I need honesty and not fanboys

I love Mustangs, but I have never been a Ford fanboy. Honestly, there are only 3-4 Ford cars I think are worth owning. Here are the pros and cons from a 2018 GTPP owner:
Pro
- Rev happy engine with 7400rpm redline
- Comfortable interior that doesn't feel cheap
- Best sounding V8 exhaust in stock form (for a car under $60k)
- Build quality seems to have been greatly improved for 2018
- Handling is solid for a street car, and it is very predictable/controllable despite the HP
- Transmission is great (worlds better than my 2008)
- Infotainment system is easy to use and very interactive
- Brakes in the PP are almost perfect, and possibly even a tad too touchy

Cons
- IRS was designed with comfort and vibration in mind, which means you will want to drop $500-800 in aftermarket parts to control the rear for racing
- Seems to be lacking some low end grunt and throttle response (corrected with a simple tune)
- Springs are a touch soft for racing, even in the performance pack
- Cleaning the PP rims is a PITA
- My rear window interior never stays clean for more than a few days and is also a bitch to clean (car kept outside)
- 9-speaker upgraded sound system lacks any bass

Overall, it is a wonderful touring car, in PP form. If you desire more aggressive racing capabilities, you will want to spend some cash on the Steed or BMR IRS support parts, a tune, and a set of FRP springs.

Hashbrownn said:

My previous experience with GM/Chevy makes me absolutely hate their service/warranty department. I suppose every manufacturers have bad ones, but the way they treated me and my claims left the worst taste in my mouth.
I'm not going to say that my Mustang was issue free, it had to go in few times for warranty work, but the difference is that my dealer and my service advisors makes sure that my concerns are heard and fixed.

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When living in RVA, my experience with Ford service was awful. My 2008 GT had the well known synchro issue, and the service department screwed up the trans when trying to fix it (this was my second time having that fixed). They actually tried to tell me that grinding and whining sounds are normal for a transmission. I made the service idiots ride with me in a 2009 model they had on the lot so they could hear that it isn't normal. After fighting back and forth, I had to go to another dealer and push for a new transmission. Bad dealerships exist for all manufacturers. I am lucky that Ford service here in Charleston seems to be legit.

Both Ford and Chevy have there issues, buy what you like and pray you get a good one!

Here's my experiences with Mustangs.

2010 GT - No issues at all.

2013 GT - Many little build issues at the beginning, top latch broke, door window out of line, etc. All fixed under warranty. Then the lower control arms started squeaking, and they were replaced under warranty. The the end links on the rear sway bar went out, and repaired under warranty. All this before 15K miles. There have been no major issues with the car, and up to now at 41K miles the car has been a joy to drive.

At this time I have a 2018 GT on order with a TPW of 03/26/18.

As stated all mass produced cars can have problem cars built. That's a given. But, we do enjoy our Mustangs, and will have at least one in the driveway for years to come.

BTW, I also have a 2006 GT with 95K miles on the odo, and thing runs smooth as silk.

Good luck on your decision, and welcome to the forum.

Your problems are almost exactly in line with my buddy's 2016 Camaro SS. But he also had to have his crank seals replaced and 3 out of the 4 shocks started leaking.

The dash issue could be a bad negative lead. He had to have his replaced after a slow crank and finicky dash problem.

The rear end is also a common issue. He has taken it in 3 times so far and all they will do is replace the fluid. He said he is just going to live with it until it goes.

It's not uncommon to have problems with either of these cars.

Stock for stock I think the Camaro drives a little better and it is a little faster (compared to a 15-17 car, 18s are another story). But with that said, it doesn't take much to get these to be more compliant.

The performance pack brakes are a lot more aggressive than the Camaro brakes. The cars do things a little different in most regards but overall they aren't too far apart, I would honestly say the biggest change between my car and my buddy's Camaro is the aggressive brakes on the Mustang. They are almost too much. But with that said, I haven't driven a non PP S550.

Sorry to hear about your wheels man. I don't want you to go looking for a new car because it could put you into a worse position financially. If you no longer trust it and want out, I can understand that, but if I was in your shoes I would be picking up a set of wheels from Apex and just keep going with it.

Im surprised about the brake feel as many complain they are too touchy (at least on the PP mustangs) for heel-toe. I have a non PP and I still feel the brakes have a strong hold and decent initial bite. I am at 30,000 miles so far and have had a door latch recall and decided to swap my trans fluid to make the MT-82 feel a little better. The other most common failure I have seen on here is the evaporator core failure.

Being a fan of muscle cars in general (and having spent a lot of time with one of my main friends' 2ss like yours), here are my thoughts.
The camaro is faster, and it feels that way. That extra hp is obviously noticeable.
He has had no issues with his, while mine has been to the shop twice so the Chevy wins there I guess (but you have had different results).
I think the tires on the Camaro are better from the factory so you may want new tires anyways if you switched.
As others said, the rev match feature on the Camaro works well and you may miss it if you go to the Mustang.
Looks win on the Mustang (obviously strong opinion here).
I enjoy the interior of my mustang more than the Camaro interior. I think they have a similar finish, but seeing out of the cockpit is way easier on the Mustang. Depending on which seats you try out may change your mind. My friend and I both agree that my seats are more comfortable.
The mustang does not have things like a HUD or heated steering wheel (until 2018).

I love my mustang and daily drive it, but if I were in your situation, because of what I said above, I think I would stay in the Camaro.

You will have the same kind of problem with ford. Here is a brief history of mine. 2016 convertible gt premium with 35 000 miles.
Front suspension harms changed
Steering wheel change
Leaks on cooling system, water pumps changed
Roof changed.
Corrosion on the aluminium hood on discussion with ford that said it s due to rock chip.

Except for the hood, all was changed under warranty without hassle.

I am not an expert or a fanboy, but here is my take: Having worked in the auto industry for the last 26 years, I’m confident in saying that most OEM’s use similar design and quality standards, as well as similar component suppliers. Of course there are differences between them, but generally speaking these cars are not ‘worlds’ apart. There are biases we all have that are subjective (some call them “fanboy”) but nobody is “right” or “wrong”, just partisan. If you have spent time in both cars, you will see the value in each vehicle. And find things you are not a fan of. But at the end of the day, they both do things very well for a reasonable price. As somebody already pointed out, you just pray that you get a good one.

I think you will find that the S550 is a solid car with huge potential. They are relatively fast and best of all fun. I'd say, try the Mustang and see how that treats you.

I had to take my 18 GT to the dealership because the factory put a scratch on my center console (near the buckle for seat belt) and they were trying to find out where a screw came from(my CQ guy found it in my backseat) and they found a part broken behind the passenger seat. Besides things that the factory did nothing else has been wrong with it. nd it has just over 500 miles on it

I personally love Ford. I have a 2013 V6 Premium Convertible(bought used) and never had a problem with it besides the driver window motor had to be replaced(under warranty.) They have never left me stranded on the side of the road *knock on wood*.

GM lost me after CTSV

Your Camaro issues sound very similar to what I endured in my 2005 CTSV. When new, the car was amazing. I would read on the forums about how some had engine issues but that was rare. The more common issues were blown differentials and for some severely cracked differential cases/pumpkins. The other common issue were the syncros on the transmission. The gauges would go haywire too. For some reason the car would show it’s overheating. The fixes for all these issues were temporary patches because they were replaced with stock items that developed the same issues shortly after. I gave up at 29k miles and traded it in for a very reliable Lexus for the wife.

I’ve had my stang for 6 months and mechanically it’s holding up well. I have 10k hard miles on my car. I haven’t owned a sports car since the V, so imagine the bottled up abuse I had for it. I have one track day and just completed a 1400 mile road trip this weekend. I came back appreciating this car more than ever.

Thank you all so much for the helpful and mature feedback! Y’all are a great crowd. I never considered the new mustang facelift as I didn’t like it at all at first, but that yellow one looks real mean!

Only problem I had with my 2015 PP was the clutch blew apart in about 7k miles. The 2018 has a revised twin disk clutch so hopefully that has been remedied. You will absolutely love a 2018! Such a beast even stock. Very good for a daily, especially with the 10spd auto.

If you look hard enough you find someone with just about EVERY make / model that's had problems. That's how it is. If someone buys a car (and doesn't mod it etc) and just drive it and doesn't have any problems, you'll rarely hear about it. If someone has a problem, of course you'll hear about it - human nature.

My '17 is the first Ford product I ever owned (without the intention of selling it quickly for a profit) and I don't regret it.

I really wanted to like the newer Camaro...I've owned 1st gen, 2nd gen, 3rd gen and 4th gen F-Bodies. I just can't do the interior / viewing angles. Don't know if it's my size (6'3") or not - I just never felt comfortable with driving it and I've driven multiple newer Camaros.

Drive one, if you like it go for it. That's what sold me on the S550. It drives like a smaller car than it is. I really enjoy being able to set my seat, keep my head resting on the headrest while driving and still be able to see both side mirrors and the rear view - with no blind spots.

They one major fault with the 15-17 GT with PP is the P Zero tires. They are worse than even the cheapest Chinese tire junk. Easily replaced with a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4s though. On the 2018 Ford has come to their senses.

I bought a used 15GT PP last fall, and I've driven it about every day since, through the winter here in Idaho. I actually didn't think I would like the Mustang for a daily, as I had rented a Camaro a few years back and felt like it swallowed me up. Granted, that one must have been a v6 is it was pretty tame sounding, and my GT PP sounds amazing. Once I actually drove the new mustang I was pretty much hooked. My wife even loves to ride in it. So far it's been amazing. I don't really deal with dealerships though. My warranty ran out not long after I got it home, and now I take it to my personal mechanic. Dealerships are just, well.... I won't go into it. Just not my thing.