And What Would You Buy?

Does it really matter? You should get what you want.

I would buy the hard top V-8! no question! Convertibles and V-6's are highly over rated!

We'll now get a whole bunch of guys posting "ya butt you can do such and such to the V-6 and get V-8 like performance." I say nonsense, you can do that same such and such to the V-8 and get a lot more power...

This is currently the most popular opinion question posted to ramfm, funny how this same scenario exists for so many folks.

IMO If you can afford a NEW '06 V6 'vert, a USED '05 GT 'vert shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

-- John C. '03 Cobra Convt.

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 00:09:45 -0400, Susan wrote something wonderfully witty:

I'd buy what I want.

I bought a brand new 87 GT convertible. I loved that car and kept it for 11 years. But I doubt if I would buy another convertible. I guess you have to get it out of your system and own at least one in your lifetime.

Did you have problems, like the upkeep of the top or theft vandalism or was it not what you expected? Just curious.

Susan, what *I* would do, is KEEP LOOKING Don't settle.NEVER settle. If you hold out, you will be rewarded.

There are millions of these cars out there and the two you mentioned are only a small sampling. Somewhere there is the EXACT car you are looking for.

Personally, I would settle for nothing less than the Vert AND the V8 - and consider a stick while you're at it.

Keep in mind though, I am not one to settle for less than what I want, your mileage may vary.

Kate

Former owner of:

I would choose the V6. I can build the V6 to have more power than the V8 for a lot less money. It's lighter, and cheaper to insure and buy. Better gas mileage. Cheaper repairs. Unless you're building a track car or have no mechanical skills, the GT doesn't make much sense. I think a mildly modded V6 with an auto would be darn fast at the drag strip. Vert vs. HT, I choose the HT. I drove a vert for about 1500 miles last fall, and I wasn't impressed. The windshield comes so far back and has such a larg top bar, that it really doesn't feel much like a vert.

Hey Bob I agree with most of what you say except for the vert not feeling much like a vert. I'll admit I only drove the 2006 for about 800 miles, it was a Hertz rental, but I found that it was quite a lot of fun with the top down. It was certainly a head turner in yellow that's for sure!

The power was plenty with the V6 for me and over the 800 miles I got about

My only complaint was that the wind seemed to target my right ear for some reason and it got annoying. I'm 6'1" tall so that might have been a factor but I had driven the 2004 vert, another Hertz, and I don't remember having that problem. The top of my head is below the wind rush because I have the seat way low, but the air seems to direct itself at my right ear for some reason.

I'm also looking at buying one of these and you are spot on about the insurance, at least in suburbia NYC. There is a major difference between the V6 and the V8.

I have two questions for the pros in here, how is access on the V8 for everyday repairs like plugs, wires etc? It looks i might bit tight in there !

I do all my own work and have done so all my life.

For those with a vert, what extra work is needed to maintain it and do you have problems with dirtbags cutting it and so forth?

Lincoln

Maybe that's just me. The only vert I've ever owned is a Cobra. The top of the windshield is pretty far foreword, and only about 1/2 thick. Feels much more open than a new car does. You could certainly tell the difference between top up and top down, though. But not as dramatic as I thought it would be. I wasn't impressed enough to make my want to spend the extra bux for it.

False Axiom

electronic

True Corollaries

The top was still in decent shape after 11 years. It was parked in the Florida sun 5 days a week while I at work too. It had a few problems but still looked great and didn't leak. I did take good care of it.

The convertible never air conditioned that well. The a/c blew out a ton of cold air but the car would sometimes be hot anyway. I didn't put the top down very often.

The blind spot was huge but I got used to it. It was kinda noisy on the highway.

The August Motor Trend has a good review of the new Mustang V6 convertible. They liked it better overall than the Pontiac G6,

I've owned 4 V8 Mustangs. Never had a V6 so I can't comment. I can say that Motor Trend wasn't impressed with the V6.

Mort

IMO the secret is to have the 'vert as a second "fun" car. I can't imagine giving mine up.

My advice is to get the V-6 vert. The V-6 does have plenty of hp and torque plus it gets better gas mileage and insurance will be much less than a V-8. Also, the V-6 will last a very long time if you maintain it properly. IMO, the only justification for buying a V-8 Mustang is for the power. If this isn't that important to you then you are just wasting your money, IMHO.

Our '88 LX went through a couple of new tops, and, no, the A/C was never all that effective. The '93 GT has an inside headliner for the top, which seems to better insulate the interior, making the A/C more capable. But I know what you mean - there's a point where it becomes too hot to put the top down. That's why it's called a "convertible" - you can put the top up or down at your discretion. On the other hand, I've never been able to get the top down in my hatchback...

There is a world of difference between your '87 convertible and the new model. Ford got it right, for a change. The top fits within a channel atop the windshield, which greatly reduces noise. And the cabin remains relatively calm at highway speeds, so you can even hold a decent conversation, if you're into such things. My '93 is all about wind and noise, but that car was never designed with a ragtop in mind.

Motor Trend liked the six better than the Pontiac, but wasn't impressed with it... Boy, that Pontiac must SUCK.

Granted, I spent only a weekend in a rented six cylinder, but "I" was impressed. Of course, I don't drive a different new car every week, so my scope of comparison is severely limited, but I thought the six was competent, a lot of fun with top down at highway+ speeds, and probably would have been even more fun with a stick. (And Ford seems to have tuned the exhaust nicely, too.)

I don't see myself buying a six, but I have nothing bad to say about them.

dwight

dwight

(If that wasn't important to me, I wouldn't buy Mustangs. Or any Ford, for that matter.)

(( dwight ))

"Richard" wrote

That was what drove me completely insane when I traded mine in. I've never been an SUV kind of gal, but the Liberty's moonroof was NOT a suitable replacement for me. I took a helluva hit when I traded it back in 6 months later but now with the Rubicon, I have the best of both and am vert happy with my decision

Kate

Actually, I think Ford has finally made the base Mustang a fairly decent car. It has power, decent build quality and style. I can't say the same for most of the domestic cars maker's lineup. Now it isn't in the same league as many imports but it is a decent car for a decent price and, IMO, buying one (especially a convertible) isn't a mistake. Plus it isn't a homogenized typical import.

I didn't say anything negative about the six. I was just responding to the last two sentences of your post.

I buy V8 Mustangs for the power. It's important to me.

There's a whole world of six-cylinder cars out there, all of which have their plusses and minuses. But the geographic landscape of V8-powered automobiles in an affordable range is dwindling to a precious few.

dwight