As the title says.
I'm going to look at one tomorrow as a possible replacement for the G35. Any known major problems? Any hates or loves about them?
It's a Premium with the 3.7 and a 6 speed.
As the title says.
I'm going to look at one tomorrow as a possible replacement for the G35. Any known major problems? Any hates or loves about them?
It's a Premium with the 3.7 and a 6 speed.
May I have the coils off it? ;-)
In reply to frenchyd :
Probably not, but they are only $14 on Rock Auto for new ones.
If you plan on tracking it an upgrade to the factory Brembo's and larger rotors can be done pretty cheaply. Had an 05' GT so this has 305 hp versus the older GT V8 with 300 hp. I enjoyed mine and think they are an underrated bang for the buck car.
I test drove them a few times with the thought of buying one. I was always left with the feeling of "meh". They weren't bad by any stretch but they didn't really feel like they had 300hp, interior was low rent-ish (better than previous gens though). Just IMO, this is a case where the GT is worth the extra $$
Toyman! said:In reply to frenchyd :
Probably not, but they are only $14 on Rock Auto for new ones.
Just so you know you're only 3 coils away from a V12. ;-)
actually I've heard nice things about it. I had sold the 500 version of that mustang He came back later for the V6 version for his wife. Claimed he liked it better because it was. More civilized
I don't have any specifics on that car but I had a V6 mustang from the '90s and no matter what I did to it this was always in the back of my mind.
I've driven an auto one extensively. Same complaints about every modern car, high sills and bad sight lines. It was comfy and had great road manners. My ex's only issue with it was the auto trans had issues but the MT82 fixes that.
I had a G35 and I have a 2013 Mustang GT (convertible). It is a BIG car, mostly hood. A lot larger then my Audi A4, but the Audi has lots more room inside. Mine is lowered and has 20" aftermarket rims with sticky tires. The two positives that the car has - Looks awesome and sounds great. You can make the V6 look good, but you wont get the sound of the V8 out of it.
2014 V6 Mustang cuts a sub 6 second 0-60 time. Sounds like about 300hp to me.
I think I'd lower one of these just slightly as the V6 model sits a touch high to my eyes. Must be lower weight since the Moog part numbers for both V6 and V8 springs is the same.
The V6 also sounds nice with an exhaust though it won't fool anyone into think it's a V8 by the sound.
I'm mostly looking for something cheap and reasonably comfortable to thrash at the track and on an autocross course. I can pick this one up for sub $8k. V8 cars are double that. I'm not too concerned about being the fastest or winning anything. It just needs to be reasonably fun to beat on and durable enough to take it.
The previous GT was the same HP as that V6. It's plenty of power. It doesn't feel as fast as it is. Heck, my 06 has the 'wimpy' 4.0 with only 210 hp and I think it's perfectly adequate for 90% of what I do.
In reply to Toyman! :
Disclosure, I have a 2011 with the V8 and 6 speed stick so some of below may have changed by 2014 or not be as applicable to the V6.
The MT82 can have some shift quality issues in cooler weather until it warms up. 1-2 and 2-3 shifts can be pretty clunky for the first few miles when it’s under 50 F in my experience.
The HVAC isn’t the best I’ve ever owned in terms of cooling in hot weather. It gets it done and I suspect part of the issue in mine may be the heat load from the V8 but worth a mention. (The interior can get pretty warm inside on a 50 ish degree day even with the heat off on a longer highway trip with the windows up.)
Someone mentioned the high sills affecting visibility already, the hood is pretty long and can block a bit of the view forward particularly cresting a hill. Rear visibility isn’t ideal on mine either but that one looks as if the rear wing is lower than what mine has.
300 HP / 6 or so seconds 0-60 should be plenty entertaining, I’d be curious what the rear axle ratio is? I’d think a 3.73 would be a very good match for that transmission and engine. That’s a pretty compelling price point for what looks to be a car in great shape, good luck with shopping.
Edited to add: I’m pretty sure the EPA highway rating for the V6 is 31 mpg which would make it a guilt free cruiser. I’ve seen 26 on a tank a couple of times on trips with mine so 31 with the 6 seems plausible. The trunk is a decent size on the hard tops so weekend trips for a couple aren’t an issue. The back seats are only for short trips or kids.
pres589 (djronnebaum) said:2014 V6 Mustang cuts a sub 6 second 0-60 time. Sounds like about 300hp to me.
It does, but you have to torture the car to get that. The 305hp comes at 6500rpm and torque peak is also high rpm. For a 3500lb car, that's a challenge. If you just floor it without a clutch drop, I suspect the 0-60 time is 7 seconds-ish. Rear gear is grandma 2.73
I didn't/don't hate the V6 Mustang. I think it's far better than the V6 Camaro (we won't even mention the sad, sad Challenger). In the several drives I've done, plus a rental or two, I didn't hate the car. It was a fine, sporty-esque appliance. Reasonably quick, comfortable, and agreeable (soft) handling. But when I think Mustang, I don't think about a car where you have to wring its' neck for power. That's more of a Miata, Honda, etc...type thing to me. So as a whole, I just think for an autox or track thrash toy, there are better options for the money.
I vaguely recall something about V6 S197 Mustangs having a driveshaft that was no good for over 115 MPH, but can't remember if there were specific years for it. One thing you may want to look into depending on what track you would be taking it on.
Adrian had two or three of these as company lease cars back when he worked for Uncle Henry, maybe he will chime in. I remember him saying he could get 30 mpg on the freeway if he kept his foot out of it. I drove one of them once, it did feel pretty quick, though lacking the noise and torque of the V8. I concur that if you're going to buy a Mustang and deal with the lack of space and other compromises, you might as well get a GT.
2015 was the major refresh yielding a nicer interior and independent rear suspension. These are both a significant upgrade, in my mind, and I would pay more for a 2015+ car for a DD.
Having said that, the live-axle cars are still fun. I found them to be strongly biased toward understeer on track. That would be worse in an autocross situation. Visibility is good enough for road or track work but would be a hindrance in an autocross.
I think the V6 makes a fine DD engine and would be fun on track.
I briefly owned a 2005 GT, and found it nicely entertaining. IMHO, more endearing than E8X/9X BMW's. After it was totaled, I drove both the V6 and GT of the 2011-2014 variety. While the newer GT was felt a bit quicker than the V6 and my previous V8, I didn't feel like it was 100+hp more so nor worth the usual price difference to me. And while sure the torque of the previous V8 would be nice for a drag launch or for accelerating without downshifting while just puttering around, but the difference to the V6 seemed pretty minimal for anything else. Then again, I also feel the difference between the 2.7EB and 3.5EB is pretty minor too, so perhaps I'm just on the power-insensitive side.
If you're buying it specifically because "Mustang", the sound and feel of a V8 is the way to go. But if you're buying it because you want something more akin to a poor-mans E46 M3, the V6 should fit the bill nicely. Considering in it's day the upper models performed favorably on track compared to the E9X M3, the platform is plenty capable. Just throw some steeper gears on it, upgrade the brakes, balance out the suspension, and let the exhaust sing in the face of the 'coulda had a V-haters' who think you're trying to make it sound like a V8. I think the V6 premium had the same interior as the GT, but without the Recaro upgrade you'll also probably want a better bolstered seat.
Regarding the suspension, I have long thought that the 3-link + Panhard on the S197 was a just begging for a DIY full-spherical upgrade. Steeda offers a spherical housing that goes into the upper axle mount, and all the rest should just be off-the-shelf threaded spherical rod ends and swaged steel tubes of appropriate size and length.
I've been looking at these myself for a while now. The premium interoir is much nicer than the standard.
Is the one you are looking at a Performance Pack car? That will bring V8 brakes, (not Brembos) 19" wheels, less intrusive nanny controls, upgraded springs/bars/shocks, and a 3.31 rear vs the standard 2.73.
The 1st gear is so short in these cars the 3.31 makes starting in second pretty easy in normal driving.
On the same note, the 2.73 makes 6th so tall its useless under 70mph.
On rare ocassions you can find a car optioned with the 3.31 alone. The door tag for 3.31 is GG and 2.73 is CC.
Driven5 said:If you're buying it to turn it into something more akin to a poor-mans E46 M3, the V6 fits the bill just fine. Considering in it's day the upper models performed favorably on track compared to the E9X M3, the platform is plenty capable.
I'm probably reading it wrong. You're not saying the V6 Mustang performs better on track than the E9X M3? The entertainment factor is certainly subjective and I totally understand that there are people who don't like the E chassis, or S197, or Panther (gasp!! LOL). I just don't see a V6 Mustang outperforming an M on a track. I'm guessing you mean the top GT trim, or Cobra. That would be a very interesting comparison...I'll volunteer to be the test driver!!!
In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
'Upper models' meaning GT (and Boss) when comparing to the E9X M3.
https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2011-2011-ford-mustang-gt-vs-2011-bmw-m3-comparison/
The extension being that the 300hp V6 has the potential to be similarly capable relative to the still well regarded E46 M3.
Just don't drive it into a crowd of people
That's all I got.
There is a decent chance that I would own one, if I had never driven the V8 flavor. I don't get it - I don't care about it for just about any other vehicle, but for Pony cars it matters to me that it has at least the V8.
My cousin-in-law had a V6, bought new, 2014ish. He had so many problems with it he swore off American cars "forever". He seems to be in the minority for that experience.
The test drive went well. Not a bad car and should be the perfect beater. Much more comfortable than the G35 was. Not crazy quick but decent power. Should be fun to thrash on.
I'll pick it up tomorrow and autocross it Sunday.
In reply to Toyman! :
Congrats. Have fun!
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