its true that most thirdgens have been beat to crap and not taken care of but you can still find those few out there that are in good shape and have been taken care of. Like mine
bought it with 84k on it and its very clean. Motor runs perfectly and the only major thing i have done as far as maintenance is a fuel pump. Parts are cheap for them too. If you are half way mechanically minded and dont mind learning more then get an older car. Just be patient and find one that has been treated right instead of buying a junker and thinking that you can fix it up. You can even look at old monte carlos or any other v8 rear wheel drive cars that are american made.
And hey i dont like ford cars but the 93 and older mustangs i do like. They are good cars. Im tinkering with the idea of leaving my thirdgen alone and sticking the chevy motor im building in a nice little notch back mustang. If i can find one for a good price.
But anyways for a good first car get an older car. Or do the research and find a car that you can build upon. If i had done that i probably would gone with an old rx7 as my first car and then stick an ls1 in it. i just like the idea of a 2200 pound car with 450 horse power. makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside
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92 z28 camaro 5.7 TPI
current - slp intake runners and base-BBK 52mm throttle body-MSD 8.5mm wires, blaster coil, and 6AL Box-edelbrock headers-160 degree stat.-hotchkis strut tower brace
waiting in the garage - LQ4, milled heads 317 casting (10.5 to 1), hardened pushrods, ported LS6 oil pump, manley dual spings with titanium retainers, MTI X1 cam, hawks longtube headers
