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DandeeLioness

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Life got waaaay too busy for me to sit down and write up my 30 day review as I’d originally intended — but better late than never!

I’ve now had B.B. for nearly two months. In the first month alone, as anticipated, I not only passed the break-in period with ease but doubled it by hitting my first 2,000 miles. My daily commute is roughly 10-15 miles both ways so…yeaaaah there was a decent amount of extra cruising for the sake of bonding with her! 😂

Now that she’s had her PPF, Ceramic coating, Rokblokz, and window tint installed, here are some pretty photos I took today:

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I’m gonna post a few lists below since it’s easier to organize my thoughts this way and potentially easier to read! And some of this could definitely be helpful for new and future Mustang owners to know.


My personal new owner notes and lessons learned:
  • Break-in warning. I absolutely understand the “your car may drive rough during the break-in period” warning now. I couldn’t believe how tight the wheel was to turn and how herky jerky the brakes and gear shifts were initially — holy crap. There were a few instances where I was concerned something was wrong until I read the forums and found stuff like how the engine often needs 10-15 minutes to warm up and transmission may be a lil twitchy in the mean time. Nearly 2500 miles later and she’s definitely adapted to my driving and —just as important, I realized — I’ve learned how the car likes to be driven. And it’s definitely NOT like how I’d drive my old Civic.
  • Insulation. With temps dropping, I’ve noticed she seems really…insulated? I don’t know if that’s just me, but getting in the car at the end of the day or turning off the heat and just sitting there really isn’t that uncomfortable. It almost feels like my body heat or something is better preserved in the cabin…? Not sure why or if anyone else has ever noticed that, but getting into my Civic was like climbing into a freezer lol
  • Audio upgrade. I’m personally enjoying the B&O upgrade. As a non-audiophile, it’s just enough bass and sound to fill the whole car and drown out the world. Definitely better than the 9-speaker system available in the ecoboosts I’d driven previously.
  • V8 VS radio. With that said, my dealer was absolutely right — if I’m driving around town, I’d rather listen to the V8 purr and roar over the radio, but I like having the music option when I’m doing longer highway drives and cruising!
  • Personalization. I didn’t think this would matter to me at all but after reading the manual and playing around with my dash colors, I found I really liked tweaking them to make the car more “personalized” to me. An unexpected but welcome perk! Same with programming/saving my seat seatings, as I’ve let trusted people drive her and it’s nice to be able to put things back to what’s most comfortable just by hitting a button.
  • The seatbelt strap. Full disclosure that I’m a 5’2” girl and must list this as a highlight. I thought I was going to have to buy a seatbelt cover because it initially ran right across my neck real bad no matter how high the seat was. After reading the manual, I discovered that’s what that little magnetic leather strap is for on the side of your seat!! What a lifesaver and nice nod to ladies and shorter drivers in general from Ford. 🥹
  • Gas testing. Fuel efficiency for me has been roughly 270-300 miles per tank. If I’m “less spirited,” it’s higher — more spirited, it’s definitely lowered. I spent a solid week driving her like I used to drive my Civic, no unnecessary cruising (a torturous experience lol), etc. to see how much I could get out of her and it was definitely 300+. And completing a 500+ mile road-trip to Atlanta and only filling up twice was better than I expected for what this car is! But make no mistake, she is 100% still a thirsty b!tch hahaha
  • Smooth as silk. These cars are just so, so smooth. Even the horrid roads of coastal South Carolina feel brand new thanks to the magneride dampers. Now that she’s broken in and we’ve adapted to one another, I can feel my stress melt away as soon as I get in the car and pull out onto the road. I had no idea how much that would help me at the end of a long, 12+ hour day at the office; to turn on all her creature comforts (heated steering wheel, heated seats, normal mode, comfort steering…) and some chill, deep house on the radio and just cruise home….ugh. 🤌 What a welcome surprise bonus to buying this car!!
  • Trunk space. I have a trip planned for next May and was curious if I’d need to rent a car for more storage. I never had to before with my Civic, so I checked the specs of both cars since I know sportscars are notoriously non-spacious (looking real hard at you, Camaro….). My old Civic had 12.5 cubic ft of space and the Mustang has 13.5 cubic ft. Point goes to B.B.!
  • Uncle Ben syndrome lol. A weird one to end on lol but I was initially concerned that people revving at me and trying to race me at lights would trigger my Mario Kart Queen instincts. And yet something odd happened one day when a Jetta full of punks decided to ride my ass and obviously egg me on. With this car, I know I’m fully capable of spanking most that line up with me, so the desire to do so isn’t there? It was a strange mentality shift on my part. When I had my Civic, I always felt like I had something to prove? “With great power comes great responsibility” and if I decide or have to use said power, I know I’ve got it! There’s a level of confidence there that keeps me in check, which I did not expect. Then again, I also did not expect minivans to be the worst offenders in my town when it comes to trying to race me. 🙃

Here’s the work I’ve done to her so far:
  • tinted all glass: Xpel XR+ film 20% rear and sides, 70% “ultra clear” on windshield (it looks like factory tint tbh, which is good since tinting windshields more than 6 inches is illegal here in Georgia and I primarily wanted the UV-blocking effects).
  • Xpel PPF: had her entire front end, front fenders, A-pillars, partial roof, and mirrors done in Xpel Ultimate Plus. I drove all the way to Atlanta to have it done by our state’s #1 installer because why not get the best FOR the best? 😎 Plus, just give me a reason to road-trip this car, please. lol so worth it!
  • Ceramic coating: I just picked her up yesterday after having System X MAX ceramic coating applied. She had been there since Monday and it was a serious struggle every time I opened the garage and she wasn’t there… 😭
  • Rokblokz (mud flaps): the shop that did my ceramic also installed my new Rokblokz as well to help protect her further. Another thanks to @Farkel for the recommendation!
  • License plate: ok this wasn’t work “done to the car” but I sprang for a vanity plate that captures exactly what I said the very first time I took off in a Mustang (and that one was just an ecoboost rental). And yes, I know it’s cliche af but I had to pay homage to the car that started it all!
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What’s next to mod/install:
  • Hyperformance louvered glass quarter windows. I took advantage of their Black Friday sale and can’t wait to have them installed next year after I resuscitate my wallet lol. I’m still trying to find a local shop willing to tint them so now that I have them in-hand, I’m thinking it might be easier to show them in person? Thankfully, I at least have a confident window installer so that won’t be an issue.
  • Kustom Interior seat covers. Another sale I jumped on! Now that I have her back, I’ll be working on installing these to further protect her interior. I have no kids or pets (that are allowed in this car without a crate), so my interiors are always nearly flawless by default. Butts wear down seats, though, so I’m hoping these will help long-term.
  • A special vinyl decal for her rear windshield I’ve been planning for months! I’ll share here once it’s finished and applied.

Noticeable issues:
  • she’s still new so I don’t want to jinx it. But I am overdue for that 2k first oil change that I’m still debating getting, as I’m nervous that weird “typewriter tick” issue will start once I do? I’ve been reading about that and know for a fact that it would drive me NUTS if it happens... 😬
  • I definitely need to swap her tires. I’m starting to understand how “summer only” tires are not ideal with temps dropping; even down here in southern Georgia. I went to make a turn out of a parking lot the other day, accelerated with a little more force than usual (truly, it wasn’t much), and she slid pretty noticeably on the road. I’ve watched enough crowd-killer videos to know what NOT to do, so my foot lifted quick off the gas to straighten her out. Not her fault of course but I’m seeing the value in upgrading her tires to all-seasons soon.

And if I can be mushy and real here just for a second and speak to anyone unsure of owning one of these cars…

I love this car more than anything I’ve ever owned and am definitely an official Mustang Girl now. I’m dead serious and it’s ridiculous, I know lol. I have yet to get tired of seeing her out in the parking lot or chilling in my garage waiting for me. Hearing her start up and drive down the road is amazing and something I’ll also never get tired of. In fact, I had to get a ride home in a Sentra after I dropped her off on Monday and…I couldn’t even tell the car was running!! It was so eerily silent even a we started moving lol. So B.B. has officially ruined what I believe a car should sound like now lol

I’m always tickled when I can catch her reflection in shop windows or the shiny parts of trucks when I drive by, as it’s a reminder I actually pulled the trigger on something I’ve wanted for a while now and knew I wouldn’t regret if I followed through.

And I still don’t. 💙

I’ve said it before but I feel incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to own one of these beautiful cars and experience the V8 engine in all its glory while I still can. I was able to catch a glimpse of what will likely be our eerily silent future today when I stopped for gas and…it just made me love my car even more haha (no hate to EVs, I’m just not ready to embrace them yet):

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I also realized this is the first time in my life that I’ve actually been HAPPY to pay a bill that’s come due! Never thought I’d see that day but it makes sense 😂 I’ll do whatever it takes to keep B.B. in my life indefinitely. Heck, even if I won the lottery, I’d just pay her off and stash enough away to keep her going forever. One day, she’ll be my retired garage queen for sure but until then…we’ve got a lot of road to cover and sights to see.

As an unexpected bonus, she’s also inspired me to create some designs I’d love to have printed for myself for fun someday. Good Mustang merch is surprisingly hard to find, so I thought…why not make my own?? Never thought I’d be drawing “fanart” of my car but here we are LOL

Just figured I’d share some rough concepts below to end this novella of a review, as I know you all would appreciate it more than my non-Mustang friends! 😂

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ajsfirehawk

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Great car and a really nice writeup. Happy to see you are bonding and enjoying it. Party on.
 

skinnyb

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Was a joy to read your review and see you enjoying you new ride, and yours is almost mine's twin other than the wheels... I grin from ear to ear every time I take mine out :) I also concur with most of your evaluation. I too ditched the summer tires a few weeks ago (Pirelli PZero) and got a set of the Michelin Pilot All season 4 tires. Very pricey tires but they handle sooo good. Got them from Discount Tire, couldn't be happier. As for the typwriter tick, I swear by Liquimoly Ceratec. I put a bottle in my F150 with the Gen 3 Coyote every oil change and it was quiet when I traded for the 'Stang with 100k miles. I just did my first change on the Mustang a couple weeks ago at 5k miles and still quiet.
 

MAGS1

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Great write up, glad to you’re enjoying the car! I like the artwork, particularly the S550 silhouette with the headlight in it. Cool stuff!
 

Zrussian13

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The s550 is a great platform. First car I've owned for more than 4 years. Usually I get bored and move on but if the mustang begins to get even remotely boring, I just start a new round of mods. The fun and happiness never ends. Enjoy that sexy beast!
 

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Farkel

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Congrats on the car and the personalization you've done so far. That's got to be the best (and best written) review I've ever seen.
As someone with zero artistic talent, I really envy your artistic skills. I love the "looks like a horse, howls like a coyote" piece. You should copyright that phrase (if it hasn't already been done) and market the artwork.

Happy motoring, and please continue to keep us updated as your adventure progresses.
 

XFactor7889

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As someone with zero artistic talent, I really envy your artistic skills. I love the "looks like a horse, howls like a coyote" piece. You should copyright that phrase (if it hasn't already been done) and market the artwork.
I second this!!
 

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Synergy720

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I’m happy your car is rocking and rolling so nicely. I have over 40k miles racked up on my 2020 (Most are autobahn miles so the car frequented 160kmh a lot). With that said, the car still rides like new. I think Ford really knocked it out of the park with this one. I will say that some plastic rattles in the back (10 inch aftermarket subwoofer in the back). But otherwise, the car rides great, paired with the active exhaust and headers, it’s a freaking godsend when I wanna let it rip.
 
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DandeeLioness

DandeeLioness

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Great car and a really nice writeup. Happy to see you are bonding and enjoying it. Party on.
Thank you so much, I’m glad folks enjoyed it as I know I can be pretty verbose when covering topics I’m passionate about so I wasn’t sure anyone would really read all this! lol

But yes I’m loving this car so much and cannot wait to get her into the mountains next year for even more bonding experience 💙
 
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DandeeLioness

DandeeLioness

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Was a joy to read your review and see you enjoying you new ride, and yours is almost mine's twin other than the wheels... I grin from ear to ear every time I take mine out :) I also concur with most of your evaluation. I too ditched the summer tires a few weeks ago (Pirelli PZero) and got a set of the Michelin Pilot All season 4 tires. Very pricey tires but they handle sooo good. Got them from Discount Tire, couldn't be happier. As for the typwriter tick, I swear by Liquimoly Ceratec. I put a bottle in my F150 with the Gen 3 Coyote every oil change and it was quiet when I traded for the 'Stang with 100k miles. I just did my first change on the Mustang a couple weeks ago at 5k miles and still quiet.
It means a lot that folks took the time to read all this! I know I can be super wordy so I’m happy it was enjoyable. 💙

You’re the second person I’ve seen recommend the Michelin Pilot AS4’s so I will absolutely be adding them to my list and saving up next year. Discount tire has been my go-to as well so that’s great! After that slip the other day I’m convinced this will be a game changer for sure in my driving experience with her. I’m just hoping those tires will handle light track driving as well for my HPDE courses I hope to take.

And out of curiosity, what do I do with the old tires…? Do people normally keep them? They’ll probably have less than 10k miles so I’ve wondered if I’d ever bother to swap them out or if people normally just have them disposed of?

And thank you for the oil additive recommendation as well! I’ve been so scared to potentially add an obnoxious cabin sound so I’ll definitely have to pick up a bottle. 👍
 
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DandeeLioness

DandeeLioness

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Great write up, glad to you’re enjoying the car! I like the artwork, particularly the S550 silhouette with the headlight in it. Cool stuff!
Thanks Mags! 💙 I’ll definitely be sharing more of the final artwork since it’s been well-received and I know you all would appreciate it more than most of my online social circles lol.

And if I end up having anything made (keychains or stickers of something) I’ll probably offer them here if I have any extras to share. Spread the S550 love and all haha!
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