Considering Buying A 2011 Mustang Gt 6mt W/ The Brembo Package At 49k Miles. Thoughts And Pros/cons?

I am looking at buying my first 5.0 Mustang and found a clean 6 speed 2011 GT with the brembo package with only 49k miles on it. The car is super clean and seems to drive great. I would be getting the car for $15,000. My questions for the experts are...

  • Do these cars and this model have any major issues with drivetrain or reliability? Someone mentioned about a possible valve tick but was not sure. How strong are the 6 speed manuals?
  • Why are the 2011 GT's rated at a lower horsepower rating than following years?
  • Is the Brembo package worth it and what all is exactly included?
  • The car is pretty much stock for the most part. What mods would you suggest to boost performance but not affect drivabilty?
  • What do you think about the price I am paying?
Thanks so much in advance
 
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I am looking at buying my first 5.0 Mustang and found a clean 6 speed 2011 GT with the brembo package with only 49k miles on it. The car is super clean and seems to drive great. I would be getting the car for $15,000. My questions for the experts are...

  • Do these cars and this model have any major issues with drivetrain or reliability? Someone mentioned about a possible valve tick but was not sure. How strong are the 6 speed manuals?
  • Why are the 2011 GT's rated at a lower horsepower rating than following years?
  • Is the Brembo package worth it and what all is exactly included?
  • The car is pretty much stock for the most part. What mods would you suggest to boost performance but not affect drivabilty?
  • What do you think about the price I am paying?
Thanks so much in advance
 
* No issues other than rear diff leaking due to poorly designed vent

* 2013-2014 Mustangs received some updates to the engine. Specifically, Ford ditched the oil cooling jets and added the low friction piston coating from the Boss 302. That's the only difference I believe and bumped HP a bit

* I have the brembo brakes on my 2013 and love them. They look great and you get different front springs. However the factory brakes stop well too and aftermarket kits are out there if you wish to upgrade later.

* I don't think these cars need much for mods. They're plenty fast out of the box, only complaint I had was the exhaust is way too subdued. Can't even hear it with stock mufflers. I bought the Ford performance pack that came with a tuner and the GT500 mufflers. Love the way it sounds and the tuner made it a bit more drive able with better low end torque. Ford Tune requires 93 octane tho. Only other mods I would consider are suspension items. LCAs, UCA, lowering springs, shocks/struts, and an adj PHB

* Price seems reasonable. Do a nationwide search with similar options and see what others are priced at.
 
I've definitely had some missed shifts into third at full throttle, but you just need to learn the car. The trans in these cars likes a deliberate shift into third and when you nail it right you can chirp the tires
 
Does anybody have any insight on the 6 speed manual issues? Not sure if it is real or not.
The issue has more to do with the shifter then the transmission. The shifter is mounted to the body so under a heavy load & high rpm when the transmission torques over with the rest of the drive-train in relation to the body the shifter doesn't move which makes shifting difficult , sometimes impossible. The aftermarket has addressed this with various fixes ranging from a $30 transmission mount insert that limits how much the transmission moves to a new mounting bracket that mounts the shifter directly to the transmission.They all seem to help to varying degrees. There is also an issue especially with the earlier 5.0 cars with crunching into gear when shifting when the transmission is cold. Replacing the fluid with a high quality synthetic fluid like royal purple helps greatly with this.
 
The HP ratings on new models are marketing tactics- due to variation, none of our cars are putting out the exact same HP, so it's a moot point. In addition, I have seen the poor driver mod hack cars with ample horsepower.

Now for the bad stuff/issues. I am the only owner of my car and it is a 2011 GT that I bought brand new, so I can verify that my issues have nothing to do with previous owners:

1. Front suspension "popping" noise over slight variations in road (bumps, dips, etc.)
I resolved by replacing out the OEM A arms with aftermarket, which also required changing the steering gear.
2. Clunk/noise when engaging brakes (I have stock brakes at the moment, so this may be a non issue for the Brembo type)
I resolved by changing out the OEM brake pads with another type
3. Original OEM battery was defective and caused major electrolysis
This was fixed under warranty; the whole positive cable/harness from the battery had to be replaced as well as the battery. No issues with the replacement battery
4. A/C blend actuator noise due to defective plastic gear in blend actuator assembly
I replaced the suspect part and have had no issues since
5. Powered lumbar support failure
The part is $450, which I refuse to pay since the assembly is simple flexing piece of plastic that is controlled by a cable with motor attached
I simply took a coat hanger and re-established pressure from the cable to the plastic part since the original hook that maintains pressure broke (probably due to poor tempering)
6. Paint chipping on hood/calcification at end of hood
I have had the end of the hood refinished/re-painted and I sealed the under lip of the hood as best as I can although some very minor calcification had started again
7. A/C failure at about 60,000 miles.
I had the whole system replaced for just under $1000. Failure was due to a locked up gear on the compressor which also melted the clutch on the A/C
8. 2nd gear lock out/lock in at high RPMs
In my case, I got stuck in 2nd gear and couldn't get out. I forced the car to shift out of gear/disengage and in the process, I destroyed the clutch plate. I replaced with a better clutch and flywheel and haven't had any issues since

Your biggest concerns should be the 2nd gear lockout, noisy suspension, and hood paint. The paint around the rear windshield/fastback and trunk is known to calcify/rust as well.
 
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I have not experienced any of the issues listed above with the exception of high rpm lockout , though never as bad Blackbuggy experienced and the crunching when shifting when the car is cold. However my car has much less mileage,does have Brembos and Boss 302s come with a slightly different shifter.
Replacing the transmission fluid with with Royal Purple eliminated the crunching completely. Installing the the Whiteline transmission mount insert greatly reduced the high rpm lock out but it is not perfect so I intend to replace the shifter with an MGW.
First I have ever heard of the 8hp bump from 12-13 not be legit or being a marketing tactic.