5.0 vs 6.4?

[GordonGekko]

Let's say you had an Ecoboost which you love for daily driving and were looking for a second car - a weekend car - of the V8 variety.

base GT non PP or R/T?
base GTPP or Scat Pack?
GTPP premium or SRT 392?

Apples and oranges you might say, and I understand the opinions here will generally side with the Mustang, but I'm curious of what you would do in a hypothetical situation where you already owned an S550.

Mustang all the way, or diversify?

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[mustang_guy]

I like the scat pack but in my opinion its over priced. Same for the srt. Id go 5.0 if you want to mod. If you want a nice, faster car but are alright with the price the srt or scat pack are worth considering if you just want a stock car.

I wouldnt entertain an R/T over a 5.0 any day.

 

[Spectre]

I'm struggling with a similar dilemma myself, I already have one dedicated sports car, but I also want to get my hands on a V8 before the governments and hippies of the world conspire to get rid of them. For me the decision is between an SRT 392 and either a GT350 or a Mustang GT (that might sound weird but I still like the "regular" S550 a lot). I think they all have their strengths, and if I didn't have the Boxster already, that might give the Mustang twins (as the sportier of the options) the edge vs the Dodge (as the brawny cruiser selection).

OP, I think part of what you need to do is ask yourself what you prioritize more (i.e. cruising or handling? Hauling adults/teens in the back versus no one at all? These, among many other possible ways to differentiate the two for you).

Either way, good luck with your choice, they are both great vehicles. God knows I'm still struggling to decide.

 

[GordonGekko]

Planning on keeping it stock and I would prioritize cruising over handling. I don't plan on tracking it more than once or twice a year. I just realized this comparison should really be between the scat pack and the SRT, not the regular R/T.

I doubt V8s would disappear anytime soon in these types of cars...maybe for the F150 though.

 

[ridenfish39]

I just drove my buddies srt challenger and I have to say it's a really nice car. Now, I have a base gt with pp so comparing interiors isn't really fair. But, the challenger had one damn fine interior. I liked the shorter travel clutch too. It was big, but it handled surprisingly well. It had a really touchy throttle even though his was stock. It honestly felt no faster than my car. Mine has an intake and really light wheels, but it's not tuned. For a cruiser it would be an awesome car. I'd wait a bit to see what Chrysler is gonna do, the challengers are an old body style and are due for a redesign. That motor in a car that's 400 lbs lighter would be insane.

 

[Spectre]

Planning on keeping it stock and I would prioritize cruising over handling. I don't plan on tracking it more than once or twice a year. I just realized this comparison should really be between the scat pack and the SRT, not the regular R/T.

I doubt V8s would disappear anytime soon in these types of cars...maybe for the F150 though.

I just drove my buddies srt challenger and I have to say it's a really nice car. Now, I have a base gt with pp so comparing interiors isn't really fair. But, the challenger had one damn fine interior. I liked the shorter travel clutch too. It was big, but it handled surprisingly well. It had a really touchy throttle even though his was stock. It honestly felt no faster than my car. Mine has an intake and really light wheels, but it's not tuned. For a cruiser it would be an awesome car. I'd wait a bit to see what Chrysler is gonna do, the challengers are an old body style and are due for a redesign. That motor in a car that's 400 lbs lighter would be insane.

I can't speak to what Ford will do, but it's virtually a guarantee that when the current generation of Challenger/Charger finish with the 2018 model years, the new car will not have a V8. FCA are completely behind the eight ball when it comes to the new CAFE regs (not to mention that the "F" in FCA has to comply with the much tougher EU regs). Unlike Ford, FCA has done nothing thus far to offset the MPG and CO2 targets of their cars (don't shoot the messenger on this one). Plus their profit margins are the smallest of the big three in North America, and they likely everything going forward will be based off the new Alfa platform.

My 0.02, if you want a Challenger, don't get your hopes up of a next gen V8.

 

[Taneras]

Apples and oranges you might say...

I would say. The SRT is on par with the GT350, in fact the GT350 is a little cheaper.

Your comparisons, as far as price goes, is a bit off.

 

[ridenfish39]

If I had a choice between all the cars available in the 50k range it would be a GT350 hands down, especially for a weekend cruiser.

 

[Spectre]

If I had a choice between all the cars available in the 50k range it would be a GT350 hands down, especially for a weekend cruiser.

Just curious, but if you want a cruiser, why go with the car with the high winding engine and smaller dimensions? Wouldn't the roomier car with lazier engine be more fitting? It doesn't really matter, what ever floats your boat, but it just seems like getting a GT350 for cruising is like having a date with lingerie model and only going so far as to hold hands.

 

[ridenfish39]

Just curious, but if you want a cruiser, why go with the car with the high winding engine and smaller dimensions? Wouldn't the roomier car with lazier engine be more fitting? It doesn't really matter, what ever floats your boat, but it just seems like getting a GT350 for cruising is like having a date with lingerie model and only going so far as to hold hands.

I said if "I" had a choice. . I'm too poor and cheap to buy a 50 plus k car, especially for a toy. As a cruiser I think the SRT is a better choice. But I like racier cars, that's why I got a base gt with the pp.

 

[GordonGekko]

Lots of good feedback here!

If the next Challenger will not be offered with a V8 then that would be an unfortunate end to this golden era of American sports cars.

As far as the interiors go, I agree that the Challenger has a nice interior. But so does the Mustang. In fact, the interior alone ruled out the Camaro for me. We don't need to turn this into a "Camaro sucks" thread, and although its performance might be superior the styling is not for me.

Pre-negotiation the SRT is offered below MSRP and the GT350 is offered 20k above MSRP. I would love a base GT350 below MSRP but as it is we're looking at the Hellcat/Corvette price point. A discussion for another day and another budget.

 

[Clump]

My DD was a Fusion, otherwise I was in the same place as the OP - looking for a "fun" car.

The only Mustang that was on my radar was the GT350. The chances of getting 1 at MSRP, never mind below killed that, but it did get me looking closer at the S550 in general.

I was looking at Scat Pak and SRT Challengers, C7 Vettes and used C6 Z06 Vettes. All great cars, but pricey. It doesn't take much to get a Scat Pak sticker to $50K, SRTs are there to begin with and C7s base is $55K. I wanted a cream puff in a used Vette and found a few, but again, pricey. I looked at a 2007 base C6 that was very nice and the guy wanted more than I paid for my GT.

So I ended up with a base GT with Performance Pack. Quite simply it was maximum bang for the buck. I smile every time I look at it and grin like an idiot when I drive it. I'm incredibly happy with my choice. I could have afforded the others, but my GT makes me really happy. I put a Steeda axle-back on it and got the perfect (for me) sound. A few other minor mods. I'd like a better stereo and bigger screen, just waiting for some better solutions for that.

Everybody's different, but to me you won't find a better bang for your buck in a fun car.:ford:

 

[Taneras]

Pre-negotiation the SRT is offered below MSRP and the GT350 is offered 20k above MSRP.

Shop around for sure, here is a poll from the GT350 section on what our members have paid for theirs.

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=357

Almost 60% paid MSRP or less.

Only 7% paid MSRP+10k. I'd imagine it'd drop below 2 or 3% that paid MSRP+20k. You gotta be willing to do some legwork to find a good deal. My last two mustang's I bought were out of state purchase. It was a PITA but beating local dealers by 3-4k made it worth it.

 

[Hack]

Let's say you had an Ecoboost which you love for daily driving and were looking for a second car - a weekend car - of the V8 variety.

base GT non PP or R/T?
base GTPP or Scat Pack?
GTPP premium or SRT 392?

Apples and oranges you might say, and I understand the opinions here will generally side with the Mustang, but I'm curious of what you would do in a hypothetical situation where you already owned an S550.

Mustang all the way, or diversify?

I would sell the EB first and then daily drive the V8 car. And I would buy a Mustang because it seems to me you get more for your money. I'm one of those that will only buy manual, so the great reputation of the automatic in the Dodges doesn't sway me. I also think the Mustang is bigger and heavier than I would prefer, so even though the Challenger is nice, it's just too big for me.

If I had enough money to own a GT and buy a second even better car as a weekend car, it would probably be a used GT3. It's the right size car for sporty driving. Too bad the price is so sky high and the power is a little low. However, if I owned a GT3 I would probably drive it every day that the weather was suitable and stop driving the GT.

 

[GordonGekko]

I would love to daily drive a GT350 or SRT but around here I have to deal with potholes, potential vandalism/theft, traffic, more potholes, tight parking spaces and winter. I've thought about trading it in but the EB non-PP is such a good compromise - fun enough, but I won't have a meltdown if something gets scratched. And I'm not even factoring in insurance & gas costs. Maybe I just need to change my mindset. I wouldn't call this a struggle...decisions like this are all part of the fun.

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