who here has previously owned a cobra (or mustang)...?

TheSnakeJake

well, i was referring to the e46 m3. they have tons of issues... the most major being the subframe cracking, vanos issues, smg issues, etc...

Blue Baby

Depends on what you're looking for. I've had modded fox bodies, a 97 and 99 Cobra and an 05 Mustang GT with upgrades. If you want straight line power take the Mustang. If you want a combination of power and handling take the Z. I haven't been sorry. I've had it almost a year now with no regrets. I also looked at the Camaro before I bought the Z, and laughed at the salesman. The interior is a joke. Prior to the Z I was a Ford fan. Still am but the Z has my attention now.

Urbanracer

For what a GT 500 costs it shouldn't have a solid rear axle, thats been the drawback for the mustang for years and ford seems to think that throwing more power into the car will make up for it. IMO the mustang should have independant rear suspension at this point in the game.

fullmonty

The Mustang preforms just fine with the solid rear axle, Mustang owner don't seem to complain much. Also if I remember correctly the 2010 Mustang GT out handled the Challenger and Camaro. People seem pretty quick to jump on the Mustangs solid axle, but hey if it ain't broke don't fix it. If Ford wanted an IRS on the thing I'm sure they would of put in on. I have a feeling that theres a reason it doesn't have one, other than cost.

>135I

serge, why not take a look at a 135i? They have the same engine as a 335i but are lighter and faster. I knew a guy who has one, they are very quick and fun.

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I will miss my Z. I hope she goes to a good home.

Zsteve

while getting my tires put on (and F'd up my rims) I went over to the ford dealership and they had a Cobra for $51K and the Rouse for $33K. I liked the interior of the Rouse better but both seem very bland inside compared to the Z. Also they had another sticker on the car bumping the prices up. That sticker had the Cobra at $63K and the Rouse at $50K, dont know if that was the price or just trying to make it look like your saving. But insides suck IMO.

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OldGuy

I haven't owned a Mustang since my college days in the mid-sixties when I had one of those neat little '66 Mustang convertibles (as we all say, I wish I would have kept it!). So my comments aren't really relevant re:today's product. However, having said that, the quality and reliability factors of Nissan vs. Ford is a major consideration. No offense to Ford owners and fans, but by perception is that Nissan's production quality and long term reliability are superior to Ford's and that's important---just the thoughts of an OldGuy.

fullmonty

Old Chuck- I can only hope the 5.0 will have very few issues like the 3.7. The reason for my concern with that is, Ford hasn't had a slam dunk in new engine reliability lately, speaking of the diesel engines though. I came from a 6.0 Powerstroke which had nothing but issues, as with a large majority of them. The 6.4s which replaced them had just as many issues. Granted these engines were designed by Navistar (International). I'm just extremely hesitant about a new engine offered by FoMoCo. You are totally right though with everything you said in your post!

fairladyZ34

the 2011 mustang is the return of the ford 5.0litre v8!

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Old Chuck

I agree about the Ford diesel issues. I was a big fan of the 7.3 but after that, it has been a disappointment. Given that the 5.0 is new from the pan up and only a few bolts are common between it and the 4.6, could lead to buyer's issues. It will be interesting to see what the engine does as they hit the market and get thousands of miles on them. I am sure we will see some comparisons between the new 5.0 Mustang and the 370Z in a couple of months. They were close with the 4.6 so may be interesting to see how both stock cars compare. The new 5.0 is said to have better handling with stiffer bars and sticky summer tires but the stock shocks have always left much to be desired. Anyway, will be interesting to see if the competition helps both cars in years to come...The Z is hard to beat for the price. Not a Cayman but for the price, it shines....

Pharmacist

the mustang is a muscle car built more for generating lots of power and accelerating quickly. the 370z is a sports car built more for track speeds and swift cornering ability. completely different classes. completely different performance targets, and even different target demographics.

the 370z is actually faster than the cayman. only the cayman s (preferably with pdk) that outruns the z.

Pharmacist

i believe it's actually a completely new engine design. other than displacement size, nothing from the older engine has "returned"

theDreamer

I cannot answer that as I am not or have ever been a Mustang owner.

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mkdiehl

to the OP:

This may not help much, since I am still confused myself about what car "I" want...

In the last couple of years I have had:
03 Cobra (500/500 to the wheels)
Mini Cooper S
08 M3 Sedan
10 370z sport/touring

The mustang appears to have ruined me for life when it comes to acceleration. It simply makes every other car seem slow (that I have driven...) despite sub 5 second 0-60 times some of the others listed.

I sold the mustang and went with the mini due to it's lightweight, excellent handling, and supercharged engine (easily modified for a little more power). I miss that car from a fun factor.....was just a little too rough around the edges for me.

I moved on to the M3 because I wanted a more luxurious ride but something that still could move and handled well. I really wanted one with the DCT transmission (daily driver in traffic) but got such a good deal on a manual that I couldn't justify the difference. It was everything I hoped in terms of handling and comfort but the high reving nature of that engine made it tough to get in the power band without really racing it around (as compared to the 2 previous supercharged cars I had that hit instantly). Now that it's gone...I miss it too.

Moved on to the Z (sold the M3 becuase we bought a 335 for the wife and felt that the two were too similar....was very wrong). Pretty happy with it from a handling standpoint but again miss the power of the Cobra and the low end grunt of the supercharged cars (mini included for around town type speeds). I miss some of the convenience features of the BMW in the Z but overall for the price it is a nice car. Haven't taken it to the track yet and it is still cold here, so summer will tell me more of the story from a handling standpoint.

Been followng the supercharger threads religiously wondering if that may be my answer...but not sure I want to pour that kind of money into a car that I am sure I will not hold onto for more than a few years (history shows).

Bottom line.....if you want light, good handling car...Z. If you want the kind of horsepower that will scare your passengers....GT500. I thought about both as well when I bought my Z.

Just had to get that off my chest as I second guess myself all the time...

good luck.

TheSnakeJake

very helpful... thanks.

i eventually will have a gt500, i just feel like i want to try something different for a while. although i am a bit scared of the oil temp and oil consumption issues that these cars seem to have...