Upcountry S.C. '05 Mustang GT 4.6L V8

[graybeard]

I was on TCCA when Bob Gervais ran it...

I still have my 03' SES 3.0L 24V Duratec Taurus. GREAT CAR!

I have not posted there in 8 or 9 years. No Taurus at the present time since I retired.

Never had a 24 valve in the corral. They are nice driving cars.

 

[graybeard]

I have not posted there in 8 or 9 years. No Taurus at the present time since I retired.

Never had a 24 valve in the corral. They are nice driving cars.

Correction: The Yamaha V6 in the SHO was a 24v. I should have said, "not had a Duradec 24v in a Taurus".

 

[graybeard]

The last time I rode in a Mustang was the summer of 1966. A neighbor friend across the street bought a new '66 with a straight six and 3-speed manual trans.

The colour scheme was very nice: dark green exterior, green vinyl trim inside. The car handled like a Falcon.

Then came Jan 2026, while looking for a good used sporty car with a V8 and manual trans, there sat this '05 GT on the very back row of a major car dealer's lot. It had a V8 and a 5-speed auto., but was in very good condition inside and out with 101K miles on it.

Starting the car up it was loud and blew black smoke out the tailpipes. The car had lots of new or almost new parts on it. It was equipped with a Vortech V2 Si kit. I didn't know it was not OEM.

The '05 started and ran smoothly and drove very nicely. 20" rims with NITTO tires and AM wheels.

Over several days, we negotiated a price. I bought it and have been pleased with the purchase.

I joined this forum to learn how to maintain it

Stock manifolds. No headers.
I would like to end up witj a Grand Touring car, not street racer.
Vortech adverrises 100 additional hp with their V2 kit.

I also would like it to meet the factory mpg. Right now it's getting 13 mpg in town and approximately 16 on the highway.

Concerning the 20" tires: the larger diameter is causing a 4% error in the odometer, mph, and mpg. Actual mpg around town is 14 mpg and highway 17 mpg.

Concerning the American Muscle 20" wheels: the wheel design is good, but I do not care for the dark colour (dark charcoal). The dark colour shows the dirt more than a bright looking wheel. Also, whenever I see a vehicle with dark wheels on the road, my first thought is someone stole the wheel covers off of a set of steel wheels. IMHO, wheels should have some 'sparkle' to them.
IMHO, dark wheels from a distance are boring.

Some time in the future, I'd like to put a set of Cobra style 5-spoke wheels on this '05 GT.

 

[graybeard]

Sorry, I used the wrong quote feature in my previous post.

 

[graybeard]

In this post, will be some background info on this 2005 Mustang GT, 4.6L V8 purchased in Jan 2026 from the local Toyota dealer.

Initially, the goal was to buy a decent early 2000's Challenger V8 manual trans., or the same vintage Mustang, V6 / V8 w/manual trans..
The older vintage, (20) years old or so, was to avoid the high property taxes on newer vehicles. (tax on this 2005 GT is $38/year.)

This '05-Mus caught my attention due to its overall very good condition and the shine and gleem of new parts inside and out and under. It is obvious it was well taken care of; the CarFax confirmed it. To me the mileage was low, at 102K.

From both the CarFax and inspecting and observing the state of this car, the following list gives what was observed:

- New Interstate battery
- New alternator
- New battery cables
- New hoses, heater and radiator.
- New serpentine belt
- Audio system upgrade to a Kenwood DMX9907XR, and a large amp in the trunk.
- New brake pads all around.
- Dana 1-piece alum. driveshaft.
- Complete service job by Toyota to sell the car.
- Like New American Muscle 20" wheels with NITTO performance tires.
-New off-road exhaust system with 'X' cross-over, no cats or mufflers.
- Vortech V2 supercharger, complete kit (6 yrs old)
- Spark plugs and dyno tuning done after installation of the Vortech.

NEW STUFF AFTER PURCHASE:
- Complet new exhaust system with new cats, all new O2's, new 'H' pipe, new turbo style mufflers.
- New 18" x 8.5" ACE wheels
- New tires
- New lug nuts.
- New hub rings.
-New remote and key.
- New wiper blades.

The body and chassis are very good to excellent. The car was steamed cleaned in the engine compartment and the entire underneath. Very clean.

I have probably missed a few things, but basically it is a good car and runs well.