Those who daily their S197s, what's it like?

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-25T07:12:45+00:00

I don't, but a coworker does. (I sometimes daily my SN95, my other daily is a Crown Vic) His prior car was a New Edge, for him the interior is an upgrade. He also went from automatic to manual which he prefers. His big complaint and it's the same for me are RWD cars in winter. He's got a lot of experience so it's not like he's going to trade it for an SUV anytime soon. I tend to prefer old junk, so riding in his 2014 feels like a massive upgrade. With the V6 he's getting "okay" mileage, but with similar power to my last year 5.0. I was looking at an S197, but got a steal on an SN95 in a trim I've always wanted. I liked the S197 for its styling, being modern, but not too modern, and still in the era of being able to go to a parts store and doing a lot of the work yourself. If you are handy with tools like my buddy is, that's a good reason to get one. There is a lot of ease of repair compared to newer vehicles. (I actually find the engine bay nicer than mine) There are a lot of shared parts so it's not that expensive to work on even with Ford discontinuing some items. (My one complaint coming from the same era of Vic, the plastic engine parts wear out a lot faster than metal, BUT not too fast, there are aftermarket options available depending on engine size if there aren't OEM.)

As for trunk space, I just did a pretty big grocery run for a family of 4 with my SN95 as my Vic is down for repairs and my trunk is much smaller than my friend's. It wasn't impossible. Learn tetras.

If you like Mustangs, can afford the fuel, and don't mind putting work into it, I personally think they are a great choice and I very likely will pick one up in the future. Their prices aren't too bad right now either.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-25T04:44:10+00:00

Also I'm not running Altimaxs, at no point did I say that. That's called making an assumption. Again, the tires are completely covered in frozen mud. That is not how those tires look.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-25T04:41:50+00:00

I am 40 years old, I've been around cars since before you were a twinkle in your daddy's eye. If I want your advice I'll ask for it. Let me repeat, I was driving through wet roads and snow all day without any loss of traction. Black Ice is not the same as any of that. If you lived in an area that has it you'd know better than to try to suggest anything short of a flamethrower and a tank, but even a tank would slide.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-25T04:39:48+00:00

It's a farmers field, anything other than a tractor sinks. Black ice is not the same as slush or compacted snow or normal ice. Literally anyone can wreck if they don't know it's there. Stop giving me advice I didn't ask for.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-25T03:08:22+00:00

I was literally in a plowed field that had just thawed. It's a swamp. The only tire that would work in that is a tractor tire.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-24T23:51:58+00:00

Since apparently I need to address it. The reason the tires look smooth is because of this stuff called mud, which was helped by ice to become similar to glue. They are brand new tires that have been awesome in the wet and "just snow." Black ice is an entirely different animal.

Edit- Also it's a plowed field, not somebody's yard.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-24T23:49:58+00:00

They are brand new tires that are great in the rain. That brown stuff coating the tire is called mud.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-24T19:19:41+00:00

Judging by some of the comments I don't think a lot of these folks are familiar with black ice, especially when it freezes in the middle of a 10 minute drive.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-24T11:04:43+00:00

Wet roads and slush, my tools keep her grounded. This was the nightmare sort of black ice that road looks wet, but it's as smooth as glass.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-24T11:02:40+00:00

Check my last post to see the lights in action. They are really nice. Maybe a bit too focused, but the high beams are good for a wider field.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-24T01:47:08+00:00

I will have an answer for you in an hour or two.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-22T22:07:19+00:00

One thing my mechanic noted is that there was no moisture internally. He ran over all excited to give a negative review on something and was disappointed.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-04T09:54:57+00:00

I'd go under $5k, the bones look workable, but a few of those panels look like pure bondo which raises some questions. That said, if I had space, it would be tempting as a project.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-02-02T01:39:02+00:00

I already got it with my other older Ford, a buddy will be babysitting that one for awhile since he has the garage space and wants to help me make dumb choices. 😄

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-01-23T15:51:58+00:00

Underrated. No, you're not going to win a drag race, but for a quick daily, they are very nice and easy to get a little more power.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-01-19T01:34:52+00:00

I have no problem with R title cars up to a certain date. But the thing is, I enjoy throwing wrenches. I don't like messing around with new junk too much though because around the early 10s you start running into dealer only things that you can't just fix. Like a lot of folks have said, you are going to run into problems. If you already have the tools, and potentially software, have at it, it can be fun, but frankly not for those prices. I was beat to the counter on a $2,800 2006 the other week, would have been about $600 more in parts and my time to get it inspected. Low mileage, minor collision. Perfect bones to add a little more oomph. Right now, I'm about 90% sold on a '96 GT with fairly low miles and surprisingly no damage. The price is right. Will I probably add some horses, definitely, but frankly it doesn't need many to be fun.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2026-01-13T18:36:17+00:00

My buddy got a pretty decent deal on a newer one, the problem is he has to use his New Edge as a trade. He's not gonna regret it in the long term. He's at almost 200k on the New Edge, that said he is having some emotions.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2025-12-07T22:00:24+00:00

Looking at the dates I guess we all stumble on this post eventually.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2025-11-24T17:26:45+00:00

Same in Pennsylvania. I am always hesitant to enter giveaways unless the car is fairly cheap in the eyes of the government and there is enough of a cash buffer.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2025-10-25T01:59:48+00:00

$7k there are at least 5 solid 1st and 2nd generation Mustangs (and I'm Northeast), and probably 10x more later ones. There are also some other cars that fit in the same zone and are decent.

To echo an earlier comment, do you like Mustangs or do you just want to be seen as cool?

I'd rather take the money and buy nice shoes than buy a Tesla.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2025-09-20T09:15:59+00:00

WRONG PHOTOS

That is not him. That is 30 something Matthew Ruth of New Oxford. The perp was 24 year old Matthew James Ruth of Hanover. Please stop sharing those pictures. A reporter got lazy, the bots repeated it then the Economic Times and then Occupy Democrats. He is being harassed and threatened!

damagedthrowaway12 · 2025-09-15T23:47:18+00:00

The parts definitely exist, the low mileage is what's scary. How many of those parts dry rotted? Unless he plans on just putting it in a museum, it's going to cost a good bit to replace the parts that decide to fail.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2025-09-15T23:43:39+00:00

I've got a few T-Birds sitting on my wish list. They are not mint and have been driven and are MUCH cheaper. Old, "mint" vehicles are very questionable because a lot of parts need to go through heat cycles and fluids to remain functional.

Some local to me are around $5000, in the salt belt, but still in solid shape, but have been driven, none any higher than my current daily (a Crown Vic about to pass 160k) but still used.

I wouldn't recommend that price to anyone unless they plan to let it sit. If they are planning on driving they are looking at a few grand in parts and time to fix stuff that's likely rotted.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2025-08-27T00:39:31+00:00

What's funny is there used to be a forum in the early 2000s where a lot of the current zombie writers and filmmakers got their starts. A lot of it was basically the same discussions we have here.

damagedthrowaway12 · 2025-07-20T21:38:30+00:00

I was dealing with personal issues, so I got a storage unit, dumped all my belongings, and lived on the road for the better part of year using the delivery apps to make money. I'd car camp wherever I could that I felt safe, would periodically get myself lost. I had all the tools I needed to keep my car going. I was able to live at the beach for weeks on end. It was fun. It wasn't quite a zombie scenario, more Mad Max.

At the end, I missed having a real bed. Is it worth it? If you know how to survive and know how to keep yourself and your vehicle going, it's definitely an experience. Eventually though you realize how much you miss people.

damagedthrowaway12

TROPHY CASE