Reliability?????

The rent man

New Member
May 24, 2008
8
0
1
Can anyone explain why the reliability rating or "used car verdict" on Consumer Reports is SOOOOOOOOOO bad for the 2011 thru 2014 V8 Stang??? The '05 thru '08 have the best attainable rating, it drops to average for 2010 then tanks by 2014. I have not heard, read or experienced any major issues w/ the newer Stangs, even the GT500. I am specifically inquiring about 2011 to 2014, not the 2015. Any input?????
 
  • Sponsors (?)


I have to agree. I think C. R. gives to much weight to complaints about "ease of use" for things like the Nav and hands free phone, etc., basically things I'll never use. I want to know if the actual CAR is reliable or not! Thanks for the input Guys!
 
I find it funny that all the ratings are average or above for everything but body integrity. Then they give the '14 a much worse than average rating as a used car. Doesn't make sense. I know they rate the Sync system bad - who cares. My '14 GT has been rock solid. The 11's had some manual transmission issues early on, but it seemed isolated. I don't think you can go wrong with an 2006-14 as long as the car wasn't abused. You will love the 420 HP!
 
How about this test of "body integrity" that happened to me a month ago? By all measures, this was not a survivable incident but I self extricated and walked away with only two busted ribs.

IMG_1857.JPG IMG_1859.JPG IMG_1863.JPG IMG_1862.JPG


I like the car so much I bought this last weekend, 2014 auto car

IMG_1865.JPG
 
1. Consumer reports is draws from a small po of people and data. I used to use them mainly for electronics but over the years they got useless so I would take that with a grain of salt.

2. TT5 can I ask how that happened to your car?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
 
600+ hp and an injudicious application of throttle. MT car so, the ass got light, it went sideways, hit a concrete kerb around the median and rolled, shearing off a 10 inch alder at the base with the passenger door. It was a transcendantal experience, I assure you.

The 14 auto is a better car in every way than the 12. quieter, more stable, handles way better, pretty quick for stock. It's amazing how different the two cars are and how much better it is for just evolutionary changes.
 
I guess it goes without saying your were one lucky dude. I knew exactly what you meant when you said the ass got light. Been there done that in my old 87' which was blown as well with a manual. Lucky for me I managed to miss everyone and everything around me and just had to clean out my undies when I got home. I would drive the car to work from time to time in place of my 96' GT I had at the time and after that i didn't. Stuck to weekend track time.

As far as ride quality between the two years I'm curious as to mabey why the two cars seem different? The two are pretty much the same stock. The auto is going to accelerate smoother just by nature but I wouldn't have guessed much of a difference between two years. I've got a 10' GT and came from a 00' GT convertible and The 2010 is 110% better ride and overall feel than my old 00'.

Do you plan on doing. Ugh the the 14?

Brian

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
 
Manufacturers make incremental changes all the time without advertising them; that's why it's usually best to buy the last of a generation rather than the first. There is definitely more sound deadening panels, pads and treatment in the '14. I have pulled some trim to spoon out a small ding in the rear 1/4 and can see that. The suspension tuning feels different, The '12 had virtually no rebound damping but the '14 is better controlled in this area, despite the springs and bars looking the same (both BBP).The two cars have different tires stock (Pirelli P Zero summer on the '12 and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercars on the '14) so tire performance isn't totally a fair comparo but, the '14 turns in better, has less understeer and rides nicer, stock for stock.

Now, a lot of the smoothness and quality feel is created by the automatic and the driveline not banging and bucking around like it does with the stick. That makes sense but it doesn't explain the other things.

The '12 was bought new and the '14 used with ~12,000 miles, one owner, company car. Both were completely unmodified at purchase so, I think the comparison is fair.

I am going to throw a tune on the '14 because I'm curious how the auto will react. That's probably about it for a good while. I'm in no hurry to duplicate the circumstances that led to the demise of my previous car and, I was starting to think maybe I'd gone too far with the '12, compromising daily utility and road trip reliability in pursuit of all that power.

I'm going to circle back to the subject of this thread now: I took the '12 on a 6k road trip last Christmas through 6 states. Did parts of Route 66, Zion in Utah, Arizona, Vegas, PCH up through Cali, Napa Valley, Oregon, Washington, etc. The 2012 car didn't miss a beat and that was one of the best experiences I've ever had in a vehicle. Road tripping and wondering if you were going to chuck a blower belt or pop a boost tube off in the middle of nowhere would sap the pleasure for me, I think.
 
^ I can definitely see how an automatic would make the car feel smoother. The F1s are OEM on Brembo equipped convertibles only. Coupes came with the summer P-Zeros. The tires must have been replaced before you bought it. Like you said having the F1s probably help the ride quality.
 
The f1s I have seen on other 14 coupes. I'm in Canada so it may be different too. These tires have not been replaced. You can almost always tell. They show wear consistent with 12000 miles of use.

This car is an extreme late build 14 so it contains a number if strange things. In Canada, for example, 13+ gts don't get grille fogs but this car has them and they are drls, as with 11-12 cars.

I have also confirmed this car has 2015 cylinder head castings.