I hate to be the bearer of bad news

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Deleted member 38176

When you're a mustang lover....its something thats in your blood. Some people, include myself, fall in love with their cars. Its a passion. Its a calling. I bought my my 2002 GT brand new fresh out of high school. I love her to death! I dont ever dream about ever giving her up. This is where reality hits hard.....

Out of the 18 years that Ive owned her, she's only been running for maybe 10 years. At first, my obsession started with the "bolt-ons" By 2010 I had every single bolt-on imaginable. From air filter to tailpipes. Tunes, electronics, everything. After all that I gained maybe .04 to .06 in the quarter.......for thousands of dollars.

The point here is that modding a 4,6 2V with bolt-ons is a complete waste.

I even went s as far to build the motor and go forced induction. I couldnt stop there (look at my signature below). Dont get things confused, I love this car to death.....but looking back I would have NEVER spent the money that I have. It simply is the worst financial decision that Ive made.
 
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The PTSD face I make when I read threads like this and get flashbacks
flashback.gif

of all the money I've spent on a car that I don't even drive.
 
There's a reason they're called money pits. :shrug:

I don't know how much money I've blown on car parts for cars I don't drive but once a month - if that in some cases. It's not the money, it's the satisfaction of doing what you're doing and the end result you're hoping to achieve. I don't approach it looking to squeeze an unbelievable amount of power out of them (anymore), I just do it so I can have something that's truly mine. It's not like your Mustang or the guy down the street - it's mine, and this is what I wanted to do with it. So it's not bad news to me, it's just the nature of the beast.
 
I was fortunate to drive my (new) 82 Capri for 38+ years almost daily due to nice weather in the southwest (stationed at George, Castle, Luke AFB's) but for one year I was stationed in ROK (Korea). CARB prevented me from modding my car so it was frustrating, not able to do the stuff you guys can do. The car is still basically stock but for the T-5 and 8.8 rear.
 
I don't regret the money I've spent.

Sure, my DD was probably faster (hopefully not now) but I had fun wrenching and driving the car.
Your money is better spent than most. Lots of thoughtful buys. Plus you are almost, or are the origional owner your initial investment was a long time ago. I assume you dont have a 7-8 thousand paint job
 
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I bought my car knowing I was going to put more money in it than it’s worth. To me that’s not the point. I wanted a project to teach my kids how to work on cars (which I consider an important life skill). I also am at a point in my life where there is some extra money to do things like this.
This isn’t my only project either, my oldest boy has a 99 jeep XJ that we did the long arm lift and a bunch of other stuff to. (Sunk waaay to much money into that)
A lot of it for me is the experiences we have during the build, not the end result. How else am I supposed to have my buddies over for Saturday morning beers in the garage without hearing an earful from the wife?
 
When I was a kid I never had the money to finish anything. No patience at the time also. I found last weeks orange car that the kid wanted to trade for was a lot of money for nothing. Turbos,blowers, and EFI systems are the expensive add ons.
 
Had mine since 2007, never been out of commission for more then a couple a days at a time to do upgrades.I've been offered much more then I have invested money wise( free labor). There will come a time I build another more powerful motor , buy a stronger transmission, and everything to support that, until then I'm enjoying the ride.
 
The most important go fast part you can add to most cars these days is the driver. Most cars, especially performance types, are going to come out of the box with more ability than the driver. Bolt ons are nice for bragging rights I guess but they're not going to beat a better driver.
 
I disagree, how much did you learn from doing all those add-ons and engine work? Probably a lot. You got comfortable working on cars and that translates to future cost savings by not always going to a dealer for maintenance, or even turning it into a career. As long as it didn't compromise your financial security, it's all good.
 
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How about some pictures of what you got. I am sure you have something good in the garage. Sometimes just seeing your car makes it well worth it. So many just wish they had something special, and thats what makes you an American man.
 
How about some pictures of what you got. I am sure you have something good in the garage. Sometimes just seeing your car makes it well worth it. So many just wish they had something special, and thats what makes you an American man.

Ok? :shrug:
 

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NightFire, cool to see you still have your GT all these years later. Most have moved on or upgraded to the newest. Still have mine too, and still have the same enjoyment today as I did then.
In my 18 years I’ve learned from everyone else not to spend so much on the 4.6 2v lol. Kept it minimal, simple and on budget for the hp side of things. I will use budget loosely. All I’ve done is VT stage 2 cams, upgraded valve springs, mildly ported heads, mildly ported Bullitt intake, with cobra throttle body, steeda under drive pulleys, jlt intake that I custom fabbed to fit the factory air box, bassani catted mid pipe, flowmaster cat back with 40 originals, and a custom dyno sct tune. All that got my GT running 12.9’s at 106/107 mph on eibach tight ars sportline springs. Still have this engine set up, no plans on changing it. One place I do play a lot with is the chassis, and suspension. Not a cheap place to play with. Lol
 
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NightFire, cool to see you still have your GT all these years later. Most have moved on or upgraded to the newest. Still have mine too, and still have the same enjoyment today as I did then.
In my 18 years I’ve learned from everyone else not to spend so much on the 4.6 2v lol. Kept it minimal, simple and on budget for the hp side of things. I will use budget loosely. All I’ve done is VT stage 2 cams, upgraded valve springs, mildly ported heads, mildly ported Bullitt intake, with cobra throttle body, steeda under drive pulleys, jlt intake that I custom fabbed to fit the factory air box, bassani catted mid pipe, flowmaster cat back with 40 originals, and a custom dyno sct tune. All that got my GT running 12.9’s at 106/107 mph on eibach tight ars sportline springs. Still have this engine set up, no plans on changing it. One place I do play a lot with is the chassis, and suspension. Not a cheap place to play with. Lol

I will be buried in this thing lol. NEVER letting her go
 
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