Question about the V8 Engine
 

Im seventeen and like any other sane 17 year old boy I want a mustang. Im trying to convince my parents to let me get a 2001 Mustang GT. First they said it wasn't safe and so I compared crash test ratings with my brother's 98' civic and the mustang came out on top. But now my dad is using the excuse that a 8 cylinder engine isn't good for the environment.

Do you guys have any sort of argument or research that shows that can help me out in convincing him?

Thanks.

Show him that the gas mileage is actually decent.

Or you could get a 98-02 LS1 Camaro/Trans Am that is much faster than the 2V 4.6 Mustangs or even 3v Mustangs being made now and they can get 30+ mpg on the highway. They might be 10 years old, but they are still marginally faster than even the new Mustangs.

naaaa he wants a Mustang ;) when i was 17 and looking for my first car the mustang was all i would accept, didnt care what year, late 60s or 05+ for me though. NO camaro or Trans Am! i dont care about gas mileage though my car probably gets like 15 mpg haha

Just trying to help the kid. I like both cars, just making sure he looks into things before he jumps into his car. I know I regret not getting a Termie or a WS6.

Sounds like your dad wants you to drive one of these...
http://tkbb.files.wordpress.com/2008...car_042007.jpg

He remembers what HE did in a car when 17 and doesn't want you to become a statistic http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums...smilies/no.gif

Do yourself a favor and get a beater 4 banger and learn to fix/repair it yourself. Drive it around for a few years and stay out of trouble via speeding tickets and those ones for exhibition there-of http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums...milies/yes.gif Purchase and maintain the car 100% with your own money and you will appreciate the value of a dollar and take care of your ride.

My first car was a '72 Vega:
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...t/Vegapic1.jpg

Every single dollar that went into that car, $5500 total, was mine. I loved that car and was constantly fixing it (Hell, what do you expect....? It was a VEGA!) Anyway, it was too slow to get into any real trouble and knew that if it was crashed or damaged, I would be out all of the money invested and have to start all over.

Jazzer... lookin' out for his pepes :)

I agree with Jazzer

Check with your insurance company how much $$$$ it's gonna be for a GT. You better be sitting down when you hear the amount,, if you're 17 & it's your first car.

grap yourself a nice fox body notch w/4banger..later you can convert it to a v8

It wouldn't be my first car, I've been driving a 98' Subaru for about a year now.

yeah it could be more than the car payments

Well its not too bad to start, my first car was my mustang its a 1999 gt I loved it, and I still loving it, I got a ticket, that was almost a thousand bucks, and some points on my license, my dad used to complain a lot at first, when I brought the car with my own money, I used to be working at a supermarket (vons) near my house. My brother made me a big favor cause he insured my car under his name, so I did not had to pay a crazy amount. Now 4 years later, I am 21 I am almost out of college, I have a decent job, and still driving my mustang that I drove to my high school prom with my prom date. I have a lot of memories, and now its basically impossible to sell it one day. All the time and money invested into that car is worth more than its value. And when it comes to gas, I always hope for more electric vehicles too, so my mustang can swallow the gas that they don't want hahaha.

2009 4.6 question
 

it has cats, its fine for the enviroment

Two more cylinders ain't going to make a difference on the environmental impact.
Fuel economy is more a function of the car's weight than the number of slugs.In other words,it takes just as much energy to move a V6 Mustang as it does one with a V8.
So that argument isn't really valid.

Now to one that is.
A V8 Mustang is a lot faster than a V6 and so the terminal velocity you have when you hit something is going to be higher.Unless you have more,,,,,restraint,than 99% of your peers the V8 will eventually see that high speed,and you know it! That IS the case or you wouldn't want a V8 over anything else.Having tire roasts is also a fun way to spend an evening.I'll bet you can tell us exactly how fast the Subaru tops out at???

I'm sorry but if I was your Dad you wouldn't be getting a V8 either.All you need right now is transportation and the 98 Subaru apparently is filling that role.Dress it up some,get a job if you don't already have one,turn eighteen,and buy whatever you can afford.

* You must a been doing something pretty bad :eek:

I remember saying out loud "I will never sell my Vega"...

.... two years later I found and '85 GT Mustang.

Jazzer :)

I agree with your dad. Looking back, I am glad I didn't have a V8 at that age. The trouble I would have been in... I have a 93 Tbird with a V6. It topped out at 98mph, that was it. Plus, I got into two fender benders before I graduated.
What I would do is if you are planning on going to college. See if you can't make it your graduation gift or something. I pay full coverage on my GT $250, but that is with a clean record, not tickets, no reported accidents. My explorer is only $110. So, yeah, the ins. alone on it would be nuts for you. If the suburu is paid off, then just drive the wheels off it.

I got my first mustang when I was 17 and it was only a v6, my insurance was high even with the smaller engine, but it doesnt sound like your paying for it anyways. Good luck with the debate though.

i got my 94 GT when i was 16. who cares how old you are. if you will take care of it it should be yours.

how well are you taking care of the subaru? i had a tauras first and proved i could take care of a mustang.

Your Dad is terrible when it comes to making up excuses but he is a smart man. It may not be obvious to you but I can tell he cares about his son.

There's nothing wrong with a kid getting a V8 Mustang, the important thing is that you can respect it and drive responsibly because as soon as you don't there's a good chance you'll crash it, especially being an inexperienced driver. My Cobra was my first car and I never got in an accident with it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some close calls but be selective about where you have fun with the car and everything can work out just fine.

yeah your dad is worried about you having too much power at your age. it's really easy for young drivers to do stupid things because you just don't realize how dangerous it is. however, i think it depends a lot on the person behind the wheel. cars don't kill people, bad drivers kill people. if you are a young guy who is mature behind the wheel, then engine size isn't as big an issue.

no worries men just get something you really like, and want. You don't want to wake up every morning and go to school in a car that you liked, but not in the one you wanted

Yea I think most new drivers are responsible enough to handle V8 power in their first car, but "some" aren't. The problem is...

ALL new drivers think they can handle the power..

..and they'll all give you that insulted look if you so much as suggest they'd be better off getting a slower car to begin with.

Ask any kid who has crashed their car, "before the accident" did they think they could handle the power. All would have said F*** yea :rolleyes:

I got news... even a GT is slow, you can wreck a civic being a moron just as easily. all cars are dangerous, but the mustang is no worse for the environment then anything else, and really thats a retarded thing to say, industry is the real polluter...

great response

+1

I don't know if i'd say most are responsible enough but I know what you mean.


As Fobra said an irresponsible kid can get in trouble with any car, doesn't have to be a quick one. RWD + TQ doesn't help though.