Need some car advice (Mustang)

Funny story, I drove both of these cars last Friday. The BMW has a nice interior but the handling and power of the mustang is better than the BMW. Only downside is the interior feels a little cheap in the Ford.

Have you looked at a camaro or Hyundai genesis coupe?

 

Well, I would recommend getting away from german and american cars if you want to be repairless. Lol. Mustangs are cheaper to repair because the parts are considered domestic. Hondas are usually a good idea because they're reliable and the parts are considered to be domestic. I personally only mess with Nissans But I also have a Honda, so I would recommend the Japs for reliability and the handling is typically better than american made cars. Granted, you are looking at a new Mustang. I think you'd be happy with it, but longevity wise, I think you should go for a japanese v6. Nissan, infiniti, honda accord.. depends on how you feel. If you want a coupe, the options are smaller and I would say the Genesis coupes are the best bet for the price or perhaps the new Scion FRS.

 

I'd say go with the BMW or find an older American made car. Honestly Ford just isn't a reliable car company. There have been so many problems with them over the years ranging from transmission problems to engine problems and even accelerator problems so I just can't say they are safe. Chevrolet is generally a good company to buy from, my Dad has an impala and has a ton of stuff fixed by the dealership and they take care of any problems under the warranty. I would say go with the BMW though because German engineered cars just run better. They're harder to fix and get parts for, but they will last longer and they are really well made.

My family is all into cars and stuff so I know at least a little bit about this stuff, but this is honestly just personal thoughts on it so I would go which ever one seems more comfortable, but in doing some research the 2012 Mustangs had a slightly higher amount of complaints than than 2011 and 2013's. Also, keep in mind that the company has been sued recently for accelerator problems and federally investigated for engine issues. That actually occurred this year since February.

 

Honda and Toyota are both living on thier former glory. The last Honda I.had experience with fell apart within 5 years of the purchase date. American cars are at the top of their game.and surpass Honda and Toyota by far.

Couple of things to note, the new mustang is set to debut in January and its a huge improvement. You will regret buying a current-body mustang when the new one is released.

Also, you can expect the electric water pump and thermostat to fail at about 60-70k miles on the 328i. Its about 1400 bucks to have replaced. As well as the valve cover gaskets and a few other things that are problematic.

 

Honestly I think you're going to get a lot of preferences on this page instead of advice because cars are kinda touchy with people. Everybody has the car manufacturer and country that they find to be top quality and everything else is total shit to them. I suggest German cars over American and Japanese because American car companies have a tendency to cut a lot of corners and do a lot of cover-up and have a lot of problems. Like there isn't a Dodge in the world that doesn't have transmission problems and Fords are built to last for like 6-10 years at the most to keep the market fresh. Not only that, but a lot of American cars nowadays are much harder to fix than they used to be, so you have to take them to a dealer or a GOOD mechanic if you want things fixed it's hard to do it yourself. Japanese cars are honestly very attractive, but I agree with Striddentube they're living off the past when they actually made for decent cars, today they really do fall apart within 4-5 years, my Dad had a Nissan that did EXACTLY that and he was getting repairs every couple of months. German cars are great in my opinion. They're premium quality cars and are as attractive as most Japanese cars, plus they are well made. The big downsides to German cars are the parts and repairs are really costly, BUT if you do all the things that you're supposed to do to maintain your car it should run just fine for a considerable number of years. So I'm to suggest the BMW, even on the basis that the repairs pretty much have to be done at a dealership and the parts can be expensive. Just make sure to maintain it well and do all the little things like keeping it above half a tank all the time, let it warm up a little before you take off, making sure to check and change your oil , prepare it for the winter months accordingly and it'll be just fine.

 

I would suggest waiting a bit. A new Mustang is coming for 2015. We should see it at the Detroit Auto Show early next year.

 

Ahh for some reason I was thinking you were buying new.

What is your budget? While the 3.7L V6 is a great motor, if I were to buy a Mustang I'd have to go for the 5.0 V8. Ford really uped their game with the current generation Mustang. It just blows my mind that performance wise the Mustang GT is on par with the M3. Now the interior is lacking on the Mustang, but for the price difference between the two you can buy a second Mustang.

Have you looked at any other cars?

 

Sounds like my most recent Honda experience. The model in specific was a Civic (probably, if the car still exists, about 10 years old now), and I drove it a few times after a period of driving an 80s Acura Integra (based, I believe, heavily on the Accord of the era). The Acura was far from the best car I've ever driven, but it seemed like a high end sports car vs. the newer Civic.

But the Civic struck me as possibly being an OK puddle hopper/commuter type car.

No idea what Japanese cars are like these days--that Civic was the newest I drove--but I will say that, in general, I, too, have felt they are often blah. They always felt like practical appliance type cars. Although there was one notable exception: a Mazda Miata (first generation). I really liked the way that car drove.

 

Man Audi's are NICE! That's my dream car honestly an A6 Prestige 3.0 TFSI or a TT. :lol: That would be the luxury car though. The car I really want to find is an 83 or 91 BMW m3 and fix it up. Those are beautiful cars and really well balanced so they're great to modify. It's a dream. I'd really like to fix the engine in the rear of one of those, but that may be a bit overkill. Still the balance you can get with a rear engine car is unbelievable. Kills in the turns.

 

Past depreciation, one concern I'd have with that new Mustang is that its new. My attitude: let someone else deal with the bugs in the design that aren't worked out by release day.

 

Humm... 25K would just about get you into a Focus ST. Of course I have no idea what insurance would run on one of those. I really want to drive one, but I am afraid that I just might buy it if I do.

Are you looking for a 2 door or a 4 door?

 

Another thought: there might be merit in keeping the current BMW a while longer. Yes, it needs more repairs now. But you'll be losing a lot of money by depreciation by buying a newer car. Obviously one question is how much repair will be needed to the current car in the coming years, and how much it will cost.

Some people have kept cars going insane lengths of time, and have calculated that despite the yearly cost, they are still coming out ahead.

 

That BMW is getting up there. The transmission could lose reverse at any time as the e46 has many issues with that as well.

 

Well, you could saw the roof off the BMW... :lol:

---------- Post added 30th Jul 2013 at 08:51 PM ----------

You might consider older cars than what you've looked at to beat depreciation. Age has a huge impact. Although the challenge becomes finding something that still has usable life.

Since you mention convertibles, you might look at the Mazda MX5 roadster. No idea what that car is like now, but I drove the first generation Miata (the old name), and was quite impressed. Although I don't have your background with BMW (I've driven them, but never owned one). The specimen I drove was for sale by a guy who liked sports cars, and could have bought something considerably more expensive (in fact, his replacement was to be a Porsche). The MX5 would not be the most practical car for carrying things, but if you have the BMW still, that won't matter as much.

---------- Post added 30th Jul 2013 at 08:56 PM ----------

Oh yes--the other MX5 problem (at least on older models) is some people are too big for the car. I've heard stories of people redoing the seat so the seat is attached directly to the floor (no adjustment rails) just to get a bit more headroom...

 

Jared:

It has been a very long time since I have had a Mustang (late 1970s early 1980s). Overall I like the car. However, I did have issues with the compressor. MY memory fades after about 20 years or so. However, Ford put in two or three a/c compressors. Fortunately, these were still under warranty. Besides this, I had no issues with the car.

Craig

---------- Post added 30th Jul 2013 at 11:48 PM ----------

Jared: How did you upload the picture?