Since I walked through the open door on the "buying American" discussion...I'll go ahead and close it so I can stop derailing the OP's topic.

Just feel compelled to add that despite my annoying efforts to get people to understand that we can no longer hang our hat on brand alone, I've actually done more than the average buyer to truly "put my money where my mouth is" and drive sales to the "American" automotive industry

2007 Ford Mustang GT coupe
2007 Ford Mustang GT convertible
2004 Ford F150 Lightning
2004 Ford F150 FX4 Supercab
2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1
2002 Ford F150 Lightning
2001 Ford F150 Lightning
2001 Ford Mustang GT convertible

And that's before I delve into the 1990s. So lest anyone feel I'm rather un-American...there you have it. But you can feel that I make poor financial decisions and invest waaaaay too much in depreciating assets

 

I have never owned a BMW, so I cannot really comment on how they are. The only one I have ever driven was a 1995 M3 coupé from a close friend of mine not too long ago. I was actually very impressed with it! The car was light, nimble, and I felt that 6 cylinder engine delivered power well through the RPM band. I like how the interior is put together, and even in a 15 year old car, I could tell how BMW wraps their interior around the driver.

As far as Mustangs goes, I have personally owned 2 and my brother has owned more than 9 throughout our lives. We have never had any major issues with any of the cars, except with his 2002 GT which he had put a Saleen Supercharger with a bad tune that led the engine to blow. However, that was his and the shop's fault. Any car that we kept stock or that had bolt-ons, we never had problems.

I have a 2001 V6 that I have owned for 10 years and it has never left me on the road. My 2008 is driven every day on a 70+ commute and currently has 46k miles and is still running strong! The only expenses I have had with it is the typical oil change with synthetic every 5,000 miles.

 

Option C, drive Accord in to the ground, pay off debt & save for the Mustang you really want.

 

This is still a very valid option and I have been thinking about this today. I will be taking the Accord in this weekend I hope to see what needs to be repaired during its 180K maintenance. I might just take a few fixes over the next few months and pay as I go.

 

I wouldn't buy ANY relatively expensive car if I put 85 miles per day on it. No matter which car you buy its going to depreciate much faster with that high mileage added every week. In three years your NEW mustang will have about 70K miles on it. Commuter cars should be bought cheap and maintained well. At the rate you drive, your 33K dollar mustang will be worth about 13 grand in three years! Bad move.

 

Great point, but if you were forced to spend 85 miles a day in a car, wouldn't you want to at least enjoy it? Even with the cost?

 

This.

 

Agreed. Really, you only live once. Buying any of these performance cars is not the practical choice. We could all be rolling around in little 4 cylinder sedans going back and forth to work and it'd be all we'd need.

The Mustang on the other hand (and the BMW or whatever other car brand) is a want but, there are so many great excuses to justify our want!

I had a buddy who bought a Mazda 3. Not a bad car but, after I lent him the keys to my '09, the first thing that he said to me after the drive was "I should have bought the car I wanted". Some fuel for thought.

 

I have certainly considered keeping the Accord for a while longer but I just don't see all that much wrong with buying the '05-'09 and keeping it for a few years, maybe 4-5 and if I don't like the newly restyled Mustang at that point I just go ahead and buy an '11-'14(or '13) with Brembo's and be happy as a clam! If I like the new body style I can either want that or still like it and buy the older style. Possibly even keep the S197.

I used to build sport trucks for a few years from about age 15-21, what a dissaster. Talk about a money pit and not seeing any real benefits. It's not like putting bigger brakes on a Mustang or a sportier suspension. Trucks flex, they weigh over 1000lbs more, it was such a waste of time and money. I told my wife this weekend the I was thinking of getting a better suspension put on an S197 if I get it and she got so pale and just asked if it was going to be anything like my GMC and I got a chuckle.

I know the S197 has become a bit out dated given the new '10+ body style. What's not to love about the upgrades? I still really like the S197 and I am sure I will enjoy it just as much.

Now I just need to test drive one.

 

Kelsey, did you drive both cars?

Before buying my '05 GT, I almost had my heart set on a used 330Ci. I researched the car for about a year, read every review that I could find, followed the forums, etc.

Finally, there was a clean 330Ci in the local BMW dealership with 47K miles on it, and I took it for about a 30-minute drive. To be honest, it did not meet my expectations.

At the time, I was driving a 1995 Mustang GT 5-speed. That car was the last year of the 5.0, before they went to the 4.6. Still, it only had 225 horsepower, so I expected that the BMW would feel somewhat similar power-wise. And that was the problem - the BMW just had no torque, even compared to an SN95 Mustang. It's not even worth talking about the torque comparison to an S197.

The good thing about the BMW of course, is that it's a really tight car. It's very nimble, and definitely feels like a better handling car than an S197 Mustang. But, in the right hands, the S197 is no slouch.

In one of your earlier posts you mentioned that you were looking for something menacing, right? Well, the BMW 330Ci is about as far from menacing as you can get. It looks more like a small luxury car than a menacing sports car.

Drive both cars. Who knows, maybe you'll end up loving how nimble and precise the BMW is. You really can't go wrong with it - it's definitely an enthusiast's car, and any car guy would appreciate it. If you're like me, however, you'll instantly become intoxicated with the Mustang's honest-to-goodness torque - and note that the 2005 manual models came stock with the 3.55 rear gear, making the torque feel even more pronounced than a 3.31 (which is still not bad).

 

Sounds like you need to try to go for a 2008-09 with the 3.55 and throw in a Hurst or MGW, a good tune and CAI, some steeda sports, koni adjustables, panhard bar and brace and call it a day. Maybe try to find a IUP/Premier Trim to get a slightly more upscale feeling interior.

There is a reason this platform is used in so many road race competitions.

 

Hey Auto,
Could I ask what your price range is? I have a 2008 Vapor Mustang GT w/ heated black leather, factory hood scoop and chrome 18's, with 25,000 miles on it. I bought this for my wife for our first anniversry in May 2008. All I have done is tint the windows, oil change, and rotate tires. The majority of the miles are from roadtrips. We are both in our mid to late 30's so our stang hasn't been through the ringer. If your interested in talking money and pics, shoot me an email or something. I am only about 10-12 hrs from you.

 

+1 on this option. If money is an issue why even look at switching cars now?

Having said that, I've owned, or my family's owned and I've driven regularly, 3 BMWs. A 2002 and then two 3-series. They are great cars. A stock Bimmer will outhandle a stock 05-09 Mustang any day of the week. As others have noted, though, they are money pits once the warranty expires. Parts are VERY expensive. In the long run it would likely be much less expensive to maintain a Mustang.

I also test drove a slightly used 335 convertible before buying my GT convertible. I ended up going with the Mustang, for a couple of reasons. First was price - the new Mustang, with the incentives Ford was offering, was much less expensive than the slightly used BMW. Second, I was not all that impressed with the 335. Twin-turbos notwithstanding, the Mustang felt quicker. I imagine this had to do with the extra weight of the hard top convertible. The hard top was another issue - it takes up most of the trunk when it's down, so you have to make a choice between putting the top down and carrying luggage.

 

"I know the S197 has become a bit out dated given the new '10+ body style. What's not to love about the upgrades?"

Out dated by whose standards?

Plus, many of us dislike the rear end design on the '10-11. That is a deal killer for me and the reason we've kept the 2007 GT. 3 years and just 10,400 miles. Why get rid of it, barely broken in.

 

I have come to that conclusion. Even if I am no longer really thinking about the 330i being a valid option, I just want to at least test drive the cars and give them their chance. I might even try to find an RSX and Subaru Impreza as just to satisfy minimal curiosity. I will admit that all it will take is one turnover of the V8 and I will be sold. It's a solid and great platform anyway.

I do want to throw in a Hurst/Roush/FRPP short throw. And I like the taller lever. Suspension is also key at some point and already would need to do some research as the best solution. See what has worked and address what I want it to do. I am sure I will ask plenty of questions when the time comes.

I really agree with you here. The more I go back and fourth the more I think the early S197's have a much better overall finish to the car, especially the rear end. If I could get the led sequential lights out of the 2010, I would be set! Not difficult to do I don't think. Many kits for this.

 

I appreciate the offer but I am not ready just yet. My wife and I have a lot going on so car shopping hasn't really begun yet and probably won't until about October. That's about the time she and I will have enough time to really pay any attention to the market and look over our finances. Which is fine the Accord is doing well and so I am not rushing myself into the purchase like I was going into the 2011. When I am ready I will hit you up though if in any case you still have the car.

Part of it is I have wanted something different for about 6 years now and when I got back from deployment I had my heart set on an '03-'04 Cobra. I got an Accord. It was the smart choice as I was going back to college and I was commuting while my wife was working, whom had graduated now twice from colleges. I still had no degree and was dead set on getting it.

Now I am just bored and being a car guy, the Accord just doesn't do anything for me. Is it a great car? YES, it's fantastic! For what it is. Car enthusiasts are passionate people, much like artists. Restraint is not on the list of top features of a car enthusiast. I think it is reasonable that I can get into a car that I really enjoy at a low cost. Smart? Maybe not so, but there are worse things in the world I could be doing like buying a boat, jet ski, vacation home, dirt bike etc.. Those things got American's into debt. Not swapping their cars for reasonable priced enjoyable vehicles. Yeah, if I were going in to get a Corvette, this might be a different story.

Anyway, at some point it will be great for pictures and memories. Something to tell the grand kids. When I see the look on my dad's face when I talk to him about his old hot rods and the ones he should have kept, inner Fast weeps a little.

 

I can feel that pain, through HS & college I was responsible and drove parents cars or my Rangers (insurance $, gas $, and snow), even though I had started the "mustang fund" ~age 12 . So a good 8 years of driving, plus the 4 before I could that I had the mustang money burning a hole and I've wanted one since at least age 5... finally got my toy now.

Now being responsible again and not continuing to mod it since I need the best mod for a Mustang, my own garage

 

I hear you on the "own garage." I live in a high rise down town so I really don't have my own garage. It's the ultimate in suck for car lovers. I really love our place though and so does the wife so we will be there for a while.

Now if I can just plan out the suspension mods for later so I am not scrambling and piecing things together. Don't need to hit the track but what a very competent street car. Currently reading the how to lower thread. I like to use more terms like how to select a sporting suspension. Lowering is more for lowriders and sport trucks, just get it low. Not the case for this Mustang.

I am becoming more satisfied with the decision to nab an older Stang and start working on it some day. Now it really looks like the Hurst shifter needs to be the first mod I make!

 

I'll have to chime in and paraphrase what has been said. BMW makes a great car. I have heard it is for driving enthsiats, but I think BMW leans more to the luxury appeal myself. I have never driven one, but have friends that own them. I know for sure maintenance is expensive if you dont do it yourself. Or even find a reliable german shop for repairs.

I love my 05 GT. I had thought of looking at a BMW 320i when I bought mine, but when I drove the 05 GT all other cars pailed in comparison on the fun/excitement factor.My 05 is my daily driver, I commute about 30 miles back and forth to work, I get 19.5 mpg on regular fuel while enjoying the tunes of 300 ponies. I dont know of any other car that can deliver that combination of fun and excitement for me. I still get looks when I fire it up, people ask me what exhaust I have and are amazed when I tell them it's stock. It sounds that good.

 

It's this that gets me. I used to think the 2010+ was the be all end all but I am very happy about my decision to stick with the early S197.

I also am not as concerned about the "only 300Hp" factor either. It is easily overcome. My first concerns are real world performance, i.e., sportier suspension, brakes, short throw shifter. 300Hp will get me where I need to go. If my Accord can do it, so can the Mustang, my biggest gripes about my current car is that the brakes are too soggy for me and it just doesn't handle as firmly and confidently as I would like.

I want to take the best handling aspect as I can while keeping a road going friendliness to the car.
Exhaust is always just a nice touch to add as it is intoxicating to hear as well as drive. I think a power pack with a tuner, exhaust and CAI would be a good investment down the road. Getting the car to better mannerisms, is the first must. Just because a car has a lot of power, doesn't mean it's being used to its full potential.