are GT's worth it?

[myponyrocks]

dont rely on us to tell you what to do. Go take a test drive and then make your decision. If you are worried about making a bad choice, go drive a few cars drive all the ones you are interested in and see which one you like best.

how much are you able to spend? If you look hard enough, you can find Mach 1s going for fairly low prices.

Yep go drive one, you wont be dissapointed, as long as you havent driven an 05... you can catch up to a Mach with bolt ons, but remember a lot of machs are no longer stock either

 

[Mustang5L5]

When i set out to buy a new(ish) Mustang, i had my heart set on a Mach 1. It's the only thing i wanted. I drove a few, looked at many but at the time and the prices used '03's were going for, i decided i could not afford one.

So i got my Gt for a rediculously good deal. Do i love the GT? Yes. But there are still some times i wish i waited for a Mach 1. I DO NOT regret buying the GT, i just wish i had a Mach 1 too.

Now i am seeing '03 Machs sell for 18K. If i were to buy now i could afford it, but i'm already into my GT, have some mods, and the GT is basically paid off. It really makes no sense for me to sell my GT to get a Mach 1 right now.

I love the attention my GT gets, it's fast (but no Mustang is ever fast enough) but i want a limited edition Mustang of some sort.

So i'll just satisfy my needs i just put Mach 1 parts on my GT!

 

[RenDawg408]

Probably worth it if you plan to keep it a long time and do significant mods over the years (shifter, all of the suspension, wheels, tires, chassis reinforcement and the works... even if you decide to leave the engine alone for some reason... but why?).

The 99+ GT has pretty good quickness on the street (sub 6 second 0-60 for manual... which you should enjoy), but even from the test drive I felt like I was cruising in an old granny's Buick... only with some added power and noise. Everything about the car is vague, from the clutch and shifter to the suspension feel and steering. The seats suck, and the car just feels like a whale. It seems way too heavy and soft like it was made for old people with weak bones and a long right arm (for the shifter). In short, it is an ancient geezer-mobile with odd character and a half-decent motor.

Maybe I was spoiled by recent decades of driving tightly tuned, light and quick-ratioed cars which I modded to be even tighter and more responsive. But I remember this feeling (I'll call it nostalgia in my case) from driving cars made in the '60s during the '80s. Still, it can be a ton of fun if you look at it that way.

There is plenty of potential in the car, which is why I bought it, but you will definitely have to make changes to bring it out. It will also need wide tires in the back *immediately* to fill up those unsightly caverns under the rear fender wells and to make this really huge @ss of hers look like it was meant to be that way. She's got some serious junk in the trunk, if you know what I mean. Oh... and a suspension drop all-'round to keep the bears in your area from trying to hibernate in the fender gaps over winter.

Look... until you mod it up real good, this car will not connect you to the road at all. To get a feel for what I am talking about, sit on a bag of marshmallows and hold a dildo in your right hand with your right arm stretched out as far as you can reach forward (until your back almost hurts and you bang your face on your right knee)... then, just after you 'shift' the dildo, while lifting up your left foot have someone suddenly shove you a little out of time with your foot movement. I hope you like surprises!

After that, practice barely touching the gas peddle in 'first' and 'second' gear while the shover makes annoying "clank" and "clunck" noises at random behind your head. <-- This is what it is like to drive in creeping traffic. Practice practice practice.

Or... you could go buy a much tighter 2005 and worry about first year Ford teething pains, which are almost inevitable (good luck with that!).

And no... I don't hate this car at all. I know what I bought into, and I'm just telling you like it is so you are prepared to take the bad with the good. Oh, there is plenty of good, but you have already heard all you need of that in these forums. <-- This forum is for Mustang fans, isn't it? Well there you go.

Very well explained!!!

 

[lx90]

i like to look at it this way i have a 90 lx with bad paint and leaks some oil. i also have a brand new 04 that is spottless. my wife asks me everyday when i am going to sell the 90. my response is always well talk about it later. the love is just there with the car. once you stand in front of it with the hood up at 3:00 am scratching your head your hooked.

 

[Guyster03Mach]

I own a 03 Mach 1 now after having a 99GT vert I bought new. The differences in these cars are like night and day. The 4V has so much potential for power too. However as stated before, check out insurance on these Mach's as it's high! I couldn't believe how much the cost increase was from owning a GT vert. I still love the Mach and wouldn't trade back for anything. I feel like I'm driving a piece of history everytime I get in and hear the rumble of the shaker

 

[ScottyG00GT]

I love my GT. I wish I could afford to insure and put gas in a Cobra, but since my wife just quit her job this June when our daughter was born I feel lucky enough to be driving the GT. Plus it's paid for.

I agree that it is a wallowy, heavy, crochety old thing with little refinement, but there are some compelling pluses. It's reasonably fast, it's CHEAP, it sounds good, and it looks great. The gas mileage is not too bad (26 hwy for mine), and it is designed to run on 87 octane. My car has been dead-reliable for all of its 64,000 miles. And the handling can be fixed with a decent set of springs, shocks, and struts. DO NOT buy this car if you think it's a BMW. It's not. But I like driving a car that's a bit irreverant, and thus I don't care.

The best advice I ever got, that I took and never regretted - if you buy a GT and plan on keeping it for a long time (or if you are adding serious power), GET WELD-IN SUBFRAME CONNECTORS. Even if it's a coupe. This holds the car together for the long haul. Mine cost about $200 complete with welding installation. Even if you do get a Mach, the factory bolt-on subs are not as good as they could be. Get weld-ins!

 

[Mach1Run]

I wanted a bullit but couldnt afford one, so i bought my 01 instead. Going from my 97 v6 to the GT was a blast. I look forward to getting to drive now

And if you just like the shaker hood scoop look you can always get that kit that goes on the GT.

 

[xseler8]

If a GT is the only option at this time...get one! When I got mine(02GT conv 5sd) I had no idea what a Cobra or Mach was. I am having a blast with this Stang. Would do it again(GT).

 

[GTsleeper]

I wanted a brand new car with no miles on it so I got the 03 and would never look back. Gears, shorty shifter, and dr's to start with and you can hit mid 13's easily and on a good day with good weather and practice you should be in the low 13's.

 

[nickthegenius]

When I went to buy my Mustang, I had been registered here for about a month or so and had just sat back and lurked for awhile and threw a few questions in here and there.

At the time of purchase, I knew of the cars little quirks and short-commings. I've always looked at a car's potential, though and not just at its face value. Driving into the dealer, I spotted the silver GT that I had located via internet. There it sat in all its mediocrity with ugly wheels, off road suspension, ugly bumpers, and nasty spoiler but I had already gotten a plan in my head and could visualize what the car could be.

All in all, with the modifications it has I now have a head-turning car thats fun to drive.