u/Dry-Performer-5269

I’m currently 22 and would be 22–23 when buying my first Mustang. I live in Mexico City and want something that feels sporty and special but is still comfortable enough for city traffic and longer highway trips.
I found a 2017 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Premium automatic for approximately $19,800 USD. It has around 22,400 miles (36,000 km), four driving modes, two-tone leather, 20-inch wheels with new Michelin Pilot Sport tires, the original Shaker audio system, heated and ventilated seats, navigation, a backup camera and rear parking sensors.
The car was recently imported from California into Mexico.
I don’t really mind that it will be almost ten years old. I actually like the S550 design, and my plan would be to keep it mostly stock and only replace or upgrade the infotainment system with a modern wireless Apple CarPlay unit.
Would you consider this a fair price in 2026, assuming the mileage, clean title and import documents are legitimate? How reliable is the 2.3 EcoBoost with the six-speed automatic at this age, and how difficult or expensive should maintenance and replacement parts be over the next five years?
For comparison, I could sell my current car for approximately $11,150 USD, so I would need to add around $8,650 USD before inspection, registration, insurance and initial maintenance. Would this be a sensible first Mustang, or would you wait and spend more on a newer model?

Quick update after my previous post.

I ran into my ex again today, but this time we unexpectedly ended up completely alone in an elevator.
She pressed the 6th floor and I pressed the 5th. The moment she saw me, she put her hand on her chest and looked visibly nervous. When she spoke, she seemed hesitant and her voice was shaky.
She said “Hi” and I gave her a very dry, short “Hi” back. Then she asked, “How have you been?” and I simply answered “Good.” I didn’t ask how she was doing or try to continue the conversation. When we reached the 5th floor, I just walked out without saying goodbye while she continued to the 6th.
The interesting part for me was my own reaction. My heart was beating fast and I definitely felt anger, but unlike the last time I unexpectedly saw her, I didn’t feel nauseous or panicked. I genuinely just didn’t want to talk to her. It wasn’t some strategy to make her chase me or get a reaction. After everything that happened between us, especially having personal wounds and vulnerable things I’d shared used against me during conflicts, I simply don’t feel like she should have access to me anymore.
Afterward, while I was walking down, her car happened to be behind me and I noticed she was calling someone. That could obviously be completely unrelated, so I’m not reading into it.
What I’m curious about, especially from people who are avoidant themselves, is what do you think might have been happening internally for her during that elevator interaction?
She knew me as someone who used to want to talk things through, repair things, and maintain the connection. Now she had me alone in an elevator, tried to make a little conversation, and got basically nothing from me beyond basic acknowledgment.
For avoidants: does suddenly realizing that someone who used to be emotionally available to you no longer wants to give you access tend to activate you more? What could you potentially feel in that situation anxiety, rejection, sadness, curiosity, regret, relief, something else?
I’m not assuming she wants me back or that her reaction means anything specific. Nobody can know what’s actually in her head. I’m just curious about the avoidant perspective on an interaction like this as i have anxious attachment.

Yesterday, I unexpectedly saw my ex at college as i am a grad student and she is still an undergrad. As soon as she noticed me from a distance, she visibly startled, almost like she had seen a ghost. For a brief moment, I felt some satisfaction knowing that my presence affected her too. Then I realized she was walking with another guy, and everything hit me at once.

My heart started racing, I felt sick to my stomach, and I had to run to the bathroom because I thought I was going to throw up. I eventually went to the parking garage to get away from the situation, but I started hyperventilating and had what I believe was a panic attack.

For context, she was one of the most important people in my life, we dated for 3 years. I loved her more than I loved myself, and for a long time I genuinely believed we would build a life together. I got accepted into her family and had a close relationship with her mother, brother, aunt and cousin which I also loved them dearly . Our relationship had many problems, though. She would often promise that things would change, but her actions rarely matched her words. I kept forgiving, trying harder, and holding on because I believed love meant fighting for the relationship. Eventually, I had to accept that I could not build something healthy by myself.
The breakup left me feeling deeply betrayed and disposable. Since then, I have worked hard to move forward. I deleted intimate pictures, removed reminders of her, wrote and burned a goodbye letter, stopped following her life, and genuinely began feeling excited about a future that did not include her. I thought I had made much more progress than I apparently have.

Seeing her yesterday brought back anger, grief, humiliation, and the feeling of having been replaced. I caught myself comparing myself to the guy and thinking he was a “downgrade,” but I know that was probably my ego trying to protect me from the pain. The truth is that seeing her with someone else made the end of our relationship feel real in a completely different way.
Then last night I dreamed that we were together in a shopping mall when an earthquake happened. In the dream, I immediately went looking for her to make sure she was safe. That disturbed me because, despite all the anger I felt when I saw her, some part of me still instinctively wants to protect the person I once loved.
I do not think I want her back, and logically I know the relationship was not healthy for me. But yesterday made me realize that my body and emotions have not fully caught up with what my mind already understands.
Has anyone else experienced such a strong physical reaction after unexpectedly seeing an ex? How did you finally reach the point where seeing them no longer had power over you?