valentinoamoro
Well-Known Member
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I'm moving from a 500HP V10 M6 (a rare beast in manual, dinan exhaust and full leather interior). Here are photos of my baby - shes been amazing and the V10 sounds are a piece of history that the new generation of auto enthusiasts will never know (esp with gorgeous NA cars going the way of the dodo).
Going to get my first American car (a TY Mustang GT PP w Recaros etc) - actually, when I was a child in the UK the first car I remember in our family was a crappy early 80's era Ford Escort so I guess I'm returning to the brand after a long gap! The switch is super exciting for me, moving from a 5L V10 to a 5L V8, both high revving and torquey although the Stang has more torque down low. I've always wanted an American car but there was always something missing/holding me back - a tradeoff between power, handling, interior or looks. Ex: Camaro ZL1 - really amazing track car but too heavy (not nimble), eats through tires, cant see out of it and hideous interior - the platform dates from the Holden's of early 2000. Current Stang(S197) - like the refreshed looks (but find the car too tall and thick looking), the handling is decent (esp in the track pack, Boss 302 was very good but still a lot of body motion), interior is OK/driving position terrible with no telescoping wheel, the 5L is glorious (esp in Boss). The Shelby GT500 - too nose heavy/unbalanced, Challenger is a cruiser/boat (old E class platform) but too big and not what I want in a car. Yes - I'm a car nerd, LOL!
With the S550 GT, I am ready to switch and just placed my order for 'yellow bird'. I feel all the elements have come together for the first time (actually the 3rd time) in an American car (other being the C7 Corvette and Cadillac CTS latest generation - (apologies to any 'fan boys' I may offend, I realize Ford and GM rivalry runs deep in some parts here). The S550 interior looks 'techie' with real metal and leather, the Recaros look wicked, it blends that brash american exterior/personality with sophisticated sleek European looks (But not watered down generic German conservative styling). The brand new platform and the 5L V8 (upgrades to an already INSANE reliable engine) is the last straw. I am surprised that they have not included heated seats with the Recaros, esp since we are paying extra and the base premium seats have that.
So why this over the M6? I get 13mpg in the M6, I think this will be better (thats the LAST reason to change on my list BTW :-)). I drove my friends Boss 302 (he races in nationals autox) and it was delightful, this should be better and with the new interior, brand new platform etc I think a no brainer. Why else - It's quintessentially American (I am a transplant to the US and grew up with posters of Vipers and classic Mustangs on my wall!). It is easy to wrench on - I like tuning my cars and these American cars leave a ton on the table - they are easy and cheap to mod (forged strong blocks), huge gains and reliable cheap to repair unlike most European or Japanese cars. The BMW's are maxed out from the factory (other than the Turbo cars but those are a whole different set of compromises I don't want to deal with having owned tuned turbo cars before). Other things - I think the Mustang will be more nimble and easier to fix if I'm traveling around the US and issues occur. I also think it's worth adding that the BMW is very expensive to repair (they are not necessarily unreliable or less reliable than Fords (but I havent done a study so who knows), but issues are 5x the cost of the Mustang to fix. Ex: blown engine? 35-40K. The Coyote is 5-6K I think. Labor is also insane). This makes is difficult for me to drive it hard most of the time. The older BMW's (E36, E30 etc) were cheap to own and maintain.
Long live the Coyote V8, cant wait for 'yellow bird' to arrive! Will miss my M6 though! For those who aren't familiar, BMW 'M cars' and BMW's in general - (at least until they started building stupid SUV M versions and the watered down boats with no feedback ex:the new 3 and 5 series) tend to shrink/get smaller the harder you drive them - turn in is excellent, under steer is non existent, oversteer is gradual and easy to modulate via a refined linear well calibrated throttle (ex: Viper loses grip suddenly at high G's, M cars lose grip progressively). Very few cars can do this (Audis dont, and most American cars dont either even though they put great track times down). That ability makes them great 'sports cars' (not necessarily race cars) and fun to drive fast. But I need something a little less conservative (I'm 31 and have full permission from my wife who also insisted I get yellow!). Doesn't matter what SVO, Ecoboost TT V6, Supercharged V8 stang they release - I've reached that point where I know what I value and I want mine NA/unboosted and a V8. I'm considering an aftermarket speaker upgrade, headers, catback (dont know which yet, can't have a drone) and possibly the Boss 302 airbox (latter if it makes a difference to the performance to this updated V8 and if it even fits). That said, I haven't driven the car or sat in it so this all a big leap of faith for me. Wish me luck!!!
For anyone interested, there will be a pristine M6 manual (I think they made 400) for sale soon (still thinking of an even trade in with the dealer but not sure!). My 2 cents, get the 'Stang and drive it like you stole it!
Cheers,
Going to get my first American car (a TY Mustang GT PP w Recaros etc) - actually, when I was a child in the UK the first car I remember in our family was a crappy early 80's era Ford Escort so I guess I'm returning to the brand after a long gap! The switch is super exciting for me, moving from a 5L V10 to a 5L V8, both high revving and torquey although the Stang has more torque down low. I've always wanted an American car but there was always something missing/holding me back - a tradeoff between power, handling, interior or looks. Ex: Camaro ZL1 - really amazing track car but too heavy (not nimble), eats through tires, cant see out of it and hideous interior - the platform dates from the Holden's of early 2000. Current Stang(S197) - like the refreshed looks (but find the car too tall and thick looking), the handling is decent (esp in the track pack, Boss 302 was very good but still a lot of body motion), interior is OK/driving position terrible with no telescoping wheel, the 5L is glorious (esp in Boss). The Shelby GT500 - too nose heavy/unbalanced, Challenger is a cruiser/boat (old E class platform) but too big and not what I want in a car. Yes - I'm a car nerd, LOL!
With the S550 GT, I am ready to switch and just placed my order for 'yellow bird'. I feel all the elements have come together for the first time (actually the 3rd time) in an American car (other being the C7 Corvette and Cadillac CTS latest generation - (apologies to any 'fan boys' I may offend, I realize Ford and GM rivalry runs deep in some parts here). The S550 interior looks 'techie' with real metal and leather, the Recaros look wicked, it blends that brash american exterior/personality with sophisticated sleek European looks (But not watered down generic German conservative styling). The brand new platform and the 5L V8 (upgrades to an already INSANE reliable engine) is the last straw. I am surprised that they have not included heated seats with the Recaros, esp since we are paying extra and the base premium seats have that.
So why this over the M6? I get 13mpg in the M6, I think this will be better (thats the LAST reason to change on my list BTW :-)). I drove my friends Boss 302 (he races in nationals autox) and it was delightful, this should be better and with the new interior, brand new platform etc I think a no brainer. Why else - It's quintessentially American (I am a transplant to the US and grew up with posters of Vipers and classic Mustangs on my wall!). It is easy to wrench on - I like tuning my cars and these American cars leave a ton on the table - they are easy and cheap to mod (forged strong blocks), huge gains and reliable cheap to repair unlike most European or Japanese cars. The BMW's are maxed out from the factory (other than the Turbo cars but those are a whole different set of compromises I don't want to deal with having owned tuned turbo cars before). Other things - I think the Mustang will be more nimble and easier to fix if I'm traveling around the US and issues occur. I also think it's worth adding that the BMW is very expensive to repair (they are not necessarily unreliable or less reliable than Fords (but I havent done a study so who knows), but issues are 5x the cost of the Mustang to fix. Ex: blown engine? 35-40K. The Coyote is 5-6K I think. Labor is also insane). This makes is difficult for me to drive it hard most of the time. The older BMW's (E36, E30 etc) were cheap to own and maintain.
Long live the Coyote V8, cant wait for 'yellow bird' to arrive! Will miss my M6 though! For those who aren't familiar, BMW 'M cars' and BMW's in general - (at least until they started building stupid SUV M versions and the watered down boats with no feedback ex:the new 3 and 5 series) tend to shrink/get smaller the harder you drive them - turn in is excellent, under steer is non existent, oversteer is gradual and easy to modulate via a refined linear well calibrated throttle (ex: Viper loses grip suddenly at high G's, M cars lose grip progressively). Very few cars can do this (Audis dont, and most American cars dont either even though they put great track times down). That ability makes them great 'sports cars' (not necessarily race cars) and fun to drive fast. But I need something a little less conservative (I'm 31 and have full permission from my wife who also insisted I get yellow!). Doesn't matter what SVO, Ecoboost TT V6, Supercharged V8 stang they release - I've reached that point where I know what I value and I want mine NA/unboosted and a V8. I'm considering an aftermarket speaker upgrade, headers, catback (dont know which yet, can't have a drone) and possibly the Boss 302 airbox (latter if it makes a difference to the performance to this updated V8 and if it even fits). That said, I haven't driven the car or sat in it so this all a big leap of faith for me. Wish me luck!!!
For anyone interested, there will be a pristine M6 manual (I think they made 400) for sale soon (still thinking of an even trade in with the dealer but not sure!). My 2 cents, get the 'Stang and drive it like you stole it!
Cheers,
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Sweet ride bro..!
