Originally posted by Rishodi:
I would be a little suspicious and very cautious, since that's a low price for that car to be sitting on a lot. I bought my '98 SVT with 123k miles, very well maintained, from a private seller who was asking $4500, and the final price was $3350, which is just below trade-in value according to NADA. As far as I've seen, '98 CSVTs in good shape with average mileage run around $4500-5000 from a dealer, which is indeed about the retail price. If there really is nothing wrong with the car though, then go for it, as it is a good deal. Chances are you could still talk the price down a couple hundred or more. As mentioned above, the most important thing to check is the transmission. If there's any grind from 2nd-3rd, that's a rather costly issue to fix.

Generally, $4000 for '98, $5000 for '99, $6000 for 2000, with average mileage. Check NADA for more specific values, but that's approximately it, within a couple hundred dollars. I wouldn't worry too much about high mileage. After doing all the research I did before buying this car, I wasn't overly concerned about buying a car with 123k miles because people reported that the Duratecs could run the 200k mark and above without any major issues. The main thing is the transmission, though - and if it doesn't grind, that's the best sign that the car hasn't been abused. Transmission wears more quickly on the cars that are.



WOW!!! Thanks for the tips! This is what I was looking for!


"Do what you like, Because you have to drive it!"-Me 99 Contour LX 95 Mustang GT Convertible 97 Z24 Cavalier