Guest timhypo Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Well, the truck's getting tired and I'm getting tired of driving it, so it's time for a new daily driver. My requirements are 4 seats (2 can be tiny), manual tranny, V8 power (will consider similarily powered turbo), and rear-wheel drive. My financing requirements require it to be around $12-14,000 and a 1998 or newer. That basically leaves me with a 1999 or so Mustang GT or an FBody. While I like the lines of the Mustang better, the FBody has more power and six gears. However, the Mustang has a 500LB weight advantage. So, I guess I'm thinking Mustang, but would like to know if anyone has anything to add. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
383 240z Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Just wondering what type of old pickup are you getiing rid of? I'm looking for a low rust mid 70's GM. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 I'll sell you my 2+2 for 12K! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Fbody! I love driving my buddy's camaro with the T56.. its just plain fun! Another friend's '93 5.0 is a lot of fun too.. but lately stangs have gotten kinda... whilt f-bodies... -980mak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GaryZ Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 I like my 98 240SX and am thinking about installing a turbo. Pluses are that it (with modification) will out-handle most of the F-bodies, and weighs a lot less--minuses is the power, but if you checkout the 240sx boards, there are alot of aftermarket parts available (unlike the Z!!) including several add-on turbos ($4-10K). The styling is not very aggresive, but I like image of it being a sleeper, until it blows away most of the F-bodies and mustangs on the road courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 i was gonna say newer 240sx. might be a 4cyl (KA24DE) but if you wanna spend some money on it its better then the SR20DET. theres a guy named Jay thats in Orlando with a 95 i think 240sx with a built KA24DE (T). thats right. nice big turbo. it just ran a 11.8 too, and its not even ment for drag racing his car, more for AutoX. look into them. www.240sx.org mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I am an LS1 fan, and I LOVE having a 6 speed. I'd go for a Camaro Z28 if I were in your shoes, OR frankly I might buy some other car and hop it up too The LS1s can turn nasty power with milder cams than the LT1 can. Comparison, I made 411 RW with an ignition miss costing me 15-20 RWHP(???), and with a small 222/230º and a decent set of heads an LS1 will turn 420-425 RWHP! That is an EASY daily driver cam right there. There are others pushing around 470 RWHP, still with hydraulic rollers, with good heads. I know a guy who does pro shop work and some stuff on the side, and gets these kind of numbers out of street cars, no BS the LS1 is a hot cookie. Unfortunately too expensive for me. I also do not like the massive weight of the Mustang, and it looks like a smaller car?!?! I imagine the non DOHC stuff is about 200 pounds lighter, but a 3700 pound Cobra was a serious shock, that is an Impala right there, too heavy for my liking. The LS1s are maybe 3350/3400, still heavy by 3050-3200 pound Vette standards, but man can they go. Plus the LS1s sound sorta like Mustangs anyway, same firing order Chevy finally did something right this time, and then they went and killed the Fbod, well slowly since they never really pushed it/advertised it. Or, imagine the 240Zs you could stack up, with a nice built up engine, hmmm. Although, nothing quite like a 'new' car, and the Z28 is definately roomier. If you want comfort though, go Mustang. I like the Z28 but the Mustang is like driving a regular old car with a little more oomph. Its a winner in the Grandma can drive it too category. I am biased in that nothing curdles my blood like a big, McNasty cammed V8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 my friends dad has a 2001 Stang Bullit. he's got a few bolt ons and man does it fly, it waxs my friends LS1 SS every day of the week. and the SS isnt stock either. it handles better then the SS, ride is so much nicer, interior isnt as cheap, seats are very comfy (bullit seats) and it sounds 100% better. he's selling his 200, i think 25k and its got some money in it, low miles like 18k, and its never really driven hard cuz his dad is in his early 60's or late 50's and boy is it clean. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Oh well, I dont know the 2001 difference, but I will disagree from my own experience with the 97, a good car in many ways but a handling demon it was not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Baldwin Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Originally posted by timhypo:While I like the lines of the Mustang better, the FBody has more power and six gears. However, the Mustang has a 500LB weight advantage. Where did you hear that BS about the Mustang having a 500 lb. weight advantage?! The old 5.0 Mustangs DID have a ~200 lb. advantage (3400 Z28 vs. 3200 GT). With the DOHC powerplant, the Mustangs gained weight to the point that the advantage was gone (Z28 and Cobra Mustangs both weighed 3400 lb.). The Cobras were slower than the LS1 Z28s. The SOHC Mustangs were ~150 lb. lighter than a Z28, but were that much slower still. More comparable to the 3.8 5-speed V6 Camaros, in fact. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me the Mustang looks more like an aggressively-styled 2-door sedan, while the Camaro is a much more swoopy coupe. And the '99 Mustang restyle was, to me, pretty bad (bad eye-liner around the headlights, terrible hard angles and lines all over). For daily driver duty, I must confess my 240SX is, in some ways, more fun than my '95 Z28 convertible, which is more fun than the '98 Cobra I've driven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Baldwin Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Oh yeah, it is COMMON KNOWLEDGE that Fbodies outhandle Mustangs. Ask any SCCA autocross competitor in FStock, or roadracing competitor in T2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I bought a 94 Trans Am in August with 35K original miles. The car had been garage kept under a cover it's entire life! I paid 10K for it and had no trouble getting it finanaced. As far as handling I think the car handles fairly well and I just did my first track event in it. Check out this thread from the motorsports section of this site. I was able to hang with 944's through the twisties and then smoke them on the straight. Go F-Body you won't regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utvolman99 Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I would look at a used WRX!! I have always been an American V8 fan and have driven both the mustang and the Fbody. They are both good cars and Im not knocking them or the people who drive them. Its just that here in the south in order to own one you are required to grow a mullet! Also, during the summer you are not allowed to wear a shirt while driving it and you must have a sun visor sticker across the windshield telling everyone what kind of car you drive. All joking aside. I think the turbo all weel drive would be kick A$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Originally posted by Dan Baldwin:Oh yeah, it is COMMON KNOWLEDGE that Fbodies outhandle Mustangs. Ask any SCCA autocross competitor in FStock, or roadracing competitor in T2. The way this was explained to me, by those in the Camaro Mustang Challenge series, its is very difficult to drive the Mustang at its limits. Largely these are fox bodied cars, not the newer SN95+ (mostly, but there are some), so its not so much that the car can't be driven fast its that its more difficult and feedback is not as nice. From my own experience, once again I feel that the Mustang is not a handling platform, it was made to appeal to the public which it did quite well. We know now that it beat out the Camaro in sales about 3:1 until the FBody finally went dead. A Mustang is a slightly aggressively styled Ford Escort with more power, Fords headlight/tail light scheme seems the same on every single car they make, making it almost appear as if every car is the same with just a little bit of a makeover, a wierd nitpick but I always felt that it was lazy of them to put out cars like that. I am not flaming Ford stuff, I am giving my own opinion from experience with both cars. http://www.camaromustangchallenge.com I know a few people in the series and thought about doing it myself, when I ran into the Z though, I have a hard time finding desire to be in a 3000-3400 pound car again LoL Of course I also like cubes, I am an NA guy, as tempting as turbo/blowers are they bring issues with them, most especially in a road raced car which is what I love to do. This means that I am pretty much best off with an NA setup, and cubes is mo-betta for that purpose, hence give me a 350 (346) instead of the go-kart engine. For a daily driver, the Mustang will be more accomidating comfort wise. I still perceive the Mustang to be a womans car, for the reasons above. The Mustang sits high, has a seemingly short wheelbase, which might be great on a very tight course in the right hands. I am still shocked at how heavy the Cobra got though. The Camaro has better aero, its lower, more cubes, and I still fully believe it is a better car for a road car. Again if you want comfort, the Mustang does a better job, it was great to drive all day long, the Camaro doesn't do that as well. I have to bend over to get in the Z or Z28, the Mustang again is like a regular old car with a little more grunt and braking. I'm rambling, so I'll stop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Adkins Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Mustangs are more of a compromise car than an F-body; they compromised all out performance for convenience and comfort, the opposite of the F-body which is more performance oriented. The average driver (not performance enthusiasts)is probably looking for sporty looks +comfort and convenience. I think one of the reasons the F-body sadly died out in sales is that it looks so much bigger than the other sporty 2 doors on the market. The sn95 Mustangs look about the same size as the integras, eclispes, etc., while the F body looks a lot larger. On the issue of weight, all rwd coupes/sedans are so heavy these days. The 350Z is 3000lbs! Can't anyone make a lightweight RWD coupe/sedan anymore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Adkins Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Forgot to mention, I recently bought a '98 Mustang V6 5-speed for use as daily driver/kid tranporter. The car has eibach springs & swaybars, 17" cobra wheels, dual exhaust and a few other mods. It's not a rocket, but it handles very well and has decent power. (I have a supercharger that I will install sometime soon to cure the lack of power) I miss V8 torque, but at least I have AC and a nice stereo for when I'm stuck in traffic. A v6 Mustang with a 5 spd weighs about 3,000 lbs, about the same as 350Z but with a backseat for the kids. I was also considering a late model Firebird V6 but I couldn't find one with a 5 speed in my price range Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 I picked up a 94 Elantra that had been overheated. It came with a 50k mi replacement engine. All for 400, and had it running in less than a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest timhypo Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 The 1999 Mustang GT with a manual tranny is listed at 3050 LBs (this is a SOHC engine, I can't afford a Cobra). The 1999 Trans Am (I don't care for the styling on the camaro as much as the T/A) with a manual is listed as 3560. The Fbody cars also run about $4000 more and due to my credit situation, I can't get financing on something older than a 1999 without going 48 months, which leaves me with a mega-expensive car payment. I really appreciate the extra-HP of the Fbody, the availability of T-Tops, and the extra-gear. I like the styling of the Mustang better, I can always add a supercharger if I want more power (used s-trim kits go for around $2k in Ohio), and it's about $50 a month cheaper (or $4k). I also realized that an NOS Fbody can put down over 400hp, which is appealing. Thanks for your help guys, this is way more frustrating than buying a car you actually need right away... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 The f-body was designed with performance in mind first. Because of this, it made for a crappy daily driver in the V6 model. Getting in and out of the car, especially in a parking lot, is a huge PITA. Visibility sucks since it sits so low. When driving, the location of the edges of the car is a big mystery- your average non-enthusiast driver would pretty much have to park by braille. In the Mustang, you sit nice and high and have good visibility. The doors are marginally smaller, and you don't have to pull yourself up to exit the car. This makes for a much more pleasant experience. It's because it is a better performing car that it didn't sell as well to the general public. I remember reading that the V8 models sold about as well as the V8 Mustangs, but it's in the V6 category that the Mustang outsold it so much. I wishi I could find that link because it was pretty interesting. The Trans Am has always been heavy unfortunately. I also realized that an NOS Fbody can put down over 400hp, which is appealing. Since they are about 335 at the crank minimum, yeah I'd say 400 HP is no problem, many of these cars pull 305 RWHP stock. The LS1s are definately under-rated, especially those with the newer intake manifold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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