Grizzwood

Am getting back in the Mustang culture, having owned a 2010 GT and subsequently had to sell it in 2013. I've test driven a few 2017 GT's this summer and I like the new exterior design and torque/HP of the new motor/trans. Thus far during test rides, I only got up to 5th gear - and having tested the base GT and GT Premium I have to say the latter with lower gear ratio is pretty neat and the GT Premium package seems a reasonable deal.


For you guys who keep your modern Mustangs stock - what is your opinion on the quality of the vehicle? I am a Harley man, so am use to a bit of tinkering, although stock HD's are pretty reliable, save some dumb mistakes the motor company makes every now and again. I was a bit taken back when I read the window stick on the GT that said the manual trans was made in China. I know many American companies are out-sourcing various parts (including HD), and depending on the country of origin that can be good or bad.

Spork3245

I get weird bugs with the Sync 3 occasionally, songs from my usb drive randomly pausing and what-not, but that's a software issue that will likely fix in a future update. Actual mechanical issues seem mostly tame/uncommon with the car being pretty reliable, there's always going to be a percentage of cars with issues, but as far as I can tell it's a low percentage with the current generation of Mustang.
BTW, if you go with a 2017 instead of waiting for the updated 2018 (coming to dealerships in ~3 months), I recommend going for the "premium leather trim" option which gives thicker leather with superior stitching as well as soft-touch material for the door panels. It makes a difference IMO.

Grizzwood

Thanks for the tip, Spork3245,


I couldn't find much in way of internet articles on reliability, except a Gearhead study that rated owner trade-ins and powertrain issues amongst the 3 modern American muscle cars, and while Mustangs ranked the lowest they did have the highest trade-in mileage which I interpret as owner "fun" factor.


I found some articles dating back to 2013 about made in China manual trans problems...and while anecdotal it seems the issues were subsequently resolved, or at least I hope they were by now!

Spork3245

The 2013/2014 GTs (previous generation) had MT problems, I'm pretty sure the 2015+ use a different MT/Clutch. The highest mileage at trade in is due to how fun these are to drive, of course.

99GTvert

Some of the stick shifts on the early coyotes (2011+) had issues, but mine (I've put on 28k miles) has been just fine. I don't think the new S550's have a different transmission, still the MT82.

I did a quick google and found this from one of our sponsors:

https://www.americanmuscle.com/s550-...explained.html

fourdegrees11

The MT82 is known for having clunkiness going into gears, and occasionally locking you out from shifting into certain gears due to the way the shifter is attached to the transmission. The lockout can be fixed with a bracket plate (Blowfish Racing Bracket). This was an issue for 2011-2014, not sure if 2015+ addressed it.

redass02gt

The sync system in my base GT sucks. From time to time, it will hesitate or the menu will freeze up for few seconds. Only problem other than the stync system was a fan control module for the a/c going out.

Seems to be some issues with the manual trans, haven't heard of anything with the auto being problematic.

ZXMustang

The MT82 had no problems. It had problem drivers. I have owned 4 of these 5.0 MT82 cars, and not one had issues. There was some gear whine from the syncros, but that was it. The clutch doesn't like to be pushed past 7k redline either. Just ask the boss guys...

The #8 issue with the older coyotes was from tuners disabling the knock sensors and that was the hottest cylinder. Again not a car problem.

As for the S550 cars, those are littered with QC problems. Mainly body panel alignment issues. Thin clips/tabs on the bumpers and so on. I looked at a lot full of 2017s, and I could find paint/body panel alignment issues with every single one.

Sync 3 is a tad buggy, but getting better. My 2017 is a premium auto, and Im loving it. But you really need to nitpick the body when you are buying one. Pass on it if it needs paint work. God forbid anyone has to remove one of your bumpers and breaks the tabs. Then you are in for a whole lot of paintwork for a new bumper.

Grizzwood

Am confessing my ignorance on the body panel alignment issues - how and what exactly do I check when giving them the look over? Thus far, I've just been test driving and looking for the obvious, scratches, nicks, corrosion, etc. on the 2017's and a couple of 2015's.

99GTvert

How do you think the driver's botched the transmission, by maybe shifting the lever too hard or not pushing the clutch in all the way perhaps?