GT Owner...Considering...EB...

[El Diablo]

get rid of the GT if you can't afford it. Take the loss and buy a used car for $10-$15K and get your savings back.
Chalk it up to a lesson learned.

Cars are a complete waste of money.

Now let me get back to mbusa.com

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[Jake]

For what it's worth, I do a fair amount of 65-75mph highway driving and my lifetime (22k miles) average fuel consumption reads 26.8. That's probably 1-1.5mpg higher than the real number, but it's all been 93 octane.

These other guys are right about taking the depreciation hit though. Only way I would consider it is if you find a 2015-2016 with a few miles on it and trade as close to straight up as you can for a premium EB with whatever options you're after.

 

[Ecoboosted]

I started off with a 15 EB PP premium. It was a great car but I hated the sound of the exhaust. 5 months later I traded for my GT. like others have said your gonna take a beating on trading it. I'd keep it at least another year or two until it's paid down more. Good thing is gas prices are pretty low and you can run 87 with no ill effect.

 

[Snide]

In 1964.5, when the Mustang launched, the most power you could get was juiced out of a 260cu.in V8 putting out 164hp. Laughable by today’s standards, but nevertheless, still a V8. They also made a 6cyl. engine eking out 101hp. Not much passion for that power-plant. The charisma of the Mustang has always stemmed from the V8, and today those early versions are still the most sought out.

I believe that cars have soul. Not in the biblical sense; more in envious character trait that gets engrained far into your personality. The deep chested rumble of the Mustang with its V8 heartbeat stimulates multiple senses and lets you know that this car has its own disposition. It’s ornery, and can be a handful in weak hands (Cars & Coffee), but when you let it know who the master is, has your back in any street-fight.

There is no doubt today’s turbo-helped 4cyl. engines are supurb. They’re smooth, deliver devilish grins with every push, and will keep your wallet safely hidden. And “safe” is what they are. Safe can be fun too, but for me, a Mustang will always be a rebellious V8, talking smack, picking fights and making me want to misbehave.

You nailed it.

 

[AEengnr]

Probably 90% of my driving is highway and my GT reads 24 mpg. It's actually closer to 23 when calculated. When I test drove an EB for the same route, I got 27 mpg on the screen. Since most of my driving is highway, the premium trim luxuries are super nice to have (Siri eyes free in my case or CarPlay in newer cars, cooled seats, climate control, navigation, etc).

Insurance wise, $10 savings per month was quoted for me so very little difference.

If you play your cards right you won't take a huge hit in trading off, but do know it is almost always cheaper to keep your current car than to get a new one with comparable features.

 

[Glenn G]

Allright lets do some hard numbers and leave the dick wagging GT owners attitude out of it (the GT is Faster-done) and actually try to answer the OP's question.

My life time average is 19.6 mpg, and thats with me beating on it on the Autobahn almost daily, The GT owners I know in Germany average 13 to 16.
If I set cruise control to 120kph (~75mph) I will EASILY get 30+ on the highway.
It does not as badly in the city, and I average 18 to 20 MPG in town on my stop and go drive to work.

If you get into boost though, it drinks fuel with the best of them.

Insurance was $50 a month less for full coverage for me. Purchase price being 8k less than a GT brought my payment down $80 bucks a month from the GT.

Driven the same (~7-800 miles a month)way the EB saves me $50 - 150 a month on gas (Cant even get 87 in Germany and I'd put 93 in any serious car anyways)

So me as an example I save around $200 a month vs a GT.

You will be trading in and losing a fair bit on value so you won't save the $80 I did,
That puts you at $120.
Now you have to speak to the insurance agency, I understand the differences between a GT and EB are not so pronounced in the US, some one here said $30 so you are down to saving at most $90 a month. Significantly less if you drive less than I do so I don't think trading it to the EB will be of much benefit to you.
You are Probably best served by Keeping the GT, filling it with regular and driving a bit more sparingly, It will be easier to cut that $90 from somewhere else in your life.
If you smoke, quit that is a huge money pit though most smokers would rather starve. If you can't make the cut elsewhere and that $90 is killing you, as others have said, you shouldn't have been in a new car anyways.

My Wife and I have a Fiesta ST and it is better on gas in town but actually a bit worse on the highway than the EBM she is only a few MPGs better than me and I am a more aggressive driver.

Me, I had the means to pay my car off anyways so as soon as the Gap insurance was no longer viable I paid the remainder off, We paid cash for the FiST because we have nothing we want to invest in right now and the Banks aren't paying crap for interest so we were just loosing money by borrowing, I'm telling you this because back in early 2008 I was not making ends meet, Had to sell my R33 skyline in 2009 and my Supra in 2013 to pay the bills while I was in college, Bought an old Lexus IS200 (Which was actually quite nice but slow at 155 hp) with a blown head gasket for $900 to get me through. But in the end it allowed me to get back in to the Turbo cars I love. My Wife and I both have great jobs and enough money in the bank to pay cash for a GT350R with ridiculous ADM, but we both had to eat shit and sacrifice for a few years to get there,

 

[Ebm]

.

You're crazy.

The biggest cost advantage between an EB and a GT is the MSRP difference.. if trade in is going to cost you more than that, don't do it.

The EB is only economical on fuel if you drive long distances on the highway.. under those conditions I can see 25+ mpg easy.. but being that I do 99% city driving in heavy traffic, I get 12mpg's.. When in boost this thing sucks gas like there's no tomorrow.. and you have to deal with heat soak, fuel quality, power drop off at high RPM.. etc etc.

I suggest, you keep your car, pay it down, don't climb out of one hole just to climb into another..

What the heck are you doing to get 12 mpg? You must be gridlocked for hours or you live only a mile or two from work and get stuck in traffic for hours in that mile or two.

Btw, you got it backwards. The boost blows the GT away in city driving and gets a decent amount better on the highway as well. I can get 32-33 mpg highway. I would imagine the GT sucks down more gas idling as well.


It almost never makes financial sense to trade a new car for another new car. Stick with it if you can man. You'll lose thousands if you trade.

On a side note. If something breaks on these newer cars and you are out of warranty, God have mercy on you.

 

[RedRyan98]

Just curious, what are your assumptions regarding your fuel and insurance savings? You mentioned $1,500/year saved in fuel. Just curious how you got to that number. I did some quick math and here's what I came up with. (if its wrong someone please correct me)

I have a V6 and average about 25mpg on regular, so I'm using that as a "benchmark" of sorts. I am assuming I'd average about the the same with the EB, and about 20 mpg with the GT, using regular. I'm using 15,000 miles a year of driving and 2.40/gallon for regular and 2.80/gallon for premium (what I'd pay locally). Your inputs will be different obviously but I'm just displaying an illustration based on my experience/assumptions.
GT: 15,000 / 20= 750 gallons. 750 x 2.40= $1,800
V6: 15,000 / 25= 600 gallons. 600 x 2.40= $1,440 ($360 savings)
EB: 15,000 / 25= 600 gallons. 600 x 2.80= $1,680 ($120 savings)

Factor in maybe a $100-200 savings in insurance each year, and you're not looking at a huge reduction of expenses. You'll lose a lot more if you trade in. If you do want to make a swap, your best choice I think would be to sell as a private sale, and then pick up a lightly used model of one of the ones you're considering. From your list I'd go with the GTI. A 16 or 17 model with the PP should go in the $20-22k range and you'll likely average 30 mpg (on premium). Its a lot of fun to drive and very practical. Just make sure you have a decent warranty to protect you. I don't have any experience with the others on the list but I'm sure they're fun. If you have another car in the household and can handle something even less practical and loud, an ND miata would be my suggestion. I had one, the most fun I've had on four wheels. Averaged 34mpg

good luck on your decision.

 

[randotheking]

I don't think anyone has ever been like this, considering this option...but I'm going to put it out there. So, feel free to laugh at me.

The whole point of the Mustangs, at least from my upbringing and learning was the power from the V8. Something I've grown to absolutely love, and appreciate. Unfortunately, that has come with three downsides, all involving cost. My car is ridiculously expensive, between gas, payments and insurance. I'm not at the point where I'm like...cutting off living, but it's just a bit of a hassle.

Not to mention, I'm a bit bored of the base interior. I've never needed all the great finishes, but man, they make the car feel worth a lot more than it really is...

So, throughout my research, I've thought about other cars, Focus ST, Fiesta ST, Golf GTI, and now...an Ecoboost Mustang...


I feel ridiculous, as I've only had my car since September...and I'm not exactly sure what to do. Thoughts?

If you think the base interior sucks you obviously haven't even seen the S197 interior.

My base S550 interior is 100x better than the premium S197 interior

Source: Owned a 2013 and now a 2016

 

[bluebeastsrt]

I say if you don't get your teeth kicked in on trade in. Go for it. The GT isn't for everybody. At every stage of life. With that said. If you have to lose 5 grand in trade. To save 6 over the lifetime course of the EB don't do it.

 

[Bullitt]

I'm not sure why the OP originally bought a new 2017 GT with base interior when he could have gotten a used 15-16 GT Premium for less. Sounds like that would have been the better way to go if he wanted to save money, but I know hindsight is 20/20 sometimes.

 

[Jake]

I say if you don't get your teeth kick in on trade in. Go for it. The GT isn't for everybody. At every stage of life.

As someone with a commute that's about to more than triple, this is accurate. Sometimes what made sense six months ago seems ridiculous now.

I still say finding a used 2016 with everything you want should get you closer to even. Trading the 6 month old car in your driveway for a 6 mon, th old car on a dealer lot is just blowing thousands for no reason. Hell, there's probably someone on this very forum who would trade you their EB premium with cash on top for your base GT.

 

[DR_]

Sounds penny wise and pound foolish to me. And I should know as I bought a V6 to save $10k and then spent $10k to get it to perform like the V8.

 

[WarrENDeatH]

I'm not sure why the OP originally bought a new 2017 GT with base interior when he could have gotten a used 15-16 GT Premium for less. Sounds like that would have been the better way to go if he wanted to save money, but I know hindsight is 20/20 sometimes.

I was coming from a BMW 320i. It was a lifeless car. It didn't make me smile, and I wanted something that I truly loved.

Don't get me wrong here, I absolutely love my Mustang. The sound. The gearbox is great. Its quick. But the drawbacks just make me reconsider stuff.

-I fill up every 4 days.
-Insurance went up again with it.
-I pay a tooon for it now (again, I'm not drowning, nor do I have to get financially creative, it's just one of those like, man an extra hundred off would be nice)
-The interior...eh..




The alternatives are things that I can try to wooh my fiancée (my wife in less than 10 days on).


-Focus ST. The drawback...it reminds me of a basic Focus...which I hate.
-Fiesta ST. She calls it a 'pinto' bean...I don't really have anything else to add...that and a 6'5 240 pound man...owning one...seems weird!?
-Golf GTI. This is a leading candidate...but I worry it might not be as sporty as I want!? Will it handle as well as I hope?
-EB Mustang. This makes the least sense...like everyone said, why trade down!?
-Civic SI...Honda has completely mishandled the release of this, and the Type R...that, and I don't see the performance wowing me.


I feel like I'm forgetting another car...a buddy of mine bought a Focus ST and got a great deal on it. I've gotten two great offers for GTI's and Fiesta's can be had for dirt cheap.


Thanks everyone for the commentary, and for the most part, being understanding.

 

[Maggneto]

The Honda type r set the nurburgring record for fwd cars so I wouldn't count that out until you drive it.

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