Buying a used Mustang - Experiences/Opinions
Discussion
Afternoon All,
I'm looking at a mustang as a potential next car to go alongside a daily commuter.
Ideally i want to get a 2017/2018 model.
I'm fairly certain i want a manual, i have driven the 6 speed auto and it just felt sluggish compared to the ZF8 in my Alfa.
(any opinions on the new 10 speed auto?)
What are people's thoughts about buying a used mustang? Is there anything i should be looking out for specifically?
I also can't decide whether to save myself some money buying privately and see if i can buy a standalone ford warranty, or to buy straight from a dealer.
If anyone would be so kind as to share their thoughts/experiences it would be much appreciated.
Cheers Alll
I'm looking at a mustang as a potential next car to go alongside a daily commuter.
Ideally i want to get a 2017/2018 model.
I'm fairly certain i want a manual, i have driven the 6 speed auto and it just felt sluggish compared to the ZF8 in my Alfa.
(any opinions on the new 10 speed auto?)
What are people's thoughts about buying a used mustang? Is there anything i should be looking out for specifically?
I also can't decide whether to save myself some money buying privately and see if i can buy a standalone ford warranty, or to buy straight from a dealer.
If anyone would be so kind as to share their thoughts/experiences it would be much appreciated.
Cheers Alll
I've got a 2019 GT with the 10-speed auto.
In D, it's excellent. In S (or any of the drive modes that effectively change to the same shift pattern as S) it's less good - it hangs onto low gears for too long and is too keen to kick-down which just makes the car feel clumsy and sound as though it's trying to hard. If you use the paddles, you spend all of your time shifting gears...made worse when you come to rest because it drops to 1st gear rather than 2nd so when you set off in anything other than a straight line you end up frantically trying to flap the paddles fast enough whilst steering! In my (6-speed) Vette I used the paddles all the time, in the Mustang I never use them (but given the box is so good in D it's OK, whereas the Vette box was awful left to its own devices)
And as for sound, because the gear ratios are so close there's very little drop in revs between gears. This is great for performance, but sounds odd - more like a 'bike than a car. In D, when you're not trying too hard, the 'box skips 2nd and 4th gears which gives a more normal musclecar soundtrack - in S, it doesn't skip so like I said it sounds odd (to me at least!).
I'm sure others will say they love it in S - it really depends on your personal preferences. In a similar vein, I keep the steering in Comfort as it avoids the stodginess in the other modes that again tends to make the car feel heavy and clumsy. Exhaust, naturally, in track mode all the time
In D, it's excellent. In S (or any of the drive modes that effectively change to the same shift pattern as S) it's less good - it hangs onto low gears for too long and is too keen to kick-down which just makes the car feel clumsy and sound as though it's trying to hard. If you use the paddles, you spend all of your time shifting gears...made worse when you come to rest because it drops to 1st gear rather than 2nd so when you set off in anything other than a straight line you end up frantically trying to flap the paddles fast enough whilst steering! In my (6-speed) Vette I used the paddles all the time, in the Mustang I never use them (but given the box is so good in D it's OK, whereas the Vette box was awful left to its own devices)
And as for sound, because the gear ratios are so close there's very little drop in revs between gears. This is great for performance, but sounds odd - more like a 'bike than a car. In D, when you're not trying too hard, the 'box skips 2nd and 4th gears which gives a more normal musclecar soundtrack - in S, it doesn't skip so like I said it sounds odd (to me at least!).
I'm sure others will say they love it in S - it really depends on your personal preferences. In a similar vein, I keep the steering in Comfort as it avoids the stodginess in the other modes that again tends to make the car feel heavy and clumsy. Exhaust, naturally, in track mode all the time
GW65 said:
I've got a 2019 GT with the 10-speed auto...
Thanks GW, very informative.If anything your response prettymuch confirms my suspicions, 10 gears just sounds too much in my opinion, especially for a lazy V8 engined musclecar.
I think i will continue my search for a manual, and maybe consider one with a 6 Speed Auto if the rest of the car is right.
I'm 1 month and 1,500 miles into ownership of an 18 plate GT.
Shut lines were awful on all the cars I looked at so be aware of that.
Mine had only done 1,085 miles and was like a brand new car.
It's worth finding a car that has the Nav, Heated/Cooled seats and Parking sensors. Most do have them so you should be fine.
I could be wrong, but I had read that you can't get an extended warranty from Ford unless it was ordered from new - but I could be wrong? The Mustang forums lead me to believe that it is very difficult to get any work done under warranty and the one other person I know who has had issues has had an absolute nightmare dealing with Ford themselves, so I wouldn't be put off buying a well cared for car privately. If you're looking at 17/18 plates (presumably for the cheaper tax?) then what you'll be looking at will still have a bit of warranty left anyway so you'd expect any possible work that needs doing would have likely already been done?
I'd invest in a Disklok or some sort of steering wheel lock though as they are prone to theft as they all have keyless entry and keyless go. My area has had a lot of car thefts recently - my dad's X5 was nicked last year and there was a failed attempt on his Cayenne the other week. I hate keyless technology!
Shut lines were awful on all the cars I looked at so be aware of that.
Mine had only done 1,085 miles and was like a brand new car.
It's worth finding a car that has the Nav, Heated/Cooled seats and Parking sensors. Most do have them so you should be fine.
I could be wrong, but I had read that you can't get an extended warranty from Ford unless it was ordered from new - but I could be wrong? The Mustang forums lead me to believe that it is very difficult to get any work done under warranty and the one other person I know who has had issues has had an absolute nightmare dealing with Ford themselves, so I wouldn't be put off buying a well cared for car privately. If you're looking at 17/18 plates (presumably for the cheaper tax?) then what you'll be looking at will still have a bit of warranty left anyway so you'd expect any possible work that needs doing would have likely already been done?
I'd invest in a Disklok or some sort of steering wheel lock though as they are prone to theft as they all have keyless entry and keyless go. My area has had a lot of car thefts recently - my dad's X5 was nicked last year and there was a failed attempt on his Cayenne the other week. I hate keyless technology!
Bluehawk said:
TREMAiNE said:
information
Thanks, I'm looking for one with Nav, Heated/Cooled Seats, Custom Pack 2 I believe it is.Interesting you say it's hard to get ford to commit to warranty work etc.
Is the standard ford warranty 3 or 5 years?
Admittedly stories on the internet tend to be overly exaggerated but my friend really has had a shocking experience that has been escalated quite high up in Ford as he's had awful service over the last few months.
Despite all that, I was still keen on getting a car still under warranty!
You can get an extended warranty from Ford anytime up to its third year, if you email Ford they will advise you which dealers in your area offer one. It seems that not all dealers do, I got my car from Lookers Chelmsford and Ford did not list them as one such dealer. Below is the email I received from Ford in March this year.
There is a Ford aftermarket warranty called Ford Protect Gold which is available for you to purchase any time up until the expiry of the Manufacturer’s warranty.
The reason the dealership was unclear is that not all Ford dealers sell the plan, some sell their own warranties and those that do mainly only sell the plan when they sell a used vehicle.
If you are looking to find out how much a plan would please contact Perkins Garage on 01376 550 899 who are regulated to sell the plans over the phone and speak to Phil.
Otherwise you can contact the renewals team within a month of the manufacturers expiry on 02035100062.
Also I had a bit of a strange thing when I had mine serviced at EMG in Haverhill a couple of weeks ago, apparently if/when you have your car serviced you get free AA Breakdown cover including Homestart and European cover, again I wasn't informed of this when I bought the car but of course it could just be an EMG Group thing.
I have also bought a service plan from EMG, as once again this was not offered to me by Lookers.
There is a Ford aftermarket warranty called Ford Protect Gold which is available for you to purchase any time up until the expiry of the Manufacturer’s warranty.
The reason the dealership was unclear is that not all Ford dealers sell the plan, some sell their own warranties and those that do mainly only sell the plan when they sell a used vehicle.
If you are looking to find out how much a plan would please contact Perkins Garage on 01376 550 899 who are regulated to sell the plans over the phone and speak to Phil.
Otherwise you can contact the renewals team within a month of the manufacturers expiry on 02035100062.
Also I had a bit of a strange thing when I had mine serviced at EMG in Haverhill a couple of weeks ago, apparently if/when you have your car serviced you get free AA Breakdown cover including Homestart and European cover, again I wasn't informed of this when I bought the car but of course it could just be an EMG Group thing.
I have also bought a service plan from EMG, as once again this was not offered to me by Lookers.
wilksy61 said:
Useful information...
Cheers, I'll make a few calls and see what information/prices i get back.irocfan said:
I had the ecoboost 10sp as a rental last year and loathed it. The box couldn't seem to decide what it wanted and was therefore constantly changing
That's how i imagine the box in my head, i'm not even sure i'll bother trying one with a 10spdThe current Mustang is farily bullet proof, especially the s550.1. With the facelift version there are some stories about engine ticks and broken forks on gearboxes.But with the pre-facelift version there shouldn't be too mcuh to worry about.
I'd only look at a manual v8 personally. I suspect these will be the ones that carry the best residuals as well.
I'd only look at a manual v8 personally. I suspect these will be the ones that carry the best residuals as well.
I have a 16 gt auto convertible, love it. At Xmas in the US had a eco auto convertible and frankly it was hard work. This summer in the US had a gt 10 speed convertible and did nearly 3k miles in four weeks. In D it was very nice, in sport it was a bit snatchy, did not put me off and i have started to look for a replacement for mine. Dead end so far, as i know exactly the car i want, see the new car thread.
Seems new is the only way with a year lead time.
Before the three year warranty was up i took out fords exact extended warranty for £23 a month up to ten years old, transferable, which if i sell privately will be good.
I would be interested in the Performance figures for the auto verses the manual as i found the summer before in a gt manual sluggish.
Seems new is the only way with a year lead time.
Before the three year warranty was up i took out fords exact extended warranty for £23 a month up to ten years old, transferable, which if i sell privately will be good.
I would be interested in the Performance figures for the auto verses the manual as i found the summer before in a gt manual sluggish.
Edited by David Beer on Friday 15th November 17:27
mfp4073 said:
On my brothers 2016 GT, the aircon didn't work. The salesman said it just needed a re gas. It actually needed a new compressor. He also needed new tyre pressure sensors, and a new puddle light on the drivers side. The car had 8000 miles on the clock.
Re the puddle lamps, it's a common fault on the older cars before they figured out a more resilient part. Mine has had both replaced.The piece that made the Mustang shape in the door mirror was apparently made of paper.
My horses turned into fat blobs and Ford replaced with new paper cut outs. I seem to remember them telling me to come back when the plastic ones were available.
They were the only problem in my GT manual in 2 years and 14k miles.
Fantastic car and being one of the first to order theirs in 2015, such a bargain. Virtually lost nothing when I sold it on.
Oh and I found the then 6 speed auto very boring. Much more fun playing with the almost truck like gear change.
My horses turned into fat blobs and Ford replaced with new paper cut outs. I seem to remember them telling me to come back when the plastic ones were available.
They were the only problem in my GT manual in 2 years and 14k miles.
Fantastic car and being one of the first to order theirs in 2015, such a bargain. Virtually lost nothing when I sold it on.
Oh and I found the then 6 speed auto very boring. Much more fun playing with the almost truck like gear change.
Gassing Station | Mustangs | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff