My next convertible ... another Mustang GT? Something else? Misc rambling!

[MaskedRacerX]

Yeah, I agree, the GT is a stellar package when you consider everything, price, features, styling, etc., and even including more subjective things like how it sounds (M cars, for all their performance, sound like __poop__).

Honestly, I think this is probably down to a GT vs. a ZL1 - maybe a GT vs. a '19 SS, though if you're going with an NA car, I think the Coyote is way more interesting.

Sponsored

 

[rollininmyfivepointoh]

One more nice thing about the GT that sounds stupid but is a real thing is that it's not TOO nice of car. Hear me out, even pretty loaded out it's just at the price point for me anyway that I don't obsess about it. I think the zl1 and definitely the 911 would put me in the got to maintain and obsess about it realm which takes away the fun of it. Probably just me but once I cross a certain threshold in price for a fun car the amount of utility starts to decrease pretty rapidly due to worry and stress.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

One more nice thing about the GT that sounds stupid but is a real thing is that it's not TOO nice of car.

I totally understand that sentiment!

I tend to "under buy" relative to my purchasing capability, because I feel it's a good sweet spot where I shop, and part of that is exactly what you said. Don't get me wrong, I still park away from other cars, take excellent care of my ride, but ownership is less stressful, making the overall experience way more fun

 

[Lorne34]

I totally understand that sentiment!

I tend to "under buy" relative to my purchasing capability, because I feel it's a good sweet spot where I shop, and part of that is exactly what you said. Don't get me wrong, I still park away from other cars, take excellent care of my ride, but ownership is less stressful, making the overall experience way more fun

I "third" that opinion.. it's taken me a bit to "relax" about the Mustang as it was a bit of a stretch for me.. not financially.. but mentally because I am used to purchasing 5++ year old cars under 15k for the past 30 years of marriage. This is the first "non-utilitarian" vehicle I have ever owned and I still did not buy brand new. I have to admit it's taken me a bit to relax and enjoy the car; that's been one of the things that has irritated my wife about the ownership experience. If I stepped up to something really expensive I know I would obsess more as well.
There is a balance between taking good care of it, washing, servicing, trying to park away from the idiots.. but for a while I was like.. well, I would like to take this on a road trip to summer fest in Milwaukee, but what if I can't find somewhere remote to park it and someone leans up against it...
Wesley in NY(black eco-vert) who is a member of this forum is my hero.. I don't know if i've ever met a guy who enjoys his car more and is as relaxed about it. He's making memories every day...

 

[MaskedRacerX]

So over the last couple of days, I've been ruminating over this a bit, talking to folks on "both sides of the fence" (since this has more or less come down to a Mustang vs. Camaro consideration).

I love my current GT, I like the new design, I mostly dig on the people on this forum, but I keep sort of leaning towards the ZL1. I think with another GT, I'd wind up pursuing FI, I really want to own a supercharged V8 (I've 4/6/8 cylinders, rotaries, turbo cars, but not that). I feel like having been through a few cars where I did extensive mods, I fare better with more OEM performance and sticking with mild bolt-ons.

So when I start thinking about new GT + supercharger vs. a ZL1, the mental gyrations I'm going through start favoring 650HP, OEM supercharged over a GT + kit + install + tuning + some things not designed for FI.

A guess a major thing with me, is am totally brand agnostic, Ford vs. Chevy means literally nothing to me, I've owned both, had the same ups/downs, dealers are about the same around here, both are super close, it's really a wash for me.

Anyway, I'll just continue to "think out loud" into this thread, I appreciate the space to ramble

 

[Fordever]

So over the last couple of days, I've been ruminating over this a bit, talking to folks on "both sides of the fence" (since this has more or less come down to a Mustang vs. Camaro consideration).

I love my current GT, I like the new design, I mostly dig on the people on this forum, but I keep sort of leaning towards the ZL1. I think with another GT, I'd wind up pursuing FI, I really want to own a supercharged V8 (I've 4/6/8 cylinders, rotaries, turbo cars, but not that). I feel like having been through a few cars where I did extensive mods, I fare better with more OEM performance and sticking with mild bolt-ons.

So when I start thinking about new GT + supercharger vs. a ZL1, the mental gyrations I'm going through start favoring 650HP, OEM supercharged over a GT + kit + install + tuning + some things not designed for FI.

A guess a major thing with me, is am totally brand agnostic, Ford vs. Chevy means literally nothing to me, I've owned both, had the same ups/downs, dealers are about the same around here, both are super close, it's really a wash for me.

Anyway, I'll just continue to "think out loud" into this thread, I appreciate the space to ramble

Hey Bud...... As long as you have space for your surfboard........ It’s all good.

 

[Lorne34]

So over the last couple of days, I've been ruminating over this a bit, talking to folks on "both sides of the fence" (since this has more or less come down to a Mustang vs. Camaro consideration).

I love my current GT, I like the new design, I mostly dig on the people on this forum, but I keep sort of leaning towards the ZL1. I think with another GT, I'd wind up pursuing FI, I really want to own a supercharged V8 (I've 4/6/8 cylinders, rotaries, turbo cars, but not that). I feel like having been through a few cars where I did extensive mods, I fare better with more OEM performance and sticking with mild bolt-ons.

So when I start thinking about new GT + supercharger vs. a ZL1, the mental gyrations I'm going through start favoring 650HP, OEM supercharged over a GT + kit + install + tuning + some things not designed for FI.

A guess a major thing with me, is am totally brand agnostic, Ford vs. Chevy means literally nothing to me, I've owned both, had the same ups/downs, dealers are about the same around here, both are super close, it's really a wash for me.

Anyway, I'll just continue to "think out loud" into this thread, I appreciate the space to ramble

I hear you... just keep in mind "balance" SC could be great or it could be too much... all depends upon the experience you want and whether you can hook up and still be compliant on the street...

 

[Southview]

I like my GT. But if I had to choose, ZL1. Factory warranty with 650/650. They ride and handle awesome. Even though the handling doesn’t count in Florida. The only twisties we have are off ramps.

 

[Tseg]

My wife and I are getting a 3rd car to tool around our waterside town in the summers, and are finally picking up this vert this week from out of state. We’ve had nearly a month wait because our out of state lender in a 3rd state requires seeing their name as lien holder on my home state title and the title has taken weeks for my home state to process but finally has shown up online in my name yesterday. We had a friend who is a mechanic check it out and it is a Ford Preowned Certified, so gets an extra year of warranty, so we’ll still be having 2.5 years of b to b warranty. For us this purchase is site unseen, but my wife was super particular what she wanted... GT, white, auto, convertible, really low miles, blackout package and spoiler delete... so:

For under $38K for 2018:
8K miles
White
Vert
10 speed auto
Spoiler delete
Blackout package w/ 19” wheels
Carbon fiber inlay with Alcantra inlay seats
Premium sound
Active exhaust
Safety package w/ heated steering wheel

We are so excited, hope we did not make a mistake. One of our other cars is a Jeep Rubicon but removing the top is an extreme burden and even removing the Freedom Panels requires a bit of manual effort and storage considerations. This vert top should be a whole lot easier.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

I like my GT. But if I had to choose, ZL1. Factory warranty with 650/650. They ride and handle awesome. Even though the handling doesn’t count in Florida. The only twisties we have are off ramps.

Thanks for the input, and yeah, I haven't used my steering wheel in weeks ...

We are so excited, hope we did not make a mistake.

I can say with almost 100% assurance, that you made an __awesome__ decision, enjoy!

 

[Concrete GT]

Mask, I own an 18PP Premium GT Vert with Magna ride and active exhaust...it literally has every option you could put on one....it also had a price tag that was into GT350 territory, lol, . Anyway I just wanted to give you my impressions since I also previously owned a 15 Premium GT Vert and I will tell you there is a huge difference performance wise when it comes to acceleration. The car is a pleasure to drive stock and the only mod I've done yet is the FRPP lowering springs for Magna ride.

I was never a huge fan of the PP wheels but since my set of MRR350 wheels went to the salvage yard with the rest of my 2015 Vert I decided to keep them for a while and wrap them in a 275/40 front and 305/40 rear set up. They look pretty good with the Black top and Crimson car.
The car was as I mentioned very expensive, about$60K out the door but since I'm gonna keep the wheels and the Active exhaust is PERFECT for a convertible I haven't felt the need to spend an extra 5K or so on these items. No need to.....

This car is quick as a whip due to the 10spd auto. and will leave my 2009 Shelby GT500 with 600rwhp holding it jock from a dig... The tranny can get very rowdy when driven hard and downshifts much more aggressively than the old 6R80....I get pops, crackles and snorts out of it which when your top is down makes for a great experience....The only way I can really put it is that it is a totally different and better driving experience than the 15-17GT's....

All that said I understand longing for the ZL1, but before you do wait until the new 2020 GT500 Convertible comes out...lol...

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Some terrific replies in here, thanks for everyone who's contributed so far!

BTW, since I am moving to something else, I also need to sell the current ride So not really a formal "for sale" or anything, but it will be up soon, just in case anyone is intersted, or maybe knows someone who's shopping.

 

[Concrete GT]

Do we know of any refreshes coming on the 2020 Vert's? One disappointment for me going from the 2015 to the 2018 was that the interior was so similar it almost didn't feel like I was getting a new car....not that the S550's interior is bad and for the most part I like it...it just wasn't any different.

 

[Tseg]

I'm trying to confirm how many of the Performance 1 pack parts already comes standard in the '18 and newer verts. Since I have an '18 with blackout package on the way to me, I know it has 19" wheels, the K brace and some other parts. What is missing? For a little over $100 I already bought on an auction site the GT strut tower brace... luckily a lot of GT Performance pack buyers want to install superchargers which I guess does not fit with this brace... so quite a few 'slightly used' ones are out there for sale.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

I'm trying to confirm how many of the Performance 1 pack parts already comes standard in the '18 and newer verts. Since I have an '18 with blackout package on the way to me, I know it has 19" wheels, the K brace and some other parts. What is missing? For a little over $100 I already bought on an auction site the GT strut tower brace... luckily a lot of GT Performance pack buyers want to install superchargers which I guess does not fit with this brace... so quite a few 'slightly used' ones are out there for sale.

Here's the PP components right from Ford, it's quite a few items:

• 19-inch x 9-inch (F)/19-inch X 9.5-inch (R) Ebony Black-painted Aluminum Wheels
• 255/40 R19 (F) 275/40R19 (R) Summer Only Tires
• Brembo™ Six-Piston Front Brake Calipers with Larger Rotors
• "Engine Spun" Aluminum Instrument Panel
• Gauge Pack (Oil Pressure and Vacuum)
• Heavy-duty Front Springs
• K-Brace
• Larger Radiator
• Performance Rear Wing
• Silver Painted Strut-Tower Brace
• TORSEN® Differential with 3.73 Axle Ratio (Manual)
• TORSEN® Differential with 3.55 Axle Ratio (Automatic)
• Unique Chassis Tuning
• Unique Stability Control, EPAS and ABS Tuning
• Upsized Rear Sway Bar

Sponsored