Need help making the right decision

Flusher

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My V6 (economy car) is about to give it up. It has 240K on the odometer and I just drove it to death.

In my last thread, I was trying to deal with passing emissions and the JLT CAI. I bought an Airaid and ultimately had to source an OE filter assembly.

When I took it to the dealer to have the stock tune flashed, I asked them to handle the water pump for me, which appeared to be leaking from the weap hole. The dealer ran a "block test" and they think it has a blown head gasket. The automatic transmission is also on its last leg.

Looking at everything that needs to be fixed on that car, it looks like it is time to walk away.

I would like another '05-'09. I'm looking at this: https://www.kbb.com/cars-for-sale/v...eCode1=FORD&modelCode1=MUST&clickType=listing

My questions are:

Is the V8 going to kill me in operating expenses compared to the V6? I know gas, registration, and insurance are all going to a lot more expensive.

Can the V8 handle high mileage? I didn't care about the V6, but this car, I would have an emotional investment. It would be more than a cheap beater to drive until it dies.

Would this car have an upgraded transmission, or is that only the GT500 that has the upgraded transmission?

Should I not be looking at this type of car for a daily commuter?

I want something that I don't hate every minute being in, since I spend 3-5 hours a day, 6 days a week driving to/from work.

Thank you in advance.
 

MrAwesome987

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I had an 05 V6 that I got with ~140k miles. I drove it like I stole it up until about ~195k miles, and it never left me stranded. However, I really wanted a GT, so I sold the V6 (for 300 less than I paid for it!) and purchased my 09 for a fair price. It had ~135k miles when I got it. I do daily drive my GT, but not nearly as much as you are needing. My GT now has 151k miles on it, and the past 11k miles have been with a blower on it. So far, it has left me stranded one time due to a broken 8 rib balancer. Long story short, I think a bolt on GT will likely last as long as your V6 did, and possibly longer, if you keep up on maintenance.

The automatic in the V6 and GT is the same transmission. The manual transmission is different (T5 vs TR3650).

My car with the blower gets 19-20 MPG on the highway. Without the blower it got around 25 MPG. Insurance really isn't that bad on the GT vs the V6, and I'm under 25. I pay around 100 a month for full coverage.

Driving 3-5 hours a day is going to rack up the miles pretty quick I'm sure. The GT would be up to it, but I'm not sure how good of a financial decision it would be to buy a GT and put a ton of miles on it in a short time period.

IMO, that 07 GT cost too much, even if it is a "Shelby GT".

Hope I answered some of your questions.
 

Macman45

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That 07 GT has some interesting bits on it. I'm willing to bet it's been wrecked, hence the GT500 hood, removed stripes, removed rear letter, additional regular GT spoiler and some funky faux cap. But it IS a Shelby GT.
 

Juice

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Just for reference:
I was getting 23 mpg when my car had the v6 and 5spd. I got 26mpg once or twice on a long mostly highway trip.
The 5.0 with 373 gears gets 20-21 mpg.

If mpg is important, I'd look for a 4 cyl stick shift sporty car. Still fun to commute and potentially 40mpg.
 

Flusher

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I had an 05 V6 that I got with ~140k miles. I drove it like I stole it up until about ~195k miles, and it never left me stranded. However, I really wanted a GT, so I sold the V6 (for 300 less than I paid for it!) and purchased my 09 for a fair price. It had ~135k miles when I got it. I do daily drive my GT, but not nearly as much as you are needing. My GT now has 151k miles on it, and the past 11k miles have been with a blower on it. So far, it has left me stranded one time due to a broken 8 rib balancer. Long story short, I think a bolt on GT will likely last as long as your V6 did, and possibly longer, if you keep up on maintenance.

The automatic in the V6 and GT is the same transmission. The manual transmission is different (T5 vs TR3650).

My car with the blower gets 19-20 MPG on the highway. Without the blower it got around 25 MPG. Insurance really isn't that bad on the GT vs the V6, and I'm under 25. I pay around 100 a month for full coverage.

Driving 3-5 hours a day is going to rack up the miles pretty quick I'm sure. The GT would be up to it, but I'm not sure how good of a financial decision it would be to buy a GT and put a ton of miles on it in a short time period.

IMO, that 07 GT cost too much, even if it is a "Shelby GT".

Hope I answered some of your questions.

Thank you, it does help a lot.

The hours of drive time is mainly due to traffic and not so much distance. That's what sucks most about the commute, bumper-to-bumper at <15 MPH and some Adam Henry is bust'n a move, passing people on the shoulder, wrecks into you, and then flees.

Right now, I am recovering from a bad business deal that has depleted all of my savings. My only asset now is my credit. I need to make a purchase from a dealership that finances with little down payment.

My interest in that specific model is, does it have the better manual transmission or does it have the standard GT manual transmission that many complain about? Would be nice if it had the same transmission as the GT500. Otherwise I would opt for a cheaper base GT.

I don't see selling my V6, it's just too much work to make it worth anything. Think i am just going to pull the parts that I want to keep and junk the rest.

That 07 GT has some interesting bits on it. I'm willing to bet it's been wrecked, hence the GT500 hood, removed stripes, removed rear letter, additional regular GT spoiler and some funky faux cap. But it IS a Shelby GT.

Thank you. I thought about that too. I passed on a Boss 302 a while back for that same reason. At this price and because I can't afford to be without transportation, that's less of an issue as long as the work is not terrible. Again, my thoughts are, does it have the good transmission in it?

In a 5-minute search this morning, there were several postings. This may not be the car for me, but is the model the right choice?

Just for reference:
I was getting 23 mpg when my car had the v6 and 5spd. I got 26mpg once or twice on a long mostly highway trip.
The 5.0 with 373 gears gets 20-21 mpg.

If mpg is important, I'd look for a 4 cyl stick shift sporty car. Still fun to commute and potentially 40mpg.

Thank you, actually, your build thread had inspired me towards a coyote swap, however life happens and that's no longer an option.

I was getting about 22 MPG with the 4.0L/auto, before I changed to 19" rims. Based on your's (I know coyote) and MrAwesome987's MPG numbers, a V8 sounds like not that much difference from where were I am at now.

I just can't bring myself to go 4 cylinder, I've done the little suckbox thing to death. Same thing for hybrid and electric. I miss the V8 sound and feel.

And then, there is the matter of $4000 in Vorshlag coilovers and Whiteline swaybars, just sitting on my shelf. I'm motivated to go S197.
 

Macman45

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Yeah the 3V is a great engine. And it appears that car wasn't wrecked, or at least clean Carfax. Previous owner just had weird taste.
 

MrAwesome987

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My interest in that specific model is, does it have the better manual transmission or does it have the standard GT manual transmission that many complain about? Would be nice if it had the same transmission as the GT500. Otherwise I would opt for a cheaper base GT.
As far as I know, there were only four transmission options in the 2005-2009 Mustangs:

  1. TR3650 - Manual - GT, Shelby GT, Bullitt, etc
  2. 5R55s - Auto - for V6 and GT
  3. TR-6060 - Manual - GT500
  4. T5 - Manual - V6
You have to spend big bucks to get a decent manual transmission in a Mustang, unfortunately. However, the TR3650 isn't that bad. It does the job, its just not as smooth as it could/should be. Hope this helps.
 

tjm73

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As far as I know, there were only four transmission options in the 2005-2009 Mustangs:

  1. TR3650 - Manual - GT, Shelby GT, Bullitt, etc
  2. 5R55s - Auto - for V6 and GT
  3. TR-6060 - Manual - GT500
  4. T5 - Manual - V6
You have to spend big bucks to get a decent manual transmission in a Mustang, unfortunately. However, the TR3650 isn't that bad. It does the job, its just not as smooth as it could/should be. Hope this helps.

The only trans to avoid in this list is the automatic. That slushbox is junk.

The 3650 is fine. Has few quirks, but its overall a good trans. The quirks can be addressed but they only seem to be real issues at high rpm. My '05 GT never had any weird shiftiness behavior except at the dragstip at very elevated rpm.

The 6060 is fine, but let's just ignore it for now as it doesn't sound like you will be daily driving a GT500.

The venerable T5. If you don't over power it, you won't hurt it. Been around for over 30 years.
 

Dino Dino Bambino

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Your V6 definitely isn't worth fixing so you could junk the engine/tranny and keep the rest of the car for parts.

If mpg is important, I'd look for a 4 cyl stick shift sporty car. Still fun to commute and potentially 40mpg.

Totally agree. I think that's your best bet and if you still find yourself craving for a Mustang, get a good '05-'09 GT to use as a weekend toy. Your V6 would then come in handy as a donor for parts that are common to the GT.
FWIW, my GT gets ~27mpg at a steady 70mph cruise, which goes to show that a bigger engined car can still deliver decent gas mileage.
 

Juice

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As far as I know, there were only four transmission options in the 2005-2009 Mustangs:

  1. TR3650 - Manual - GT, Shelby GT, Bullitt, etc
  2. 5R55s - Auto - for V6 and GT
  3. TR-6060 - Manual - GT500
  4. T5 - Manual - V6
You have to spend big bucks to get a decent manual transmission in a Mustang, unfortunately. However, the TR3650 isn't that bad. It does the job, its just not as smooth as it could/should be. Hope this helps.

Having driven most of those transmissions, I have to say the Magnum xl upgrade is not that expensive IMO. The two biggest issues are fixed, 1 - no more remote mounted shifter. 2 - it is designed to shift at high rpms.
Yes, the MGW trans mounted shifter takes care of the linkage issue.
 

Flusher

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The 6060 is fine, but let's just ignore it for now as it doesn't sound like you will be daily driving a GT500.

Let's examine this for a minute please? I want to know how far off my thinking actually is.

After reading the Built 13 GT or stock GT500 thread, I started thinking, maybe I'm being too short sighted, and started looking at other options.

I have made an appointment to go see this GT500. https://www.kbb.com/cars-for-sale/v...eCode1=FORD&modelCode1=MUST&clickType=listing

Sorry for the long hyperlink. Anyway, this is doable for me and ultimately it is what I want to end up with.

Another option that my wife likes is https://www.kbb.com/cars-for-sale/v...de1=MUST&digitalRetail=true&clickType=listing I am going to go look at this one tonight.

So I'm not just stacking up mileage on a GT500, I have another option. The Metrolink station is 11 miles from me and 3 miles from my work. The train is not an option on Saturday and not when I am required to go in early. A monthly pass is $329. There is security at the train station parking lot
 

tjm73

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Damn. GT500's are downright cheap out West.
 

Flusher

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Went to look at the 2011. The salesman said a test drive is not possible because the mechanic said, "It needs a smaller pulley." He couldn't comment on anything other than it is currently undrivable. I'm nervous about having more issues with smog inspection.

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MrAwesome987

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"It needs a smaller pulley"? Wh... What?

Well, it is supercharged, it always needs a smaller pulley! ;)
 

Iceman62

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OP; Would be nice to know if you're dealing w/ some type of budget here f/ the replacement vehicle? You start out stating you want a little MPG economy f/ DD, but then show two Shelby V8's...awesome cool factor, but your not going to get the MPG's you're expecting. What's your limit & need?
 

MrBhp

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OP; Would be nice to know if you're dealing w/ some type of budget here f/ the replacement vehicle? You start out stating you want a little MPG economy f/ DD, but then show two Shelby V8's...awesome cool factor, but your not going to get the MPG's you're expecting. What's your limit & need?
That's probably why he's talking it out with the people on this forum. It helps to get input and thinking from sides that you yourself haven't considered. But yeah, he is kinda all over the place. Reminds me of myself. I set out to just get a daily that wasn't an econo box. I was thinking a V8 New Edge. Then I reasoned that I would REALLY like to enjoy the ride, and I started looking for a terminator. That's when I came across the Shelby GT that I now own. The price was way under book. I daily drive that car. I was getting 27 mpg on the highway before the mods began. OP will be in heavy traffic apparently, which for me, would really piss me off to be in a GT500.

There's nothing wrong with the manual trans in these cars, as long you're not beating on them.
 

Flusher

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OP; Would be nice to know if you're dealing w/ some type of budget here f/ the replacement vehicle? You start out stating you want a little MPG economy f/ DD, but then show two Shelby V8's...awesome cool factor, but your not going to get the MPG's you're expecting. What's your limit & need?
That's probably why he's talking it out with the people on this forum. It helps to get input and thinking from sides that you yourself haven't considered. But yeah, he is kinda all over the place. Reminds me of myself. I set out to just get a daily that wasn't an econo box. I was thinking a V8 New Edge. Then I reasoned that I would REALLY like to enjoy the ride, and I started looking for a terminator. That's when I came across the Shelby GT that I now own. The price was way under book. I daily drive that car. I was getting 27 mpg on the highway before the mods began. OP will be in heavy traffic apparently, which for me, would really piss me off to be in a GT500.

There's nothing wrong with the manual trans in these cars, as long you're not beating on them.

You are absolutely right. I apologize, it's difficult to formulate my thoughts in the few minutes of break time that I get.

My basic need is, I need to get to work. Any reliable shitbox could fill that requirement, and has for the last 23 years The only minor exception to the other shitboxes that I have been driving to death has been my '05 V6.

Where I should have been more clear, I wanted to know how realistic would it be to replace my V6 with a V8? Since everything is a compromise, I wanted to know how much of a compromise, in fuel and operating expenses, a V8 would be over my V6.

Because of all the expensive parts I have stacked, there can be no other option for me besides an S197. That reduces the question to, do I opt for another V6, or am I able to enjoy a V8?

The results posted by MrAwesome and Juice gave me inspired me that a V8 is not much more expensive, in fuel consumption, is not that much more than where my 240K mile V6 is. Even the possibility of going supercharged.

I don't have any delusions, I know that if you aren't feeding the horses, you ain't got 'em!

I have ambitions of going to the track. I have to think about starting with a platform that is the best compromise between my wants, my abilities, and my needs. What I take away from reading here, starting with a GT500 provides a better starting point, for potential lower final cost (and timeframe), compared to starting with a base GT and modding.
 

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