2019 GT Buying Advice - Too Risky?

[Fastfwd]

Ok, I saw that the 2018s were having problems and I looked at other vehicles over the last six months or so. I thought surely whatever those problems were they must have been what you might expect from an intro year and they would be worked out by the time the 2019s rolled out for sure. Am I seeing that didn't happen?

How much of this is the volume of vehicles sold and it correlating to more problems making it to the internet that make it sound like a situation to avoid? Is this a design flaw issue that hasn't been fixed? The representation of Youtubers who have found themselves with issues sure makes it seem like every 5.0 out there is failing, but who knows if these guys are looking to create drama for their Youtube channels too frankly.

I actually got way ahead of myself and started sorting out options and shopping for deals before fully nailing down what the supposed problems were. I've found the car that I want and I'm ready to get on a plane to fly out and drive it back 1,500+ miles which is pretty crazy for a Mustang, but it's deeply discounted (over $6k off MSRP on a Magneride PP1 - which seems pretty rare) and nearly fully loaded making it seem worthwhile. The build date on this vehicle looks like August 2018 if that helps at all.

I have no desire to buy a car that is going to be nothing but problems and have to go through a buyback, lemon law, etc. I've been driving a Honda for the last 4 years and it's been incredibly worry free. This is putting me off the Ford again.

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[Timeless]

Based on your expectations and current vehicle it is probably not for you.

High horsepower cars just come with an increased possibility of problems. Ford is also not as reliable as Honda in any shape or form.

You would have to go Acura/Lexus/Infiniti to get something close in quality and then the pricing goes up substantially.

 

[Fastfwd]

I wouldn't say that I'm expecting a Mustang to be as problem free as the Honda. I long ago decided I was willing to give up a little of that worry free driving enjoyment for a little more performance enjoyment. If the engines are failing at an alarming rate that would just be unwise to spend this kind of money on a vehicle that has known issues that are seemingly not being addressed effectively. It looks like they have enough of these problems that the core issue should have been identified by now and a more direct fix applied for the effected vehicles. I honestly just believed they would have identified the problems and it would be fixed for 2019, but I guess I should be glad I looked into it further.

I'm not so sure what is happening can be chalked up to just being a high horsepower vehicle? I'm reading speculation on here of design flaws associated with the increased piston bore and the spray on GT 350 cylinder liner and frankly that goes way beyond my depth pretty quickly. It sounds like the engines are eating themselves more or less and if you get one that doesn't at some point you are just super lucky? IDK.

I've had a person insist that his vehicle is problem free and that it's a matter of there being such a large number of these out there that the problems are the ones you hear about. I understand that can be a thing too, but it looks like it's more than that. Many Mustang drivers who were fan boys on their Youtube channels have been hit with issues well after they started filming their ownership experiences and the rate of those issues/failures seems pretty alarming. If Youtubers were representative it would appear that the failure rate would be astronomically high.

 

[Dfeeds]

You're asking questions that, honestly, no one here has the answer to. You've clearly done your homework, and that's the best you can do at the moment. Those of us with issues are stuck worrying if an authorized replacement will even fix the issue. According to a pole on one of the threads posted, there is a lot of people with good mustangs. There's no way to know, however, if the average person just doesn't know what to listen for, or if there are genuinely good engines out there. There's also several different issues causing problems. While many of us have, or are in the process of, getting a new engine, very few have actually had a legitimate engine failure. Something else to keep in mind.

There's speculation on what could be the problem but it's just that, speculation. It could also just be very poor quality control and assembly on Ford's end for an engine that requires far more precision to build than a factory assembly line can offer.

You have all the forum posts here, and others on other mustang forums as well. You have the tools to determine if 40k, give or take, is worth the possibility of having months of headaches. While not without issues, there are other high HP v8 cars out there for similar pricing as well, if you're not super attached to the Mustang. There's also the possibility that Ford is just trying to contain things because the money spent fixing the problem on an engine that they might be close to phasing out.

If you really want a Mustang but are not in a hurry, then my advice would be to wait and see what comes of the 2020 model. If you just have to have your fun car now then, as I said, there's other options. The camaro isn't a bad buy, and the pushrod engine it has is a hell of a lot of fun for stop light to stop light driving. It'll push you back in your seat much sooner than the Mustang will. If you want your Mustang then you're just jumping in the same boat the rest of us are in.

 

[BLU2DSKY]

Don't buy one. I wish I never bought my 2018 5.0 rattler.

I have every issue ^ has plus a broken 1-2 shift fork, stay away would be my opinion.

 

[Fleco17]

I have every issue ^ has plus a broken 1-2 shift fork, stay away would be my opinion.

It's a 50,50 chance.

 

[Fastfwd]

It's a 50,50 chance.

I've seen it posted that one guy thinks it's 1 in 10 having problems. Is there evidence that it's as high as 50/50?

Edit: I see the poll referenced - https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...-ford-buyback-process.102509/poll/all-results

 

[stangman638]

If you want one, go for it. The tick many has, nobody can say for sure what it is, or if it really is causing any real damage over the long term. It really does seem like they all will do it at some point, to some extent. I don't think the car has any more problems than others out there.. We don't have folks making a content and youtube channels for the new toyota corolla they bought, there really isn't much exposure online about many other vehicles. Just pull the trigger and enjoy the car.

 

[Stormtroopin5.0]

My vote would be to stay away until we have definitive proof this tick and rattle issue have been corrected. I regret buying my 2018 and have both the rattle & tick issues.

 

[Fastfwd]

Let me just throw this out there... for the same money would a used GT350 be a better bet in terms of reliability? I actually really like the shape of the Mustang vs a Camaro - it's not a Ford fanboy thing for me. I just prefer the Mustang.

I see several lower mileage 2016 GT 350s out there for the same price as a optioned out GT.

I need a daily driver though and the GT with a 10 speed auto is much more suited to that need imo.

 

[serpent]

What ever is posted here means absolutely nothing. none of the ratios can be proven. Maybe once somebody hears something they google engine noise mustang and find their way here. I even wonder the prevalence since many might be on different forums using different user names.
i wonder tho if anyone has got any type of numbers whether it affects an equal amount of manual & auto transmission cars?

 

[serpent]

33k trade-in on a 40k is normal for a 1 yo car.

 

[serpent]

My mother-in-law never admitted my ex was a lemon a 7k loss would have been cheap!

 

[Fatguy]

I was looking to buy a 2018 GT but like other posters here was told to stay away and don’t regret the advice now. At the end of the day it’s a car and for most of us we use it to get around so it has to be reliable. Don’t listen to the fan boys but listen to those that own the cars you are interested in. They will tell you the truth and then make your decision.

I guess I should add that there are other performance cars out there. Just hang around here and you will think the Mustang is the only car to buy. Go to other forums including imports. Before you sign up for six years of expensive payments make sure you get a car that will do everything you want it to do. I’ve driven Mustangs for 20 years so I have some history to keep me here. Others don’t...

 

[tranceporter]

These cars have some issues and if I was in your situation I would wait it out for the 2020 model or look at another car. Nissan 370z, Lexus RC-F, and Infiniti Q60 come to mind as some reliable performance alternatives.

I wouldn't steer you to a Camaro as all the American manufacturers cant seem to figure out build quality. My GTO had a slew of issues that drove me to get rid of it with only 92k miles while my S2000 was practically bulletproof for 7 years and 155k miles.

Ive had my car for a year and have driven 23k miles so far. I've had the AC evaporator fail at 12k and the plastic reverse collar shattered at 15k and made reverse inaccessible. My horn seems to fail after heavy rain and start working once it's been dry for a few days. I also have creaks and rattles that I've never experienced on my previous cars that had close to or well over 100k miles.

None of my issues were catastrophic but they are an obvious sign of terrible build quality. I don't have the bbq tick or any other common issues that people seem to experience (yet).The AC evaporator is a 2k job outside of a warranty though and for that reason I purchased an extended warranty. I'm not sure if this issue was addressed in the 18+ models but they seem to have all the 15-17 issues and then some.

With all that said, I enjoy the car a lot. It looks, sounds, and drives great but I'm not so sure about keeping it outside of a warranty.

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