mungodrums

Lately I have been seriously considering a 2015 / 2016 Mustang Gt. My dream car is the 2015 Corvette C7. I have a wife and two daughter's. Seems at this point in time the Mustang maybe a better option. Car will mostly be used for street with a little of hpde / track time, 1-3x a year / novice. I was talking to a freind who used to race S197 Mustangs professionally and was very good / had to stop racing due to severe back injury at work / he was a house builder / contractor. I unfortunately at this time can no longer drive manual, have neck / back, leg issues due to car wreck. So car has to be automatic. Hopefully the automatic in this car does not suck. He told me the following:
1.Get a 2015 / 2016 Mustang Gt / base model not premium.
2.Order car with material / not leather seats and don't get the Recaros.
3.Get upgraded black 19 inch wheels for car. Not sure what is the width on these wheels, anybody know?
4. Friend also told me that the std. GT brakes are four piston / same exact brakes that was part of the previous generations track pack.
5.Friend also told me that I should add the Ford Racing Handling Package, 3f?, not sure of exact model. I did see this handling package on a website for a little over a thousand bucks.
Total car including cost of handling package comes out to: $36.998. Under $40.000. Seems like a good deal. How would this setup compare / handlle compared to the outgoing M3? Very curious if this advice given to me makes any sense? Thanks, Ger.

Mr. D

I've been a Chevy guy most of my life, but if I won both a new Corvette & Mustang I would sell the Corvette & drive the Mustang. I don't like the way you sit down in a new Corvette, & I would use the extra road racing benefits in a Corvette. There is a lot more to a Corvette, but nothing I want! The same goes for a Performance Package! I don't like the ride that comes with stiffer suspensions. A stock 2016 Mustang corners better than I need since I try to drive sensibly. I only put my foot in it when "I'm the only one that can be hurt" such as getting on to a empty freeway/interstate, or on some open road without side streets. If people track, or race a car it's obviously a different thing completely! WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH THE MUSTANG? What kind of HP do you want? I like a stock Mustang GT with a Roush Supercharger. Lot's of straight line power is all I enjoy largely for safety's sake! How often can you race around corners, or around bends without risking lives?

If you intend to do a lot of modification to the car, it would be dumb to pay for a GT Premium & then tear off what is added to a Premium. If you are going to keep most of the add ons of a Premium, then buy a GT!

In my opinion a Mustang GT is the most bang for the buck either way! A Mustang GT with a Roush Supercharger is an average man's super car!

daytripper

The fastest stock GT is a base,auto,3.55 gears.

movielover40

Best bang for your buck would be buy used model with remaining factory warranty.

Lot of times fairly new Mustangs show up on used market. Kids buy them than can't afford them with insurance, etc... Maybe they get speeding tickets and parents force them to give them up.

redass02gt

This is basically what I went after when I purchased my car, minus wheels and handling pack. I wasn't going for an all out track car, I wanted a daily driver with good handling and 400 hp, and I've not been disappointed. The stock suspension is nice to you on the road, and you can still carve corners when you want to better than any S197 could do. The irs makes a huge difference, I don't miss the anticipation of needed to adjust my car's direction with every pothole on the road.

I didn't think the recaros made for a great daily driver; not enough adjustability to make it fit "right" for my fight in traffic every day, and the normal seats are pretty darn good. I didn't go for leather either because I didn't want to pay for it, and iirc it comes in a package which upgrades the stereo and a few other things that I didn't care about. I might've paid for leather if I could've paid just for it and nothing else.

Stock brakes on the GT are excellent. I'd be surprised if they weren't good enough for a track day, on the road everyday they are far more than good enough.

Don't know how it would compare to the last gen M3, but I know it's got to be much cheaper to keep on the road after a few years.

If I were looking right now, I'd wait to see what the 2016 camaro is all about before buying anything. Even if you decide on a mustang, the extra competition might buy you some pricing leverage. Just test drive everything and go to a dealer that can show you all the different trim levels. It's all about if those bells and whistles are worth it to you personally.

Mr. D

I can't believe I agree with Redass on something!

mapitts

I agree with most of what redass is saying. Bought me a '15 GT base 6 speed manual with 3.55's. Only mod so far is a tune, and yes I kept the stock air box. I will be installing a rear transmission bushing to help with the trans flex. Could not be happier. This Mustang has a lot of features that my '12 GT premium did not. When I started looking I decided to just go with what the Mustang was originally supposed to be in my eyes. A simple muscle car. Not knocking on all the people who by or have the loaded premiums, I just went with the less is more mentality for me this go round. Still far and above the S197 platform.

Mr. D

Sounds like you got the most bang for the buck! Enjoy!