Considering a Mustang

[tw557]

I was very much in your same situation. I had a 2010 Audi TTS with a stage 2 APR tune. Very quick car. Amazing in most ways. It was of course very small but years of racing gokarts had me loving it. I got very nervous of the future repair cost and also the maintenance costs. For money reasons I sold that to get an Ecoboost. I build a pretty good Fox body 5.0 back when younger so I did have some mustang heritage in me. I THINK I would rather the GT but the much lower cost and decent Ecoboost power was the way to go for me now.
But I have to say as much as I planned to be disappointed in certain aspects of the performance of this VS the Audi, I really have not been disappointed much. The handling is really crisp and flat especially with the Ford Racing struts and springs. The power isn't terribly worse and of course the GT would have been on par with the TTS. The Interior is great. I Like the style of the Mustang better too. So even though its a bit bigger car it doesn't feel bad. And the biggest selling point for me is the endless options of parts or upgrades that are available if any problems arise or just want to make it perform better.

Sponsored

 

[BleedingTeal]

as biased as it is, I say mustang as well. I understand the whole lightweight thing, coming from a 280z->944->BRZ. I loved that feeling. But i've always wanted a v8 mustang, so I bought one. Like previously said, stock it feels heavy, floaty, can't really throw it around without big understeer. Switching to a square setup (275's) and the BMR CB005 as well as Steeda shocks and struts has made this car feel like a sports car. With the mustang and less than 2k in mods you can have your cake and eat it too. It no longer understeers, it sounds effing awesome, it dives in the corners and feels just as good as my old lightweight sports cars, but with great power to back up the handling.

Believe it or not, the 04 R32 is curb weight is almost 3400 lbs. Only about 300 lighter than the Mustang. So I imagine the weight will feel comparable to what I have now. And I previously drove a 09 CC VR6 which is an almost 4000 lb car. Thank you for the insight!

I hear you on your enthusiasm for the R32...while I'm done with Euro car maintenance costs, etc...I fully admit that VW makes a couple of products that are more than worth the trouble. Amazing driving dynamics and tons of fun. The R32 is a rocket too.

That said, the Mustang GT is (and has been) the undisputed champion for performance:dollar. Nothing can touch it for the money.

It's going to be a different brand of fun from what you're used to. Calling it a pony car loses something of the original meaning since the S550 weighs as much or more than most of the mid-sized muscle cars of the 60s. This is a full-fledged muscle car experience...with modern handling.

I'd suggest that you keep in mind that even the Performance Pack GTs leave a ton on the table in terms of handling performance. The S550 suspension is by all accounts, damned good and they drive well in stock form but with the right shocks/springs/etc, these cars are formidable handling machines.

If you haven't driven one, you should drop everything and go visit your local dealer before you make any decisions. See if they might have a used 2015 optioned the way you might want it. In my experience, these cars are significantly quicker once they're broken in...so one with 30k on the clock would probably give you a better sense of how they drive than one that just rolled off of the transport.

I hope I'm wrong on this but the V8 is likely a dying breed, soon to be replaced by turbo/smaller engines and electric propulsion. Even when these cars are long out-dated for performance, they will still offer an amazing driving experience that can't be replicated with fewer than 8 pistons. In that sense, they're future-proof in a way that some other performance car categories might not be...but that's just my hunch. ;)


Good luck

Supremely helpful suggestion. And I agree that the V8 is a dying breed unfortunately. I'm still a couple months away from potentially pulling the trigger so I'm in no rush. Just kind of mentally kicking the tires to the notion at this point more than anything. Thanks for the insight and ideas!

I've owned mine since the end of June. It was my first Mustang. I came from Subaru background. I will tell you that nothing about this car has disappointed me. With a few mods you will be quicker than most (stock-production) cars on the road. It doesn't take a lot of money to get power out of the car, or handling.

I honestly feel like the Mustang is one of the hottest coupes available on the market. The looks are just right on pretty much every angle. When you follow the curves with your eyes it just seamlessly flows.

The only issue with the S550 that I can think of is the body panel alignments. They aren't perfect and eventually it seems they tend to get out of wack. Taking mine in Thursday to get them to adjust the rear bumper.

I already have 13k miles on mine so I definitely have put some time into it, although a fair amount of those are just highway miles. I have done several mountains cruises and drag strip runs with the car and it just provides endless amounts of smiles. From the sounds, to the way it handles, it's a great bang for your buck.

Thanks for the insight from the Subie background. Definitely helps with my decision. Your S550 is gorgeous. Love the color combo you've gone with. And I completely agree on the looks/angles of the Mustang. The S550 body is just epicly good. And I've read about the body panel gitment issue on the 15-17 Mustangs. And I don't think it'll suddenly get fixed in 2018... I'm genuinely disappointed with the '18 redesign. I feel like they softened too much to where it's almost bland. Like beige. It's just meh... Thanks for the feedback!

In 2003, my dream car was a VW Passat W8. I bought one fully loaded. I still have this car with only 45k miles on it.
In 2016, my dream car was a 2016 Mustang GT. I bought one fully loaded.
What I'm trying to say is that dream cars change as time goes. in 2003 the VW was a great car!! However, in 2017, the tech in the car is well.. 15 years old!! There are better cars out there, so I bought the Mustang. I'm taking my VW to get scrapped/crushed this month. She won't be missed...
My only concern for you is that you're coming from a little hatchback to a full-size 2door coupe. The weight and the size of the car may not be to your liking.
Do go test drive one for a extended time. You can decide after experiencing the 5.0.

Just after I bought the R32 I had a 2009 VW CC VR6. And I've also owned a '93 Grand Cherokee and 99 Ranger. So while my current car is smaller, I'm not inexperienced with larger and heavier cars. Great to get some fellow Dubber insights with the Mustang. Thank you for the feedback!

I was very much in your same situation. I had a 2010 Audi TTS with a stage 2 APR tune. Very quick car. Amazing in most ways. It was of course very small but years of racing gokarts had me loving it. I got very nervous of the future repair cost and also the maintenance costs. For money reasons I sold that to get an Ecoboost. I build a pretty good Fox body 5.0 back when younger so I did have some mustang heritage in me. I THINK I would rather the GT but the much lower cost and decent Ecoboost power was the way to go for me now.
But I have to say as much as I planned to be disappointed in certain aspects of the performance of this VS the Audi, I really have not been disappointed much. The handling is really crisp and flat especially with the Ford Racing struts and springs. The power isn't terribly worse and of course the GT would have been on par with the TTS. The Interior is great. I Like the style of the Mustang better too. So even though its a bit bigger car it doesn't feel bad. And the biggest selling point for me is the endless options of parts or upgrades that are available if any problems arise or just want to make it perform better.

This is exactly why I posted here. I was hoping someone with an Audi/VW background would give me some comparable feedback between the 2 platforms. The TTS is a great car, and at Stg2 it's gonna be a little pocket rocket. To hear you can get comparable handling in the Mustang as your Audi had eases a lot of the concerns I had with the switch (aside from cost of the car itself of course). For me I've always been about naturally aspirated. FI works for some, but for me it's V6/V8 or bust.

I've done an extensive amount of building so I know exactly what I want in the Mustang as far as options go. GT Premium w/ PP, backup sensors, premium leather, and ideally in dark blue ruby red or black. And I have a buddy who works for a dealership group who can get me the employee discounted price which will help substantially. I guess for now I just gotta get some ducks in line financially, sell my R, and take the plunge.

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone!!! :cheers:

 

[tw557]

I do want to let you know a substantial reason for my change to the Mustang was for future cost concerns. I have 8 years of Kids college coming soon and usually keep cars for 8 to 10 years with 160000 miles on them. I was able to pretty much buy this Mustang for what I got for the TTS plus the $2000 maintenance the audi was ready for at 80000. Thru my research (after the fact of owning the TTS) I started to realize that the cost of a few surprises could be very costly. A Mag ride Strut is $800, Transmission 6000, Electrical gremlins $$$???. I considered a 2013 GT for the same price as the 15 eco and went with the eco because of so much better spirted handling and much more modern interior. Plus with warranty almost gone on the 13 GT a coyote motor is very costly if something were to go wrong and the eco is CPO. So I just wanted to give you that background.
But with that said, I always thought the audi was on the edge of understeer but this feels better. The mustang was more bouncy then the TTS stock. The FR strut package for $550 did a lot to solve this. Still not as composed as the audi but a smoother ride too. Also I feel no loss in braking down mountains with this mustang either. The TTS was a pocket rocket with very little turbo lag but even this ecoboost is quicker from a stop light during normal driving. Of course your GT will be a whole other story. The auto transmission honestly shifts almost as quick as the DSG. I felt so incompetent to work on the audi myself with so many special tools and procedures needed. Plus for me I now simply like the look of the mustang better. If money was no issue its hard to say if I would maybe still have the TTS but I really don't miss it over a year now.

 

[Shouldhavegotthegt]

I have no idea what the market is for the R32. But I'd keep it. Do your restoration on it and park it. Instead of getting a brand new mustang for $40k go used. Majority of these cars are babied especially if you get a bone stock one. You can fin 15-16s for under $30k with low mileage. Wrack up the miles. Unless it's a Shelby, Boss, or some special edition mustangs aren't collector cars. Drive them, mod them, have a good time.

Sponsored