Buying a Mustang. Any better Ideas?
 

Hey Guys

The camaro has finally broken me. Im getting old and just tired of daily driving it, it rides like a bag of asses and is loud, and very tempermental.

So I'm looking for a dd. Things Im looking for.
-Relatively reliable
-Quick
-Not FWD
-Around 20 mpg
-Nothing that old, want something relatively new with low mileage, tired of the creaks and rattles.
-Under 15K

Looked at an early NC, always liked them, but had only driven them at city speeds where all the gear makes them feel quick in the first 2 gears, finally drove one on the highway and it was just dog slow when you try to wind it out. And I have no desire to buy a car then have to put an SC on it immediately to enjoy it.

Looked at GTO since Im a GM guy, love the interior and the LS2 in the 05 and 6s, but there isnt alot of part support for the car, through gm or otherwise. Replacement parts are hard to find and performance stuff thats not for the motor itself is the same way, its either expensive or doesnt exist. plus if I bought one I would almost immediately have to replace most of the front suspension bushings and they are expensive, like over 100 dollars for two bushings. Buddy has an 06 and I love it but hes had alot of trouble.

Looked at C5s, always wanted one but I dont want to pay the vette tax. Vette specific parts are high and GM is starting to discontinue some of the parts, making it damn near impossible to fix some issues. Talked to a vette recycler and he says he has a list of about 17 people looking for some type of sensor GM doesnt carry anymore.

Like the 05+ mustangs because the aftermarket is huge parts are decently priced, pretty reliable, very familiar with them, hold value pretty well, comfortable, nice. Only reason I dont like them is because I HATE Ford, but most of that stems from working on the trucks and Ive seen alot fewer problems from the mustangs.

Anyone have any better ideas?

Get a newer camaro

mazdaspeed 6

http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/m...04763a28c1ff53
I think one of the newer GRM magazines said something about Gen2 PNPs for C5 vettes, I could be wrong, but if I'm not that might solve a lot of your issues with them.

---- - I figured it out.

Get a GSXR-1000.

Doesn't just meet all of your requirements, it exceeds them with flying colors.

-Relatively reliable - Check
-Quick - Double-check in italics
-Not FWD - Check
-Around 20 mpg - Try 50+
-Nothing that old, want something relatively new with low mileage, tired of the creaks and rattles. Brand fukking new - off the showroom floor. Quadruple Check.
-Under 15K. How about under 12k?

03-04 Mustang Mach 1 (unless you can get a 03-04 Cobra under 15k, I doubt it)
WRX

Newer camaro is either an '02 or a 2010. You won't find a '10 for 15k.

If you don't mind jap, how about a lexus is300? You can get one with a 5sp and they are RWD and have an excellent engine.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...4nEsiE9EFHSap7

My dad dailys an 06gt, picked up for 14k. 20city 26 highway. Quick, super comfortable. Only complaint is the weight, but for how heavy it is it will still get it

No Bikes

Havent looked at WRXs. I will.

I have always wanted one of those mach 1s, but I would never own one, I really dont like the 99-04 mustangs, the interior, working on them and especially hate the clutch, it is ridiculously stiff. I have a clutch good for 700 ftlbs in the Z28 and its way nicer than even a stock clutch on one of those. Plus

It was a suspension sensor, I dont know if a MS would run that. plus when the sensor was available it was 350 dollars. No go on the vette tax, plus I wouldnt want to change the PCM as the factory GM one is very capable and Im pretty well versed in it. Love me some HP tuners

Not a big fan of the LS1 fbodies, plus Id have the most of the same issues. Im undecided wether I keep the Z or not but if I do sell it I will replace it with a low milegae bone stock 96-97 WS6 and start all over again. I prefer the Lt1s

Havent looked at those with the stories Ive heard on here.

Solstice gxp

S2000
BMW 540i, Hell e39 M5s are approaching this price, e36 M3 for sure, e46 M3 maybe(salvage title probably)
rx-8(ok maybe the mileage thing would be problem unless you drove it like a grandmother)
various AMG cars probably easiest would be older E55
Nissan/Infiniti 350z/G35
Some Infiniti M45s might be that low
Lexus gs400

Used to really want one, but never drove one, I need to go do that I know the ecotecs are dead nuts reliable. Ill try and find one to drive this week
S2000- I dont know if its just me but I have had horrible experience with S2Ks (all 2.0 models NA1 i think?) A guy I used to race with went through 3 motors in 2 years, and I condemned many motors in S2ks at the shop, and you dont see many out here in hick country. I think the motor is just too high strung to be reliable. I dont know if its widespread or if it was just the ones Ive been around, but Id still be scared everytime I drove one.

BMWs-NO, I work on too many BMWs to know better, plus a buddy had a Dinan supercharged E36 M3 and that ---- is retardedly expensive to fix.
Benz-See reason above

RX-8- misses on the reliable part. Cool engineering fact about them, actually made to burn oil as in there is a pump that pushes oil into the intake track, this causes the cat to clog (expensive) which very commonly leads to engine failure. No thank you. On the older rotaries we used to plug the Oil metering pump and then run two cycle oil in the gas and then put sythetic in the motor and it made them reliable as hell, but I dont know if its possible on the new ones.

350z-Been thinking about this one lately, kinda like them, motor is pretty much tapped unless you go FI (small con) and If I get a used one Ill probably have to replace most of the bushings in the front end, which on a 350z means I have to replace whatever they sit in, as in a whole control arm. Still kinda like them, Ill have to see where they are price range.

Have you considered a 599xx?

I always thought the is300 would be a great DD. Toyota reliability, 4 doors, rwd, straight 6... They sound great with aftermarket exhaust too. I suppose it might not have the power that you are looking for unless you go FI though.

Yeah think you might be asking the impossible
Recent low mileage, fast, cheap, cheap and easy to repair/mod, dead nuts reliable(more reliable than a Honda that is). I don't think such a car exists.

If you gave up the relatively new fewer creaks and groans maybe an old 240-260Z provided you could find one relatively rust free.

I really like the g35 Sedans, BMW 5 series, or EVO's in that 15k price range for a DD. Out of the 3 I would look hard a G35 sedan 6mt. Great handling car, great motor, and can drive cross country in comfort.

I saw one on craiglist in my budget, but the lack of cupholders is a big turn off.

Im not saying more reliable than a honda Im saying more reliable than an S2000. An S2000 is no civic when it comes to reliablility.

Are you looking for a 4 door car or a light 2 door driver?

That is really odd. Mine has 110k on it and the engine is strong.

We have a lot of them tracked around here and I've only seen 1 engine failure (and that car had a TON of track days on it).
The IS300 is a pretty crappy car in all honesty. Bad gas mileage, 215 horsepower, lackluster performance, mediocre interior (for a luxury car), manuals are hard to find, etc. I've never understood why people buy them.

You can buy a 2005ish Acura TL 6 speed for similar money and it's a better DD in every way.

how bout you get another fukkn miata like me, faag?

Because awww shi nugz...yabadawadabugada

Pick up an MSM

Pick up my cooock off your face.

I bought a NB and I won all over it tonight

you looked at the ponti gto and said no part availability.

that may be true on your continent but not mine have a look at postage prices to america and decide. cause they are common here and sold cheap too as they are based off of our best selling car and the gto or monaro sold quite well here aswell.

I have a good friend who has a newer GTO. He says there is definitely a "GTO" markup on all their parts in the US.

Pontiac G8 GXP, hard to find but awesome. Had one in our body shop. LS3 I think, but it's probably in the same bracket as the GTO parts wise.

I guess thats the tradeoff for living in aus we want g8 and gto parts they come easily anything else and well.. you can see im used to sourcing from overseas as I suggested above.

The motor's nice, the body's nice, but the rest of the car is a piece of crap. My buddy's dad has one and he's had plenty of problems with it...

- The top doesn't fit right. The side windows rub it and wear holes in it. He's replaced his once, and the second one is about to wear through.

- The interior is god awful. No storage. The seats suck. You can't see out. The dash doesn't fit right. The door panels squeak and don't fit right. Everything is made of cheap, black plastic.

- No trunk. The bulky top takes up almost all of your "trunk" storage. The only access to the "trunk" is through the clamshell over the top well. It's absolutely retarded. A Fiero has better trunk space.

- The transmission feels like what it is - a clunky POS out of a Chevy Colorado pickup.

Is it quick? Yeah. Does it look pretty? Yeah. But I wouldn't have one. Plus, it's a Pontiac orphan so I'm sure parts will start to get scarce soon.

G35 6mt

The S2000 has tighter interior than a Miata. I'd say Toyota MR-S? I really like those cars. They seem like really cheap quality cars, but so are miatas.

I was about to suggest a e46 m3. then i saw your NO in caps. 100% agree. I like e36's but i've had a miserable time with e46's. I'm done with them too.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336280950

Problem solved.

C5's are a PITA as DD's, and harder to work on then the F-Body..... plus the vette tax and all the nanny things get annoying.

Yeah the TL is probably really nice and has a good amount of power, but it is a 3500 lb FWD car. I suppose that fwd will do everything you need for a dd, but some folks are dead set against it.

subie wrx

Didn't think about those, never drove one, Ill have to do that. Are they pretty reliable?
Most of the stock replacement parts for the GTO have to be ordered from AUS even small ---- like tie rods. GM has to stock parts for a car for so long, but when they killed the GTO here they severely cut the parts catalog, so instead of having a rack, inners and outters listed, they only offer the whole rack and say the tie rods arent serviceable. Its ----.

Not in price range and I want a 2 door

Sucks to here, I'd probably only get one if I could find a hardtop though. Ive only ever seen 2 around here, but If I found a GXP hardtop for sale local Id jump all over it
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336314446

Not a fan of the MR-S. If I could drive soemthing that slow everyday Id just rock an NC


Already looked at them, I still want a FRC or Z06 but not right now, and not as a DD.

"Work on?" Who says you have to "work on" a C5-Z? Change the oil/tires and drive the god damn thing...

Friends father bought one brand new in 2004 and daily drives it year round, has over 185k miles and runs like a champ. Has changed the battery, brakes, oil, spark plugs and tires. Strangely, he traded a 750iL for it... Pulls nice and hard too.

I must of had a lemon. Bad fuel level sender, bad oil pressure sender, needed a new clutch, crank pulley wobble, and new inner tie rods. I bought it at 80k miles and only put MAYBE 10k on it. It also made me pull the key out a time or two every once in awhile just to start it.

:eek: Well... it IS a chevy.. lol

N W S for language

:inout:

Im not worried about the mechanical stuff on a c5, as most of it is either cheap or a normal LS part, I more worried about the vette specific stuff, body switches and sensors. The stuff you only see on a vette is gonna be expensive and one thing I do worry about in the drivetrain is the clutch.

I have absolutely no desire to do another clutch in a c5 or c6.

I think the 05+ gt will do what I want pretty well, although I still want to go drive a G35 and see if there are any coupe GXP solstices around me.

The only thing I dont like about the G35 is apparently the VQ35 is pretty much tapped from the factory and doesnt respond to bolt ons, so If I decide to do something to it I'm pretty much limited to FI.

The G35 has similar power to the Mustang but also has four seat, handles better, way more luxury, and looks better than the early s197. I drive a 2012 Mustang and have owned an older G35 so I'm not being a Mustang hater, just a modular hater.

For a DD, I vote BMW. They are a perfect match between comfort, practicallity and fun, IMO. When it was time to retire our old 320i -99, me and the Mrs looked at a several cars: Mazda 6, VW passat, Kia, Audi A4, Volvo V70 and V50 and a few Mercs (but the Mrs never really gave them a chance, since she says she wont drive a merc before she is 60, which is 34 years away).

We ended up buying, in an absolutly 100% united decision, a BMW325i -07 Touring with the M-chassi and M-interior. We absolutly love it.

The newest mustangs (10-present) suspension is garbage, when you open it up it feels like its going to pull the front wheels. The 05-09 is a fairly solid platform, comfortable ride, stylish, plenty of power, good gas milage, and that v8 sound, and they handle deer strikes like champs. This is after the second one, he changed to a Mach 1 hood, and the cobra r front bumper cover.

http://www.miataforumz.com/attachmen...1&d=1331343251

Well the mustang has 4 seats also. The problem with the infiniti's power is it has similar power but If I ever want ANY more Im pretty much stuck with going FI. I havent been following the Z33 for a few years but when I did, bolt ons did pretty much nothing for them, and most aftermarket parts like intakes were losing hp.

I prefer the mustang for looks, but thats all preference.

Now when you talk about handling you have to see if its an apples to apples comparison.

Lets See:
I sourced these from Motortrend
05 Mustang GT
Slalom Speed: 65.4
Skidpad: .87g

03 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6MT\
Slalom: 67.6
Skidpad: .89

Now lets look at tires.
Mustang 235/55/17 Pirelli M+S Pzero Nero
vs
Inifiniti 225/45/18 and 245/45/18 Michelin Pilot Sports or Bridgestone RE040

Sizes are pretty similar except the G35 has a shorter sidewall, but in either option the G35 has way grippier tires. We are comparing a performance all season mud and snow tire (Pirelli) with a tread wear of 400 to a Ultra High performance summer tires (Michelin and Bridgestone) with treadwears in the 100s. I bet if you put them on comparable tires the margin would narrow significantly.

Plus the suspension parts are pretty damn cheap for the mustang if I want to upgrade.

I do like the G35 and will go drive them again (almost bought a 350z awhile back) I just cant get past the fact that VQ is tapped from the factory and that when a bushing goes bad you have to buy a whole control arm.