Which GT for me?

[NoVaGT]

Seriously? I don’t have a whole lot of time right now with my job. Work weekends and travel frequently. So, for $400 to have the car delivered to me, sounds like a really good deal.

Yes, seriously. It's about actually driving the car. I can't imagine buying a brand new Mustang and not driving it home.

Whatever, it's your car.

Sponsored

 

[WCGT]

Yes, seriously. It's about actually driving the car. I can't imagine buying a brand new Mustang and not driving it home.

Whatever, it's your car.

Exactly. And everyone’s situation is different. Thanks for the judgment though.

 

[NoVaGT]

Thanks for the judgment though.

Wow...thin skin there pardner.

 

[TnWHTMARE]

I have to say that right now was a great time for me to buy new. Got a stupid good trade allowance and a pretty good price on my GT. 20 GT 6sp, 301A, black accent and active exhaust. 34,900. I realize this can be situational but there is no doubt trade allowance right now is fantastic.

 

[WCGT]

I have to say that right now was a great time for me to buy new. Got a stupid good trade allowance and a pretty good price on my GT. 20 GT 6sp, 301A, black accent and active exhaust. 34,900. I realize this can be situational but there is no doubt trade allowance right now is fantastic.

Wow. That is a hell of a price for a GT with AE. I wouldn’t be trading in my Tacoma, but would be putting a down payment on the car.

 

[libtrucker]

I've been looking for a 2018-2020 GT for a month or two. My current DD is a 2011 Tacoma TRD Off-Road. Love it as a utility vehicle, but as a DD driving 30min to and from work, it sucks. I live north of NYC and drive to Queens for work, so i'm mostly highway and the cars move fast. Driving the Tacoma fast feels like i'm driving on marshmallows. I will keep the Tacoma for winter driving, driving the kids around, going fishing, vacations in the mountains, but want to get a performance vehicle for my DD to and from work.

I've been a mustang guy since i was a kid. Talked my mom into letting me get a 1985 GT 5.0 for my first car. I loved it and had tons of fun......probably too much. Since then, i've had mostly sport utility vehicle due to where i have lived and my outdoors lifestyle. Now, i'm at a point where i can keep the Tacoma and get myself something i will enjoy as a DD. Plus my wife has a Cherokee so we would still have 2 vehicles to drive the kids (5 and 7yrs old) around in.

Anyway, as i said, the car will mostly be a DD, but it will also be something i would take out on the weekend for a spirited drive out in the country as well. Probably also take the kids out on some cruises. I'm pretty much set on wanting a PP as i want a car that i won't have to modify much. I test drove a 2020 PP1 301a AE 6MT and thought it was great. I thought the seats were pretty comfortable and the car drove really well. I haven't had the chance to try a premium or 401a yet. I'm not sure if leather seats are a need to have for me. The other GT i found is a PP2 that has had the SC2s replaced. It is well optioned and low miles. The link to the car is below.

https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/1FA6P8CF7K5194333

I'm trying to stay within a budget, but could spend a little extra for a well optioned car like the PP2 above. Any advice from those of you who DD a PP1 or PP2? What options do you feel are must have's?

Im seeing new 2020s in Florida about that price. Id look around some more

Here is a 2020 GT 6spd i almost bought in Naples for $35000 BRAND NEW! Plus you can get a little vaca out of picking it up

https://www.tamiamiford.com/new-Naples-2020-Ford-Mustang-GT-1FA6P8CF8L5185674

 

[3rdRGR]

I love Magnaride. Best of both worlds in my opinion.
Comfortable on road trips/"normal" driving and doesn't beat the hell out of you, but throw the car into a corner and its like being on rails.

Yeah, I would have certainly preferred it if mine had it, but it was unicorn Roush 2 hours from me, used with 5700 miles, during the COVID... so I got an insane deal both on the car side and my trade in side. Couldn't pass it up. I came from a G37x on 18" All Seasons, which was a very good handling sports coupe, but it sacrificed the pure corner carving abilities of mine with coil overs, lowered PP1 setup with 20" Summers on it.

But it is a bumpy ride on not so great country roads and that's where I wished it had Magnaride. I like to drive those roads on the faster side of course, and though I am fine dealing with the tradeoff... I do get the dirty looks when the Commander In Chief starts getting overly jarred lol. First world problems...

 

[Troutwrangler]

Yeah, I would have certainly preferred it if mine had it, but it was unicorn Roush 2 hours from me, used with 5700 miles, during the COVID... so I got an insane deal both on the car side and my trade in side. Couldn't pass it up. I came from a G37x on 18" All Seasons, which was a very good handling sports coupe, but it sacrificed the pure corner carving abilities of mine with coil overs, lowered PP1 setup with 20" Summers on it.

But it is a bumpy ride on not so great country roads and that's where I wished it had Magnaride. I like to drive those roads on the faster side of course, and though I am fine dealing with the tradeoff... I do get the dirty looks when the Commander In Chief starts getting overly jarred lol. First world problems...

Its cool that you got the smoking deal on your Roush....
I've always liked the Roush cars.

 

[MustangorCamaro]

OP, what is your budget? I didn't see it stated. I noticed the one at Sheehy Richmond is going on 190 days or so. I dealt with Sheehy VW and they were fine. Terrible trade in offer, but GTI's don't hold at all. Would only give me a quote on a post it note though so I couldn't take valid quote to other dealers ha!

 

[WCGT]

OP, what is your budget? I didn't see it stated. I noticed the one at Sheehy Richmond is going on 190 days or so. I dealt with Sheehy VW and they were fine. Terrible trade in offer, but GTI's don't hold at all. Would only give me a quote on a post it note though so I couldn't take valid quote to other dealers ha!

I’d like to stay below 40k. Ideally, closer to 35k but I know that will be difficult.

 

[Cobra Jet]

In some instances I've seen used S550's priced as high as what one could walk away with for a brand new S550....

So if the buyer isn't swinging cashola, they're looking to finance. Financing a new car will usually in some instances be much better than trying to finance a used one, with regards to reduction in price of car, rates and how many months it can be financed for in the end. Not to mention warranty aspects - would you pay the same amount on a used car over a new car considering the used car may have no or limited warranty months left (excluding any potential ESP purchase)?

Me personally - if there's 2 GT's with the options I'm liking with 1 being used and 1 being new - AND their price point is within $2k-$5k of each other BEFORE haggling - I'm going new for 100% sure. Financing a difference of $2k-$5k from a monthly perspective is peanuts....

 

[friedmud]

In January I got a new on the lot 2019 GT PP1 M6 with 301a, Active Exhaust, Safe and Smart (adaptive cruise, auto wiper etc) for $36k.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Decide if you want a manual. I’ve dailied a manual in many big cities and I’m fine with it - but the A10 is great and hella convenient. I got a manual this time because I wanted the “feel” - and I love it. But it is not my DD and I don’t have any traffic.

2. Since it sounds like you don’t want to do too many mods: PP1 with AE is perfect. The AE is absolutely incredible for stock exhaust - and being able to put it in quiet mode when cruising longer distances is great.

3. Heated/cooled seats. I like the cloth seats in my 301a - but if it were my DD I might want heated/cooled seats (I have them in my DD Ford Edge Sport). That said, I just did an 800 mile road trip last weekend and the cloth seats were great.

4. Adaptive cruise control (ACC): personally, I wouldn’t buy a car without ACC. Once you’ve used it you can never go back. The fact that you can get ACC with a manual on a Mustang is awesome (and it works perfectly).

5. At least get the 301a package. The base stereo sucks and you want the big CarPlay screen.

6. I initially had some FOMO about the digital dash - but now I love my analog gauges. I actually think they will hold up (style wise) better over time (thinking 20 years from now).

7. I don’t miss magneride on my PP1. I drive plenty of bumpy backroads and I love the way the PP1 rides. But, make sure you try with and without so you can judge for yourself.

Finally: have fun! These cars are all about fun - no matter which one you get it’s going to put a smile on your face

 

[ice445]

I agree that OP should just try to find a new one. A 301A PP brand new should be doable under 40K even with the current inflated prices if he looks hard enough.

 

[3rdRGR]

In some instances I've seen used S550's priced as high as what one could walk away with for a brand new S550....

So financing a new car will usually in some instances be much better than trying to fiancé's a used one, with regards to reduction in price of car, rates and how many months it can be financed for in the end. Not to mention warranty aspects - would you pay the same amount on a used car over a new car considering the used car may have no or limited warranty months left (excluding any potential ESP purchase)?

Though this may be true in some cases, IMO there is a "sweet spot" to be had. I got the exact same term when I bought my used 2018 as I could get if buying new. Term length is the key if you are a payment buyer. I let the original owner take the 20K depreciation hit over the first two years. My car still had plenty of warranty left to catch any existing problems. ESP's are cheap. It's way more likely that you will be able to buy the car and extend the warranty when the time comes for way less than the cost of absorbing that huge initial depreciation in a very short period of time. Yes my interest rate was higher on the used vehicle, but I know how I buy cars and I'll flip this one more than likely within the next 5 years, so I won't even have to abosorb that interest for the entire term of the loan. From a total cost perspective, whether you want to invest in ESP (which you'll easily recoup using it as a selling point when you sell) or just flip sooner before you lose warranty. It's just very very hard to beat buying slightly used with low miles and clean wreck history (oh... and NOT a rental btw - which was every gray interiored Camaro 2SS I could find over 2 months of searching...) from a financial standpoint.

Now if you let emotion creep in, then all bets are off. Many will feel the same way about any used performance car as I do a used performance car bought from Hertz. Some can't bear the the thought of someone elses butt in their seat (someone here seriously had that hang-up lol). If it bothers you that much, then financial savings may take a back seat. Anyway... these are sort of weird times with supply problems and people with "free" money burning a hole in their pockets. So normal isn't exactly what you are going to get. But overall, it's better to buy depreciating assets at the right point in the curve. For a Mustang, IMHO that point right now is 2018-19 and ESP it if you are going to keep it for awhile. Buy the warranty on a zero interest credit card if you want to spread the pain out on that. 20 bucks a month and you'll be done inside of a year. Happy hunting!

 

[WCGT]

Earlier today I test drove a 2020 GT A10 400a AE (link below). I wanted to get a feel for the A10 and a non-PP GT. I was actually very impressed with the A10. It shifted very smoothly and was fast. The 400a was also nice, but i didn't think it was a major improvement over the 301a. The seats were nice and comfortable, but the cloth seats were also comfortable. This time i made sure to fully adjust the steering column and seat to were it felt just right for me. Also, the Inconic Silver is an awesome color. Again, the AE is really cool. I actually drove the car to my house (it was only a few miles away) and pulled into the driveway and revved it in track mode. My wife immediately knew it was me and came out. Ha.

https://www.scarsdaleford.net/new-Scarsdale-2020-Ford-Mustang-GT+Premium-1FA6P8CF5L5190525

The one difference i did note was that it did not feel as "grounded" as the PP1. The car felt light and fast, but i did not feel attached to the road like i did in the PP1. It handled well, but the PP1 feels like it is on rails. It did have the P-zeros, which i'm sure did not help. The other big difference I notice was the brakes. The stock brakes were fine but the Brembos were much better.

So, i'm surprised how much i liked the A10. I think i still favor the 6M, but i'm glad i drove it. The dealer did not want to budge much on the price. The lowest the would go is $40,000. For me, that was not enough for a non-PP car that i would end up adding some mods to...........like bigger and better tires right off the bat.

Sponsored