Hey everyone, I'm looking to finally pull the trigger on a Stang and wanted some opinions from the community. I had ordered a 2014 GT/CS in Feb 2014 but cancelled the order as my brother in law hooked me up with a 2014 RAM 1500 demo from his dealership and I couldn't pass up the deal. The truck has a ton of equity in it now and I'm looking at getting into my Mustang finally!

I've been looking at used '15 GT Premiums because I like leather, upgraded stereo and the switches for sport mode, sport +, etc. The used ones have about 15-20k miles. However, for about he same price($30-31K), I've found some new 2016 GT's with GT Performance Package on the market. I could do cloth seats and upgrade the stereo later for sure, wanted to see if there's really much else I'd be missing from the GT Premium.

I know the GT PP is a great deal because Brembo brakes alone are about a $3-4K upgrade. What are your thoughts? Thanks for any input!

 

The Brembo brakes on the GT PP are not the full race version you'd pay $3-4K for. Just need to get that out of the way. Aside from that the PP package does give you a better suspension,(springs, struts, sway bars, tires, wheels) and a larger radiator, manual trans. So the PP is worth the money, Premium gives you more creature comforts. If you're getting the car for long trips or DD, Premium is the way to go. If you are looking to race the car and park it during the week then by all means get the new base PP model.

 

Another thing about the 2015-16 base GT PP cars the radio is very difficult to upgrade because of the Microsoft Sync infotainment system used in the 2015-16 Mustangs. Do some research and you will find that aftermarket radios cannot easily be installed in these cars. So if want this feature in the Premium Package Mustang then buy the GT Premium even if this means getting a used 2015 in your price range. This may take some time to find the right car for you. I bought a 2015 base GT and 6 months later I ended up trading it in on a special order 2016 GT Premium. The car I should have ordered instead of taking a car from the dealers inventory in the first place. A very expensive mistake.

 

I put the exact brakes from the PP pack on my GT and it only ran me $670....found a great day on EBay, and then I was able to pick up the PP wheels for only $1000 (dealer take-offs). So, there are reasonable ways to do it!

 

I upgraded the upholstery to leather on my base 15 GT for $575 from here http://www.newtakeoff.com/mustang-12.aspx and had a local auto upholstery shop do the install for another $550. So you can do upgrades for a fairly low cost. But again the radio upgrade is very difficult so if want that feature of the Premium Package get a car that already is a Premium Package car.

 

Thanks for the responses, I was really leaning towards a new one but you all make some very good points.

I do want to take it on trips and having a nice stereo is important. It's good to know the replacement of stereo is a pain, and I'd rather be spending that on exhaust, tune, etc.

My only fear of buying any kind of performance vehicle used is how the previous owner drove it. Anything to look for on the new stangs outside of normal wear and tear?

 

I'm going Monday to trade in my 2011 GT Premium for a 2016 GT Premium with the PP, 401a equipment group, reverse sensing system, touch voice navigation, Enhanced Security system, etc. The dealer here in SC will have to match the deals that Ford Dealers in GA have rightnow or I'll be taking a drive. There's a dealer in Atlanta selling the car described above for $38,174.00

 

Good luck with the purchase! I've found a few deals myself but I'll be driving 500+ miles to get them. But, the drive home would make it all worth while. What color are you looking at?

 

The color is the one thing I've not completely committed to buy have till Monday afternoon tho decide. I currently have a black exterior which I know is common but does look good but is a pain to keep clean and every little thing shows up. I was thinking about the ruby red but now there's dozens of then on the road, I might go with the metallic white but still haven't decided.

 

Another small thing to consider is the 2015 has MyFord Touch infotainment system. The 2016 has the new Ford Sync 3 infotainment system.