Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums  

Mike,

You make good points.  But so do the other two posters behind you.  Just to clarify a bit:

The fuel filter - the general dingy appearance coupled with "Motorcraft E7XX-XXXXX-XX" told me all I needed to see. An aftermarket Motorcraft filter normally carries a Motorcraft P/N, not a Ford P/N.
The transmission clutch material - when I wipe a dipstick on a white cloth, and get a dark black streak....that's too much clutch material floating around.  I already know to expect a nice little pile in the pan.
AOD bushing recall not done - What else did they neglect?  This car was supposed to be owned by a VERY meticulous old man. 
Transmission pan seeping - yeah, it's minor.  But I also went to FULLY inspect the car. 
Front main seeping - I'm not adverse to turning a wrench, but this is not acceptable to me at this price point.
Rear main seeping - I'm not pulling an engine or a trans on a car THIS high over market value to fix this.
Struts and steering rack knocking/expiring - This shows a general lack of maintenance, and that is concerning, once again, for a car that was "meticulously maintained".

As best I can determine, that car is worth somewhere in the $3700 neighborhood.  At almost two grand higher, I expected better maintenance, and less labor intensive issues to sort at that price point, lest we forget some of the other issues I found - like the interior issues.  If I had to throw a dart, I'd say, all in, with everything fixed, including the interior you're talking another couple grand.  I also wasn't certain it would even make the trip back to Wichita on the tires it was wearing, or the coolant in it. 

Also, I posted all of that just in case someone else runs across this car, hopefully, they find this thread, and can review my inspection to help their buying decision....it is on that basis, I left out NOTHING. 

Tim

Mike,

You make good points.  But so do the other two posters behind you.  Just to clarify a bit:

The fuel filter - the general dingy appearance coupled with "Motorcraft E7XX-XXXXX-XX" told me all I needed to see. An aftermarket Motorcraft filter normally carries a Motorcraft P/N, not a Ford P/N.
The transmission clutch material - when I wipe a dipstick on a white cloth, and get a dark black streak....that's too much clutch material floating around.  I already know to expect a nice little pile in the pan.
AOD bushing recall not done - What else did they neglect?  This car was supposed to be owned by a VERY meticulous old man. 
Transmission pan seeping - yeah, it's minor.  But I also went to FULLY inspect the car. 
Front main seeping - I'm not adverse to turning a wrench, but this is not acceptable to me at this price point.
Rear main seeping - I'm not pulling an engine or a trans on a car THIS high over market value to fix this.
Struts and steering rack knocking/expiring - This shows a general lack of maintenance, and that is concerning, once again, for a car that was "meticulously maintained".

As best I can determine, that car is worth somewhere in the $3700 neighborhood.  At almost two grand higher, I expected better maintenance, and less labor intensive issues to sort at that price point, lest we forget some of the other issues I found - like the interior issues.  If I had to throw a dart, I'd say, all in, with everything fixed, including the interior you're talking another couple grand.  I also wasn't certain it would even make the trip back to Wichita on the tires it was wearing, or the coolant in it. 

Also, I posted all of that just in case someone else runs across this car, hopefully, they find this thread, and can review my inspection to help their buying decision....it is on that basis, I left out NOTHING. 

Tim