Looking To Purchase A Mustang Convertible, Some Questions

[MagicMike]

I've been combing through the Transmission section of these forums and although the opinions are all over the place there does seem to be more positive posts and reviews of the 2018-2020 MT-82's. I'm still researching though. If anyone has any other input on the MT-82 please post it. I'm worried about this transmission being an issue.

Having been in the exact same boat as you...I ended up finding and buying a 2016 manual convertible V6. After cross shopping against a Miata, I decided the backseat was a necessity so I chose Mustang.

I am a first time Mustang owner. I daily a Corolla to work, because our employee garage is crowded and deals door dings in spades.

The MT-82 trans has not given me any major problems. The shifter does feel notchy but - for what it's worth - is better than any manual I have owned in the past (mostly cars of the 80s and early 90s). I have never had any major problem with going into or getting out of a gear...and no issue with gear slipping. KNOCK ON WOOD.

The notchiness of the shifter mechanism did bug me at first. So I had my mechanic install a Barton shifter bracket and I bought weighted shift knob. These 2 things really helped smooth out the shifter travel.

Having said that, the EcoBoost and the 6cyl are putting WAY less power through the transmission than the V8. This probably reduces wear and tear. Also, I'm not a stoplight racer and I'm not slamming through gears. This is a weekend cruiser + relaxing road trip kind of a car for me and my family.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your search for a convertible.

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[Paris MkVI]

We had the good fortune to find our 2015, which is a daily driver for me. I can only say I think the manual gearbox is absolutely terrific. This Mustang is head and shoulders above every other one I've ever had. I also agree with others; the top design and operation in really good.

 

[I Bleed Ford Blue]

the EcoBoost and the 6cyl are putting WAY less power through the transmission than the V8. This probably reduces wear and tear.

That is basically what I meant in my earlier post. The V8 puts the MT82 at it's limit, so the issues become exacerbated. The V6 and ecoboost still have the issues, but they are worse on V8 cars.

Look back to the fox body days and the old T-5 transmission, now that was a piece of junk, same with the T-45 that replaced it. All manual trans have issues, but the modern MT 82 is far better than the old T-5, T-45 ever could hope to be.

 

[NY Yankee Pride]

The MT-82 trans has not given me any major problems. The shifter does feel notchy but - for what it's worth - is better than any manual I have owned in the past (mostly cars of the 80s and early 90s). I have never had any major problem with going into or getting out of a gear...and no issue with gear slipping. KNOCK ON WOOD.

The notchiness of the shifter mechanism did bug me at first. So I had my mechanic install a Barton shifter bracket and I bought weighted shift knob. These 2 things really helped smooth out the shifter travel.

Having said that, the EcoBoost and the 6cyl are putting WAY less power through the transmission than the V8. This probably reduces wear and tear. Also, I'm not a stoplight racer and I'm not slamming through gears. This is a weekend cruiser + relaxing road trip kind of a car for me and my family.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your search for a convertible.

Thanks MagicMike, that is all very helpful information. I have to admit that replacing something like the shifter bracket does make me a little anxious but I'm sure it's not that difficult if I end up needing to do that.

 

[NY Yankee Pride]

We had the good fortune to find our 2015, which is a daily driver for me. I can only say I think the manual gearbox is absolutely terrific. This Mustang is head and shoulders above every other one I've ever had. I also agree with others; the top design and operation in really good.

I very much appreciate this information and honest review. I'm getting excited again to find one.

 

[Bigshow 14]

I very much appreciate this information and honest review. I'm getting excited again to find one.

I just purchased a new 2019 ecoboost vert 10spd. The Ford dealership had two ecoboost and one gt vert left (2019's) I was able to get it for 30,280 before TT&L. might be an option for you. All of the used ones I found in my area ran around 23-25k and were mostly rentals. I have to say the 10spd is a pretty nice trans. I had a 14 stang 3.7 with the 6spd man and after installing the shifter bracket, I had zero complaints with it. I bought it new and sold it with around 80k on it. So either way auto or manual you should be ok.

 

[rancid]

Unpopular opinion, but here goes. I have had many, many Mustangs and recently picked up my first convertible mustang ever (2019 GT). I wanted a manual, but I didn't trust my wife to drive it without screwing up the clutch so went for the A10. Prior cars I had two automatics (converted one into a T56 setup) and all the others were manuals. The A10 is a fantastic transmission and the car feels much faster than it probably is as a result of how seamless everything works, but I already miss rowing out the gears myself and holding the exhaust note longer than the A10 does. You can manually shift the auto, but it definitely is not the same experience. If you want a "fun" car, I'd go manual and a drop-top GT that has a warranty, buy the extended warranty, and don't mod it in the event something happens.

 

[JohnDoe]

Over 5 years of HARD daily stop and go traffic and street parking through 5 north eastern winters with an aggressive driver, my 2015 2.3T PP 6spdauto is doing just fine. Oil changed every 5k, tranny and diff fluid changed after 30k/5 years.

I don't know what convertibles you have been looking at, but mine looks good top on or off.

The trick is to black everything out so you can't tell it's a soft top at night

 

[MagicMike]

Thanks MagicMike, that is all very helpful information. I have to admit that replacing something like the shifter bracket does make me a little anxious but I'm sure it's not that difficult if I end up needing to do that.

Exactly! It didn't seem very difficult. I don't have a garage lift so I had our neighborhood mechanic do it for me - he replaced the shifter bracket in less than 20 minutes. Was really cool about it. Didn't seem like a big deal to him.

 

[Tim_]

Have a read of this thread and check any convertible you're looking at for roof damage or evidence of the roof having been replaced e.g. dealer workshop history. When you buy it think twice before fitting the caps.

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...neau-caps-required.116472/page-4#post-2608031

 

[canyon ed]

I really enjoy my 17 GT PP1 Auto convert. I added GT350 gauges and trim KYB adjustables W/ Ford racing springs,BMR 35mm front and rear sway bars, Ford Borla exhaust and GT 350 parts Next is the Power pack 2 and a Steeda X pipe

 

[Avispa]

Think about expanding the distance you're willing to drive to check out a candidate car. Just going out to 4 hours gets you about 200 miles. Opens up many more possible cars. I drove 3 hours one way from Tampa to Daytona to buy the '16, with no guarantee of coming home with the car. And I left home close to 5 pm! Its nothing to do that in this part of the country even for an old guy.

@JohnDoe, black with red interior! Love it! Classy!

 

[pardoneo]

Manual GT Vert here, 2016, 30K km (maybe 17K miles?)
No complaints on MT-82 so far on the V8. I had a slight click on the clutch pedal of my former Ecoboost that had even less miles tho...

Fun and fast, feeling the muscle on shifts, which I love!! Warranty until April 2023, so being safe here.
Best car I have owned ever. Just missing the looks of the Fastback...

 

[MButler51]

We bought our 2015 Ecoboost convertible (with the A6 trans) 3 years ago from CarMax and had a really good experience there. I too didn’t want an ex-rental unit (almost all Mustang convertibles are), and their website shows the previous usage. I spotted a beautiful Magnetic convertible on CarMax’s website, but the car was in Texas, but I liked it so much we paid the $500 to have it shipped up to Utah. This particular car caught my attention, and I knew by this that it wasn’t a rental, because it had the 20” wheel package, which really, really makes the car stand out. That package gives the car a stance that’s hard to beat, and so, all in all, we were very happy with the purchase. Got exactly what we wanted (and a little more), paid a little extra because CarMax doesn’t dicker on their price, but got a great car and the purchase was easy and seamless. Oh, and their website (or their phone app, which is better) allows you to filter to just manual trans if you want.

 

[canyon ed]

We bought our 2015 Ecoboost convertible (with the A6 trans) 3 years ago from CarMax and had a really good experience there. I too didn’t want an ex-rental unit, and their website shows the usage. I spotted a beautiful Magnetic convertible on CarMax’s website, but the car was in Texas, but I liked it so much we paid the $500 to have it shipped up to Utah. This particular car caught my attention, and I knew by this that it wasn’t a rental, because it had the 20” wheel package, which really, really makes the car stand out. That package gives the car a stance that’s hard to beat, and so, all in all, we were very happy with the purchase. Got exactly what we wanted (and a little more), paid a little extra because CarMax doesn’t dicker on their price, but got a great car and the purchase was easy and seamless.

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