What’s something you wish you Knew when you got your first Mustang??

[Boyd]

Dont run recap bias ply tires on your 12 yr old '67 Fastback, even if you're broke and living on potato soup and saltines.

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[sms2022]

I’m not much older than you. Make sure you factor in the cost of maintenance and save more than you think you’ll need. Also keep it relatively stock - I did the whole heavily modified daily driver thing around your age and it got me fired when my trans went out on the way to a big meeting.

last but not least don’t listen to all the old fogeys telling you to drive like a grandma. Have fun with it but be safe and just don’t race around in traffic or in populated areas.

 

[67go]

Sounds like you have a head on your shoulders. I have trouble with the Mustang sneaking up on me and taking over with the sheriff or trooper right there. At my age of 70 and really 16! at times. Its that damn mustang sound! I'll keep trying not to be a lunatic. Be safe and have fun.

 

[5550snotamerc]

HAHA! Haven’t had any panties or jock straps thrown at me yet, but i’ve definitely been thinking about some cosmetic mods, nothing too Ricey, probably just some front and rear spoiler upgrades to start! Just a few things to kind of personalize it to fit me and my style

Unlike small fwd sedans and hatches, pony cars, especially the eponymous pony car, look very good with graphics and stripes.

 

[Crew4991]

Hello everyone! I’m Jack I’m 21 and I just got my first Mustang!! Since i was like 9 i’ve always loved mustangs and have always dreamed of having one, and now I am lucky enough to make that dream come true!

I Purchased a Used 2016 Ecoboost Premium, with a little over 71,000. Now I want to take great care of this car and make it last for a while. I’m not too experienced with owning a mustang, and I want to keep it well maintained while still having fun with it from time to time.
I’m not irresponsible with how I drive or with how i treat my car, the last car i had was from 1994 and I kept it well maintained and it taught me what i know today about cars but this is a whole different ballpark because I’m driving a car from the modern era.

So far it’s been everything i’ve dreamed it to be and I’m super happy with the car. Is there any advice from long time S550 owners or just long time mustang owners in general, that you would give to someone who just got their first Mustang? What’s something you wish you knew when you got Your First mustang??

Congrats OP, super happy for you!

I wish I had known how much I would actually fall in love with the mustang platform.
Sounds strange I know but I'll explain... the mustang was my first sports car. I daily drove the car and went into the purchase thinking this is "just a ford" that is a little bit more fun so nothing to worry about. Well, since that initial purchase I fell in love with daily driving the car and eventually purchased more higher end sports cars. I wish I had known how much I would appreciate the mustang and fall in love with the platform as I care about it just as much as some of the exotic cars that I own. I feel so connected to the car that there isn't really anything else that I would want to daily drive in rain, snow, sleet or shine!

My advice to you:
- While I am sure money is tight being pretty young, please change the oil regularly, clean your air filters and don't delay necessary maintenance.
- Research the weak points of your ecoboost engine and be on the lookout for those problems to start showing signs of wear. Be proactive if you detect a possible repair.
- Customize the car how you like it. Install some decals, change out the wheels/grille to your taste. Make it a reflection of your personality.

You will get years of enjoyment out of the car if you do these things.

 

[lo-fi]

Not specifically for Mustangs but things I've learned from being a "car" guy.

1. Straight line acceleration gets boring quickly for most people.
2. The addition of raw power and nothing else degrades the fun factor because driving scared and at less than full throttle in twistys is less fun. The old adage of I'd rather drive a slow car fast is 100% true. Obviously doesn't apply if you're a straight line person.
3. Most people ruin or at least degrade their car's handling with bad suspension modifications because of "stance" and not understanding the many nuances that exist within this subject.
4. Tuners are hit and miss, even the good ones, and your experience can vary wildly depending on the phase of the moon. I don't trust tuners, you shouldn't either.
5. If possible, I think it is better to make incremental modifications to your car. One this allows you to experience what each modification really and truly accomplished. Two troubleshooting problems is simpler as less has changed. I realize this gets difficult depending on scope and whether or not you're DIYing.
6. Patience is a virtue. Take your time, do your homework, talk to those that know better, then buy parts.
7. Shops, even good ones, can fail you when diagnostics gets beyond the basics. Second opinions are good.
8. Get a good code reader or the appropriate software, cable, and a laptop.
9. Read this forum everyday and ask questions, even if they seem dumb.
10. In general, the buy once cry once rings true. There are exceptions.
11. Preventive maintenance is good.

 

[ShadesOfBloo]

Hello everyone! I’m Jack I’m 21 and I just got my first Mustang!! Since i was like 9 i’ve always loved mustangs and have always dreamed of having one, and now I am lucky enough to make that dream come true!

I Purchased a Used 2016 Ecoboost Premium, with a little over 71,000. Now I want to take great care of this car and make it last for a while. I’m not too experienced with owning a mustang, and I want to keep it well maintained while still having fun with it from time to time.
I’m not irresponsible with how I drive or with how i treat my car, the last car i had was from 1994 and I kept it well maintained and it taught me what i know today about cars but this is a whole different ballpark because I’m driving a car from the modern era.

So far it’s been everything i’ve dreamed it to be and I’m super happy with the car. Is there any advice from long time S550 owners or just long time mustang owners in general, that you would give to someone who just got their first Mustang? What’s something you wish you knew when you got Your First mustang??

I wish the Ford manual had been more explicit about how to break it in, but that wouldn't help your situation.

Does your 2016 have a reverse camera?
I wish I had known that the radar (or whatever) to keep me from backing into things had a blind spot the width of a trailer hitch. It skipped the "beeep" and went straight to the "crunch" of breaking plastic.

I had an idea about this before I bought my Mustang, and I'm glad this is a thing:
Every time somebody makes Mustang a verb - as in, they Mustang off the road or into traffic - this forum has a (very unsympathetic) discussion about what the driver did wrong. It's almost always driver error, just a question of which particular error they made this time.
Sometimes I learn things I didn't know, like that the Mustang's traction control depends on how hard you're pushing the gas pedal. Ford knows the musclecar crowd likes to spin tires sometimes, and they've allowed for it in their software.

- the car is not a widowmaker by any stretch of the imagination, but will absolutely bite you in the ass if you're driving like a hillbilly (the ESP especially is kinda useless if you don't take your foot off the gas...)

^ Yeah, this.

Between your stock suspension and software, the car is NOT built to make a turn with any finesse if you're burning rubber.
I assume you don't want to be one of those guys that contributes to the rep so
Make sure your turns and your burning of rubber don't happen at the same time.

 

[lo-fi]

1. Pop the hood. Record your car on cold start and cold idle
2. Then get the car good and hot and record again at idle
3. Bonus points for creative recording while driving
4. This will help with identifying any new noises years down the road.
   

 

[junits15]

Nobody at all will truly give your car the attention and care that you can. No mechanic at all at any garage anywhere will give as much attention to properly solving a problem as you will.

mechanics are very ready to say “good enough” even the good ones will do installs half assed and hope you don’t notice. A mechanic will not willingly spend 2h adjusting your exhaust so it doesn’t hit anything, you will.

you will eventually encounter a problem that seems too big to tackle, something confusing like a data communication error. You’ll take it to a mechanic they’ll charge you the diag fee and then accomplish nothing.

skip this step, fix the car on your own

 

[Corporate_Rebel]

When working on the battery or actually anywhere near the fenders always put towels around the area you're working. Ford engineered an amazing funnel all around the fenders to immediately suck anything you drop into the inner fender well. You will soon be pulling the wheel liner and cobbling together a magnet on a stick to fish out whatever you dropped....

 

[C-WOODS-70]

Hello everyone! I’m Jack I’m 21 and I just got my first Mustang!! Since i was like 9 i’ve always loved mustangs and have always dreamed of having one, and now I am lucky enough to make that dream come true!

I Purchased a Used 2016 Ecoboost Premium, with a little over 71,000. Now I want to take great care of this car and make it last for a while. I’m not too experienced with owning a mustang, and I want to keep it well maintained while still having fun with it from time to time.
I’m not irresponsible with how I drive or with how i treat my car, the last car i had was from 1994 and I kept it well maintained and it taught me what i know today about cars but this is a whole different ballpark because I’m driving a car from the modern era.

So far it’s been everything i’ve dreamed it to be and I’m super happy with the car. Is there any advice from long time S550 owners or just long time mustang owners in general, that you would give to someone who just got their first Mustang? What’s something you wish you knew when you got Your First mustang??

I wish that I would have known that the car, as it sits, will never be good enough for me. There is always "the next mod" in my brain.

 

[Rael]

When working on the battery or actually anywhere near the fenders always put towels around the area you're working. Ford engineered an amazing funnel all around the fenders to immediately suck anything you drop into the inner fender well. You will soon be pulling the wheel liner and cobbling together a magnet on a stick to fish out whatever you dropped....

THIS!
Towels in the openings, and a magnetic retriever too. And not just the fender funnels. Cover openings on the engine in areas where you work. Worse than having to fish out fallen parts is not being able to get to or find them at all.

(Welcome!)

 

[PoCoBob]

Not much to add from what others have posted, but enjoy what may be your last best chance to drive a gas powered rear wheel drive pony car. Anything else is just an appliance.

 

[Banjoeyes76]

Congrats on your first Mustang. My first was a '67 coupe, still wish I would've never let it go but we live and learn. You know what they say, you never forget your first!!!! If you're wanting to make mods, look for deals on here and other marketplace locations. Depending on what you're wanting to mod, there's aways a deal to be found. Get rid of the prop rod under the hood if the previous owner didn't already.

 

[Miked81]

Hello everyone! I’m Jack I’m 21 and I just got my first Mustang!! Since i was like 9 i’ve always loved mustangs and have always dreamed of having one, and now I am lucky enough to make that dream come true!

I Purchased a Used 2016 Ecoboost Premium, with a little over 71,000. Now I want to take great care of this car and make it last for a while. I’m not too experienced with owning a mustang, and I want to keep it well maintained while still having fun with it from time to time.
I’m not irresponsible with how I drive or with how i treat my car, the last car i had was from 1994 and I kept it well maintained and it taught me what i know today about cars but this is a whole different ballpark because I’m driving a car from the modern era.

So far it’s been everything i’ve dreamed it to be and I’m super happy with the car. Is there any advice from long time S550 owners or just long time mustang owners in general, that you would give to someone who just got their first Mustang? What’s something you wish you knew when you got Your First mustang??

Hey jack, something I wish I knew when I got my first mustang which was a 1992 LX 5.0 is how much it would be worth. I paid $2900 for it In 2000 when I graduated high school. I just saw one exactly like mine go for $36,000. And another go $28,000. Sadly I traded it in on a 1994 Z28 I paid $11,000 have over $8000 in the engine & trans that gave me nothing but problems I still own an I cant give away for $3500. Fast forward to present I have a 2017 Paxton supercharged S550 beast. I feel at home in that car, first day I drove it. I felt wheel hop like my fox body had just laughed to myself said ford still hasn’t fixed this BS then ordered a ton of BMR stuff to take care of it. Any wish I still had my fox body I might try an hunt it down hopefully the new owner didn’t wrap it around a pole.

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