05 and up Mustangs

[Raduque]

I'm looking at getting an 05 to 08 'Stang GT either end of this year or early 09. Anybody have one and can let me know about the commonly known problems, recalls and such? Also what sort of thing specific to the S197 platform should I look for on a used Mustang?

I've done some searching around but didn't find much info, so I thought I'd turn to AT.

I plan on getting a 5spd model for sure.

 

[SecPro]

Originally posted by: Raduque
I'm looking at getting an 05 to 08 'Stang GT either end of this year or early 09. Anybody have one and can let me know about the commonly known problems, recalls and such? Also what sort of thing specific to the S197 platform should I look for on a used Mustang?

I've done some searching around but didn't find much info, so I thought I'd turn to AT.

I plan on getting a 5spd model for sure.

I have an '07 GT/CS that I bought in October of '06. It has 22K on it and I have had zero problems with it. There are some "known issues" with the Mustang as there are with any car. I suggest you browse some of the excellent Mustang forums. Google "mustang forums" or "mustang message boards". This is one of my favorites:

Link

 

[Arkaign]

Not to derail, but for similar $$, you could find an '03 Cobra. That is, if you care about performance.

 

[MetalMat]

I own an 05 Mustang V6 Vert with 31k miles on it. No real problems so far, only thing I have heard of is that the fuel pump tends to go out around 60-80k miles. Besides that the cars are pretty rock solid, people have driven them past 100k miles so far with little to now problems.

Oh and the gas mileage stinks in the city.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

The biggest known problem that I've heard about them are GTOs.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
The biggest known problem that I've heard about them are GTOs.

Hence my reply

'03 Cobra + $1k in mods + Slicks = 11 second car.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Honestly, I love the looks of this car and the performance but I can't get past the cheap assed interior. I drove one, a 2006 GT coupe with 5 speed manual and it was fun to drive with excellent brakes and the chassis felt relatively tight but the interior is horrible. I'd gladly pay a bouple Gs more for this car if it had a more upscale interior.

I don't know of any major issues with them though. Traditionally Ford slushboxes have been a weak point in the Mustang but I've heard the unit they use in the new Mustang is worlds better...I have zero experience with it though (I think it's the same transmission they use in the Lincoln LS). Whatever you do, get the GT, not the V6.

 

[Raduque]

Thanks for the forum SecPro, looks good. That one didn't come up in my search for some reason.

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Not to derail, but for similar $$, you could find an '03 Cobra. That is, if you care about performance.

I do care about performance, but I absolutely hate the last gen stylings. The '05 and up is where it's at for me.

Jules, I definitely plan on a GT. Unless I get an absolutely smoking deal on the V6/5spd (such as, 0% APR for the life of the loan or something equally ridiculous).

Metalmat, fuel pump, that's something I'll keep in mind. Also I know all about bad city mileage - I drive a Ford truck with a V8.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Raduque
Thanks for the forum SecPro, looks good. That one didn't come up in my search for some reason.

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Not to derail, but for similar $$, you could find an '03 Cobra. That is, if you care about performance.

I do care about performance, but I absolutely hate the last gen stylings. The '05 and up is where it's at for me.

Jules, I definitely plan on a GT. Unless I get an absolutely smoking deal on the V6/5spd (such as, 0% APR for the life of the loan or something equally ridiculous).

Metalmat, fuel pump, that's something I'll keep in mind. Also I know all about bad city mileage - I drive a Ford truck with a V8.

I bet you could get 0% on a GT (new vehicle purchase obviously-with good credit).

Fuel pumps are cheap...couple hundred bucks to replace with dealer labor rates. I wouldn't consider that a deal breaker. Water pumps used to go at about 80-90k...don't know if that's still typical or not but again, that's not very expensive. I always ran into cooling problems on the GTs I owned when they get up there in mileage but a bigger radiator and upgrading the cooling system is never a bad idea on a performance car anyway.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Raduque
Thanks for the forum SecPro, looks good. That one didn't come up in my search for some reason.

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Not to derail, but for similar $$, you could find an '03 Cobra. That is, if you care about performance.

I do care about performance, but I absolutely hate the last gen stylings. The '05 and up is where it's at for me.

Jules, I definitely plan on a GT. Unless I get an absolutely smoking deal on the V6/5spd (such as, 0% APR for the life of the loan or something equally ridiculous).

Metalmat, fuel pump, that's something I'll keep in mind. Also I know all about bad city mileage - I drive a Ford truck with a V8.

Cool. Well, you can still get a Roots or whatever for the GT sometime down the line.

Avoid the V6, it's actually a decent motor these days, but the Mustang is too damned heavy for it to be any fun with that combo. Another worker here in my company has a V6 with the Auto, and my little econobox Focus S is notably quicker, and the Focus is far from a powerhouse. The V6 with manual trans puts down 0-60 of 7.0 .. not very fast, but with the auto, it's probably a second to a second and a half off of that, due to the hobbled shift points.

Anyway, to sum up :

2003 Cobra SVT

390HP V8, Roots SC, 4.6L Iron Block, Brembo, *tons* of better parts from front to back

0-60 in ~4.5, Quarter in 13.4 @ 109Mph, Top speed 155 (governed from 175)

2008 Mustang GT

300HP V8, 4.6L Aluminum, Midrange quality

0-60 in ~5.0, Quarter in 13.6 @ 99Mph, Top Speed 143

2008 Mustang V6

0-60 in 7.0, Quarter in 15.3 @ 90.1Mph, Top Speed ???

Notable in the above stats is the similar quarter time in the Cobra vs. the GT, this is because testing the car with stock rubber makes getting traction a tricky tricky proposition. Looking at the trap speed difference (10mph!!), the Cobra is a major level of ass-kickery in the lead, but better tires drop the ETs by a large margin, something that won't be true on the GT. Cheap mods on the '03 does this :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...HFWdiE&feature=related

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Honestly, I love the looks of this car and the performance but I can't get past the cheap assed interior. I drove one, a 2006 GT coupe with 5 speed manual and it was fun to drive with excellent brakes and the chassis felt relatively tight but the interior is horrible. I'd gladly pay a bouple Gs more for this car if it had a more upscale interior.

I don't know of any major issues with them though. Traditionally Ford slushboxes have been a weak point in the Mustang but I've heard the unit they use in the new Mustang is worlds better...I have zero experience with it though (I think it's the same transmission they use in the Lincoln LS). Whatever you do, get the GT, not the V6.

bring back the mercury cougar!

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Honestly, I love the looks of this car and the performance but I can't get past the cheap assed interior. I drove one, a 2006 GT coupe with 5 speed manual and it was fun to drive with excellent brakes and the chassis felt relatively tight but the interior is horrible. I'd gladly pay a bouple Gs more for this car if it had a more upscale interior.

I don't know of any major issues with them though. Traditionally Ford slushboxes have been a weak point in the Mustang but I've heard the unit they use in the new Mustang is worlds better...I have zero experience with it though (I think it's the same transmission they use in the Lincoln LS). Whatever you do, get the GT, not the V6.

bring back the mercury cougar!

Yes please, with a large coupe format, 6 spd, rwd, and supercharged V8 option

 

[bananapeel42]

you'll get little rattles here and there too that creep up.

I have an 06 Mustang GT Premium and love it. These cars respond very well to mods too.

The intake / tune combo is notorius for giving you a great boost for about 500-600 bucks, you could see upwards of 20-30 HP / TQ to the wheels!

Plus, they sound great and so many are made that should be easy to find parts / someone to work on yours if need be

 

[Zenmervolt]

Had an '06 GT for a year before I sold it because I wanted to spend more time with my 951 and because I had under-estimated the usefulness of having a true back seat.

Issues:

- Limited Slip differential groaning in low-speed corners. Known issue with '05 and early '06 cars, fixed under warranty, 10,000 miles later sound had not returned when I sold the car.
- Fuel tank doesn't want to fill. Known issue, not much to be done about it other than fill slowly. Was specific to certain pumps, especially if the front of the car was pointed uphill.
- On long trips (45+ minutes at sustained highway speeds) there is cavitation caused by the in-tank fuel pump that makes the car stumble or stall when you slow down again. There was a TSB out for this, but the dealership I bought from refused to fix the problem without observing it themselves. I refused to allow them to put the 100+ miles on the car necessary for them to feel the problem and they refused to ride with me to observe. I encountered this problem three times in the year I owned the car. Annoying, but non-critical. Issue is supposed to be fixed for newer models.

Those are the big ones that I experienced. Otherwise it was an excellent car. I loved it, and would still have it if I didn't decide to get more practical.

ZV

 

[MetalMat]

I agree, get the V8. While I love my car, the main reason I got the V6 is cause of gas mileage and insurance. The gas mileage in the V6 is hardly any better, and the insurance is not a whole lot lower. Really the only thing I came out with is the fact that is costs around 4-5k less than the GT.

Oh and the interior, while it looks good to me, is cheap. The leather seats are very comfy though.

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Had an '06 GT for a year before I sold it because I wanted to spend more time with my 951 and because I had under-estimated the usefulness of having a true back seat.

Issues:

- Limited Slip differential groaning in low-speed corners. Known issue with '05 and early '06 cars, fixed under warranty, 10,000 miles later sound had not returned when I sold the car.

I'm not sure if this one bothers me. Unless it's symptematic of a bigger problem. Any idea what causes it?

- Fuel tank doesn't want to fill. Known issue, not much to be done about it other than fill slowly. Was specific to certain pumps, especially if the front of the car was pointed uphill.

Now this one bothers me. My driveway is at a slant and I always park nose-in so it would be pointed uphill. Since it's a known issue, is it known what causes it?

- On long trips (45+ minutes at sustained highway speeds) there is cavitation caused by the in-tank fuel pump that makes the car stumble or stall when you slow down again. There was a TSB out for this, but the dealership I bought from refused to fix the problem without observing it themselves. I refused to allow them to put the 100+ miles on the car necessary for them to feel the problem and they refused to ride with me to observe. I encountered this problem three times in the year I owned the
car. Annoying, but non-critical. Issue is supposed to be fixed for newer models.

This one probably isn't going to be something I'll worry about unless it's frequent.

Those are the big ones that I experienced. Otherwise it was an excellent car. I loved it, and would still have it if I didn't decide to get more practical.

ZV

Thanks for the reply ZV, this is the kind of post I was looking for! :thumbsup:

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Raduque

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Had an '06 GT for a year before I sold it because I wanted to spend more time with my 951 and because I had under-estimated the usefulness of having a true back seat.

Issues:

- Limited Slip differential groaning in low-speed corners. Known issue with '05 and early '06 cars, fixed under warranty, 10,000 miles later sound had not returned when I sold the car.

I'm not sure if this one bothers me. Unless it's symptematic of a bigger problem. Any idea what causes it?

Mal-adjusted clutch packs from the factory. Should be cured by mid-year '06 and later cars. IIRC the LSD became an option on the GT in '07, in '05 and '06 it was standard on the GT. All clutch-type LSDs will groan/chatter a small amount in low-speed corners, but this was more than usual. TSB remedy was to re-adjust the clutches and re-fill the differential with new fluid. Not a design flaw.

Originally posted by: Raduque

- Fuel tank doesn't want to fill. Known issue, not much to be done about it other than fill slowly. Was specific to certain pumps, especially if the front of the car was pointed uphill.

Now this one bothers me. My driveway is at a slant and I always park nose-in so it would be pointed uphill. Since it's a known issue, is it known what causes it?

It's only an issue if the car is pointed uphill while you're putting gas in the tank, so the driveway won't be an issue unless you have your own private pump. From what I can tell it's a design issue with the venting on the fuel tank for the evaporative emissions control system. 90+% of the time it was fine. The '05 models were worst, and Ford actually re-designed the fuel tank for '06 and up cars, but even though my car had the re-designed tank, it still very occasionally (less than 10% of the time) had a problem where it would shut the pump off at about 3/4 full.

Originally posted by: Raduque

- On long trips (45+ minutes at sustained highway speeds) there is cavitation caused by the in-tank fuel pump that makes the car stumble or stall when you slow down again. There was a TSB out for this, but the dealership I bought from refused to fix the problem without observing it themselves. I refused to allow them to put the 100+ miles on the car necessary for them to feel the problem and they refused to ride with me to observe. I encountered this problem three times in the year I owned the
car. Annoying, but non-critical. Issue is supposed to be fixed for newer models.

This one probably isn't going to be something I'll worry about unless it's frequent.

It happened on every extended trip I did. If I was in the car at freeway speeds for more than about 45 minutes, I could virtually guarantee that it would happen when I slowed down on the off-ramp. Cars after '06 should not have this issue, and I know that several people reported that the TSB fix did resolve their problems. For me it was just a matter of not wanting to go through the hoops with my dealership. Other dealerships have been better based on feedback from others. I just didn't take many long freeway trips in the car. For road trips, I took the 951.

Originally posted by: Raduque

Those are the big ones that I experienced. Otherwise it was an excellent car. I loved it, and would still have it if I didn't decide to get more practical.

ZV

Thanks for the reply ZV, this is the kind of post I was looking for! :thumbsup:

Any time. Buy one, you'll love it.

ZV

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Honestly, I love the looks of this car and the performance but I can't get past the cheap assed interior. I drove one, a 2006 GT coupe with 5 speed manual and it was fun to drive with excellent brakes and the chassis felt relatively tight but the interior is horrible. I'd gladly pay a bouple Gs more for this car if it had a more upscale interior.

I don't know of any major issues with them though. Traditionally Ford slushboxes have been a weak point in the Mustang but I've heard the unit they use in the new Mustang is worlds better...I have zero experience with it though (I think it's the same transmission they use in the Lincoln LS). Whatever you do, get the GT, not the V6.

bring back the mercury cougar!

Yes please, with a large coupe format, 6 spd, rwd, and supercharged V8 option

don't make it larger, just make it a mustang with a bit different exterior styling and the interior quality and materials of the F150 king ranch (best leather evar!)

also, they'd probably use the twin turbo 3.5 V6 rather than a V8. sounds good to me, though. 375 hp anyone?

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Honestly, I love the looks of this car and the performance but I can't get past the cheap assed interior. I drove one, a 2006 GT coupe with 5 speed manual and it was fun to drive with excellent brakes and the chassis felt relatively tight but the interior is horrible. I'd gladly pay a bouple Gs more for this car if it had a more upscale interior.

I don't know of any major issues with them though. Traditionally Ford slushboxes have been a weak point in the Mustang but I've heard the unit they use in the new Mustang is worlds better...I have zero experience with it though (I think it's the same transmission they use in the Lincoln LS). Whatever you do, get the GT, not the V6.

bring back the mercury cougar!

Yes please, with a large coupe format, 6 spd, rwd, and supercharged V8 option

don't make it larger, just make it a mustang with a bit different exterior styling and the interior quality and materials of the F150 king ranch (best leather evar!)

also, they'd probably use the twin turbo 3.5 V6 rather than a V8. sounds good to me, though. 375 hp anyone?

Heh that'll work. I rather liked the '94-'96 era T-Birds and Cougars. The 4.6L V8 wasn't as beastly as it should have been, and the lack of a manual option hurt, but the overall package was pretty nice. An updated version along those lines with the power you're talking would be very welcome.

The final-gen Cougar (cough .. *Probe* ... cough) .. was .. uninspiring.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: ElFenix
don't make it larger, just make it a mustang with a bit different exterior styling and the interior quality and materials of the F150 king ranch (best leather evar!)

also, they'd probably use the twin turbo 3.5 V6 rather than a V8. sounds good to me, though. 375 hp anyone?

Heh that'll work. I rather liked the '94-'96 era T-Birds and Cougars. The 4.6L V8 wasn't as beastly as it should have been, and the lack of a manual option hurt, but the overall package was pretty nice. An updated version along those lines with the power you're talking would be very welcome.

The final-gen Cougar (cough .. *Probe* ... cough) .. was .. uninspiring.

Just use the Barra 270T

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Heh that'll work. I rather liked the '94-'96 era T-Birds and Cougars. The 4.6L V8 wasn't as beastly as it should have been, and the lack of a manual option hurt, but the overall package was pretty nice. An updated version along those lines with the power you're talking would be very welcome.

Lincoln Mark VIII. Same chassis as the T-Bird/Cougar but with the DOHC 4.6 from the first-gen SN-95 Mustang Cobra. 280 hp/280 ft-lbs and responsive to the same mods as the Cobra engine.

Nice car. Terrible traction, but nice car.

ZV

 

[Mermaidman]

I drive rental Mustangs occasionally and even the base V6 is fun to have. In fact, I just returned one earlier this afternoon. Little quirks I've noticed:
-interior trunk light seems to break easily, and by that, I mean the whole light fixture comes loose.
-something wrong with the fuel tank inlet? At the gas station, the nozzle kept clicking off and fuel would spill out. There were tell-tale signs that this was a chronic problem.
-I have never been able to find the trunk release button . . .
-When exiting the car, cuffed pants would get caught on part of the seat. (Not that I own any cuffed pants )

Yesterday, Ford reported a major dip in Mustang sales, so bargain hard when you go buy one.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
-I have never been able to find the trunk release button . . .

There is no trunk release button. It's the key or the remote only. Minor pain, but not really a big deal in my experience.

ZV

 

[exdeath]

There isn't a yellow button inside the glove box?

 

[AdamK47]

Slow