I’m not sure what to do with this car.

[Asif C]

From the monetary side, I say don't swap the tranny to manual. But the fun side says a convertible should be a stick car. Just my opinion from being a convertible owner for 42 years. Mine is a '70 in the same color. It was the first running car I purchased at the age of 15. I still have it. Mine went way off track from being a daily driver. High compression, manual valve body in the auto, high stall TC, too much gear. I say do a junkyard engine and drive it until you're tired of the V6 and make the foolish mistake of doing a coyote swap. And then sell it before you actually start that project. Should sell for a nice profit.

Wow 42 years. That's a long time. This is going to be my first convertible. I think I'll take your suggestion and leave the transmission and just change the engine. I plan to use it as a daily driver.

 

[Asif C]

Leave it automatic , shop around for a used engine (OFFERUP) I just rebuilt my 07 coupe entire powertrain for just over 500 , these cars are easy to repair, and you got i free so currently you're at zero invested dollars , put at least 2000 in it and your still well below the price of a used car lot for a daily driver.

You're right. I will stick to the auto trans and will put a used engine in it. Slowly I will upgrade the wheels, etc. Thanks

 

[Asif C]

If you're near Dallas TX, I could help out with it , and if its not a project worth it to you , you could ship it to me always wanted the lime green just to stand out. I'd even pay hauling fee as long as I could get the same purchase price.

Thanks for the offer. But I think I will just replace the engine and use it as a daily driver.

 

[Asif C]

It doesn’t look all that bad, I would just put a used engine in it throw out that bra clean it and either daily drive or sell.I am a convertible guy and it would be kinda nice to have a convertible I wouldn’t have to be so anal over and just drive it everywhere.

I plan to put a used engine. And yes I don't like the car bra. I was cleaning the car this past weekend. The guy who had this car didn't take care of it at all. There were used condoms, muffins, McDonalds boxes, coins, trash, etc. It was filthy. I'm still not done cleaning it.

 

[Asif C]

Agree with the others that are saying put a used engine in it and drive it. You can't find a better convertible than an S197 without going to the German brands and a bunch more money and bizarre electrical issues.

I wanted a german convertible for a very long time but the price is not what I can afford. I'm putting a used engine in it after a few weeks and its gonna be my daily driver.

 

[Asif C]

The value of used cars including S197’s has shot up over the last two years. If you love mustangs, throw an engine in there.

I never drove a mustang before. It was always Japanese cars. This will be my first mustang and I'm really excited

 

[Asif C]

If you can do most of the work yourself to make the car look presentable, it might be worth saving.



Not bad. If you can find a decent tranny and engine for that price, you'll at least have a running driving vehicle for not much over $2k and the car would be worth more than that.
The only problem for you is that summer's over so you wouldn't have many opportunities to drive it with the top down over the next six months unless you live in a warm temperate climate.
The best time to sell the car would be around April/May when demand for convertibles is highest as people buy them to enjoy in the summer.

I plan to do most of the cosmetic work myself. I currently use a truck as my daily commute. After I put an engine in this mustang, this will be my daily driver.

 

[tabstang]

My first S197 was a V6 convertible and I loved it (so much I'm on my 4th one, although the next 3 have been GTs). If someone gave that car to me I would hot rod it - put a coyote / manual in it (like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/294266655124?hash=item4483a8d194:g:iEkAAOSwv-5g6IVO ). But that's a lot of $ and time, plus you'd have to upgrade the suspension and brakes.

If I had a small budget I'd just replace the v6 / auto and drive on, smiling all the way. You're gonna love that car.