2013 Ford Mustang GT Premium 5.0 from North America
Summary:
Underrated & a great balance of performance & daily drivability
Faults:
Almost everything has been routine maintenance. Just a few things haven’t been:
1) Seat belt holders on the B pillars are not designed well & can easily break (cheap plastic). The second time my driver side one broke, I replaced it with a headrest mounted belt guide from a Dodge Challenger. Has worked better
2) A cooling fan went out around 90k miles. AC didn’t work at idle anymore (went on for months) & the car eventually overheated one day.
3) Might be my specific car because it’s stored in a hot garage in Arizona, but the battery dies every 12 months. I have been through 10+ car batteries in the time I’ve owned the car.
4) Blower motor for AC made some noise several years into ownership, then the climate control speed dial developed a mind of its own after a while (maybe around 80k miles?) & would blow high if I set it to low or wouldn’t blow at all. Eventually replaced that motor.
Other stuff is just typical maintenance & wear & tear items. I take good care of the car.
General Comments:
Prior to this car, I had never owned any previous car more than 2 years in my life. This one I have now owned for 11 years & hope it lasts at least another 5. It really has been that good. Very comfortable & roomy inside, & very good ride quality for a car this powerful & capable. I had an Impreza STI years ago which would jolt if it ran over a leaf. The suspension in the Mustang feels like a Rolls Royce compared to the STI & has been perfect for over a decade as a daily driver. Don’t underrate something as simple as suspension & ride quality when thinking about a car you may want to daily drive & keep for a long time.
Mine is a 6 speed manual GT Premium which I added a Ford Racing supercharger to when it was new (installed by dealer at 1k miles after engine was broken in). 624hp with the modification. Other than the supercharger, the car is still 100% stock. Traction is only slightly more than a rumor in 1st gear, but 2nd gear on up you don’t need to worry about fishtailing or no grip. Despite the power, this car has been as reliable as anyone could hope for. Very few issues as you can see above. I doubt there are many cars on earth which can do 0-60 in <4 seconds like this car can that would have so few (& minor) issues in 120k miles.
The Mustang in general is quite an underrated car & seems to have gotten better over time. It will be a sad day to me when they no longer produce these in manual. Hopefully they still will at the time I get my next car, which may very well be another one of these.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th August, 2023
19th Jul 2024, 18:38
Excellent review, thanks, I'm from the UK and looking at getting a manual one of these!