What would you guys do? Considering selling.

[BurningRubber]

Well... I'm at that point, it's either commit to my car as a long-term project or sell it/trade it in. I have my eye on a nice '07 GT, but I'm not sure I could get it for what I'd be comfortable paying for it.

I've been around 05+ cars for a while now and have really grown fond of them. The interiors are tenfold better, as is the entire vehicle in terms of fit, finish, rigidity, suspension, etc.

My GT has 154k on it at this point. It still runs great, but it does need a flywheel, clutch, engine and trans mounts, pinion seal, etc. On top of that, it has some paint issues... needs a big detailing and the rear bumper needs to be repainted (due to nice rusty brake deposits in the paint, but that's another story...).

I'm not sure what the car is worth as a trade in, but probably not enough to do so. I think I'd come out better putting a little work into it and selling it outright for $5k or less.

I like the fact that I know the car inside and out, that I've literally done EVERYTHING except the gear install (I would have fared better doing that myself...). It's been super dependable and despite being driven hard at times, I think it still has plenty of life in it.

I'm realizing it's not what I want so much at this point in time. I want something with low miles, leather, a half decent sound system, less issues, so on. I'm considering a new Mustang (I'd sell mine if that was the case), a 2010+ Fusion (practical, sporty, look great with the right wheels), or an F150 (I could tow my piece to the track, haha).

It kind of goes against making sense to put more and more money into my car... yet I hate the idea of parting with it. If I keep it, long term plans are an engine build and a nice single turbo setup, re-do the paint and interior.

Fill me with wisdom fellow 2v owners.

 

[fullrearview]

I got a 98 gt for the challenge and the looks... I could have got an 05 with about 80k on it for 9k, but I didn't want a payment. I agree the 05's+ are awesome cars. I love everything about them.

Go with what you want the most and you wont go wrong.

 

[Stumbaugh]

I have went through the same thing with my black car a couple times.

I decided to keep mine, because I love the body style and I already own it. I wasnt going to have to deal with selling mine and taking a loss on it, then buying something newer and spending a ton of money on it. With the extra money I was going to spend on the newer vehicle, I could be pretty close to having my motor and power adder finished up.

Ultimatly, it's all about what you want. If it's the newer body style that you want, then I say go for it. If I was you tho, I would look for a decent daily driver, and put some more elbow grease into your car.

In my eyes, a clean and fast 2v car is way more impressive than a clean, fast 3 or 4v car anyday.

 

[d98gt]

I had lots of fun with my 06 GT and it actually ran really well for what it was. I do agree that the s197s are a much more comfortable car compared to the sn96s and the 3v does respond well to mods (plus the cam choices sound awesome).

 

[BurningRubber]

I got a 98 gt for the challenge and the looks... I could have got an 05 with about 80k on it for 9k, but I didn't want a payment. I agree the 05's+ are awesome cars. I love everything about them.

Go with what you want the most and you wont go wrong.

If I found an 05 for that price in good shape, I'd jump on it. I understand why you got the '98 though. I was fortunate to have bought my GT outright, so no payment has been nice...

I have went through the same thing with my black car a couple times.

I decided to keep mine, because I love the body style and I already own it. I wasnt going to have to deal with selling mine and taking a loss on it, then buying something newer and spending a ton of money on it. With the extra money I was going to spend on the newer vehicle, I could be pretty close to having my motor and power adder finished up.

Ultimatly, it's all about what you want. If it's the newer body style that you want, then I say go for it. If I was you tho, I would look for a decent daily driver, and put some more elbow grease into your car.

In my eyes, a clean and fast 2v car is way more impressive than a clean, fast 3 or 4v car anyday.

You know exactly what I'm going through then.

Exactly my thoughts about it. $300 a month or more for a car payment will fix a LOT of crap on my car, as well as make it exactly what I want over time. I want to paint it a different color though.. haha.

The Fusion is the sensible DD option I'm looking at. The F150 is the un-sensible, more practical for my needs one. I agree that a clean/fast 2v car is a blast and becoming a dying breed with everyone upgrading.

I had lots of fun with my 06 GT and it actually ran really well for what it was. I do agree that the s197s are a much more comfortable car compared to the sn96s and the 3v does respond well to mods (plus the cam choices sound awesome).

Yes... a cammed 3v sounds NASTY! A 2V needs a lot of work to sound like that with an aftermarket set of cams. I do like how 3v's respond as well. Putting the juice and 4.10's in my car was the hot ticket to a quick 2v, but a 3v with bolt ons, cams, longtubes and gear will run out nicely.

 

[sneaky98gt]

I, too, have pondered lately about getting a newer car. Here's my thoughts.

Option A. Replacing your Mustang with another Mustang. Personally, I would only do this if the new Mustang LOOKS better than your current one. You can mod any Mustang to death and make it faster than any other 'type' of Mustang, but you can't fix ugly (or at least uglier). For me, the only Mustangs that I think look better than my own are the New Edges and '10+ S197s; because the performance gain over my car of upgrading to a New Edge GT, Mach 1, or 2010 GT is minimal, that leaves me with 03/04 Cobras and '11+ GTs. My next Mustang WILL be either a Terminator or new 5.0.

Option B. Replace your Mustang with something more practical. This could be a truck if you need it, or something with more space, or something with better fuel mileage. This is just a decision that has to be based on need and/or how tired you are of your current car. For me, I'm not really tired of my Mustang, but it is getting old and problems are becoming more frequent. Something newer with better mileage and more space would certainly be nice. I personally enjoy driving, so a fun car would be desirable. I've been looking lately at 1st gen. Mazdaspeed 3s. 30 mpg, comfortable seating for 4, 103 mph 1/4 trap stock, handles great, rides great? Yes please, I'd GLADLY DD that over my Mustang.

I guess there is an Option C. Get a beater and use your current Mustang as a street/strip car. If I had a New Edge GT, I'd probably consider doing this, but I just don't care enough about the Aero styling to turn my car into a race car.

 

[bhuff30]

Despite the work you need done, it is still going to be much cheaper to keep your 98 than buy an 07. Just a couple car payments worth of repairs and the 98 will be in good running shape again. You can keep these cars going for a very long time with just regular repairs and maintenance. In taxi/police service, the engines typically see 3-400k miles or more. Mine is above 194k miles now, and I feel it is still very reliable and fun.

You will just have to decide for yourself if it is worth the extra expense of owning a newer car. Insurance will cost more, the 05+ gets worse gas mileage(in my experience) and it will still need regular maintenance and occasional major repairs just the same. Not as if these issues just go away.

Just look at your personal financial situation and see if it makes sense to upgrade now. You will definitely enjoy owning and driving an 05+ GT, but if it puts you in high payments for a long period or seriously depletes your savings, you may not enjoy it quite as much.

Personally, I plan to keep squeezing every last mile out of my 97 GT because it is such a good value for a good looking and fun car to drive.

 

[Stumbaugh]

You need to come join me in the 150 shot group.

 

[fullrearview]

If I found an 05 for that price in good shape, I'd jump on it. I understand why you got the '98 though. I was fortunate to have bought my GT outright, so no payment has been nice...

I thought long and hard about it... I ended up trading our 05 neon for the GT though... The neon ran well, got good mileage but it had cosmetic issues and was 20k past the recommended timing belt change. I swear people just don't notice a neon... I sat in it several times only to have people slam their doors into the side of it, hence the cosmetic issues.

My GT has some paint issues on the bumper/rims but the body is straight and it only had a K&N and Flows...

Trading the Neon netted more value than if I sold it or traded it in for the 05. I could fix the little issues on it and sell it for 4k I'm sure.

The payment was the biggest factor... We just bought a house (mortgage is actually a lot less but we want to save that and reinvest in the house) and didn't need another payment.

 

[trombonedemon]

My next Mustang WILL be either a Terminator or new 5.0.

I'm feeling the same way. Though, I'm pondering what it would be like to own a Shelby Cobra 2012.

 

[Kornnut]

I'm realizing it's not what I want so much at this point in time. I want something with low miles, leather, a half decent sound system, less issues, so on. I'm considering a new Mustang (I'd sell mine if that was the case), a 2010+ Fusion (practical, sporty, look great with the right wheels), or an F150 (I could tow my piece to the track, haha).

It kind of goes against making sense to put more and more money into my car... yet I hate the idea of parting with it. If I keep it, long term plans are an engine build and a nice single turbo setup, re-do the paint and interior.

Fill me with wisdom fellow 2v owners.

My wife has an 09 fusion, and I have an 08 F-150. She had an 06 gt that she used as a daily, but a drunk driver changed that. All three are great as a daily in different ways. I prefer a truck as a daily so that is what I would get. The fusion is a nice car, but it is slow as balls to us. The interior is really nice for the price point though. The 06 was a great daily, and I think the 05+ cars are the best daily drive-able mustangs made.

If it was me in the end I would keep the car and get a truck. To me that is the most logical combo if you're going to keep a car. You will always need a truck to haul something for the car and it can tow the car itself. My truck is a bare bones work truck. That is what I like in a truck, but as you already know trucks can be had with all the crap these days.

 

[Maxpowers]

I'm in almost the same spot. I saved up about $7k to boost my car, but I'm debating if its worth it. I'm thinking about selling and getting a better platform to build on. I don't really feel as though this car is fast or nice enough to have weekend only status.

Already have a dd.