I'm shopping for an S197 Mustang to be an occasional work driver, autocross, and track car. It would not be my only car. (I have a 2010 Mazda5 for a daily.)
I found great deals on 2 in particular: an '05 GT, and a 2012 V6 base. The '05 GT is about half the price, the '12 V6 has about half the miles.
Which is better, and why?
Gt of course. V8’s for the waaaahooooo! V6’s for the thrifty mpg
Considering the power output is about the same, i’d get the 2012 but I had one and I liked it a lot.
You should drive them both. The 2012 is more refined (same platform, but seven years of development) and feels and looks more modern. It gets way better gas mileage and the 0-60 is about the same but the sound and feel are different.
What are the prices on the different cars? I've seen higher mileage 2012 GTs for $13k and low, low mileage 2012 V6s for about the same. The 2005 GTs are all over the map; some people seem to think they've held their value way better than they actually have.
I suspect that maintenance and fuel costs will be higher on the 2005 GT but that depreciation will be higher on the 2012 V6. Look at the price spread between a GT and V6 of the same year and you'll be facing the same thing down the road when you go to sell. If you're only keeping it a few months or a year it probably won't matter, and if you're keeping it for a decade it probably won't matter. But it might hurt if you have the 2012 v6 for 5 years and go to sell to find it worth a lot less than you expected. Be prepared. The v6 is a better car than it used to be but it still has the "why get the v6" stigma attached to it.
For the same price I would rather have the newer V6. At twice the price I don't know. I think the v6 is the better car but I can't help but feel like stretching and getting a 2011+ GT would be worth it.
I would be shaking out couch cushions for one with the 5.0.
The 2005-2009s were a massive improvement for Mustangs, but their suspension still wasn't quite up to par for a sports car. It was more of a GT, or just not quite good enough. The 2010-2014 had a significant retune. This evidenced by C&D's Lightning lap results where the 2011 V6 put in a lap eight and a half seconds faster than a '06 GT. I've only driven a GT from the 2010-2014 era, but I would lean to that timeframe. The 4.6L might sound better, but there are other important things.
I've not driven a 3Valve GT, but I have driven and ridden a lot in a 3.7 car, albeit auto. The 3.7 is plenty quick to be fun. My only complaints about the car are how big and heavy it feels. Most of that probably coming from me driving a 318ti. The controls are all pretty nice, the interior doesn't feel cheap and the seats are comfy, but could use a bit more support. This was a premium car though, so different seats may help the support. I think it was getting ~30mpg on the highway.
93gsxturbo said:I would be shaking out couch cushions for one with the 5.0.
Which one would that be? The '05 GT has the 4.6 and the '12 is a V-6... 
The GT is going to feel faster because of the torque. Also be a lot easier to entice into lurid slides if that's part of the appeal. I think the looks are actually aging better than the '12s although i think the '12s are attractive.
I would get the v8 unless you really just won't miss the torque and particular v8 noise and the 'easy' oversteer. The V6 is going to be a much better car in most other ways.
When Mustang is the question, the answer is always V8.
I had Miata's for 12 years,it was time for a change.Always liked Mustangs,never had one. So I had about 12k to spend which would get me a nice 05-09 GT or nice 12/13 V6. I thought a lot about it, the V6 had more power and better gas mileage. I got a 2012 6sp V6 , then put on Steeda springs and Koni yellows. It is a pretty nice car,but in the back of my mind there is the thought it could be a V8. I didn't have the money for a 2012+ V8 at the time. Maybe next time although I miss having a Miata
In reply to BlindPirate :
That’s the trouble with any car that has a higher powered option. Yes the lower powered one might be a great car but in the back if your head the doubt will keep eating away at you. I almost bought a 2014 v6 but I couldn’t help but keep looking at the GT. In the end I wasn’t willing to spend $15k on a car I would feel was the backup choice even though in most ways it fit my needs better. Doesn’t make sense but that’s how it was.
In reply to dculberson :
The biggest problem with a V6 Mustang is there is a V8 Mustang
Thanks for the input - you guys have been helpful!
I think I'm leaning to the '05 GT - the noise, and the lack of depreciation are probably the key factors for me. And the burnouts. So many V8 burnouts...
Benswen said:Thanks for the input - you guys have been helpful!
I think I'm leaning to the '05 GT - the noise, and the lack of depreciation are probably the key factors for me. And the burnouts. So many V8 burnouts...
Depreciation was exactly what i came here to say. Gt mustangs are always worth something. Base model v6 cars not so much.
Well, counterpoint is that there have never been 300hp 13-second v6 cars til recently and the oldest ones aren't old enough to have bottomed out, so we really don't know how cheap they're going to get. Considering that 12 year old 4.0 210 hp v6 stangs from 05 can rarely be had for under 5k in any kind of decent condition, I could see the 3.7s taking a LONG time to go below say 7k.
I'd say it depends on what you want it for. If it'll mainly be a weekend toy to play with, the V8 car will give you a lot more options for modifications. The V6 will likely be more limited with the amount of power you can add to it.
I've had two S197s an 06 and an 07. One supercharged and one not. I had the supercharged one first, should have never sold it, regretted it, bought an N/A one and was so disappointed haha. But--we my wife also had a 2012 for a week, a V6, it felt much faster and way more refined than the 06 and 07. I like the dash layout better on the 05-09s. Now the new ecoboost models. I'd rock one of those. I had a rental one for a month while on travel for work and couldn't get enough of it.
Back on topic - if consumables aren't a problem with month to month spending on the car go with the V8. If you are taking into consideration gas prices on 87 vs. 93, how many miles per gallon it gets, etc go with the V6.
Both are great options in my opinion.
I have an 05 GT that I bought new. It's been a great car. With basic suspension mods it's a lot of fun. It has all the premium options and still only hits the scale at 3400-3500 lbs, so it's a little lighter than the newer stuff but it does give up power in a straight line. There's always a faster car somewhere though, and I'd rather have a car that makes me smile. I've never driven the later cars, so maybe I'm missing out, but I'm really happy with it any time I drive it.
dculberson said:In reply to BlindPirate :
That’s the trouble with any car that has a higher powered option. Yes the lower powered one might be a great car but in the back if your head the doubt will keep eating away at you. I almost bought a 2014 v6 but I couldn’t help but keep looking at the GT. In the end I wasn’t willing to spend $15k on a car I would feel was the backup choice even though in most ways it fit my needs better. Doesn’t make sense but that’s how it was.
Must be how it feels when you but a non-AMG Benz.
I would save up for a Coyote engined S197.
With the '18s coming out, you should see a drop in prices across the board for the prior generations. Although if you have a cold winter climate, now is a good time to buy one.
I would personally skip the '05, as I remember they had some teething issues when new (hoods, transmissions, etc.). '06-up are a safer bet. I would drive both and see what fits your needs best.
Here's a list of the '05 TSBs and Recalls:
https://lmr.com/products/2005-Mustang-TSB-Recall
There's always a faster car somewhere though
It's possible to get bored of anything but i think the 3v 4.6 stangs are fast enough that more power will usually be regarded as optional and not a dealbreaker if it doesn't happen. Like, i don't really care for stock-power Miatas regardless of how reliable it is, but an 05 GT is fast enough that i will glue the upholstery back on to the door panels without declaring the car too boring to bother with its foibles. You know what i mean?
Also, i will belatedly admit that if i was going to buy a Ford 3.7 car in real life I would in all likelihood pick a Mazda6 over a Mustang.
Vigo said:There's always a faster car somewhere though
It's possible to get bored of anything but i think the 3v 4.6 stangs are fast enough that more power will usually be regarded as optional and not a dealbreaker if it doesn't happen. Like, i don't really care for stock-power Miatas regardless of how reliable it is, but an 05 GT is fast enough that i will glue the upholstery back on to the door panels without declaring the car too boring to bother with its foibles. You know what i mean?
Also, i will belatedly admit that if i was going to buy a Ford 3.7 car in real life I would in all likelihood pick a Mazda6 over a Mustang.
This might be funny but I got bored of the 5.0 Coyote Mustang. I always drove smaller, lighter, cars and I never liked how that thing felt. So it is very possible to be bored of everything, even the 5.0. I think a lot of it had to do with my regret in trading in a modded WRX for it that was just as fast anyways.
For as much people try to claim the mustang is a nimble car that compares to a M3 or whatever it really isn't. However I never drove the bloat era v8 M3, only the E46 and E36. I also had a 350Z before and while that wasn't on my list of favorite cars I also likes how that drove more. Another annoyance was I only had a 2.0 car garage (not 2 and a half, two flat) and the size of it I couldn't really fit my 2nd car in. If I had a SUV I would be totally screwed.
I have a project car that is rear wheel drive and weighs a whole 1000lbs lighter while having almost 300hp. It is mountains more fun than the 5.0 ever was, even when I had it in oem condition and it only made 215hp. However burnouts and 1/4 mile times I found out are not things that interest me, I had to own that kind of car to find that out. I think owning this car totally ruined the Mustang for me.
So on point of the thread I think going with the older 4.6 might be the better choice. It is very moddable so any handling and suspension difference can be made up easily and you start with the lighter car to begin with on top of it with an engine that also responds well to things like the usual i/h/e mods. I wouldn't consider the later V6 version at all. Especially if you ever want to mod it and knowing this forum i'm guessing you will. Really if I was used mustang hunting and wanted something 21st century I would get the even earlier and lighter version, trying to find a Mach 1 or Bullet or something interesting.
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