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Is a GT too impractical for daily driving?

Hack

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I have a GT. I would never want to commute daily in it? Why?
1-Traffic. Even if it's not stop/go. Still crowded where there's no real fun driving. That is unless you have a dream commute with no traffic. But driving it into the city? Hell no. The GT is a handful in that environment
To me handful = fun. Stop and go = fun. The best part of a GT is launching it from a stop.
-For me the quickest way to get sick of a GT is to drive it daily......especially into the city. I love taking my GT out on weekends to my favorite spots and then going for a run. No traffic and a blast. Never get sick of it. I would if I drove it every day.
I guess that's one way to do it. Drive a crappy car that sucks all the time and then you enjoy the good car more when you finally drive it. I prefer to drive the fun car as much as possible rather than just letting it sit and rot in my garage.

-The gas mpg sucks. Give me a fun little 4cyl to take the daily commute beating and not drain my wallet in gas. I actually like little 4 banger cars. They're fun to me.
Don't you get sick of the 4cylinder POS driving it every day? If you compare the cost of an additional car to the amount you are saving in gas you will realize you are doing it wrong. Plus I think the fuel economy of a GT is quite good. IIRC I averaged 19 mpg including track days, daily commute, etc. Plenty good enough fuel economy.

If I could only have one car? Probably wouldn't be a GT. More likely a Focus ST or Fiesta ST.
The ST cars are ok. Not very good ergonomics or engine sounds compared to a Mustang GT, though.
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BmacIL

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Short answer? No. It's great. Even hauls stuff reasonably well if you get creative.
 

5.0 435

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Don’t live beyond your means. Live the way you want. Once you figure how to do both you will be fine. It’s just that simple.
But it’s freaking hard to do over time. To many distractions along the way. You got to stay focused.
 
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Zelek

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To me handful = fun. Stop and go = fun. The best part of a GT is launching it from a stop.

I guess that's one way to do it. Drive a crappy car that sucks all the time and then you enjoy the good car more when you finally drive it. I prefer to drive the fun car as much as possible rather than just letting it sit and rot in my garage.

Don't you get sick of the 4cylinder POS driving it every day? If you compare the cost of an additional car to the amount you are saving in gas you will realize you are doing it wrong. Plus I think the fuel economy of a GT is quite good. IIRC I averaged 19 mpg including track days, daily commute, etc. Plenty good enough fuel economy.

The ST cars are ok. Not very good ergonomics or engine sounds compared to a Mustang GT, though.
You're also not factoring in the reason someone else would have a second car. Transporting dogs around is not something I'd do in the Mustang, especially with a black lab and a pit. The sedan with a rear seat cover makes this easy and for loading/unloading them.

No one is sitting in my back seat in my Mustang. I'm 6'6". The back seat is simply there to make insurance cheaper and make the front seats adjustable. That's about it unless you're hauling midgets around. Friends usually appreciate when you can switch off on who drives and not being "that guy" that has the car that can't take more than 1 person.

No one buys a second car to simply counter the gas mileage. The math doesn't add up cost wise. It's the practicality of a sedan and depending on the trip or where I'm going, having options to choose from is actually quite nice. There's days where I just want a comfortable, nice and relaxing ride without rowing through the gears. I actually enjoy my sedan because I made it fun by going with the turbo model and the 10-speed. I've gone to places where parking is in a field outside of Austin at certain places. Not really somewhere I'd be driving my Mustang. Not saying I can't, I'd just rather not.

Also, not getting my Mustang stuck in crappy weather is always a plus. It's a garage queen, comes out on weekends for fun drives, car shows, and I take really good care of it. Sure, it's only a Mustang most people say, but when you work hard for your toys, you might actually give a shit about them. I do at least. I put a lot of money into it already and I intend to keep it in great shape for the years to come.
 

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CompOface

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I have a GT. I would never want to commute daily in it? Why?
1-Traffic. Even if it's not stop/go. Still crowded where there's no real fun driving. That is unless you have a dream commute with no traffic. But driving it into the city? Hell no. The GT is a handful in that environment

2-For me the quickest way to get sick of a GT is to drive it daily......especially into the city. I love taking my GT out on weekends to my favorite spots and then going for a run. No traffic and a blast. Never get sick of it. I would if I drove it every day.

3-The gas mpg sucks. Give me a fun little 4cyl to take the daily commute beating and not drain my wallet in gas. I actually like little 4 banger cars. They're fun to me.

If I could only have one car? Probably wouldn't be a GT. More likely a Focus ST or Fiesta ST.
I disagree completely, but then again I split DD with my GT and a F-150... gas mileage... what's that and who cares?! I drive through Boston traffic every day in my GT and I enjoy the hell out of it. Loud exhaust + stick = fun even while driving slow! Clutch out, power on, grab 2nd, traffic slows and power off... cue POP GURGLE POP GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE... what is not to love!

Even on the stock clutch spring it's a breeze to drive in heavy traffic, swap for the Steeda spring and it gets even better. My leg never gets tired and shifting never gets old. People are often rolling down their windows to talk in traffic, I meet a lot of people DD'ing my GT than I would normally, even if its only for a few seconds.

I mean no traffic is always better, but don't let it be the reason you don't buy a GT. Gas mileage is never a reason to not buy a car IMO, they call us enthusiasts for a reason. Life costs money, we all spend differently, no wrong way or right way if you can keep your shit together. Who knows, we may not have much longer to gripe about gas mileage, next we'll be bitching about range anxiety!

...Life is too short to live 4 cylinders at a time, even boosted 4 cyl :cheers:
 

Ebm

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I disagree completely, but then again I split DD with my GT and a F-150... gas mileage... what's that and who cares?! I drive through Boston traffic every day in my GT and I enjoy the hell out of it. Loud exhaust + stick = fun even while driving slow! Clutch out, power on, grab 2nd, traffic slows and power off... cue POP GURGLE POP GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE... what is not to love!

Even on the stock clutch spring it's a breeze to drive in heavy traffic, swap for the Steeda spring and it gets even better. My leg never gets tired and shifting never gets old. People are often rolling down their windows to talk in traffic, I meet a lot of people DD'ing my GT than I would normally, even if its only for a few seconds.

I mean no traffic is always better, but don't let it be the reason you don't buy a GT. Gas mileage is never a reason to not buy a car IMO, they call us enthusiasts for a reason. Life costs money, we all spend differently, no wrong way or right way if you can keep your shit together. Who knows, we may not have much longer to gripe about gas mileage, next we'll be bitching about range anxiety!

...Life is too short to live 4 cylinders at a time, even boosted 4 cyl :cheers:

You sir, know what you're doing.
I also split driving, but for me, it's between the GT and the Jeep. You probably have to deal with much more traffic in MA than I do in NC. But either way, I have the same setup. Loud exhaust and stick... When you rev match it, it sounds glorious and then proceeds to pop pop pop. Love that sound!

And to think... the GT is the fuel efficient one for me. the 5.0 and the 4.0(I6). I like the sound of that. Nice and simple.
 

Hack

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You're also not factoring in the reason someone else would have a second car. Transporting dogs around is not something I'd do in the Mustang, especially with a black lab and a pit. The sedan with a rear seat cover makes this easy and for loading/unloading them.

No one is sitting in my back seat in my Mustang. I'm 6'6". The back seat is simply there to make insurance cheaper and make the front seats adjustable. That's about it unless you're hauling midgets around. Friends usually appreciate when you can switch off on who drives and not being "that guy" that has the car that can't take more than 1 person.

No one buys a second car to simply counter the gas mileage. The math doesn't add up cost wise. It's the practicality of a sedan and depending on the trip or where I'm going, having options to choose from is actually quite nice. There's days where I just want a comfortable, nice and relaxing ride without rowing through the gears. I actually enjoy my sedan because I made it fun by going with the turbo model and the 10-speed. I've gone to places where parking is in a field outside of Austin at certain places. Not really somewhere I'd be driving my Mustang. Not saying I can't, I'd just rather not.

Also, not getting my Mustang stuck in crappy weather is always a plus. It's a garage queen, comes out on weekends for fun drives, car shows, and I take really good care of it. Sure, it's only a Mustang most people say, but when you work hard for your toys, you might actually give a shit about them. I do at least. I put a lot of money into it already and I intend to keep it in great shape for the years to come.
I do have a couple other vehicles (1999 F250 SD, 2003 Explorer), but I only drive them when necessary. I agree with most of what you are saying. I avoid driving the Mustang when severe weather is forecasted or when I need a few yards of class 5, for instance.
 

Jdenkevitz

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Yeah, I do own two new cars. One I drive for fun, one I drive for more work commuting / bad weather. Is there something wrong with driving one car less when gas prices rise?
No, not at all.

I have my 16 PP GT for weekend fun and occasional drive to work on nice days. Otherwise I have an e60 530xi as a daily. Much more comfortable in stop and go traffic than the GT.

I also have a 3rd car (a 1999 saturn sl2) for when I go backpacking in the woods and leave my car by itself on remote fireroads (if someone chooses to break into it or vandalize it I don't much care).

Don't worry about what others think of how you choose to spend your money. When they pay your bills they can have a say in it.

Gas mileage wise my GT is pretty poor, around 15-16mpg, but that is mainly due to how I drive it. Its my toy car and I love driving it in higher rpms. I get almost double that MPG in the bmw (NA inline 6).
 
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poncho@home

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Clutch out, power on, grab 2nd, traffic slows and power off... cue POP GURGLE POP GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE... what is not to love!
Love that as well
 

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You're also not factoring in the reason someone else would have a second car. Transporting dogs around is not something I'd do in the Mustang, especially with a black lab and a pit. The sedan with a rear seat cover makes this easy and for loading/unloading them.

No one is sitting in my back seat in my Mustang. I'm 6'6". The back seat is simply there to make insurance cheaper and make the front seats adjustable. That's about it unless you're hauling midgets around. Friends usually appreciate when you can switch off on who drives and not being "that guy" that has the car that can't take more than 1 person.

No one buys a second car to simply counter the gas mileage. The math doesn't add up cost wise. It's the practicality of a sedan and depending on the trip or where I'm going, having options to choose from is actually quite nice. There's days where I just want a comfortable, nice and relaxing ride without rowing through the gears. I actually enjoy my sedan because I made it fun by going with the turbo model and the 10-speed. I've gone to places where parking is in a field outside of Austin at certain places. Not really somewhere I'd be driving my Mustang. Not saying I can't, I'd just rather not.

Also, not getting my Mustang stuck in crappy weather is always a plus. It's a garage queen, comes out on weekends for fun drives, car shows, and I take really good care of it. Sure, it's only a Mustang most people say, but when you work hard for your toys, you might actually give a shit about them. I do at least. I put a lot of money into it already and I intend to keep it in great shape for the years to come.

Agree 100%. My dogs ride in my Jetta only. And I love that car too. The 1.8t is a fun little motor. Love the contrast having it and the GT. Slogging a commute in my Whippled 6spd? A complete waste for me.
 

ctandc72

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It all depends on your definition of practical.
If you can afford it - and you want it, why not?

I stopped worrying about what others' think about what I own / do etc a long time ago.

I know plenty of people who think ANY debt is pretty much a sin and if they can't pay cash, they think they can't afford it. Every one of these people seems miserable. The only thing they ever seem to show any passion about is the fact they have no debt. That's their choice.

Gas is not really going to get any cheaper....of course it's climbing a bit now, but it'll come back down a bit. But if you pay attention people aren't really griping about right now. When gas prices go up when the economy is booming (as it is right now, available jobs up, unemployment low etc) that's the way it is.

So if it fits in your budget, and it's something you'd enjoy why not? I don't have a long commute, but I'm driving my car everyday. I can't imagine spending that much time over YEARS driving a car that I don't actually enjoy driving. It's why I like modifying my car to suit ME.

Never drive a car you don't enjoy driving, and never sleep on an uncomfortable mattress. You'll spend half your life with these two things...



I daily drove several cars / trucks that barely managed 10mpg.

And if it's about gas mileage, look at all the trucks / SUV's on the road constantly and I'm not talking small trucks / SUV's. They don't get good gas mileage - especially if that driving involves any stop and go without driving all interstate.
 

PJR202

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Your local dealership is about to lose a lot of sales. It's a mass produced car for crying out loud, not a Civic Type-R. Allocate one of the GT's for test driving purposes. Simple.
My salesman said "take a right here. there's a good place to hammer it"

When we got back he said "hey we forgot to have you try line lock!"
 

Fatguy

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Nobody is saying don’t get the car you want. Just don’t buy it If you have to give up eating. Or turn off the heat in winter and run around the house in a parka. Or go without vacations for six years. Or cut back on dental work and so on. Worrying about a few dollars a week in gas says you are already tight.

Sure you get the car you want and everything is fantastic for the first year. The newer models come out. Your car gets a few dings and the interior starts to wear. Then it just becomes another car, but you have another FIVE years scrimping for the thing. What to do? Get another new car and have them finance it forever...:lol:

But seriously. Get a house. I’m pushing 60 and the only people that have any equity have a house. Show me these people that invest and retire rich. Good luck - it’s like sightings of Big Foot! You ask these people what happened to their investments and they look to the horizon and spout some meaningless bs... They lost their money! Investing is giving away your money to somebody else. And hoping you get it back. Good luck there! You may get their bogus reports that say how wealthy you are. Total bs. You are worth what the stock sells for and it is rarely what the stock market says it is. And that is if you’re lucky. Many end up with squat. Don’t be the guy who always drives a nice car but always rented and retired with nothing. The years will go faster than you think. Now back the sound of an exhaust - you can hear my exhaust for free... :D
 

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Agree 100%. My dogs ride in my Jetta only. And I love that car too. The 1.8t is a fun little motor. Love the contrast having it and the GT. Slogging a commute in my Whippled 6spd? A complete waste for me.
Agree. I gave up driving a manual car in rush hour traffic 12 years ago. When VW brought out the Jetta 2.0T with the DSG, I jumped at it. Best of both worlds as a DD, Better than manual tranny performance with automatic convenience. I would not buy a car with a manual to use as a DD. Having said that, for fun factor, you can't beat a manual. Really looking forward to getting the Bullitt and taking it for a blast on the twisties.
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