1967 Mustang Possible Purchase
Discussion
Hi All,
First time posting on PH.
I am looking at buying a 1967 Ford Mustang Coupe 289 V8 Auto, and just wondering if anyone who owns one/knows of anyone who owns one has any advice on the matter?
I have had a look into this and not sure if should Import, or buy an already registered UK one? How difficult is the Import process from US?
I am also wondering what the typical monthly/yearly running costs would be for fairly regular use in the UK? (Not quite a Daily, but definitely out-and-about a couple times a week). This can include Tax, Fuel, Maintenance, Repairs, etc.
Is there any common issues that I should be careful of? What can expect to run in to with these cars?
Additionally, would a Auto to Manual conversion be a good idea to anyone that has done this?
I have a some technical knowledge and skills so can do some of the "simpler" work myself, however anything major like changing for a manual, I would need help on.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Craig
First time posting on PH.
I am looking at buying a 1967 Ford Mustang Coupe 289 V8 Auto, and just wondering if anyone who owns one/knows of anyone who owns one has any advice on the matter?
I have had a look into this and not sure if should Import, or buy an already registered UK one? How difficult is the Import process from US?
I am also wondering what the typical monthly/yearly running costs would be for fairly regular use in the UK? (Not quite a Daily, but definitely out-and-about a couple times a week). This can include Tax, Fuel, Maintenance, Repairs, etc.
Is there any common issues that I should be careful of? What can expect to run in to with these cars?
Additionally, would a Auto to Manual conversion be a good idea to anyone that has done this?
I have a some technical knowledge and skills so can do some of the "simpler" work myself, however anything major like changing for a manual, I would need help on.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Craig
Hi Craig, I have a 68 coupe 302 auto so pretty close to what you are looking for.
I purchased my car in the UK from a chap who imports one or two a year and sells them privately. I think its fair to say buying in the UK is a more expensive route but you get the car you want(hopefully) without any messing around and a lot faster. I am currently importing a truck from the US and paid for it in early Feb and its still not arrived in the UK.
I'm not sure what my yearly running costs are but not massive, tax is free which always helps and from May you wont even need an MOT(although I wouldn't recommend it). What you have to pay in maintenance is going to depend on the quality of car you buy, mine was in good condition and had been mostly restored before leaving the US but after 6 months needed the leaky power steering sorting out which cost me £500-£1000 but I did upgrade it to a more modern system. You do have to bare in mind the car is 50 years old and stuff is going to break. Fuel is the other expense but if your worried about how much fuel you use maybe a Mustang isn't really the car for you! lol. Apart from that in the 2 years I've had its just been normal servicing stuff so not that bad really.
As far as common issues go power steering is well known for being leaky and can be pricey to sort out and rust is always an issue in old yank cars. Apart from that they are pretty good most of it is simple engineering which is part of the reason I like it because you can work on it yourself and really get to know the car.
Auto or manual is a bit of sore point with me, I wish I had held out and got a manual although most advice is to focus on getting a good car and the gearbox can be changed. This is true but a quality specialist quote me £5k to swap it and the car wouldn't be worth much more. I must say though I still love driving my car auto or not!
The thing with Mustangs is the are so many options and small differences you really need to do your research. The is a huge selection of aftermarket parts for these cars so if you like a car but its not got something chances are you can find an upgrade for it.
I would join SimplyMustangs on Facebook these guys are Mustang bonkers I actually left the group because I couldn't deal with the amount of love they have for their cars but the is soooo much knowledge on that group also MOCGB are very good and would be able to help you out.
The guys on PH tend to be more about the modern Mustangs,
Hope this helps
I purchased my car in the UK from a chap who imports one or two a year and sells them privately. I think its fair to say buying in the UK is a more expensive route but you get the car you want(hopefully) without any messing around and a lot faster. I am currently importing a truck from the US and paid for it in early Feb and its still not arrived in the UK.
I'm not sure what my yearly running costs are but not massive, tax is free which always helps and from May you wont even need an MOT(although I wouldn't recommend it). What you have to pay in maintenance is going to depend on the quality of car you buy, mine was in good condition and had been mostly restored before leaving the US but after 6 months needed the leaky power steering sorting out which cost me £500-£1000 but I did upgrade it to a more modern system. You do have to bare in mind the car is 50 years old and stuff is going to break. Fuel is the other expense but if your worried about how much fuel you use maybe a Mustang isn't really the car for you! lol. Apart from that in the 2 years I've had its just been normal servicing stuff so not that bad really.
As far as common issues go power steering is well known for being leaky and can be pricey to sort out and rust is always an issue in old yank cars. Apart from that they are pretty good most of it is simple engineering which is part of the reason I like it because you can work on it yourself and really get to know the car.
Auto or manual is a bit of sore point with me, I wish I had held out and got a manual although most advice is to focus on getting a good car and the gearbox can be changed. This is true but a quality specialist quote me £5k to swap it and the car wouldn't be worth much more. I must say though I still love driving my car auto or not!
The thing with Mustangs is the are so many options and small differences you really need to do your research. The is a huge selection of aftermarket parts for these cars so if you like a car but its not got something chances are you can find an upgrade for it.
I would join SimplyMustangs on Facebook these guys are Mustang bonkers I actually left the group because I couldn't deal with the amount of love they have for their cars but the is soooo much knowledge on that group also MOCGB are very good and would be able to help you out.
The guys on PH tend to be more about the modern Mustangs,
Hope this helps
Geo22 said:
Hi Craig, I have a 68 coupe 302 auto so pretty close to what you are looking for.
I purchased my car in the UK from a chap who imports one or two a year and sells them privately. I think its fair to say buying in the UK is a more expensive route but you get the car you want(hopefully) without any messing around and a lot faster. I am currently importing a truck from the US and paid for it in early Feb and its still not arrived in the UK.
I'm not sure what my yearly running costs are but not massive, tax is free which always helps and from May you wont even need an MOT(although I wouldn't recommend it). What you have to pay in maintenance is going to depend on the quality of car you buy, mine was in good condition and had been mostly restored before leaving the US but after 6 months needed the leaky power steering sorting out which cost me £500-£1000 but I did upgrade it to a more modern system. You do have to bare in mind the car is 50 years old and stuff is going to break. Fuel is the other expense but if your worried about how much fuel you use maybe a Mustang isn't really the car for you! lol. Apart from that in the 2 years I've had its just been normal servicing stuff so not that bad really.
As far as common issues go power steering is well known for being leaky and can be pricey to sort out and rust is always an issue in old yank cars. Apart from that they are pretty good most of it is simple engineering which is part of the reason I like it because you can work on it yourself and really get to know the car.
Auto or manual is a bit of sore point with me, I wish I had held out and got a manual although most advice is to focus on getting a good car and the gearbox can be changed. This is true but a quality specialist quote me £5k to swap it and the car wouldn't be worth much more. I must say though I still love driving my car auto or not!
The thing with Mustangs is the are so many options and small differences you really need to do your research. The is a huge selection of aftermarket parts for these cars so if you like a car but its not got something chances are you can find an upgrade for it.
I would join SimplyMustangs on Facebook these guys are Mustang bonkers I actually left the group because I couldn't deal with the amount of love they have for their cars but the is soooo much knowledge on that group also MOCGB are very good and would be able to help you out.
The guys on PH tend to be more about the modern Mustangs,
Hope this helps
Hi Geo22, I purchased my car in the UK from a chap who imports one or two a year and sells them privately. I think its fair to say buying in the UK is a more expensive route but you get the car you want(hopefully) without any messing around and a lot faster. I am currently importing a truck from the US and paid for it in early Feb and its still not arrived in the UK.
I'm not sure what my yearly running costs are but not massive, tax is free which always helps and from May you wont even need an MOT(although I wouldn't recommend it). What you have to pay in maintenance is going to depend on the quality of car you buy, mine was in good condition and had been mostly restored before leaving the US but after 6 months needed the leaky power steering sorting out which cost me £500-£1000 but I did upgrade it to a more modern system. You do have to bare in mind the car is 50 years old and stuff is going to break. Fuel is the other expense but if your worried about how much fuel you use maybe a Mustang isn't really the car for you! lol. Apart from that in the 2 years I've had its just been normal servicing stuff so not that bad really.
As far as common issues go power steering is well known for being leaky and can be pricey to sort out and rust is always an issue in old yank cars. Apart from that they are pretty good most of it is simple engineering which is part of the reason I like it because you can work on it yourself and really get to know the car.
Auto or manual is a bit of sore point with me, I wish I had held out and got a manual although most advice is to focus on getting a good car and the gearbox can be changed. This is true but a quality specialist quote me £5k to swap it and the car wouldn't be worth much more. I must say though I still love driving my car auto or not!
The thing with Mustangs is the are so many options and small differences you really need to do your research. The is a huge selection of aftermarket parts for these cars so if you like a car but its not got something chances are you can find an upgrade for it.
I would join SimplyMustangs on Facebook these guys are Mustang bonkers I actually left the group because I couldn't deal with the amount of love they have for their cars but the is soooo much knowledge on that group also MOCGB are very good and would be able to help you out.
The guys on PH tend to be more about the modern Mustangs,
Hope this helps
Thank you for your reply.
Im assuming you dont use the Mustang as a daily car, more of a weekend run-about?
Do you have any tips for importing cars and where is best to go?
From what I have heard, the US has far more choice and is cheaper, however the importing procedure can sometimes be a headache.
Thats good to hear about running costs, and yeah I would probably continue to get it MOT’d for peace of mind.
As far as fuel, im not bothered by it too much, the car I have now probably wouldnt be too much better, all depends how you drive it.
Do you have any tips on best places to get it serviced? Or do you use a local specialist in classic cars?
Im not too fussed either way between Auto and Manual, just wasnt sure if anyone who bought the Auto had regret now getting a manual, or vice versa.
Thanks again for your help, I will probably join one of those pages to get a few ideas of what i could get.
No I don't use mine as a daily drive but people do. TBH the only reason I don't is I park in a public car park when at work so I would be worried about it.
I do most of the servicing and work myself, my brother in law has a workshop and lift so that makes life a lot easier. As I said they are pretty simple cars so I would of thought a good indy or classic garage would be able to cope.
To source and import my truck from the US I am using a chap called Colin Ledsom and his company Colins Auto Exports. He's a British chap who has setup in Florida and specialises in sourcing and exporting from the US to UK. He's been really good found me the truck I wanted in about 2 weeks, got some little issues fixed on it and then sorted all the shipping out, all I have to do is MOT and register it once it arrives, hopefully next week(I am so bloody excited!!). If you look him up on Facebook you will find a lot of good things are said about him.
The will always be more choice in the US but the market is pretty big for Mustangs in the UK, nearly every classic car meet I've been too the is at least one.
The auto/manual thing is a debate that will go on and on... Its really down to preference, the manual cars I drove felt a bit more aggressive and purposeful with an auto the they feel a bit more of a cruiser, both a lot of fun just different.
I do most of the servicing and work myself, my brother in law has a workshop and lift so that makes life a lot easier. As I said they are pretty simple cars so I would of thought a good indy or classic garage would be able to cope.
To source and import my truck from the US I am using a chap called Colin Ledsom and his company Colins Auto Exports. He's a British chap who has setup in Florida and specialises in sourcing and exporting from the US to UK. He's been really good found me the truck I wanted in about 2 weeks, got some little issues fixed on it and then sorted all the shipping out, all I have to do is MOT and register it once it arrives, hopefully next week(I am so bloody excited!!). If you look him up on Facebook you will find a lot of good things are said about him.
The will always be more choice in the US but the market is pretty big for Mustangs in the UK, nearly every classic car meet I've been too the is at least one.
The auto/manual thing is a debate that will go on and on... Its really down to preference, the manual cars I drove felt a bit more aggressive and purposeful with an auto the they feel a bit more of a cruiser, both a lot of fun just different.
Geo22 said:
No I don't use mine as a daily drive but people do. TBH the only reason I don't is I park in a public car park when at work so I would be worried about it.
I do most of the servicing and work myself, my brother in law has a workshop and lift so that makes life a lot easier. As I said they are pretty simple cars so I would of thought a good indy or classic garage would be able to cope.
To source and import my truck from the US I am using a chap called Colin Ledsom and his company Colins Auto Exports. He's a British chap who has setup in Florida and specialises in sourcing and exporting from the US to UK. He's been really good found me the truck I wanted in about 2 weeks, got some little issues fixed on it and then sorted all the shipping out, all I have to do is MOT and register it once it arrives, hopefully next week(I am so bloody excited!!). If you look him up on Facebook you will find a lot of good things are said about him.
The will always be more choice in the US but the market is pretty big for Mustangs in the UK, nearly every classic car meet I've been too the is at least one.
The auto/manual thing is a debate that will go on and on... Its really down to preference, the manual cars I drove felt a bit more aggressive and purposeful with an auto the they feel a bit more of a cruiser, both a lot of fun just different.
Thank you for getting back to me on this. I do most of the servicing and work myself, my brother in law has a workshop and lift so that makes life a lot easier. As I said they are pretty simple cars so I would of thought a good indy or classic garage would be able to cope.
To source and import my truck from the US I am using a chap called Colin Ledsom and his company Colins Auto Exports. He's a British chap who has setup in Florida and specialises in sourcing and exporting from the US to UK. He's been really good found me the truck I wanted in about 2 weeks, got some little issues fixed on it and then sorted all the shipping out, all I have to do is MOT and register it once it arrives, hopefully next week(I am so bloody excited!!). If you look him up on Facebook you will find a lot of good things are said about him.
The will always be more choice in the US but the market is pretty big for Mustangs in the UK, nearly every classic car meet I've been too the is at least one.
The auto/manual thing is a debate that will go on and on... Its really down to preference, the manual cars I drove felt a bit more aggressive and purposeful with an auto the they feel a bit more of a cruiser, both a lot of fun just different.
That's good to know, I should be able to do some of the simpler work myself at a local garage where I can use their lift, but for anything major like the gearbox change, I would go to a specialist.
I will have a look and see what is available, possibly contact him if I would prefer some changes here and there.
Not sure yet if I want to go for the manual, however the car I have just now is auto and wouldn't be upset if I had an auto again.
Thanks for your insight into this.
Last month I bought a 68 289. Was in the same boat as you looked at some importers (http://raysclassiccars.com for example) and trawled eBay and the Facebook forums waiting for something to pop up. I wanted a cheap V8 Auto with a tasty engine and no rot, seems like £20K gets you a great restored example and £10K is an unregistered wreck of an import, my budget was the lower of the two numbers.
Ended up with this recent import California car, previous owner got it on the road, re-upholstered, new wheels/tyres & exhaust so a fair bit of the hard work is done, still loads to do but a nice rolling restoration (also came with a spare 351W block). Body is solid but rubbish paint job (nice rat look), Edelbrock rpm intake, heads,cam, MSD, Holley, Tri-Y headers etc.
Drinks petrol (3.73 9" rear end) but insurance is just £125 and zero road tax, hopefully they will hold their value so you will never lose money.
Oh and the sound of that V8 is just amazing, so many thumbs up as you drive past people !
Ended up with this recent import California car, previous owner got it on the road, re-upholstered, new wheels/tyres & exhaust so a fair bit of the hard work is done, still loads to do but a nice rolling restoration (also came with a spare 351W block). Body is solid but rubbish paint job (nice rat look), Edelbrock rpm intake, heads,cam, MSD, Holley, Tri-Y headers etc.
Drinks petrol (3.73 9" rear end) but insurance is just £125 and zero road tax, hopefully they will hold their value so you will never lose money.
Oh and the sound of that V8 is just amazing, so many thumbs up as you drive past people !
Edited by Dan_The_Man on Sunday 15th April 18:52
Dan_The_Man said:
Last month I bought a 68 289. Was in the same boat as you looked at some importers (http://raysclassiccars.com for example) and trawled eBay and the Facebook forums waiting for something to pop up. I wanted a cheap V8 Auto with a tasty engine and no rot, seems like £20K gets you a great restored example and £10K is an unregistered wreck of an import, my budget was nearer the lower of the two numbers.
Ended up with this recent import California car, previous owner got it on the road, re-upholstered, new wheels/tyres & exhaust so a fair bit of the hard work is done, still loads to do but a nice rolling restoration (also came with a spare 351W block). Body is solid but rubbish paint job (nice rat look), Edelbrock rpm intake, heads,cam, MSD, Holley, Tri-Y headers etc.
Drinks petrol (3.73 9" rear end) but insurance is just £125 and zero road tax, hopefully they will hold their value so you will never loose money.
Oh and the sound of that V8 is just amazing, so many thumbs up as you drive pas people !
Ended up with this recent import California car, previous owner got it on the road, re-upholstered, new wheels/tyres & exhaust so a fair bit of the hard work is done, still loads to do but a nice rolling restoration (also came with a spare 351W block). Body is solid but rubbish paint job (nice rat look), Edelbrock rpm intake, heads,cam, MSD, Holley, Tri-Y headers etc.
Drinks petrol (3.73 9" rear end) but insurance is just £125 and zero road tax, hopefully they will hold their value so you will never loose money.
Oh and the sound of that V8 is just amazing, so many thumbs up as you drive pas people !
Hi there,
Thank you for your info on this, how do you find that car to drive? Im lookint at getting the 351W Engine in a 1968 Coupe. At this point I am looking to import it over from US as much larger variety there.
Is there any issues you have encountered already? From what I can see on Forums, they aren’t as unreliable as they are made out to be, however would be good to know of any issues you have had in the time you have had the car?
Additionally, is there any issurers you would recommend for these cars? A few of the typical ones won’t ensure on this age of vehicle, especially as I am in my mid 20’s.
The car looks great in the photos, and engine looks very clean!
Thanks
I used Cherished insurance as I already have a classic policy with them. As far as reliability, it overheated on the motorway but it was the Edelbrock water pump sucking the lower radiator hose flat at high RPM, a £10 hose spring sorted that. I have not had it long enough to give any more feedback but everyone says the C4 transmissions are pretty solid and worst case if the motor lets go you can get a crate replacement for a few grand.
It's lovely to drive, but I'm thinking it may need different silencers, possibly Flowmasters as the straight through cherry bombs are not neighbour friendly.
It's lovely to drive, but I'm thinking it may need different silencers, possibly Flowmasters as the straight through cherry bombs are not neighbour friendly.
Dan_The_Man said:
I used Cherished insurance as I already have a classic policy with them. As far as reliability, it overheated on the motorway but it was the Edelbrock water pump sucking the lower radiator hose flat at high RPM, a £10 hose spring sorted that. I have not had it long enough to give any more feedback but everyone says the C4 transmissions are pretty solid and worst case if the motor lets go you can get a crate replacement for a few grand.
It's lovely to drive, but I'm thinking it may need different silencers, possibly Flowmasters as the straight through cherry bombs are not neighbour friendly.
Thanks for the reply.It's lovely to drive, but I'm thinking it may need different silencers, possibly Flowmasters as the straight through cherry bombs are not neighbour friendly.
Ok thats good to know, the big appeal of this apart from the obvious is the simplicity of the engine and how varied the aftermarket parts are. Alot of the work could be done by myself as an amateur to this.
Where I am im not too worried about the noise, the louder the better haha
Only look on here every few weeks so only just seen this. Here's my advice:
There's no MOT in the US so be ready for some work if you import from the States. The UK MOT and generally more fussy nature of UK classic owners often means they've spent thousands getting an import back into shape mechanically.
Make sure the cowl is good (Google it if this means nothing to you). It's a common, but hidden, rust problem and big money to fix.
If you want a manual gearbox then buy a manual car. You can convert for around £2,000 if you can find secondhand parts, but most go for the Modern Driveline kit which includes everything new for around £3,500. Then you need to get it fitted. It will make the car more desirable but won't add the cost to convert to the sale value.
I wouldn't fuss about getting a 351. If you find a car with one then great, but the 289/302 is fine and more plentiful as they were a standard fitment. If buying with a 351 then think about how well the conversion has been done.
Buying a good car is essential as it sounds like you're not into big maintenance jobs, and costs will soon get out of hand if you need to pay to have stuff done. Buying from the States can be cheaper but there's no substitute for looking at a car and making sure it's worth buying. Given the dollar rate isn't great, and coupe prices are rising faster in the States than UK, you might be better off looking at UK cars, it's not as if they're rare over here now. Private sales prices are much lower for coupes than dealer prices by some margin so maybe find a car that leaves a little room to get more to your tastes?
There's no MOT in the US so be ready for some work if you import from the States. The UK MOT and generally more fussy nature of UK classic owners often means they've spent thousands getting an import back into shape mechanically.
Make sure the cowl is good (Google it if this means nothing to you). It's a common, but hidden, rust problem and big money to fix.
If you want a manual gearbox then buy a manual car. You can convert for around £2,000 if you can find secondhand parts, but most go for the Modern Driveline kit which includes everything new for around £3,500. Then you need to get it fitted. It will make the car more desirable but won't add the cost to convert to the sale value.
I wouldn't fuss about getting a 351. If you find a car with one then great, but the 289/302 is fine and more plentiful as they were a standard fitment. If buying with a 351 then think about how well the conversion has been done.
Buying a good car is essential as it sounds like you're not into big maintenance jobs, and costs will soon get out of hand if you need to pay to have stuff done. Buying from the States can be cheaper but there's no substitute for looking at a car and making sure it's worth buying. Given the dollar rate isn't great, and coupe prices are rising faster in the States than UK, you might be better off looking at UK cars, it's not as if they're rare over here now. Private sales prices are much lower for coupes than dealer prices by some margin so maybe find a car that leaves a little room to get more to your tastes?
Craig, what's the latest ? there are some on ebay for 12 - 15K
I have been slowly sorting mine, still ace to drive and on the plus side found some lovely roller rockers.
Loads of small bits done like replacement indicator mechanism, 6v dash regulator as the fuel gauge stopped working, ali radiator as mine is clogged, all good fun and the bits are all available and cheap.
I have been slowly sorting mine, still ace to drive and on the plus side found some lovely roller rockers.
Loads of small bits done like replacement indicator mechanism, 6v dash regulator as the fuel gauge stopped working, ali radiator as mine is clogged, all good fun and the bits are all available and cheap.
Hello Craig, we have a bone stock 67 289 Mustang bought very much at the lower end of the budgets described.
It's not a bad example and does have receipts for a full engine rebuild in the states back in 2001 or so, it hasn't covered more than 5k since then.
Overall impressions are it's not a bad little car, the auto box isn't bad for one that's 51 years old and it pulls reasonably well too. The one thing I think that fails it is the stock skinny tyres and power steering, it takes about 58 turns lock to lock and is ridiculously light to the point that it's actually quite unnerving even just driving down a dual carriageway. It'd be a different car with that sorted and fresh suspension bushes etc.
No doubt about it though if you want nothing but admiring looks and a positive reaction from people, a Stang cannot be beaten!
It's not a bad example and does have receipts for a full engine rebuild in the states back in 2001 or so, it hasn't covered more than 5k since then.
Overall impressions are it's not a bad little car, the auto box isn't bad for one that's 51 years old and it pulls reasonably well too. The one thing I think that fails it is the stock skinny tyres and power steering, it takes about 58 turns lock to lock and is ridiculously light to the point that it's actually quite unnerving even just driving down a dual carriageway. It'd be a different car with that sorted and fresh suspension bushes etc.
No doubt about it though if you want nothing but admiring looks and a positive reaction from people, a Stang cannot be beaten!
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