It's a good thing the Mustang powers like hell out of a corner.

I tell you what, there's absolutely nothing about the Z's handling that I miss with the Mustang. The only things I really miss are the knee pads (don't take these for granted, Z guys!), gas gauge (yes, I liked the dots!), and the fuel economy. :icon17:

Get off your knees!! and wipe the side of your mouth!! :p

You bastard. :bowrofl:

You left yourself open bud! :tiphat:

:icon18:

^^haha!

What....you agree with me on something. :ugh2:

Dude, I agree with you on 99% of things. Most recently on our new bed sheets. :yum:

I will not need the SC to beat on one at the track 12.8009 with N/A bolt on's.
When i get my stage 2 GTM SC, 11.7's should be close. Why pick on a Mustang when i will be a stock GTR's worst nightmare at the drag strip.

Wait...Ford makes a Mustang?


I'll wait for the retro Pinto, so I can race the retro Vega FTW!

So what will you do when you meet a N/A Bolt-on 10 second Mustang?

Seriously dude, you always do this. Your car is modded and you try to compare it to STOCK cars.

You're not going to be a GT-R's worst nightmare, either. How many GTRs that go to the track are stock? I was just watching one run 10.07 @ 140 on street tires last Friday. :rolleyes:

Not trying to discount what you've done with your Z, but let's be realistic. You can't come in and say, "well, when I'm modded I'll totally beat up on those stock Mustangs/GTRs/etc!"

Yeah, M4A1 I agree with almost everything you say, you even had a red 370z didn't you? Maybe you're my alternate self with an internet connection that lets you talk into the multiverses... :wtf2:

Anyways, I was very close to going your route, except the $5-6k on top of my 370z for an '11 Mustang GT is NOT worth it. If you guys were really concerned about best performance you should have bought a c5z06 for marginally less than the Z or GT.

But hey, it's whatever you love and sometimes I see a 5.0 and think about what could have been and realize I'm a classic muscle car guy at heart and I already got one of those so a sports car just makes more sense. Alright, sorry for talking your ears off. I would like to note I find it funny that three of our active members got '11 5.0's and are still posting. Glad to see you guys aren't stupidly brand loyal like most mustang guys are.

I'm just waiting for the day I can pick up a c6z06 for $30k. That'll be the day! :happydance::happydance:

:icon18:

:tup: I'm a car guy first and foremost. I love Z cars and this forum is the best I've ever been on, so I've got no reason to leave. I've said it a few times before, but, "once a Z owner, always a Z owner." :tup:

C&D's test mustang didn't have the 3.73 rear end. They literally got the worst numbers for the Mustang I've ever seen and tied for the best for the 370Z. C&D must love them some ferin cars. :D

Because mustangs run better than 12.8's stock. They are already in the 8's with a lot of mods. Any 370's in the 8's yet? You just won't win this one in the speed department, stock/stock, or mod/mod.

Lot's of options can make testing a problem.

How much will the 3.73 lost at the top end?

You don't really lose anything on the top end as far as top speed goes with the 3.73.

The problem you encounter with the Mustang is traction. In theory the 3.73 will be the quickest but it's not always the case in practice. It's VERY hard to get this car to hook up on a street tire, so sometimes a 3.55 or even 3.31 might run quicker than a 3.31 car on a street radial. But with slicks or drag radials the 3.73 should really shine. Especially if you run a tune that bumps the limiter from 7,000 to 7,600 RPM... the thing will really scream.

So far I'm at 12.87 @ 110 on a 2.01 60'. I've put together some other runs with sub 2.0s 60's so I'm certain I could run 12.70s or better on a "perfect" run, but I'm going to pick up some drag radials here shortly. Throw in a CAI, tune, and X-pipe and I should be in the 11s.

Throw in the fact that all a GT-R owner needs to do is get a tune and poof, he's walking away into the sunset.

And aren't there a couple bolt-on 370s running quicker than 12.80 already? :stirthepot:

I know my comment sounds sorta ignorant but.....dont american cars have alot of problems? Japanese cars are so reliable, Im pretty sure our Zs can hit 100k without any problems. But American cars, as well as european cars, tends to give so much problem for the long term use. And I personally think American cars doesnt look as nice as other cars. This is why I wouldnt want to own a American made car. And again, this is my personal opinon and based on my experience. No offence to any American car owners ;)

The short answer is no.

The long answer...

People always say they break down all the time but that simply isn't the case. Even the old ones. What really doomed the American car company's image was that awful period from the late 70s / early 80s to the mid/late 90s where they used to have the crappiest interiors you could ever imagine. Mechanically, though, they have always been very sound, especially if you maintain them properly.

Nowadays there is no difference in quality or reliability across really all of the mainstream car makes. Manufacturing tolerances are so close these days you can expect just about any car to live a long and happy life so long as you keep up with regular maintenance.

These days it's all hyperbole. A Ford is no more or less reliable than a Nissan which is no more or less reliable than a Mercedes which is no more or less reliable than a Honda... etc. Now some might be more expensive to repair, but that's another story. ;)

:iagree:

Not bashin' good ol American Muscle......but HHhhmmmm gotta see the stats on how long the parts hold up on the Stangz????? Gotta feelin' possible problems will soon come :P Unless its a "Cobra" or GT 500 ...... its just a Stang :P

My sister has a 2002 that's got over 150k miles on it with zero problems. You've got to be a moron if you expect these things to start breaking down right off the bat.

Hell, just look at how many problems the 370Zs are having. ECU whine on the 2009s? 6MT transmissions getting replaced? Car's randomly deciding not to start? Plastic CSCs failing?

All cars have their problems...

:iagree: However, I have an 09 and she is runnin' excellent no issues or concerns and just hit 19,000 miles :)

Next new car 911 Turbo or M3 coupe :yum: wuz thinkin' of going back to Lexus.....but dang did you see the freakin' recall on dem toyotas....

I'm glad you're '09 is going strong. Mine picked up the ECU whine at 8,500 miles and damn was it annoying. :icon17:

As for Toyota... yeah... they seem to be an exception lately. They seem to have let their quality control slip a bit. They have had a lot more recalls than we are accustomed to seeing from them. Of course I'm sure a lot of this could be attributed to growing pains. They are a lot bigger than they used to be just 10 years ago!

And speaking of 911s... check this out from my track day last weekend:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_qiUkqaHCPFw/TM...0/IMG_8937.JPG

911 GT2 on slicks :tup:

Actually, it's the GT500's with the issues. The other mustangs do fine. The mustang has always lasted well. Solid driveline, body, etc. The only thing that goes out is little junk like a window-motor here and there. I used to work at a Ford dealership back in '05 and we RARELY had mustangs in the shop for anything but ruitine maintenance (or a new auto tranny, which was junk). The new mustang should do even better.

FWIW, My dad used to drive police cars with the 4.6L (same as the mustang except cam profile and exhaust and tune, maybe a few other minor things.) He would beat the hell out of them. The transmissions usually died several times over his ownership of the vehicle, but the engine would go 2-300K miles every time.

The new auto in the 5.0 is a lot like the 370Zs... it's really freaking quick.

911's just scream freakin' SEXY :) I've been pricin' out a few years older low miles ...... around 48,000 ish ....... Read a magazine about mid life crisis lmao....it said 370z for thirties and M3 or Vette for 40's ...... I think Porsche 911 turbo's say's ..... I'm not a millionaire or billionaire but I'm doing Good, life is Good.....figure my Z if I keep it long enough can go to my daughter :)

There are a lot of people that think the shape of the 911 is old and tired, but I love it. It's classic and iconic, and Porsche always finds a way to keep it looking fresh generation after generation. And the new ones are just beasts. :tup:

If you had said that in 2001, I would have give you props for it. However, there are a few things that have changed.

The driveline in American cars is second to none. They have very good transmissions now (always had good standards, took a while to get a good auto), and the engines are something import owners dream of, both in power and reliability. I have NEVER! owned an American car where the engine didn't go 150K+ or more, and that was only because I sold the car. I have owned/been a part of a family that has owned at least 2 dozen American engine powered cars while I have been alive. NONE! of them died under 200K miles unless they ingested water or something.

The suspension has been a down-fall for quite some time, however, cars like the corvette, and others are decent. The mustang is hanging on to old technology, but the results are hard to argue with on the track. The mores sophisticate suspension under most imports does win out on the street, though.

The interior and "fitment" of imports in the early 2000's and before blew American cars away. Now, it still edges them out, but the compromise is a junk driveline in most imports. You take your pick. Stellar engine/transmission and so-so interior (which isn't bad, really), or a stellar interior and a so-so engine/transmission (which is a lot better than it used to be).

All-in-all, everyone makes a lemon, it just depends on what you want your lemon to taste like if you get one. The thing about American cars is that when they break, they are cheaper to work on/fix. It equals out even IF they broke more. However, American cars are just as reliable as their import equivalents in my opinion. My Infiniti has had as much trouble as my domestics at this point ,at the same mileage, and it has been driven much "softer" I think, considering the person who owned my '95 TA grenaded the tq converter and snapped an axle (neutral-drops at 6K?).

Anyway, nah, I don't think "It's more reliable" is a reason to buy import now. It's just interior in SOME cases, and preference.

That's not really even true anymore. The SRA in the 5.0 handles bumpy roads just like the Z's IRS does. I have no idea how they did it, but Ford really, really tuned this thing well. I can't wait to see what happens when they finally switch to IRS (next generation). :icon17:

Though my Brembo car is a lot stiffer than my Sport/Touring was. The seats are more comfortable but the car itself is rougher on long trips. I'd say it's as stiff as a NISMO, maybe even a little stiffer.

Go into a low-rent part of town and what do you see? A bunch of 70's and 80's Nissan's cruising around? NO. You see Monte Carlos, Crown Vic's, Delta 88's, etc. You won't find many of the 80's imports still alive on the maintenance (or lack) they receive there. Those old American cars may not be refined, but damned if they don't still get from A to B.

Some cars will just go forever. I remember seeing a thread somewhere of a BMW 3 series that went 50,000 miles without an oil change. They cleaned the thing out and it was fine. :icon18:

That is physically impossible. When one tire dips into a bump, the other's contact patch will change and be inferior to what it could have been, had it not been married to the other. It may feel the same inside the car, but it's not. There is no way it could be.

I'm not knocking it, it works darn well, and yes, I am splitting hairs, but if it WEREN'T better, why would Ford be planning to add IRS for the 2014 redesign? Why did they not use SRA on their Ford GT Supercar?

Because they are going to sell the car in Europe.

And I'm just telling you what I feel. The car is just as good over the bumps as the Z was. Though neither are anywhere near as composed as the Cayman S on a bumpy road. :D

We had a focus come in with the OEM filter at 14K on the odometer once, lol. Factory fill. My customer traded it in. Ran great.

Routine maintenance is overrated. :rofl2:

How many Ford GT's were exported to Europe?

Nine thousand.

I think the Z to keep up with competition should have a TT or SC (even if it wasn't KRAZY power but just bump up the performance 75-100 for normal driving reliability and competitive price) atleast the plumbing would be their for upgrades if one wished; on the style department...u would think if they added some freakin' working Fender Vents such as the ones MRworks have and even rear side quarter panel Ventz stylin' it would look incredible....I do give PROPS to the 2011 Mustang commercial :) Black and freakin' menacing....I give a A++++ to the redesign front end :) I think the 2005 looked alil on the FAT side :P

It definitely would be nice to see the next Z get a nice bump in power! It deserves at least another 50hp.