Considering a Mustang

[BleedingTeal]

I've been lurking in here for a while now, but I need some friendly advise from y'all. That being said, I know where I'm posting this so I'll take the responses with a grain of salt as being slightly biased.

Now, I've been contemplating for about 6 months now selling my current car and picking up a new Mustang GT. But I'm really unsure if it's the wisest idea. I've never had a Pony car and have been mostly a Euro enthusiast prior to now for a long list of reasons which I'll spare you on, though I appreciate all makes of cars. For me the S550 Mustang is just gorgeous. The best looking generation since the original in the 60's. I'm not sprung on the redesign, thus partly why I'm feeling a bit rushed all of a sudden to consider what I'll describe below.

First, a little back story. For the longest time I dreamed of owning the 2004 Volkswagen R32. It's a fantastic car that I truly believe it's going to be a future classic. It's such a perfectly made car on so many levels. I finally bought one right around a year ago, but the longer I have it the more I feel I overpaid for it given it's condition. The original owner didn't really take care of it the way such a rare and sought after car should be. Normal maintenance was done on time, but the roof is riddled with sap marks, both C pillars have clear damage, the timing chains I don't believe were done, both front seats have leather wear which isn't abnormal but the passenger seat is very dried out, and the car was taken off road camping as evidenced by pine needles all over various spots in the car. When I replaced the cabin filter just after buying it, the existing filter was caked in pine needles. Not what I expected when I signed on the dotted line.

With maintenance and some upgrades including paint (which is actually normal for the Tornado Red paint as the clear peels because of being overbaked by VW, and mine has started to in spots) I'm looking at roughly $12k for everything. Having paid $11.5k for it I'm more and more reluctant to dump as much back into the car as I paid for it to bring it back to like new. The project doesn't scare me at all, I just wish I had been the original owner so it could have been properly maintained from day 1. Which brings me back to the Mustang.

One of the driving reasons for me to consider selling my car is it's maybe a 7/10 in condition. I may be grading harsh because I can be picky. There are certainly worse ones on the market, but mine isn't in top shape which bothers me on a level I hadn't anticipated. I make good money and can afford a $500/mo car payment if I did pull the trigger on a Mustang. I guess I'm just looking for some confirmation I'm not completely insane for considering selling what has been my dream car for over a decade and jumping into a pony car that I'd be paying for over 7 years. Any advise, insight, suggestions, or anything else is appreciated.

Thanks everybody.

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[RocketGuy3]

I think the Mustang GT is a great car, though it's certainly not perfect. My only real issues with it are the clutch and the infotainment system (which I think has been significantly improved after 2015). It's a ton of fun, sounds incredible (once you upgrade the exhaust), looks fantastic, is comfortable.... Just a great modern car for the money.

I'm sure you knew all that, though, so I'm not sure what I'm doing here. I guess my main question is, if you love the R32 that much, but you're just not happy with yours, why not just sell it and try to find another one in better shape? Is there a part of you that secretly just really wants an upgrade to a newer, more powerful Mustang?

I'll say that as someone who recently gave up on a childhood dream of buying a Corvette when an opportunity for a Cayman GT4 came along... I do think about it once in a while, wondering if I betrayed a part of myself, heh, as silly as it is. But you get over it quickly if you found the right car.

 

[El Diablo]

Get the Stang. It will be brand new. You can take care of it how you want.

Looks that kill, iconic, 435HP... Need I say more

 

[Speedwagon]

DONT DO IT!!!! Just kidding... Hahaha

 

[stang-man]

My last car was a focus ST. A lot closer to a 2004 Volkswagen R32 than a stang.
The mustang feels and is heavier. You cannot "throw" the mustang into the corner like you can the focus.
The mustang definitely under steers.
With all that I still prefer the rear wheel drive V8.

Do your self a favor a go rent one for the weekend.
After that you will know one way or the other.
If you don't like the stang, check out the Focus RS... its a rocket ship!!!

 

[JohnDoe]

If this is the only car you're seriously contemplating then you might as well get it. YOLO

 

[Maggneto]

I drove VW group cars from VW, Audi and Porsche for the past 20 years and can tell you from experience that dumping money into old German cars is waste of money, unless it is an older 911. You would be much better off financially either keeping the R32 as a second car and seeing where the prices go or selling it to another enthusiast and buying a new car. I do regret not keeping some of the older German cars as second vehicle but I have no regrets switching to the Mustang.

 

[Chad11491]

as biased as it is, I say mustang as well. I understand the whole lightweight thing, coming from a 280z->944->BRZ. I loved that feeling. But i've always wanted a v8 mustang, so I bought one. Like previously said, stock it feels heavy, floaty, can't really throw it around without big understeer. Switching to a square setup (275's) and the BMR CB005 as well as Steeda shocks and struts has made this car feel like a sports car. With the mustang and less than 2k in mods you can have your cake and eat it too. It no longer understeers, it sounds effing awesome, it dives in the corners and feels just as good as my old lightweight sports cars, but with great power to back up the handling.

TLDR, the mustang is an incredible platform you can do anything with, with one of, if not THE largest aftermarket of any car. You can't go wrong with one.

 

[MRGTX]

I hear you on your enthusiasm for the R32...while I'm done with Euro car maintenance costs, etc...I fully admit that VW makes a couple of products that are more than worth the trouble. Amazing driving dynamics and tons of fun. The R32 is a rocket too.

That said, the Mustang GT is (and has been) the undisputed champion for performance:dollar. Nothing can touch it for the money.

It's going to be a different brand of fun from what you're used to. Calling it a pony car loses something of the original meaning since the S550 weighs as much or more than most of the mid-sized muscle cars of the 60s. This is a full-fledged muscle car experience...with modern handling.

I'd suggest that you keep in mind that even the Performance Pack GTs leave a ton on the table in terms of handling performance. The S550 suspension is by all accounts, damned good and they drive well in stock form but with the right shocks/springs/etc, these cars are formidable handling machines.

If you haven't driven one, you should drop everything and go visit your local dealer before you make any decisions. See if they might have a used 2015 optioned the way you might want it. In my experience, these cars are significantly quicker once they're broken in...so one with 30k on the clock would probably give you a better sense of how they drive than one that just rolled off of the transport.

I hope I'm wrong on this but the V8 is likely a dying breed, soon to be replaced by turbo/smaller engines and electric propulsion. Even when these cars are long out-dated for performance, they will still offer an amazing driving experience that can't be replicated with fewer than 8 pistons. In that sense, they're future-proof in a way that some other performance car categories might not be...but that's just my hunch. ;)


Good luck

 

[Ground Speed]

Looks that kill, iconic, 435HP... Need I say more

Post of the day. :cheers:

 

[wireeater]

I've owned mine since the end of June. It was my first Mustang. I came from Subaru background. I will tell you that nothing about this car has disappointed me. With a few mods you will be quicker than most (stock-production) cars on the road. It doesn't take a lot of money to get power out of the car, or handling.

I honestly feel like the Mustang is one of the hottest coupes available on the market. The looks are just right on pretty much every angle. When you follow the curves with your eyes it just seamlessly flows.

The only issue with the S550 that I can think of is the body panel alignments. They aren't perfect and eventually it seems they tend to get out of wack. Taking mine in Thursday to get them to adjust the rear bumper.

I already have 13k miles on mine so I definitely have put some time into it, although a fair amount of those are just highway miles. I have done several mountains cruises and drag strip runs with the car and it just provides endless amounts of smiles. From the sounds, to the way it handles, it's a great bang for your buck.

 

[Hashbrownn]

In 2003, my dream car was a VW Passat W8. I bought one fully loaded. I still have this car with only 45k miles on it.
In 2016, my dream car was a 2016 Mustang GT. I bought one fully loaded.
What I'm trying to say is that dream cars change as time goes. in 2003 the VW was a great car!! However, in 2017, the tech in the car is well.. 15 years old!! There are better cars out there, so I bought the Mustang. I'm taking my VW to get scrapped/crushed this month. She won't be missed...
My only concern for you is that you're coming from a little hatchback to a full-size 2door coupe. The weight and the size of the car may not be to your liking.
Do go test drive one for a extended time. You can decide after experiencing the 5.0.

 

[tom_sprecher]

Get the Stang. It will be brand new. You can take care of it how you want.

Looks that kill, iconic, 435HP... Need I say more

Post of the day. :cheers:

+1, and if you can afford it get the Premium and PP in whatever color you like.

 

[Gigantor]

You just can't go wrong with the 5.0 Stang

 

[moto111]

I've literally traded my car in every year for the past 5 years terrible I know . But I alway come back to a mustang . It's just a car if I see it I wish I had it. It's truly a special car that you bond with . Hell I spend 2 weeks deciding stick or auto and 5 test drives haha I just ordered a 17 gt auto grabber blue just do it lol

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