typhoon535

Well I currently own a scion tc, its fully paid off, has 16000 miles on it its a 2006 with some options. Now after I got the car I became very intersted in them and learned a lot. Then through driving a few rear wheel drives I thought there was no other way to go. So I decided to sell my car and get something used for it that rearwheel drive and at least half a sec or full faster then my car. I always really liked old 70s muscle cars especially the mustang but for some reason never considered the new mustangs until right now. My other choices are a used wrx (none sti) a 300zx (pretty hard to find). The new civic si. But all are not that intersting or exiting (well exept for the 300zx).

Anyway the car is going to be a daily driver and I do plan on racing it at a drag strip a few times. And also I have a special mission to beat a friends acura rsx turbo thats around 300 hp but thats for later. I was just intersted in some owner feedback from the 2000 trim models mustangs. I had a few questions like, how are they for modifying for example how well do the engien hold with superchargers the v8s, how are mustangs for stuff like autocross handling? I looked online and the price for the car is amazing btw I have around 20,000 to spend. I was pretty intersted in some reliability reviews as well. Thanks for the replies I appreciate the help.

typhoon535

Btw What are some differences in trims? for the v8 models. Is gt the only one that comes with an lsd?

90lxstang

I'm not 100% sure about the GT being the only ones with lsd, or if they came with it. But you can easily add that for a few hundred including installation. The V8s hold very well to a supercharger, as long as it doesnt have crazy mileage over 100K (if it does then you would have to rebuild the engine) and if you run some insane PSI you would need to rebuild the bottom end and go with forged internals like the 03-04 Cobra. But most of the life/reliability with a supercharger comes with the tune. If you get a bad tune, even a strong engine with plenty of life could cause some kind of damage if the tune isn't done right.

Mustangs in autocross aren't anything to brag about stock, but with some suspension mods to enhance the handling and a great driver, they can do pretty well because of the high torque the engines have. As for reliability, any car will last you a long time as long as you take good care of it. If you have $20K to spend, you can easily get yourself a post 2000 GT and have $8K-ish left over to mod the suspension, add that supercharger, or anything else you want. But the pricing depends on mileage, condition and somewhat location. BTW, I'm sure you thought about it, but whats wrong with a 350z?

What other differences were you looking for? appearance? specific mechanics?

typhoon535

I was looking for any mechanical and suspension differences between the v8 trims.

Nothing wrong with a 350z seems like its too much money to maintane with tires and insruance and gas, not to metion part that would cost to fix the car in case anything ever breaks, the cars overall package isnt what I would want. Plus I just dont like the looks of the car inside or out, not to mention moding that car would cost a pretty penny as well. If they had something like a 350z but slightly cheaper say in the 22,000s range with less hp Id be all over it unfortunately the market for cheap, compact, rear wheel drives isnt exactly thriving.

Boltt

Yea the GT's after 99 all come with LSD. For what you have to spend, there are a lot of options. I would definitely go Cobra. Biggest mistake i made was settling for a GT. I love it, dont get me wrong, but for what i spent on my GT i could have gotten a stock-ish Cobra. But i digress. Since you dont exactly seem to be hurting for cash, i wouldnt go import. Or atleast, if you're going to go import, go big. Go STi, 300ZX TT, or even Supra TT.

As for reliability, my stang has been raced down the strip, beat down the track, and a daily driver and i havnt had a lick of problems minus a few minor transmission components showing their age (throwout bearing squeeks, have to apply some tranny tricks to get it into reverse sometimes).

A quick little $.02 about autocross; My mustang is stock (im a year behind what you're looking for, but its the same car for the most part, just cosmetic differences), as far as suspension goes, with just nitto 555(275/35) and 555R(315/35)s, and that baby handles like a dream on the track. It is by far the best suspension alternative i could have ever imagined. It probably ran me about the same amount of $$ as a nice suspension setup would have, but damn it looks a lot nicer. Couple those tires with a 5 speed, and you will own that track.

Hope that helps

typhoon535

Sti thats a wayyy out of my price range haha I prefer evos though. 300zx is being considered though if I can find one thats been well maintaned. Sorry about my lack of knowledge but what are the upgrades on the cobra vs the gt? Does it come stock supercharged that a pretty hefty hp increase from the gt version 320 vs 260.

PWORLDSTANG

Mustangs are pretty reliable cars. Most of the problems come from the clutch and transmission. But it is a RWD car that's going to take abuse from the owners because of how fun they are to drive. Mustangs hold up well to superchargers up to about 10PSI. After that you're risking your engine. At 10PSI, you can expect about 400HP. As far as autocross... I have no idea. You have 20,000 to spend![sm=happy046.gif] Looks like you're in pretty good shape to buy. Your options are 00-04 GT, 03-04 Mach 1, 05 GT. I recommend going with the Mach 1. I just blue booked an 04' Mach 1 in excellent condition with 25,000 miles for 18,000. You could get one for less if you found one with more miles, or if you found an 03' model. You could find a private seller and get one for this price. A dealership would likely as for atleast 20,000. At lets say 18,000, you have 2,000 left over to dress it up and make it sexy, and add more power to make it an even bigger BEAST than it already is.

Boltt

An Evo would be nice. They're expensive and normally hard to find for under 20 grand (around me atleast) but they are definitely one of the best little imports, cant believe i forgot to mention that. Dont know if you watch the show Top Gear, but they tested an Evo XIII against a Lambo Murceilago and it was a close race, surprisingly. All it needed was a few mods and it would have pulled away significantly.

If i remember right, 2000 Cobras weren't supercharged...Dont think they supercharged em till later in that body style's life. The most significant change from GT to Cobra is that the Cobra is DOHC and 4 valves per cyl, as opposed to SOHC and 2 valves per cyl. In the rear, Cobras have different suspension (i think its straight axle vs independant on the cobras) and all wheel ventilated discs (as opposed to 2 wheel vented discs on the GT). Depending on options, some GTs have traction control, while Cobras have it standard. IMO, traction control is a must-have. I cant even imagine how many ditches i would have been in without it in my GT. Im not 100% sure on this one so dont quote me, but i think Cobras have lighter-weight pistons and crankshaft than the GTs. Other than that though, i think those are the only significant differences... Cant think of anything else. Well, besides body. Hell, those little emblems on the quarters give you like...10 whp lol. Yea like PWORLD said, Mach 1 is also a good step-up from GT. It's inbetween a GT and a Cobra in power output, but IMO it's above Cobra in styling. Im not exactly sure about what Mach 1 has over GT, but im pretty sure it's just a Cobra without the blower. I'd rather have a N/A car anyway. I like popping the hood and seeing a blower or turbo, but i could never cope with what they do to engines after so much use, or after so much PSI.

MustangChris04

how much are you looking to spend on the cay itsself? you could get an older mustang and use the money for mods or a newer stang and less for mods. or an 03/04 cobra and not need much money at all for mods to beat your friend.

typhoon535

Anyghinb up to 20,000 on the car. Evo is nice as well but once again the insurance would rip me a new one on that car.