I've wanted a Mustang for a long time. However, finances have always been too tight to afford one thanks to a massive day care bill, at least for the past 5-6 years. The original plan was to buy a brand new 17-18 GT w/ Perf. Pack but that was based on several investments panning out and they have not. That leaves around $5k and I'm willing to do another $5k-$7k for ~$200 payments for 3 years which would realistically be paid off in a year or so with tax refunds.
I would love to have a 5.0 but that just about triples the cost of the car. Instead it looks like I'll be looking at 4.6 05-09 models.
The car's main purpose will be a commuter 10-20 miles to work each day plus possibly commuting an hour each way to class (PhD) several times a month. I just wanted something fun that I can do most of the work on. The Mustang works well for that from what I've seen.
However, I've been told about a few HUGE issues to be aware of. The purpose of being here is to gain more info on those issues to either avoid them when shopping or address them quick when I have one.
Cam phaser, timing chain, and (manual) trans problems were what was mentioned to me elsewhere. I was told, especially in the 05's, that all are reoccurring issues that are hard to spot when shopping and can be costly to fix. Again, looking for thoughts and experience here.
I'm fine doing most things under a hood, suspension work, etc. But pulling a motor/apart (aside from a valve cover gasket and such) and doing anything with the trans is way above my skill level.
Please share your thoughts and experience as it relates to what to look, listen, and feel for when shopping and the realities of the problems I mentioned.
Additionally, I was thinking that throwing another $3k-$5k at the car a few years from now for a supercharger kit might be in the cards. But the 05-09 gives me the option to have a car with some pep without that cash as well. Do these cars need a new trans and a bunch of other costly additions/replacements to handle a blower well?
Thanks!
-Emt1581
I would love to have a 5.0 but that just about triples the cost of the car. Instead it looks like I'll be looking at 4.6 05-09 models.
The car's main purpose will be a commuter 10-20 miles to work each day plus possibly commuting an hour each way to class (PhD) several times a month. I just wanted something fun that I can do most of the work on. The Mustang works well for that from what I've seen.
However, I've been told about a few HUGE issues to be aware of. The purpose of being here is to gain more info on those issues to either avoid them when shopping or address them quick when I have one.
Cam phaser, timing chain, and (manual) trans problems were what was mentioned to me elsewhere. I was told, especially in the 05's, that all are reoccurring issues that are hard to spot when shopping and can be costly to fix. Again, looking for thoughts and experience here.
I'm fine doing most things under a hood, suspension work, etc. But pulling a motor/apart (aside from a valve cover gasket and such) and doing anything with the trans is way above my skill level.
Please share your thoughts and experience as it relates to what to look, listen, and feel for when shopping and the realities of the problems I mentioned.
Additionally, I was thinking that throwing another $3k-$5k at the car a few years from now for a supercharger kit might be in the cards. But the 05-09 gives me the option to have a car with some pep without that cash as well. Do these cars need a new trans and a bunch of other costly additions/replacements to handle a blower well?
Thanks!
-Emt1581
