Ello, and a few newbie questions
Discussion
Hi all, I’m currently looking to replace my current car (BMW e46 330ci) and a Mustang has caught my attention in a big way.
I’ve always been a big fan of them but it’s not until recently that I realised the cost of owning one shouldn’t actually be that much different from my current car.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading and the more I read the more I like and the more it sounds like the way to go. My budget is £15-17k and I’d be looking for a 4.6 GT (non-convertible).
Although I still have a few questions I’ve yet to get an answer for:-
I’ve always been a big fan of them but it’s not until recently that I realised the cost of owning one shouldn’t actually be that much different from my current car.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading and the more I read the more I like and the more it sounds like the way to go. My budget is £15-17k and I’d be looking for a 4.6 GT (non-convertible).
Although I still have a few questions I’ve yet to get an answer for:-
- Considering my budget would you recommend private sale, UK dealer second-hand, import second-hand?
- Road TAX, what band do these fall into? (My current car is top )
- Manual vs Auto, is there a big difference in MPG? I doubt I’ll be doing huge mileage, around 5k a year as I use a motorbike for commuting but seeing the current climate with fuel prices it’s a factor to consider.
- Insurance wise I except it to be in the same ball park as my current car (group 18) but as it’s going through more specialised insurers do mods make a huge difference? (Spotted a nice one for sale with a CAI and remap).
I think you'll be in for a pleasant surprise regarding costs: mpg is surprisingly good though I have to admit I don't drive like a maniac! Servicing is dead cheap, especially if you can do it yourself.
I bought genuine Ford 5w20 oil, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter and brake fluid for a total of about £85 and did the work myself in a couple of hours.
Considering my old company Vauxhall Astra diesel cost £352 (£300 + vat) to service last year which was really only an oil & filter change I'd say the Mustang is a bargain.
Regarding purchasing well I always prefer a private sale as I find dealers generally to be full of you-know-what though I'd recommened Charles at 51st State and Atlantic Sports Cars (where my car originally came from) sound like a good bunch too. They have a barbecue for Mustang owners in July so you'll see plenty of cars there!
As for auto vs manual I'm pretty biased in favour of the manual. Basically if you're an auto or manual person you'll always go for what you prefer I reckon though I drove an auto Mustang GT and though it is a really good smooth gearbox it really wasn't for me. I don't really care if my manual may be slower in real world driving versus an auto but it's manual every time for me. Luckily unlike Corvettes where you have to search half your life to find a manual, which is really odd for a sports car, I'd say at least 50% of Mustang GTs on sale seem to be manual.
One good thing about the auto though is that it's a 5 speed and so is the manual.
For insurance I'd phone around the ads in Classic American magazine though how they treat modified cars is anyone's guess. I once had to give up the chance of buying a supercharged Corvette because nobody would insure it though I think it's different if you already have the car and want to mod it.
Just my 2c worth.
P.S. I'd sy your budget is enough for a 2005 GT and don't be put off by a rusty bonnet leading edge. I read up on the cars before I bought one and though I didn't notice the small bubbles on the front of mine at the time, it wouldn't have put me off because "if they all do it and you want a Mustang", what else are you going to do?
Buy one!
Malc
I bought genuine Ford 5w20 oil, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter and brake fluid for a total of about £85 and did the work myself in a couple of hours.
Considering my old company Vauxhall Astra diesel cost £352 (£300 + vat) to service last year which was really only an oil & filter change I'd say the Mustang is a bargain.
Regarding purchasing well I always prefer a private sale as I find dealers generally to be full of you-know-what though I'd recommened Charles at 51st State and Atlantic Sports Cars (where my car originally came from) sound like a good bunch too. They have a barbecue for Mustang owners in July so you'll see plenty of cars there!
As for auto vs manual I'm pretty biased in favour of the manual. Basically if you're an auto or manual person you'll always go for what you prefer I reckon though I drove an auto Mustang GT and though it is a really good smooth gearbox it really wasn't for me. I don't really care if my manual may be slower in real world driving versus an auto but it's manual every time for me. Luckily unlike Corvettes where you have to search half your life to find a manual, which is really odd for a sports car, I'd say at least 50% of Mustang GTs on sale seem to be manual.
One good thing about the auto though is that it's a 5 speed and so is the manual.
For insurance I'd phone around the ads in Classic American magazine though how they treat modified cars is anyone's guess. I once had to give up the chance of buying a supercharged Corvette because nobody would insure it though I think it's different if you already have the car and want to mod it.
Just my 2c worth.
P.S. I'd sy your budget is enough for a 2005 GT and don't be put off by a rusty bonnet leading edge. I read up on the cars before I bought one and though I didn't notice the small bubbles on the front of mine at the time, it wouldn't have put me off because "if they all do it and you want a Mustang", what else are you going to do?
Buy one!
Malc
GSXRMovistar said:
Hi all, I’m currently looking to replace my current car (BMW e46 330ci) and a Mustang has caught my attention in a big way.
I’ve always been a big fan of them but it’s not until recently that I realised the cost of owning one shouldn’t actually be that much different from my current car.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading and the more I read the more I like and the more it sounds like the way to go. My budget is £15-17k and I’d be looking for a 4.6 GT (non-convertible).
Although I still have a few questions I’ve yet to get an answer for:-
I'd say go for a manual, most of them in the US are manual, but for some reason we here in the UK seem to thinkg "American car - must buy an auto".I’ve always been a big fan of them but it’s not until recently that I realised the cost of owning one shouldn’t actually be that much different from my current car.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading and the more I read the more I like and the more it sounds like the way to go. My budget is £15-17k and I’d be looking for a 4.6 GT (non-convertible).
Although I still have a few questions I’ve yet to get an answer for:-
- Considering my budget would you recommend private sale, UK dealer second-hand, import second-hand?
- Road TAX, what band do these fall into? (My current car is top )
- Manual vs Auto, is there a big difference in MPG? I doubt I’ll be doing huge mileage, around 5k a year as I use a motorbike for commuting but seeing the current climate with fuel prices it’s a factor to consider.
- Insurance wise I except it to be in the same ball park as my current car (group 18) but as it’s going through more specialised insurers do mods make a huge difference? (Spotted a nice one for sale with a CAI and remap).
Auto will have lower mpg than manual, probably about 10% or 2-3mpg on average.
Tax?
Well what age are you looking at?
Same goes what model Stang are you interested in?
For yuor budget you have 3 very decent options:
SN95 Mach 1 - DOHC aluminium 4 valve per cylinder 4.6 V8 - 305bhp
SN95 2003/4 Mustang Cobra "The Terminator" - DOHC cast iron 4 valves per cylinder 4.6 V8 with Eaton Roots SUPERCHARGER - 390bhp (actually more like 420bhp
)It also has IRS and a T56 6 speed transmission. Sadly not many in the UK, so would probably need to source from the US.
S197 Mustang GT - SOHC aluminium 3 valve per cylinder 4.6 V8 - 300bhp
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Friday 20th June 13:10
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