Greetings - I haven't posted in some time, especially after selling my 360 Spider manual transmission years ago. I've regretted that sale, even though at the time it was the right decision. Since then I've tried to find a replacement for the Spider, but with prices rising dramatically, and manual transmissions getting rarer and rarer, I considered Porsche. After a few weeks of serious searching I decided against a near mint 2015 911, black/black, manual and almost no options. The price was reasonable, but it was still more than I wanted to spend. I looked at a Cayman and a Boxster, and came to the same conclusion - reasonable prices by Porsche standards, but still more than I wanted to spend. I just about gave up, but a close friend bought a Shelby GT350 and couldn't stop talking about it. He's an excellent driver, and tracks his cars often. In that context the Shelby did all he wanted and more. He told me to go take a look, but again the price stopped me from pulling the trigger. The dealer told me to look at the Mustang GT - which was being heavily discounted as the new 2018 model is coming out very soon. I took the car for a ride, and liked it. Lots of torque, especially on the low end, and the "American Muscle" sound and feel. The car was also a remarkable value - less than half the price of the Shelby including taxes and fees. So, I bought it. I can't say it's a Ferrari, even if it does have a "horse" in the logo. It's also not a Porsche. But for me it works. I can put the grandkids in the back seats, and since I only drive it occasionally I don't feel guilty keeping it in the garage without a lot of use on a daily basis. I'm not suggesting that it's "the car" for anyone else, but if you're looking for a fun high torque toy with a modest back seat, at a cost that's in line with a Miata, take a look. You may be surprised - I was.
Congrats. I have a 2015 GT Premium with the performance pack. It's a fun car. It has some faults, but for the price, I like it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for the replies. Gran - from my perspective the faults are subjective: (1) materials are "lower end" versus premium; (2) line of sight - the long front hood is a very different view versus a Ferrari/Porsche. With the long hood you don't have the ability to put the car exactly where you want in a turn (at least I don't - I'm "height challenged" and don't see the road surface right in front of the car; (3) weight - the car is heavy, and you feel that weight when driving aggressively. On the other hand, for everyday use the weight is an advantage - less motion in the car, a less jittery more comfortable ride. My car is used for everyday driving, not very much for track use. Given that the faults are very acceptable. The upside is pretty good too: (1) Lots of torque - I've always appreciated torque - my wife drives a BMW 335 diesel - torque everywhere. In normal driving the torque is wonderful. The Mustang has 400 lbs TQ, 435HP. Compared to the Ferrari the HP/TQ come on much lower in the rev range - makes everyday driving more responsive; (2) Upkeep - it's a Ford, costs very little to service, and if something major happens it's not expensive. Also, Ford had several Power Pack options for the car. You can upgrade throttle feel and both HP/TQ output with the upgrades at minimal cost ($500-$1000). The big change is that the power packs remove the ability to use regular gas in the car, forcing a higher octane premium fuel. That change allows the Ford engineers to maximize power output using the higher octane fuel. HP/TQ gains are 4-12% versus stock, with the highest gains at high RPMs for track use (that upgrade is $3K, but includes a new manifold as well); (3) Naturally aspirated engine - I agree that the new turbo Ferrari engines are wonderful power generators, and with a nearly flat torque curve they are truly magnificent, BUT I'm old school and believe that a proper sports car has three pedals on the floor and a naturally aspirated engine. Ferrari doesn't have that any longer, nor does Porsche. I'm not arguing that a F1/PDK transmission coupled with a turbo driven engine isn't a fine RACING tool, but my track time is only a fraction of my total ownership time. I bought my 360 spider with a manual because I want to be involved with the driving experience, including trying to master the shift gate. Yes, I'm slower on the track, but frankly I'm not that great a driver and on a racetrack I'm mid pack, at best. So for me the manual transmission is a great choice. That makes the Mustang even more solid as a toy, at least for me; (4) Sound - there is no denying that the wail of a Ferrari engine is intoxicating. But that sound has always been a "F1" type of sound - high revving, high pitched sound. Nothing at all wrong with it, but "American Muscle" cars have a low end rumble sound, a more base heavy tone. Think of a Harley (not open pipes, just the standard "potato-potato" rumble versus a high revving Ducati). Very different sounds. The Mustang sound resonates through the car, even at modest RPMS. I find it very enjoyable, and not as harsh as the aftermarket Ferrari muffler sounds (which I really hate). Don't get me wrong, some people love that sound, but to me the Tubi/Capristo/etc. exhausts are way too aggressive. I didn't buy a F430 coupe because of the loud and harsh sound of the seller's Tubi exhaust. Compound that sound with the large rear glass area on the F430 and the noise was very uncomfortable for normal driving. All in all, different cars for different uses, but I think the looks of the current model Mustang, combined with a wonderful engine that can be massaged to increase HP/TQ significantly, and attached to a NA engine with a 6 speed manual transmission is hard to beat. My car is a "stripper" - no options except for a spare tire/jack (old school again). Yet it has keyless entry, SYNC/Bluetooth, manual turning knobs to tune the radio/adjust dashboard lighting, a manual parking brake, "line lock" - a feature that locks the rear wheels for burnouts (I don't find that much fun, but many people do), an array of safety equipment and a five star crash rating in every parameter. Combine that with a great color (Magnetic Metallic - a dark gray/black metallic paint combo) and styling, and it's a hard package to beat. Oh, as a final kicker during the "end of season/model change" Ford has lots of incentives on the car. My car listed for just under $35K. Final "out the door" price, including taxes, fees, dealer "doc fees", etc. was UNDER $30K. Hard to beat that deal anywhere. And that's why I bought it.
The 2015 and up GTs are great cars! So many people get caught up in numbers that they fail to see the whole picture. One of the great things about the GTs (particularly the performance pack quipped cars) is, in my opinion, the gearing; having the 3.73 rear end coupled with a 6-speed that doesn't have 1:1 until 5th gear makes the car an absolute BLAST to drive! Plus, Mustangs are fun (and cheap) to modify, if you're in to that sort of thing as well. The 5.0 Coyote loves to rev, and a GT350 intake with a tune and some supporting mods will see the car rev to 8,000 RPMs. Certainly a ton of fun and you really can't beat the price!
1) The interior is lower grade. You can tell its a built to a budget, but to its credit, I find the seats very comfortable even on long drives (drove it from WI to NV). 2) The stock exhaust is ****ty. Really ****ty. 3) I've had a couple of mechanical faults. Mechanical Faults: First, I had an engine issue that took the dealer two weeks to resolve. At idle the engine would randomly lose RPM and struggle not to stall. It did stall on me a good number of times sitting at stop lights of while rolling with the clutch depressed. A bad solenoid valve was determined to be cause of the problem. Second, the puddle lamp on the passenger side mirror has fallen out. It is literally hanging by a cord right now. The internal bracket broke. I haven't had time to take it to the dealer to be replaced yet. Third, the engine stalling issue has returned. It's not happening nearly as frequently as the first time, but it is back and I am not thrilled. While fixing the engine issue the first time, the dealer gouged the **** out of my passenger door, and it took me fighting them to get them to fix it. I believe someone opened the door into a lift post or something (based on the dent/gouge). That's obviously not a fault of the car, but I was rather pissed at how the dealer refused to accept fault. I will have the new issues remedied by a different dealer. Mark
Joker - I feel your pain; sorry you are having problems. I know of someone with a similar problem - the fix was the Idle Air Control Valve. It was defective, but hard to diagnose. Once it was replaced everything has been fine. I respectfully disagree about the exhaust. I kind of like the more "mellow", but not over the top rumble. I noticed though that the 2018 has a three was exhaust option - QUIET, normal, LOUD. There are lots of third party options as well. Again, I'm not saying that the Mustang is "IT", but it has a lot to like, especially that engine (when it runs correctly ->). I run 93 octane ethanol free gas and it seems to really respond to the extra potential in that gas.
I just think the stock exhaust is way too tame. The engine is great and sounds great when allowed to breath, but Ford, IMO, just missed the mark in terms of sound. Mark
Your point is well taken. I used to love the roar of an exhaust at full throttle. Now I'm past the AARP age, and well into cashing my monthly Social Security check. From my perspective it's loud enough. Then again, I've become the neighborhood curmudgeon, so anything loud bothers me! I've become my father....
Any mustang of recent vintage has some quality problems in terms of body fitment. My GT350 rear bumper looked like it was meant for another mustang altogether. Striping is horrible, especially after the dealer does the usual new car clean-up for delivery and swirls the cheap stripe tape. But the cars are a blast to drive and can be modified very easily. Enjoy
