30th Jan 2009, 18:01
Well, my dealer informed me we CAN'T disconnect the stupid "low tire" light. That means we are stuck with THREE cars in the family (Mustang, Fusion and Lincoln MKZ) that have these very annoying features. We will just have to push "reset" every time we start the cars and ignore them. I can't fathom why they made them so sensitive that they are totally useless. A 10 PSI difference would have made sense, but TWO PSI is ludicrous. Just temperature changes will cause that much of a variation. The dealer just checked all 4 tires and used a micro-sensitive tire gage (which I DON'T own) to get all 4 tires at precisely the same PSI. I HATE useless gadgets. When the weather changes the light will be back on again.
15th Sep 2009, 21:52
Two-year update: Zero problems other than impossible to read shift indicator. The dealer FIXED the low-tire indicator. I don't know what they did, but it has not come back on. The Ford dealer I currently use is great about doing everything possible to please their customers. Everyone needs to shop around for a good dealer. Our previous dealer was awful. The new dealership I've been going to has restored my faith in SOME Ford service departments. We were very lucky to buy our GMC from a super GM dealer who has really impressed us. We abandoned both Ford and Dodge for a few years because of horrible service, but the current dealership we use seems to be different. If they get sloppy I'll just go buy a Camaro!!
17th Sep 2009, 21:33
Actually you can have Ford install all the GT cosmetic pieces on a V-6. Some dealers will do this, but they charge a lot more than if you just buy a basic V-6 and install the front and rear fascias, fake second exhaust and grill yourself. It still qualifies for lower insurance rates, but is indistinguishable from a GT. There are a couple of these in my area. If I didn't know the guys who own them, I wouldn't have known they weren't V-8s.
18th Sep 2009, 12:32
Why would anyone want to have GT stripping etc on their plain V6 Mustang? I can tell you why. Could it be that they want unknowing people to think they have a fast car? A Mustang GT?
If you want a Mustang GT, please buy a Mustang GT and not a Mustang GT in disguise! A V6 Mustang with whatever decals a GT has is still NOT a GT. If you are blind, YOU could hear the difference the exhaust makes, not to mention the drastic difference in performance of the V6 VS the GT.
19th Sep 2009, 16:38
It never ceases to amaze me how people seem to think that the only reason people buy cars is to race. I AM a former racer and mechanic. I buy cars to drive on the street. Looks are what sell me on a car, not performance that can't be used legally anywhere in the country.
The V-6 Mustang currently pumps out 53 MORE horsepower than the first GT and does 0-60 a full two seconds quicker. That's plenty respectable. I wish the "boy racers" would go play in the streets and leave true Mustang enthusiasts alone.
The last car show I attended had as many inline and V-6 Mustangs as V-8's. It was never the performance that made Mustang a legend. It was the basic concept and the mystique that it created.
In truth the Mustang V-8 is no match for most high-performance cars anyway. The dowdy Cadillac CTS-V sedan will chew it up and spit it out, as will most true high-performance cars. If you want fast, buy a Viper. My family has one, but I greatly prefer our great looking Mustang V-6.
21st Sep 2009, 12:33
Funny, I was just at a Mustang show yesterday and couldn't find anything with a 6 cylinder in it other than an old '65 convertible. All of the newer generation cars from the Mustang II up were V-8 cars. Should I tell them that the real Mustang enthusiasts drive V-6 cars that look like V-8 cars? Seriously, the only V-6 Mustangs were parked in the lot outside of the show as their owners were surely there to look at the cars they really wanted to own.
Let me also say, there is nothing like the rush of a V-8 taking off hard. Every one of them smoked the tires and took off fast, on the way out at the end of the show, to the crowds delight. My personal favorite was an '04 SVT with its supercharger whining all the way! Try that in your Explorer V-6 powered Mustang.
21st Sep 2009, 12:43
Yeah, they call it a muscle car for the mystique... Is that why the Boss, Mach 1 and all of the Shelby cars from the first decade ALL had V-8's, some of which topped 400 hp?
Every generation of the Mustang has been more strongly based on the V-8 cars, except maybe the Mustang II which is hardly even classed as a Mustang by any enthusiast. They even had to start putting V-8's in that era and brought back the Cobra just to get anyone interested in them again. Then they tried to replace the Fox body Mustang with what eventually became the Probe because people wanted the old rear drive V-8 powered car they loved for decades to continue... and lo and behold it is still going strong with the same old formula.
Go look on Ebay at any given time, and look at how many V-8 Mustangs from years past are still around up for sale. How many 4 and 6 cylinder cars are there in comparison? If they were so all important, there would have been many more of them preserved and they would still be around today. The past 4 and 6 cylinder cars are treated just as today's cars are... as basic transportation that is disposable. The only cars that will get any respect and make it to antique status are the V-8 GT's and Shelby cars.
21st Sep 2009, 12:48
You are both wrong... You think this is 1969? Ford has pretty strict guidelines for ordering and only certain cars get certain drivetrains. This is how they keep the costs as low as possible... simplicity. Years ago you could order crazy combinations of options and set up a car pretty much however you wanted, but it is not possible anymore. There are certain packages within each car line that go with each model, and they will not vary too much on anything.
22nd Sep 2009, 12:01
Yeah, 0-60 in 4.9 seconds for $27K is no match for what? Hmmm, it keeps right up with the Camaro that is 111 hp more and it is also quicker than the Challenger RT with more hp... both of which have a much higher MSRP. Pretty darn good numbers for its price range. You, however, are talking about cars that cost at least 2 or 3 times more than the Mustang here. CTS-V and Viper? Not even in the same price range, so yeah they better be faster and better. The Mustang GT simply is the best bang for the buck period!
17th Jan 2009, 17:09
Another update. Only major gripes are impossible to read automatic shift selector and totally WORTHLESS low tire indicator. I'm solving the shift indicator problem by putting a piece of red striping tape on the selector to indicate what gear it is in. Next week I'm taking it to the dealer to see if there is a way to just disable the stupid low tire indicator, as it comes on every other week.