compared to Finland. Hate to say this on mustang forum, but after all, I'm getting a Chevrolet :/ We'll see if Chevrolet owners are half as nice folks as Mustang owners...

 

[rpmcarter]

no matter what you're getting a classic!!! you'll find the price vs condition is not as good of a value as Mustang and the parts are more expensive. [/code]