Quote:
Originally Posted by sgo1960
So I'm new here.. 58yo looking for my midlife crisis car. I've been wrenching cars since about 1972 and my cars rarely see the dealership except for warranty items. So I currently own a 2003 Mustang GT Vert Centennial version with a few mods, tune, subframe connectors, Magnaflow exaust, strut tower brace etc... I have about 160k on the car and it's been good to me. Biggest problems were poor seam sealer on floor plans which lead to leaks and horrible, I mean horrible, rust protection. Front strut tower corrosion which I think I mitigated with some welding and POR15, Eastwood frame encapsulation stuff.
My major complaint with Ford is that these are all items that go back a generation or so in Mustangs and that Ford never fixed. Frame rails that rot. Ford knows it. Rear ends that whine and clunk. Again Ford knows it.
So, fast forward to the present, I'm between Camaro and Mustang for my next car. I grew up with American iron and I love it.... However, reading the boards I'm getting scared... Mustang with evap problems? Yea, I've done evaps in Fords and Chevy's and it almost always requires major surgery to the dash. Why the heater core and evap core aren't easily accessible via a removable panel is a mystery. I'm an engineer by trade and this seems easy to do, at least to me. Still it seems to be a problem for Fords. And then the Camaro has it's own set of problems although my research seems to indicate the problems are less than the Fords... So, where does this leave me? I'm scared. Honestly. I'm thinking of buying a Boxster instead. My daughter's had Jettas and they were easy to fix. For the record I am leaning toward a Camaro SS but not going near anything with magnetic shocks.. Paying $400 for a single replacement shock is not my idea of fun. Same for all this electronic differential, electro magic this and that.. Just more stuff to break.. And expensive to fix... Am I a solitary man with this line of thinking?
Thanks for listening.
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I wouldn't worry about the magnetic shocks, they have been around for a long time now, and they seem to last as long as any other dampers. They are just a bit more expensive. But the tires are about the same cost, and you will replace them more frequently. Just think of it as another tire replacement. The SS has had some initial issues, most of which have been fixed. Just to be safe, the rear differential groan is an easy one, just change the fluid after initial break in (1500 miles) and you won't have the issue. The A8 has had issues, if you are getting the manual, you are good, but if you get the auto, it seems that changing the trans fluid after break-in will prevent any shudder issue.
As far as the Boxster goes, it's a great car, great engineering, great reliability, BUT, if anything does need work after time, it will be challenging to fix due to the engine placement. You have to take the engine out for a ton of stuff that would be easy in a non-mid-engine car. And the parts are expensive. For example, I just looked up the OE struts on a 2015 boxster, and they are on sale for $300. Not much less than the MRC struts from the Camaro, and MRC is amazing. I would definitely recommend getting the MRC, but if you don't, the regular struts are under $100.