1990 Ford Mustang GT review from North America

Bought new. A/C evaporator changed three times before 50,000mi, never after.

Chronic problems: A/C O-rings leaking, rough idling, even after having been adjusted the problem would appear again. Head gasket at about 20,000 mi. Tendency to knock under load at temperatures above 90F, forced me to switch to premium gas in summer. Heater coil rusted at 70,000mi which damaged the radio. Water pump at 80,000mi. Alternator at 125,000mi. The plastic parts inside have a tendency to crack after a while. That's it. The rest is regular maintenance.

This was my second Mustang GT. I sold it after 125,000mi without a single spot of rust. I bought a 99 GT right after. The 90 GT served me well for 9 years. After the first set of problems, fixed under warranty, the car ran well. It is fast (much less than the 99 though), and has ample torque at low rpm (more than the 99). It lacks traction under wet conditions, and the brakes are only average. My average gas mileage was 23mi/gal, 1/3 city, 2/3 highway. The gears had a tendency to grind between 2nd and 3rd if shifted rapidly. The handling is good on smooth surfaces but worsens when the road surface does.