90nSSMD

No I quoted you haha.. I was in agreement that nobody on this forum would think the new 5.0s are trash :P.

The newer 5.0s are simply amazing.

That guy is just confused, nothing can be helped with him it seems. Maybe its frustration from trying to buy things to please others.. Meh, who knows.

dkpGTCS

I'm of the opinion that any car purchase, new or used, includes the possibility of problems. A used car increases the odds but either you accept the risk or pay for some sort of warranty. (I have an employee that puts on 200k on a new car every 5 years - she buys the no mileage limit warranty & it pays off every time - especially since she's a Chrysler fan).

I'd say find something you really like, stock or modified, determine what type of maintenance risk you can afford and go from there. If you don't have a "life emergency fund" of some sort then I would strongly recommend going for the warranty.

Good luck in your search!

MrSandman

Not sure if this info helps.. but I am at about 50,000 on mine.. have had no issues (not even a rattle), and all ive had to do is change the oil, tires, and rear break pads. The front pads will be replaced in spring.. thats it. I have a brembo premium, manual, 3.73s. Car still feels like new.

I got caught up in the hard to shift discussions.. then realized I was just manhandling the shifter. You cant lean on it. It likes to be treated gently, lol.

I'm not exactly easy on the car either.

I think you will be able to tell if you have a good car right away. It really should feel new with no rattles, hesitation, etc. Make sure you turn off TC on the test drive.

BrazenStang

Based on OP's original post, I can understand the concern about cylinder #8 and ticking sounds from the 11-12 5.0's. Sometimes it seems like all you read about on forums is people bitching about their problems. Keep in mind that these are a very, very small percentage of 5.0 owners, like "AZ5.0GT" said.

I can say from experience that my '12 5.0 has been an amazing car to own. It is a 5.0, MT82, 3.31 gear, VERT I daily drive my car, and it now has 47K miles. My recommendation is to buy a car that is completely stock. Most of the cylinder #8 problems that I know about are from improperly tuned 5.0's. Never having been tuned will ensure that you are getting a good solid car. Also, then you can modify as YOU like because it is your car.

Hopefully you find the car you want.

Nohippychicks

I'll be trying to find a stock vehicle; a while back, I found myself owning a Mazdaspeed 3 that the dealership told me was stock except for the aftermarket air filter...4 days, several towns and a check engine light later, Mazda service told me the power train warranty had been voided because of a prior owner's modifications. The dealer drove from Austin, TX to Houston, TX and picked up the car and dropped my old one off, making the whole experience as easy as possible. But, since then, I've decided that I'll be sticking with purchasing stock vehicles.

The new turbo for my Jetta should arrive today. I get a few hours a day to work on it, so I'm expecting the install to last about a week, then I'll be putting it up for sale. I've started looking in my area at some of the Mustangs and will hold out for exactly what I want.

I've got a 79 Bronco that will be pressed into daily driver service if the Jetta sells before the right Mustang arrives! Manual transmissions seem scarce around here, so it may come to that.

Once again, thanks for the help!

BrazenStang

It sounds like you have a good plan, and a great second vehicle! My 2nd vehicle is a '96 bronco and I'll be driving that a lot more now that its winter. Let us know what you end up buying.

2000AZ5.0GT

Here's one thing I didn't know before, but after my argument the other day, I looked up.

The new 5.0's (11-up) use the same firing order as an old school flat-head v8. For quite a while the 4.6's used the firing order of the H.O. 302 from the 80's and the Ford 351w, but they transitioned for the coyote. How can you be more muscle car than that?

Anyways, in under a month I've put 1500 miles on my car. Decent gas mileage too, with 3.55's I get like 17 in town and 24-25 on the highway, incredible when you consider the power. It sure puts you back into the seat.

99GTvert

Why change the firing order though?

2000AZ5.0GT

From what I understand it's to make the Y-manifolds (exhaust) work, and to balance the engine/valvetrain. I got that from the 5.0 Mustangs and Super Fords magazine, from when they first came out with the engine.

Nohippychicks

In the end, I wound up buying a 2012 GT, white in color.

This car is as amazing as I thought it would be; at least after one drive home from a dealer, anyhow.

After flipping through the owner's manual, I couldn't believe how little maintenance is in the back of it. Just the 80K mile transmission fluid change on my Jetta was over a hundred bucks and that was with me doing it myself. Dealer's quote was over $300.

What a jip. I sure will miss 43 MPG on the freeway, though.