Opinion on Mustang GTs?

[lazs2]

Another thing about the Mustang.. you actually sit upright with a good view of the world.  depends on what you want.   If you want a fast car that is cheaply customizable and bulletproof plus a ton of fun and very reliable... the Mustang is hard to beat.  Rear wheel drive is a must for "real driving".  

also... A mustang looks like... a Mustang...  all the other cars mentioned look like..... all the other cars.. some have wings tho (snicker).
lazs

[boxboy28]

Originally posted by funkedup
Just say no.  Friends don't let friends do Detroit iron.

Hey now dont be trash talk Mo town!

But i agree nix the stang idea.

But i do have a friend who has one of the 25th anniversary models  hes got that thing so supted up it kill 95%5 of any thing around!  (racing chip, head, manifold, racing suspentions and cross welding braceing , new trany)  the thing is seriously fast.
One good thing about the stangs is theres a large aftermarket parts selection.

[GtoRA2]

Go with the stang if you want it, do not base getting it on the subjective advice about Japanese cars being better.

My mom got a 2000 Toyota camery, and it sucks ass. It needs shocks and struts, is under warranty and has less the 20k on it and they WILL NOT COVER it under warranty.

The build quality is no better then my 2002 Chevy Truck and in some cases I would say worse.

My busy has a 99 Toyota Tacoma, I hate it, it is falling apart, it clunks when you step on the gas due to the axle unloading, and it is small inside. My Chevy is a far nicer, more useful truck.

The same guy with the Toyota truck put 275,000 miles on a S10 blazer, and it was a  great car, just needed brakes and a radiator.

Go with what you want, the difference is now all perception, not really that much in quality, and I would put the American cars I have owned or own against anything from the Japanese.

Hell I even have a buddy with a 89 stang, lol 150k on it, and it is on the original clutch! I was floored!

[Saurdaukar]

Originally posted by Frogm4n
get the new Z

Dear God... one more reason not to like you... a Maxima with a pointy hood is NOT a sports car!


Anyway - Mustangs arent bad.  Im not infinately familiar with them throughout the years (was more of a Corvette fan growing up) but I understand the new SVT's are quite the handful.  Older Mustangs of the Cobra variety will go through tires for you pretty quickly, and simple bolt on's free up ponies pretty easily, but I think you need to be a Mustang fan to own one.  If it was my decision and I needed an American sports car, I think Id go with the C5 - yeah maybe you see 1 C5 for every 5 cars on the road, but those other 5 cars are all Mustangs.  

Or you could come to your senses.  There is no substitute.  

[lazs2]

My son works as a mechanic and so knows a lot more about modern iron (plastic) than I do..  he claims that he never sees a Mustang V8 come in with serious mechanical or suspension problems...  the toyotas and BMW's have trtash suspension that is expensive to repair/replace.... most front wheel drive cars he says won't come up to specs on the alignment machine without a lot of expensive work.

A stock mustang handles better than 999 out of 1000 people on this board can drive... a couple of thousand dollars worth of parts pretty much takes care of the remainder.   that is not a factor... most of the "sporty" cars out there work pretty good right from the factory....  When you want to modify em tho... that's when the Mustang realy shines... different exaust... a chip... air cleaner... throttle body ..   instant CHEAP HP... even add a legal huffer for cheap.   and the car will hold up... and... In 5 years, people will want to buy it from you hell, they will be lined up...  unlike some ultra silly looking car with a gimicky friggin wing that shouts... "look at me I'm a dork who saw 'the fast and the furious and don't know any better'"

Mustangs trancend trendy.
lazs

[Montezuma]

Originally posted by Raubvogel
I'm considering buying a new Mustang GT with the 4.6L engine. Has anyone had one for a period of time? I'm interested in reliability, gas mileage, maintenance, etc.

I have a 2000 GT, which is basically the same as the 2003.  

Reliability is OK.  Not as a good as my 1993 5.0 (which was perfect) but still pretty good, only normal things like shocks, struts, and brakes have needed work.

Gas milage is about 20 MPG for me, and that is with a heavier convertible, automatic, and driving like a nut.  It also runs on 87 regular gas, unlike most Japanese sports cars.

Maintenance is normal for a new car.  One neat thing is that cars go 100k without a tune up now.  New 17" Z rated tires are expensive.

The handling is good, and it is one of the cheapest rear-wheel drive cars that you can buy out there.  The main limitation of the mustang's handling is when taking hard corners on bumpy roads, the solid rear axel will tend to 'hop' in those situations.  The solution is to not to take corners at high speed on a road that you don't know.   Driving in bad weather requires patience, but that is true of any powerful RWD car.

Overall it is a good car for the money.  I would suggest trying to find a slightly used 2002 so you don't get so reamed on depreciation, which will happen with every car.

[funkedup]

OMG a sensible and educated response.  

[Ripsnort]

Raub,
I thoroughly test drove the Cobra SVT in summer 2001(very similiar to the GT interior wise), even had a deposit written out for it(Until I test drove a BMW 330) One thing that was especially annoying for a guy 6 ft. tall was the fact that the head liner of the convertible roof or the (B-Pillar?) standard roof rested against the side of my head no matter what upright position I had the seat in. You can expect instant death if T-Boned with a situation like that. (My current ride actually has an airbag in that location to protect your head)

2nd turn off was the fact that the back seat probably should have been eliminated from production since its useless, no one could fit back there, not even a child unless they expect to keep their legs up on the seat length-wise.

Ponies were nice, steering not bad (But not BMW either) however the interior was just too cheesy-plastic if you know what I mean...personal thing I guess.

[funkedup]

FWIW the Cobra has independent rear suspension.  The live axle in the GT and V6 Mustangs is brutal.

[Ripsnort]

Also Raub, reliability the last 3 years for Ford Mustang is outstanding in the "recall dept":

2001

   VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL
   TRANSMISSIONS. IF A VEHICLE IS PARKED WITH THE PARKING BRAKE NOT
   FULLY APPLIED AND NOT IN FIRST GEAR, AS DIRECTED IN THE OWNER
   GUIDE, AND THE SELF ADJUSTMENT PAWL SUBSEQUENTLY SKIPS ONE OR
   TWO TEETH, THE VEHICLE COULD MOVE ON SOME GRADES.
   Consequence:
                               
   THIS COULD RESULT IN UNINTENDED VEHICLE MOVEMENT AND A VEHICLE
   CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
   Remedy:
                               
   DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE PARKING BRAKE CONTROL AND INSTALL A
   PLATE OR OVER-BRACKET TO THE CONTROL TO LOCK THE SELF ADJUST
   MECHANISM IN POSITION FOLLOWING ADJUSTMENT.
   Notes:
                               
   OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 28, 2000. OWNERS WHO TAKE
   THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON
   SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A
   REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673. ALSO
   CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S
   AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

2002
None

2003
None

[TPIguy]

Well its the only pony car left, so if you like ponycars its your only choice. I personally like the late T/A over the mustang, but unless you want used thats not an option.

As said before in this thread mods are pleantiful and relativly cheap. Just about every part of the car can be replaced w/ aftermarket parts.

A solid rear axle isn't a problem if you're used to it. And anyone who complains about ride quality has no business in a ponycar to begin with.

In the end, its the only car of its type still in production. So, you won't find anything else remotly like it.

[funkedup]

Live axle isn't just a comfort problem.  It really screws up handling when there is a bump in a corner.  Probably not a big deal unless you are racing in the Mille Migilia or something.  

[GRUNHERZ]

Originally posted by Ripsnort


2nd turn off was the fact that the back seat probably should have been eliminated from production since its useless, no one could fit back there, not even a child unless they expect to keep their legs up on the seat length-wise.

LOL No kidding, I took mine out - saves weight and now I actully have a useful trunk.

[lazs2]

oops.. forgot about the parking brake.. the damn thing is trash.. even broke mine once.   Worst parking brake and best a/c heater controls around.
lazs

[Skuzzy]

Now Rip,..don't be talking about cheezy plastic stuff.  Your BMW has plastic radiator tanks, a plastic thermostat housing, and a plastic water pump impeller which will deteriorate and/or need replacing at about 50K.

Personally, I would not wait that long to replace them as if any of the above components fail, then you are pretty much looking a replacing the head, as it will crack from the sudden change in temperature and heat.

Although the newer engines (>3.0) seem to have improved the area of the head cracking.