malow90

**The main question is at the bottom**

This is the story behind the question:
I am considering getting myself a new Mustang. I've been saving up for a while, and feel comfortable putting a decent down payment on a new car, to help keep my monthly payments low. I have been STRONGLY considering getting a new Mustang GT Premium, 5.0L, 6-speed manual.

To give you an idea as to why I'm considering this, I currently drive a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L Cummins 24 valve Diesel, 4x2, 5-speed manual. This is my daily driver. Ouch, right? 34 gallon tank, at almost 4 dollars a gallon (never understood fully how diesel could cost more than premium gasoline), kinda hurts the wallet a little bit on long trips, or even a 450 mile road trip from Nor, VA., to Chas, SC. The nice thing is, I can fill up here, (which is about $95-$115), make it all the way to SC, have about 10-14 gallons left (I usually average on the trip down there about 18-19 mpg), drive around, and on the day of my return to VA, fill up (another $90-$110), and make it all the way back here, average about 21-23 mpg, and those are the only two times I have to put fuel in the tank for the entire trip. I do wind up spending about $200-$230 on the trip alone, if I don't already have a full tank when I leave. I usually don't though.

I enjoy that, because of the size of the tank, and the decent fuel mileage for its size, I can squeeze out about 550 miles to a tank before I start sweating running dry, depending on how fast I drive, or the conditions of the road (traffic, weather).

You may wonder why I get better on the trip back than on the trip down. I'm usually cruising 75-84 on the way down there, trying to hurry and spend more time with my girlfriend, and about 65-72 on the trip back. Two options, save time, save fuel. Usually on the way back, I'm in no hurry.

If I chose to get a Mustang 5.0, would I remotely see close to those numbers in fuel mileage on the highway? I realize that it has a 16 gallon tank, less than half of mine, but what are the odds that I'm going to have to fill up before I even make it to my destination in SC? Or how close will I get to my destination on this frequently made 450 mile journey?

**Will I ever see that beautiful number of 23-25 mpg on the highway with this kind of car cruising at 65-70, A/C blasting (and I always use my A/C in my truck)? It is true that I kind of want the car for the sake of wanting the car, however, I am trying to justify it by seeing if there is any way to save money on this deal, versus continuing to drive my diesel everywhere I go.

Any help will be appreciated, thank you.

kput

I can't help out personally, since I have an 06,
but I've heard of people getting 25+ highway if you stay 60-70.

TheYeti

I dont have a 5.0 yet but I would assume you would get close or spot on to that 25 that its rated at. I know the 5.0's are more fuel efficient then that 4.6L's and I was getting about 22-23 MPG's on the highway when I had my 4.6L.

ayyno

My '05 GT with the 4.6 gets ~25 MPG with the AC on if i'm crusing at 65. I also have a 3.55 rear. I just pop cruise control on and enjoy the ride.

Nuke

I also have an '07 with the 4.6L and I can average about 24 MPG hand calculated, pump-to-pump cruising at 70 or below (a steady 55-60 gets me around 26-28 MPG). I believe the 5.0 is capable of similiar if not better #'s as long as you're not driving aggressively and also dependent on how you're set up (ie, gears and mods).

Meester_Vapor

2011 5.0 with mostly highway miles....average has been reset a few times, but she's getting about 24 with exclusively highway at speeds at/around 72-3.

Do a bit more street driving and the average drops pretty quickly. Last trip to So Cal dropped it down to about 21, with shift points around 3-4k....and a bit of screwing around.

kput

I wish I could pull numbers like that.
I get 15 city =/
17-20 highway depending on my speed.

REDBOSS1

With a mix of both highway and city on my first tank I got 17.2 MPG hand calculated, the dash said I was only getting 14.2.

malow90

The vehicle I drive now gets about 16-18.5 city/highway mix, depending on temperature, and how far away my destination is. If its just a hot-shot trip down the street, and I do that a couple times, it drops my average down to a miserable 11-14. I guess its the nature of the beast, being a diesel and such.

On another note, if there happen to be any people with sales experience, what would someone say a fair asking price would be for a 2012 GT premium, 5.0L, 6-spd M/T, no extra features, except the included Rapid Spec 400A that is factory with the premium.

Heck, even a used 2011 should be a pretty good deal, I'm just curious to see if I am willing to afford that chunk of change, given I may still keep my truck.

Thanks!

Nuke

I've heard of some basic 12 GT's being had for upper $20k's with rebates tossed in. Just keep an eye out for the tranny woes that the 11's and 12's have been experiencing.