I love the mustang…but…

[luc]

This is a discouraging thread for me as a first time Ford buyer with a Mach1 being delivered very soon. I also got tired of $100K cars that I was afraid to drive or leave parked anywhere. So is this an exaggerated thread? I m buying from a dealer 5 hours away so when I take the car I assume I ll be done with that dealer. Any suggestions?

That’s the positive side of a Mustang, we are willing to put up will all that craps because it is a fantastic car otherwise. 1 of the most beautiful car around, and depending on model, fantastic engine, handling and brakes
It’s all the Mustang great qualities that make the poor workmanship even more frustrating

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[jd_cobra]

If you want perfect you need to spend a lot more today and even then you will have issues.
People are buying 100k bmw's m2 cs with issues of q/c.
MOST if not all the cost in today's cars is crash testing and emission and the R&D that goes with that. There isn't much left for top tier parts from outside vendors the sub contract to make the parts.
Don't forget the car starts at a 27k car. Just because you optioned it out to 40-100k doesn't mean a whole lot, It just means the factory threw parts at it.
Ford also has to build them to be a recyclable as they can, as most of them will be totalled out before hitting 25 thousand miles.
To keep cost down, much of todays cars are like your childhoods snap together models, as push it in place is faster than screws,nuts and bolts.
And man hours per unit is a big cost of building them. So snap together modular construction is what is used, many times with use once clips. So any repair that they reuse the clips will rattle, and many times even when new will.
For the Mustang to have a better q/c it have to be a base car that starts at 40k and goes up from there. But because every one is started off that 27k base car, you have what we have. The Mustang would be put out to pasture if Ford went that upmarket for the base car. As they never sell enough of them.
Want top notch q/c and fit and finish go buy a 120-150k lexus 350, etc. And not a car that starts life at a 27k car.
There is a reason the Supra starts at 46k and goes up from there. It is also why it will be dead soon from lack of sales.

I don’t want “perfect” because I know that no such things exists, I just want better than what’s being given now. I had a 2018 $18k Honda Civic sport that had 0 issues that I traded in for a new 2019 GT last year when ford announced their Covid deals. Interior wise, I’d say better but it had its flaws, the dome light housing was rattling due to a broken clip, the a pillar was cracked, and there was a rattle from the rear right c pillar area which was most likely the a bag canister issue a lot of people have had since 2018, that apparently couldn’t have been bothered to be fixed.

 

[bridge4d]

I've owned a dozen Fords since the early 2000s, they all rattle. Expeditions, Explorers, F150s, Mustangs, Super Dutys...after a few thousand miles you end up chasing bad clips or unsecured wiring harnesses. It's just the nature of a mid-level quality mass produced product. If you're lucky enough to find a dealer to go chasing the QC issues and rattles you're lucky. The one's I've dealt with have either flat out refused to acknowledge the concern or have said "per the manufacture, it's within spec". The only cars I've owned that didn't rattle were several Lexus'. Having torn into all sorts of cars I can tell you they all fit together in similar fashion with plastic clips...Lexus just uses better plastic clips and tighter tolerances. However, I may have a higher tolerance for lack of QC as an RV owner. You want to see truly astounding bad quality in a new product? Go buy and travel trailer or fifth wheel. As far as paying more for the higher trim levels? I'll never buy another vehicle without adaptive cruise control, rain sensing wipers, auto high-beams, and heated/cooled seats. They got me there.

 

[klink]

And then they complain when the cars are

Very well said. I have dealt with destructive unions in my own business. They bring Absolutely F…. All of value.
They breed animosity , hatred and break up all relationships sorely needed to run a business well.
Any good business will look after its staff ,like it does it’s machines, clients etc.
Unions are not needed.
If you don’t like working for a company, pack your bags and go show everyone how much better you can do.
Dont hide behind the socialist comrades in the Union like a little girl.
Rant over.
Unions have destroyed industries. Just look at the UK.
Many of the great brands are gone.
Hopefully in the USA, they manage to keep the communist unions in check ?

GREAT post, so damn true.

 

[TrackMustang]

Your not wrong, although I have seen them scoffed at on here we also have two Kia’s on the drive (Sportage and Picanto) and I would put the fit and finish up against the best of flat rocks offerings.
WD

You can put a Kia against a Mustang and say they hold their own in fit and finish, but you fail to mention the dramatic difference in those cars. Kia moves the body, Mustang moves the soul. That’s why I paid a pseudo-premium price for my car and have no issues with it at all. Also, I don’t have QC issues with my car, it showed up damn near perfect and I love it.

 

[tosha]

My wife's CRV definitely has better build quality and consistency, and interior noises don't sound a bit embarrassing on bumpy roads, because unlike mustang there are none. Yet, never ever had I thought that "hey, I would rather take it for a drive" and mustang interior is simply a better place to be.
I've got 401a and the only small regret that I have is I should have gotten recaros as well. Other than that, I would opt for 401a without a doubt again. Also, I don't see why or how quality control would be different depending on package.

 

[Stage_3]

1 of the most beautiful car around, and depending on model, fantastic engine, handling and brakes

100%!!
Plus, responds VERY, VERY well to mods.

 

[jd_cobra]

My wife's CRV definitely has better build quality and consistency, and interior noises don't sound a bit embarrassing on bumpy roads, because unlike mustang there are none. Yet, never ever had I thought that "hey, I would rather take it for a drive" and mustang interior is simply a better place to be.
I've got 401a and the only small regret that I have is I should have gotten recaros as well. Other than that, I would opt for 401a without a doubt again. Also, I don't see why or how quality control would be different depending on package.

It doesn’t, I’ve had both a 400A and currently a 301A with issues, and read about numerous 401A with issues as well. Those without any issues are the lucky ones.

 

[WD Pro]

You can put a Kia against a Mustang and say they hold their own in fit and finish, but you fail to mention the dramatic difference in those cars. Kia moves the body, Mustang moves the soul. That’s why I paid a pseudo-premium price for my car and have no issues with it at all. Also, I don’t have QC issues with my car, it showed up damn near perfect and I love it.

If you had read / quoted the rest of my post you would have seen that I did … ?

Your not wrong, although I have seen them scoffed at on here we also have two Kia’s on the drive (Sportage and Picanto) and I would put the fit and finish up against the best of flat rocks offerings.

What the Mustang does really well is make you smile - then it becomes real easy to overlook some of the other issues that you would absolutely crucify a boring everyday car for …

WD

WD

 

[TrackMustang]

If you had read / quoted the rest of my post you would have seen that I did … ?



WD

Oh… well then…

let’s just keep this our little secret and not tell everyone what an idiot I am.

 

[wadewolf76]

As a frequent Jeep Wrangler owner I see no issues with the Mustang QC. Find and fix the rattle is a fun side quest that comes with every new purchase.

 

[jd_cobra]

As a frequent Jeep Wrangler owner I see no issues with the Mustang QC. Find and fix the rattle is a fun side quest that comes with every new purchase.

Right, pay $40k+ for something brand new I should have to fix myself? Lol. If you’ve ever dealt with panels/dashboards that already don’t have tight tolerances, take them apart and you put them back together, you’d know you’ll most likely have either the same issues or possible new ones.

I’ve seen people who have had the horrible c pillar rattle and they’ve gone to extremes such as stuff pillows, expanding spray foam, and other stuff that shouldn’t have to be done IMO.

 

[tosha]

It doesn’t, I’ve had both a 400A and currently a 301A with issues, and read about numerous 401A with issues as well. Those without any issues are the lucky ones.

Ok, then going back to your original question on how one would pay extra for 401a - here is the rough list of things that you get over very base gt trim according to ford model builder:
Leather heat/cooled seats
Heated mirrors
Toggle switches with drive modes
"Better" audio (completely redundant when you have this engine sound)
Digital instrument cluster
MyColor
Heated steering wheel
Adaptive cruise control
Very nice BLIS
Useless navigation
Memory for seats and mirrors
Some plastic panels replaced with leather-like nicer surfaces and stitching

This is what you would pay for and get. Which of those have massive QC issues? It's perfectly fine that some people may not want or need this stuff, but that's a completely different topic. Creaks in dash panel do not make digital dash panel or toggle switches less functional. BLIS is still notifying me when there is a car coming while I back off, my steering wheel is much more comfy when warm in those colder days and I really appreciate these small leather touches here and there. Could it be better? Absolutely. Look at a German 500HP interior from big three. Then look at the price of getting a new one

I'm not a ford fan. in case of a family sedan or an SUV, I would pick a Korean or Japanese made car without a doubt. They provide better quality value for money. But Mustang - they have nothing that comes close to it even at higher cost as far as combination of looks, performance and experience. 401a makes it more enjoyable as long as you don't expect German or Japanese interior build quality in it.

 

[tosha]

Oh, and I still remember how I came to a Dodge dealership to look at what they have and while I was sitting in a Caravan, center console came apart when I touched it. Dealer made my day when he told me that option without power sliding doors is better because "if you don't have it, it won't break".
So, it's all relative. BTW, those caravans are not cheap in any way.

 

[holaz50]

Second Mustang owner and yes, both had poor fittings (exterior and interior). Luckily no rattle inside but some of the plastics on the door / beneath the door do not fit properly.... not to talk about panel alignment... jeeez.

BUT, I have to say it is a beautiful car (to me, it's the better looking muscle car), it handles extremely well and performs even better. When I'm driving it I forget about all the imperfections.
As long as it's mechanically reliable then I'm OK to put up with the other minor aesthetic details.

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