Looking to buy a 05+ Mustang
 

Hey everyone,

I hope this is in the right forum, if not, please let me know where it would best be and I would appreciate it if a mod could move it for me. Thank you.

I hopped on here to get some advice from people who would know best (you guys).

here's the spark notes:

-Looking to get a 05+ Mustang
-Must be V8, not V6
-Manual/Standard, not auto
-Looking to spend no more than $25,000--preferably less than $20,000 if possible.
-05 and up body styling (though I'm not sure what the differences are)
-Not looking for the CS/KR/GT500/Roush/Whatever else, just looking to get a stock, unmolested Mustang GT so I can molest it myself.


So here are my questions, i hope they don't seem to dry and brief but you guys would be doing me a huge favor. I'd like to hear stories, opinions, etc...


-How reliable is the 4.6L V8? I have no problem running synthetic and changing the oil every 3000 miles. I do it myself and am kind of anal about it so maintenance is not an issue as far as oil changes go. Is this a car that will take care of me if I take care of it?

-Are there any big differences in body styling, interior, exterior from the 05-06-07-08-09 models? I will probably end up somewhere between an 06-08 model due to my budget.

-Any big differences in the brakes? exhaust? motor? Transmission?

-Does the GT come with a 6spd or only a 5spd? If both, which is better and why?

-I do plan on supercharging it later down the road, likely with a kenne bell blower. How much horsepower/torque/boost can I safely push on the stock motor to keep it a reliable daily driver? Kenne Bell said around 500whp, maybe a little less. What are your experiences?

-If I want more than 500whp, what needs to be done to the motor? Are we talking just rods and pistons, maybe a crankshaft? Or do I have to sleeve the motor and reword the entire head and whatnot?

-What would you say are the top 5 problems that plague these model years? Oil consumption? Does one of the interior trays always break? Does the radio always go out? Maybe the headlights always condense with weather? Maybe 2nd gear always ends up grinding? Any little thing you would say is a typical nuisance or even a typical problem.

-What options should I look out for that are pretty worth it? Fog lamps? HID headlamps?

-What are some dead giveaways that I should not by a certain mustang (other than generals ones)? As in, are there some things that people do to them and then revert them to stock that would show it's obviously been beat on?


Sorry this post is so long. I do appreciate it and I thank you all in advance for any help offered. This will be my first american car and I am really excited about finally owning something with some real balls.