RevvdMedia
Well-Known Member
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- #1
I think the time has come to move on from the Mustang. I've been sitting on the fence about this a lot over the last couple weeks. There are a variety of reasons I want to move on; here are the cons and pros of the Mustang:
Cons:
-Build quality is poor, it's turning into a rattle trap like my old Cobalt SS and no amount of felt, dynamat, new clips and securing anything seems to be fixing it. I've had EVERY panel out and tried to pad and isolate every one. It's a losing battle by the day.
- Beyond the issues about, build quality extends to other parts of the car. I almost never use the trunk anymore because it rubs the paint off on the seal near the window and where the trunk meets the bumper. Adjusting the latch and bump stops hasn't helped, I've sprayed the inner trunk to clear plastidip to help stop this. I have some kind of pop in the rear end I don't want to fix now (probably minor though). I don't use the A/C much except the hottest days due to Evaporator core failure concerns. There's likely more things I'm forgetting that bug me with this car.
- Power isn't that usable in the city. I find I can only have fun in first gear, then I'm speeding. With the higher HP available higher in the rev range, it's not easily usable in traffic.
- I drive this car all year, even in snowy winter. It gets by, but isn't great even on really good winter tires.
- The transmission really does suck. It's especially bad when cold, but I've never had so many DD issues with a manual in my life (owned 7). The short throw level helped a little, but it's still not great.
- I spend more time concerning myself on the quality of the car rather than enjoying driving it. I'm concerned something expensive will go wrong in the next year or so.
- The leather is so sensitive I feel like I need to baby it all the time.
- I can't stop modding it....lol - but my mods haven't done much negatively to the drivability or quality.
- The novelty has worn off DD this car, it would be more fun as a weekend and track car.
- 3yr/36K warranty is up now. If it breaks, I buy it.
Pros:
- It's paid off in 20 months
- It is fun when you push it
- I'm faster in my Mustang than my buddy in his new Camaro SS, lol
- The interior LOOKS nice
- It's definitely sporty and I like the way it looks
- I still prefer manual over automatic.
So the end game seems to be I want something with better build quality. I don't need all the bells and whistles, but will take them if included. AWD would be really nice to have again since we see 6 months of crap roads a year. I've driven all drivetrain layouts and AWD is a nice one for winter, albeit not necessary.
Much to the dismay of this forum, I think I've shortlisted the Kia Stinger. Why? Power wise, it is as quick or quicker in city driving due to traction limitations even on warm days. All models in Canada are AWD. It has more features than I need, and hopefully the HK 15 speaker stereo is good enough that I don't need to rip panels off and change the stereo! To top it off, will be quicker than the Mustang for less money with simple mods, the only next step I'd have with mine is a more aggressive tune and intake manifold, etc - gets costly. What do I lose? Manual transmission, but there are some days in stop and go traffic that I don't enjoy manual. I lose the 2 door profile, but I do like the looks of the Stinger, personally. I lose the V8 soundtrack, but I do like the way the 3.3T sounds with exhaust, reminiscent of the Nissan VQ and Toyota V6s, plus the turbo noises sound cool with open intakes.
Above all else, I have the expectation that since Kia is trying to use the Stinger as a means to "upscale" the brand, I expect that I can go in with every creak and rattle and expect it to be fixed. Further to that end, I owned a Kia Sportage for 3-1/2 years and it was pretty well built, I had very few unpleasant noises, much less than the Mustang. The family has owned many Hyundais also with few to no issues, including interior build.
For those who want to ask, I did explore "premium" options such as Audi, BMW, etc. Where the Stinger comes up expensive in the USA - a "slight" value proposition, an equally optioned car in Canada with the same performance comes up much higher. Our MSRP in Canada is similar to a fully optioned USA model - not considering our terrible exchange, which makes the Stinger more of a bargain.
TL;DR: Mustang has become a rattle trap, questionable reliability with little warranty coverage left, and less enjoyable to own and drive. Kia Stinger is the best value proposition I can find, with 5 year warranty and a seemingly good initial build quality built on a "premium" moniker that I expect Kia to uphold.
Any thoughts? Other than the Kia hate around these boards lol.
Cons:
-Build quality is poor, it's turning into a rattle trap like my old Cobalt SS and no amount of felt, dynamat, new clips and securing anything seems to be fixing it. I've had EVERY panel out and tried to pad and isolate every one. It's a losing battle by the day.
- Beyond the issues about, build quality extends to other parts of the car. I almost never use the trunk anymore because it rubs the paint off on the seal near the window and where the trunk meets the bumper. Adjusting the latch and bump stops hasn't helped, I've sprayed the inner trunk to clear plastidip to help stop this. I have some kind of pop in the rear end I don't want to fix now (probably minor though). I don't use the A/C much except the hottest days due to Evaporator core failure concerns. There's likely more things I'm forgetting that bug me with this car.
- Power isn't that usable in the city. I find I can only have fun in first gear, then I'm speeding. With the higher HP available higher in the rev range, it's not easily usable in traffic.
- I drive this car all year, even in snowy winter. It gets by, but isn't great even on really good winter tires.
- The transmission really does suck. It's especially bad when cold, but I've never had so many DD issues with a manual in my life (owned 7). The short throw level helped a little, but it's still not great.
- I spend more time concerning myself on the quality of the car rather than enjoying driving it. I'm concerned something expensive will go wrong in the next year or so.
- The leather is so sensitive I feel like I need to baby it all the time.
- I can't stop modding it....lol - but my mods haven't done much negatively to the drivability or quality.
- The novelty has worn off DD this car, it would be more fun as a weekend and track car.
- 3yr/36K warranty is up now. If it breaks, I buy it.
Pros:
- It's paid off in 20 months
- It is fun when you push it
- I'm faster in my Mustang than my buddy in his new Camaro SS, lol
- The interior LOOKS nice
- It's definitely sporty and I like the way it looks
- I still prefer manual over automatic.
So the end game seems to be I want something with better build quality. I don't need all the bells and whistles, but will take them if included. AWD would be really nice to have again since we see 6 months of crap roads a year. I've driven all drivetrain layouts and AWD is a nice one for winter, albeit not necessary.
Much to the dismay of this forum, I think I've shortlisted the Kia Stinger. Why? Power wise, it is as quick or quicker in city driving due to traction limitations even on warm days. All models in Canada are AWD. It has more features than I need, and hopefully the HK 15 speaker stereo is good enough that I don't need to rip panels off and change the stereo! To top it off, will be quicker than the Mustang for less money with simple mods, the only next step I'd have with mine is a more aggressive tune and intake manifold, etc - gets costly. What do I lose? Manual transmission, but there are some days in stop and go traffic that I don't enjoy manual. I lose the 2 door profile, but I do like the looks of the Stinger, personally. I lose the V8 soundtrack, but I do like the way the 3.3T sounds with exhaust, reminiscent of the Nissan VQ and Toyota V6s, plus the turbo noises sound cool with open intakes.
Above all else, I have the expectation that since Kia is trying to use the Stinger as a means to "upscale" the brand, I expect that I can go in with every creak and rattle and expect it to be fixed. Further to that end, I owned a Kia Sportage for 3-1/2 years and it was pretty well built, I had very few unpleasant noises, much less than the Mustang. The family has owned many Hyundais also with few to no issues, including interior build.
For those who want to ask, I did explore "premium" options such as Audi, BMW, etc. Where the Stinger comes up expensive in the USA - a "slight" value proposition, an equally optioned car in Canada with the same performance comes up much higher. Our MSRP in Canada is similar to a fully optioned USA model - not considering our terrible exchange, which makes the Stinger more of a bargain.
TL;DR: Mustang has become a rattle trap, questionable reliability with little warranty coverage left, and less enjoyable to own and drive. Kia Stinger is the best value proposition I can find, with 5 year warranty and a seemingly good initial build quality built on a "premium" moniker that I expect Kia to uphold.
Any thoughts? Other than the Kia hate around these boards lol.
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