Helix

Hey fellas, Im 20 years old just finishing up my second year in college. My parents are willing to get me a v6 auto 2006-2007. Im a pretty responsible driver and do well in school, if I had a job you know id be going for the v8 unfortunately im taking about 20 credits of hard science a semester and have no time for working and class together.

My parents are worried however about the fact that the mustang is a RWD. My dad used to drive a 1969 Pontiac Lemanz back in the day and he said it drove fine if you were careful however they are still worried. He suggested we put a few sandbags in the back to help.

My question is.

I commute bout 25 miles each way to school, in the snow Im going to drive my dads SUV to school which he never uses. For the rain however how safe is a 2007ish v6 auto with ABS/TCS with weight in the back and proper tires and a careful but inexperienced driver? How much different would it be say from a 180hp ford taurus which my bro drives? If you guys could lay the pros and cons out for me that would be greatly appreciated. I searched the threads but most of the info seemed to deal with v8's or manual stangs

X3xMONGOOSEx3X

I'm 22 bought the Mustang last summer and drove it all winter with no major issues. First RWD car for me as well. I just threw my 80lbs punching bag in the back didn't have money for snow tires. The only real problem I had was when I parked in a parking lot that was a sheet of ice. I parked the front tires off the ice while the rears were on the ice. Not a smart move. Took me a while with traction control off to get out of there. Remember it's all about how you drive.

atldave

I drive my v6 auto every day through fast, bumper to bumper traffic on 8 lane highways. The rain in Georgia can fall in the kind of deluge you have never seen the likes of in NY. I have never even once felt out of control in my Mustang. I do feel the traction control kick in quite a lot in the rain. Your dad didn't have that in his old Pontiac and it makes a huge difference. Just be sure that you have tires with good rain traction. (Check out reviews on Tire Rack.) And drive with common sense. That's really the most important part.

07BLACKGT

RWD or bust. It won't be a big deal. A stock V6 only sends power to the right-rear wheel. There is no power fed to the left-rear. You definitely shouldn't have any problems controlling it.

and if you're worried, just take it to an empty parking lot after it rains and try to lose control... then you'll know what happens.

JCON

I drive mine everyday and I've never had an issue with rain. My girlfriends 2000 without TCS will spin around on wet surfaces but I've never even spun the wheels when I didn't plan to. I drove 60 Miles in our blizzard this year and though TCS went active I never slid or lost control of the car. I also have pirelli mud & snow tires. The only time I had an issue was when my parking lot at school was covered in ice, my car slid a little but always gained traction. There isn't much you're going to do with ice except chains. But I put rain in the non-issue category.

guitarist4life

I have a 400hp Nissan 240 and an 89 GT 5.0 Stang, both rear wheel drive obviously. I have no problems in the rain here in washington. That is, unless I intentionally wanna kick it sideways. lol. Its all about being safe. Dont floor it in the apex of a corner, wheels turned, thats an obvious no no in the rain. BUT...then again your driving a V6...so nothing may happen. lol Just be smart man.

X3xMONGOOSEx3X

The weather is not the main issue. Yes, when it rains you may see those little squiggly lines light up on the dashboard. When it snows you'll see them more often. In the end it's all about what your comfortable with. Remember these cars have a tendency to hop around a little on bumpy roads. They have a lot of little quirks due to the lack of IRS, but after getting used to this they are quite fun to drive.

jpormen

My first car was a rwd 1988 cutlass. Im 20 now with a mustang i kinda figured when buying it ill be geitng stuck some times im use to it. im just stoked or the first snow so i can take the stang to a parking lot and slide it around some. IDC how much you baby your car thats fun to do

JimC

I drive 45 miles one way to work every day - and take the Mustang through rain, downpours, heat, ice storms, freezing rain, light snow, and blizzards. Never had a problem with it and I don't put any extra weight in the trunk. Just make sure you have good tires, that they haven't been worn to the bars and drive properly for the conditions.

And I have 148,000 miles on the car through all sorts of conditions.

atldave

Hey, JimC: I just got to tell you that every time I see you sig pic I say, "Dang, I like that car!" The PP with stripes is my favorite look. I wish I had done that when my bumper got cracked instead of going with the GT takeoff.