firehawk618 Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Looking at a 98 mystique, 2.5, 5 speed 1 owner car. Just wondering how can you tell an early from late 98 if the production date on the door is worn down and can't be read? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gman2007 Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Looking at a 98 mystique, 2.5, 5 speed 1 owner car. Just wondering how can you tell an early from late 98 if the production date on the door is worn down and can't be read? Thanks. cant you give the vehicle details to a ford dealer and they can trace it on their systems??? i can give vehicle registration numbers or vin numbers to my ford dealer and he can find out information for me maybe its different for you guys.. as im in the UK, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99ContourLX Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 This tells you the model year but not month: https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/vin_tools/default.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrApple Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 one quick way to tell is if there is a dash clock. it was removed for the 98.5 and up cars. under the hood are there to brackets that the airbacg sensors mount to that are then mounted to the core support? other then that on a mystique I am not sure what else you could use to identify it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Ford Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 The easiest way I know is by the master window control. The early 98 in Mystique has a little step you can see on the driver's window button. The early 98 Contour has raised (bubble) buttons. Both have an extra little step you can feel when pushing down on the button for auto down. ALL the rest of the Mystiques, and Contours use the same flat buttons. Granted the lights stay on all the time on the 98.5 - 00 but they all look the same on the outside. AF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00CSVT150 Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Also, look for the pre-98 style "teardrop" antenna base. Other than that, I think that's everything that's obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firehawk618 Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 Well i picked her up today! Beat them down to 1200 bucks. It was taken care of up till the last 2 years when he let his son borrow it. Needs a good detailing and some suspension work as it clunks when going from reverse to forward...sounds like motor mounts and control arms. Didn't even make it 30 miles and the alternator crapped out :( I knew it would but thought it might make it home. The battery light was flickering at about 3k rpms and up and of course the whole drive home was highway so it was constantly above 3k. I called AAA and they towed it home. I removed the alternator and man oh man what a PITA that was! Looked like the oil pan was gushing out oil so I replaced that too. Upon removal of the oil filter I found it was loose! That might have been the majority of the leak. Oh well it's got a new oil gasket and alt now. The motor purrs like a kitten, trans shifts smooth, easily and no grinding at all. Fully loaded LS. Even came with remote FOBs, original window sticker etc etc.... Only downside is it does have 166k miles I figure it must be the early 98 because it does have a clock, cubby on the left side by the clutch pedal and the window buttons. Here's some pics of the buttons / clock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrApple Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Only downside is it does have 166k miles just broken in .... it will be fine if it was taken care of and you take care of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Ford Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Yes that is definately the early 98 window buttons. Good find. How about more pics? AF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firehawk618 Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 Yes that is definately the early 98 window buttons. Good find. How about more pics? AF Will do. The interior is filthy dirty but i'm sure it'll clean up nice. It just got done dumping snow so the car is completely covered. I'll get more pics later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkctdwn Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I figure it must be the early 98 because it does have a clock, cubby on the left side by the clutch pedal and the window buttons. Here's some pics of the buttons / clock. I have early and a late The cubby on the left is in both Your pics do look like my early I have heard of differences between assemble plant in Mexico vs Missouri but not sure if anywhere in the interior. Ah the ole "Forgetter" I bought the late 98 for a back up 2 years ago but it hasn't been licensed or titled yet only has 43k. This early forced retirement 9 years ago and a job offer that fell thru two years ago, no reason to put it on the road. Jobs even part time for ORF are non-existent in Ohio especially this my area. Two Walmart's in the area but the folks working their are in much direr straits than I have more applicants than I can imagine . Hope yours doesn't have the fuel filler pipe the supplier had quality control problems, or something like that? My early has the ole trouble filling the gas tank where the pump nozzle keeps tripping. Dealer can run an Oasis to see what TSB's have been done. But if it's past 10 years after the original warrant start your on your own. I never did get mine fixed because the original problem was thought to be the plastic flapper at the end that goes into the tank and another way too long a story to bother. I use to unstick it, (another almost as long how to) but in the last few years its not the flapper but the filler pipe not letting the air out of the tank or maybe one of the valves on top of the tank sticking or ????? It's only intermittent thank goodness!!!! It's the product of EPA's evaporative requirement and the car makers bean counters over active pencils! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkctdwn Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Looking at a 98 mystique, 2.5, 5 speed 1 owner car. Just wondering how can you tell an early from late 98 if the production date on the door is worn down and can't be read? Thanks. Here ya go XXXX insert name I forgot Jeeze your Mistake was built 10-13-97 and it had the fuel filler pipe replaced at 5600 miles interesting that was way before mine even started to act up. I didn't ask about the anything else that was the most costly of all the aggravations. The ATX was another but AH thats right this is a MTX never mind! whew! I take it this car has lived in the State of Washington? How about road salt -issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firehawk618 Posted February 21, 2008 Author Share Posted February 21, 2008 Here ya go XXXX insert name I forgot Jeeze your Mistake was built 10-13-97 and it had the fuel filler pipe replaced at 5600 miles interesting that was way before mine even started to act up. I didn't ask about the anything else that was the most costly of all the aggravations. The ATX was another but AH thats right this is a MTX never mind! whew! I take it this car has lived in the State of Washington? How about road salt -issue? Hey thanks for the info.... assuming you ran the vin from the window sticker I posted here somewhere? I kinda suspected the fuel filler might have been replaced because fillup is no problem. Different story for my 95 Yeah this is a lifetime washington state car. On the west side of the mountains we hardly ever get snow and when we do get a few flakes everyone goes crazy. I don't believe they use salt here I do know they use some kind of anti icing chemical but not sure if salt is in the mix. The undercarriage and body of the car is completely rust free! My 95 came from tenessee or something like that and the underside is rusty crusty... at least every single bolt that i've had to remove on it was but the body and floorpan looks good. Is there a detailed list or printout I can get about my 98 showing all work the dealer might have preformed....such as trans replacment or stuff like that? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KAOS_2.5M Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 woa, that was awsome, how did you just know all that about his car? can you do mine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkctdwn Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 woa, that was awsome, how did you just know all that about his car? can you do mine? I talked real nice to the gal at dealership my cousins repair shop gets its parts from. It's called Oasis. Called your local dealer ask if they would run an Oasis? Give then VIN Just happened I had to called this place yesterday and there Oasis was online for a change. It maybe a requirement not sure for recalls, TSB and warranty type stuff has been done or not. Supposedly I could not sell my Mystique because I didn't have the Front spring guard put on to keep the spring puncturing the tire when it broke. What ever that safety recall was called. Which was dumb why not just replace the spring which I did when I replaced the struts. But I don't plan on selling it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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