sandcracker21

Hey all. As some of you probably know, I (had) an '03 GT until last year and I have the itch again. Looking to buy a new stang. I found a very nice '12 GT and have been doing a lot of research online since I honestly don't know a ton about these new ones.

Any HUGE differences between the 12 and 13 or any reason NOT get get a 12? Anyone recently buy a 12 or 13 GT and care to disclose their experience and cost? Thanks!

05xrunner

big differences i can think is the taillights on the 13 and obviously the front and rear bumper change and the added LCD track apps display in premium model. other then that i dont think there is much difference. I bought my 12 in nov with 2900 miles its a premium and ford certified and I paid 24,500. I bought used because I like the front end of the 12 more then the 13

sandcracker21

Yea its a hard choice, I like the front of the 12 better but the rear of the 13 better...

what gear ratio is stock in the 12? is everyone still in love with 4.10s even with the coyote 5.0? ...I would think something lower would be better with the new engines like 3.73

SPARTAN VI

Both are about the same power-wise; 412hp vs 420hp for the 2012 and 2013 respectively.

The biggest difference is in aesthetics. There are a lot more matte black accents on the 2012, and I feel it resembles the 2005-09 a bit more than the 2013-14. The taillights on the 2013-14s look amazing, and I dig the aggressive snout up front. I photoshopped a comparison of the fronts for you. I tried to get the both as close to stock as I could with the images available online:

SPARTAN VI

And the rear.

2010-2012:


2013-2014:

Lethaldosage423

I like the look of the 13-14 better, hence the reason i bought one! But to each their own.

do you want an auto or manual?
Im not 100% sure, but i remember the 11 and 12s had the skip shift feature in the manual and ive seen quite a few posts with people complaining about that, Something to reasearch about i guess.

My 2014 has the track package which gives me the 3:73 Gears. i beleive stock is 3:31 on both the 12 and 13.
I love my gearing. i feel like im shifting a lot but it has power in every gear, i was very impressed.

its really up to you. i dont know of any major benefits to buying newer, and if you can save a few bucks on a earlier year model, spend the extra money on making the car exactley what you want.

Judging by your sig, your 03 had some pretty sweet mods!

sandcracker21

Yea I really like the rear of the 13 better, but I can go either way on the front. Funny thing is I like the guages in the 12 a lot better so I guess its a matter of preference. As far as the extra 8 ponies, I could care less. After I do a few mods I wont care too much.

Thanks Lethaldosage423! Yea it was only bolt ons, but I prided doing each myself minus the gears. I had a shop do those since I don't have the tools/skills to do a gear job. I sold her over a year ago and I miss having a mustang so much I might be picking another up (against all financial advice!).

heslekrants

You should test drive a 12 then a 13. The 13 has more low end power (which is a weak spot on the 5.0L) making it a better daily driver.

I didn't buy our 10 GT until I drove the 11GT & realized the 10GT was more powerful below 3,000 rpms. The 12GT was the same as the 11GT.

05xrunner

What..LOL you probably tested a car with 3.31 then a car with 3.73 and makes you think that but its not the case

StangingAround

I prefer 3.31 because I I feel I can put the power down better on street tires anyway.

As for the 13, one more important thing to remember is that is the year they started offering recaro's and holy hell are they better than the stock seats.