Nohippychicks

BLUF: What do I need to be looking at on a used '11+ 5.0?

I've realized just what a maintenance pig my '09 Jetta TDI is and as soon as I get a replacement turbo for the munched one, I'm going to start my serious looking at getting something more fun. I love the looks and performance of the new Mustangs! Their competition is pretty impressive as well, but there don't seem to be as many Challengers and Camaros around for me to look at them all side by side.

Trying to do my due diligence, reading through enough threads to make my head spin, it looks like the major issues I need to look for on the dealer's lot are the "Ignitor tick," and smoke at startup caused by the number eight cylinder.

In reading about the ignitor tick, it seems like it can be at any RPM range and either cold or hot; additives may quiet it down for the duration of an oil change, may fix it or may do nothing and it could (or could not) be just an annoyance. There are a lot of variables here!

So, questions about the tick: Obviously if the dealer hears it, they'll do anything they can to quiet it down just for the sale; is there any way for me to tell if the engine in a particular vehicle has just some engine honey in it as a temporary "Sell 'er quick," fix? I got burned on the Jetta and I'd like to avoid buying another future catastrophic failure.

As for the cylinder number eight problem, this seems like it's mostly for modified vehicles but I read at least one post in here about a stock GT having the smoke at startup and possible number eight issue. I think I've figured out that it's from inadequate cooling in the head and that adding a little cross over tube should prevent it and may be a good idea even on a stock vehicle...but assuming that it were a current issue with a vehicle on a lot, is there anything that a dealer could do to mask it as a problem? I don't know the term for this problem, so I'm having a hard time getting meaningful search results about it. I'd think that a rough test drive and pulling codes to look for a misfire would give me the information I need to know about this issue.

I found a few mentions of the shifter not being smooth as expected, especially when cold, but I read a TSB about a fluid change so that seems easy to deal with.

Is there anything else I should be considering?

Any links or direct information to help me clear this up are appreciated.

2000AZ5.0GT

I'm sort of in the same boat as you, except a few months down the line. A few months ago, march actually, I bought a 1988 Mustang GT, with the previous owner not telling me that the car had an un-original engine out of a Lincoln (still a 302, just not an H.0. 302)

Anyway, early September I decided to just halt anything I was doing on the mustang, and sell it as is, and grab a 2011+. Ended up disclosing up front the thing about the engine (didn't want to be the same d*ckhead the previous owner was), and took a huge loss.

Having a good job, I ended up paying cash for a 2011 5.0 with 50,000 Miles, and threw on an extended bumper-to-bumper warranty.

The dealer had said they did a '101-point inspection', changed the oil, etc.

Keep in mind, these cars have an Oil Live Sensor/Meter, just press the setup button a couple times and it will tell you how far you are till the next required oil change (wish I had known that before).

But in reality, less than a couple weeks later, had to take it in for an oil change, at which time they found torn front lower control arm bushings, a leak in the A/C system, and some gear noise that turned out luckily to be nothing.

But as I found out, a bumper-to-bumper warranty is AMAZING. Sorry for anyone who's had a bad dealing with it, but mine has been nothing but awesome. Took it in for service, had everything handled and they ended up paying 2k-ish, my pricing being somewhere around 200 dollars. Paid for itself within the first month.

Personally, I looked at more reviews of dealerships, and actually went to a dealer that my family has a history with and has a pretty good reputation around, (several of their service writers actually used to work for my Grandfather, who owned a dealership several years ago), and went for a "certified pre-owned".

So far the car has been absolutely awesome. Mine doesn't seem to have the ignition tick, and the gear noise (which was only in 1st and 2nd) went away with a transmission flush. Compared to a cable-clutch car, I really can't compare. The shifter/clutch feel like SILK to me, but what do I know.

My car had 50k miles, and a single owner car, so I know one person was able to "live with it" for 4 miles and 12k+ miles a year, seems good enough for me.

RenGen

Im with ya man screw the new 5.0s, sure they have more power but they sound like complete crap - my friend has one and i have driven it several times - I love the sound my 4.6 makes when I start the engine, i love hwo it has a growl right from the line, but the 5.0 is quiet as a mouse til 3k rpm, sure you can get an axleback and makes it louder, but doesn't give it the nice deep growl that SOUNDS like a muscle car. but i guess more and more people are preferring the raspy x pipe sound these days... i guess its true what lotta older people are saying, the car enthusiast car is going to trash.

2000AZ5.0GT

I don't think a single person in this thread, other than you, said 'screw the 5.0'.

You do know this is the 5.0 forum, not 4.6 right?

Also.....seriously? why don't you sell your car and get a miata, since the mustangs are 'trash'.

I think someone is jealous/pissed that they couldn't afford a 5.0

90nSSMD

QFT. The newer 5.0s perform in every aspect better than the 2005-2010 4.6's.

Onto the OPs question:

I was also in the same boat as you about a month or so ago, and I bit the bullet. Save yourself from buying a 2011-2012, and get a 13-14.

There are minor differences between the 2 generations of the new 5.0, and the 13-14 (specifically 14), fixes the slop between 2nd to 3rd gear shifts (which will be the BIGGEST annoyance).

2nd to 3rd is going to be the biggest problem you will have with a stock shifter, especially under spirited driving. Also sometimes going from 5th to 6th can end up in 4th.

If you do get one, get a barton short throw asap.

My list of negatives (after owning one for about two months) are as follows:

-Stock shifter is sh*t
-Wheel hop is still an issue
-Ride height is atrocious
-The car is very heavy


The positives far outweigh the negatives, and if you have the mod bug then you will have no issues at all with negatives.

Just don't buy an already modded new 5.0 if you can help it, especially if it's lowered. I bought mine with 3500 miles on it (2014), and it was 100% bone stock.

Hope this helps.

2000AZ5.0GT

Don't even believe this guy, here's a couple quotes from him on a different forum.

Kinda getting Mixed Signals from RenGen AKA LercinStang AKA...JK, I'm not gonna post your real name.

Nohippychicks

I appreciate the replies.

I'm feeling, from more reading AND this thread, that the issues I was particularly worried about (the number eight cylinder and the ticking) may not be quite as widespread as I thought they were.

Is there a way to really tell if the ticking has been masked with an additive? I havent yet read of anyone calling the ticking a major issue or saying it did anything more than just tick yet, so maybe if an additive DOES get rid of it between oil change it's not a deal breaker...but it'd be leverage in negotiations on the lot.

2000AZ5.0GT

Always keep in mind that there are really only two opinions represented online and on forums, the extremely satisfied and extremely dissatisfied. Statistics will show time and time again that moderate reviews/opinions aren't the most vocal. As our parents/we used to always say, it's the noisy wheel that gets the grease.

Even with that, the prevalence of negative reviews, instances of problems, is far lower than the incidence of happy Stang owners that haven't had any problems

Looks like Ford produced AT LEAST 68,000 2011 Model year Mustang GT's. Even being grossly generous in an estimate, saying that "hundreds" of people have reported the tick, or the #8 cylinder problem, you're talking an order of a tenth of a percent of the entire population of 5.0 Mustangs for 2011 only.

Now expand that to Model Years 2012, 2013, 2014 and you'll see that the chance of actually finding one of these problem stangs is so low, it's close to a statistical anomaly.

Plus, buy it in warranty, and even if your car develops the tick, find a good dealer and I'm sure you'll be able to have it taken care of.

90nSSMD

Why quote my post, say not to believe me, and then quote someone else's posts? Did you mean to quote him and not me?

The only other forum I have used on this site is the 79-93 5.0 section because I have older 5.0's.

I don't post non-sense on this forum/boards, so it was probably a mistake in your post for calling someone out.

My post in this thread is everything but nonsense, and it is all speculation from my own experiences from driving a newer coyote, which is what the OP asked for.

If it was a mistake, then you should probably fix your quote. If it wasn't, then you should probably find something that I actually said before you tarnish my reputation on this forum.

2000AZ5.0GT

I was tyring to say not to listen to the other member, the one who said 'Screw the 5.0', I figured your QFT was referring to that, if not, I can certainly change it.

He had said 'Screw the 5.0', yet over the past few months he's been trying to get one.