Alot of my friends love the 5.0 (myself included) but I know a growing amount of people who are constantly knocking them (and suprisingly.. its not out of jealousy) Then I got to thinking.. our cars dont handle the greatest, they are pretty outdated and get low mpg, they come from the factory underpowered, they are heavy (in relation to imports), similar era gm v8s make more power, and everyone in their family sedans think they can beat them .. I guess their comments are just getting to me, but why does our beloved 5.0 have such a great reputation? I need to be sure of myself so i can defend
5.0 haters.. 5.0 reputation
- Thread starter dstang01
- Start date
Show me a car that you can modify and get amazing results for cheaper than what you can do with a Mustang.
They are simple to work on.
There is an absolutley HUGE aftermarket, more than any other car out there.
With the right combo of suspension/power upgrades, they will walk anything and for cheaper.
They are incredibly light (and nimble) when set up right.
While the styling cues may not be everyones taste, they certainly look a lot better than Camaros (my opinion) and they don't have the stigma of being a "Gino" car.
Show me a stock car that is as fun to drive as a 5 speed, stock fox in comparable years and pricing.
A stock fox doing low 14s in the quarter is still faster than 90% of the import cars out there. Price of a stock fox that does 14s in decent shape? 5k. Price of a Mazda Speed6 that does 14s? 30k +.
I dunno...what else do you want.
They are simple to work on.
There is an absolutley HUGE aftermarket, more than any other car out there.
With the right combo of suspension/power upgrades, they will walk anything and for cheaper.
They are incredibly light (and nimble) when set up right.
While the styling cues may not be everyones taste, they certainly look a lot better than Camaros (my opinion) and they don't have the stigma of being a "Gino" car.
Show me a stock car that is as fun to drive as a 5 speed, stock fox in comparable years and pricing.
A stock fox doing low 14s in the quarter is still faster than 90% of the import cars out there. Price of a stock fox that does 14s in decent shape? 5k. Price of a Mazda Speed6 that does 14s? 30k +.
I dunno...what else do you want.
alanw6
Member
the people i hear bashing 5.0s are undereducated punk kids
who think ricers are the bomb. who's car knowledge is purely a result of watching horsepower tv and what other stupid kids tell them, one who has no ambition in life, except to be cool in front of their douche bag friends, one who chooses to like a car solely based on how cool it is to other people.
people that actually are a good use of space and know a thing or two, know a 5 liter mustang is a good car to work on.
now sure there are lots of cars faster than a 5.0 but i've never driven one that was even close to as fun as a mustang.
if 5.0s were such the POS that some people claim they are. then this topic would exist, or this forum for that matter.
who think ricers are the bomb. who's car knowledge is purely a result of watching horsepower tv and what other stupid kids tell them, one who has no ambition in life, except to be cool in front of their douche bag friends, one who chooses to like a car solely based on how cool it is to other people.
people that actually are a good use of space and know a thing or two, know a 5 liter mustang is a good car to work on.
now sure there are lots of cars faster than a 5.0 but i've never driven one that was even close to as fun as a mustang.
if 5.0s were such the POS that some people claim they are. then this topic would exist, or this forum for that matter.
a) THINKING you can beat a Mustang (or any car for that matter) is one thing
b) ACTUALLY DOING IT is another
What people think might happen doesn't mean ****. Some doof at school a couple weeks ago was arguing w/me that his 04 Maxima can run a 12 in the quarter mile
He knew this because he used to own a 12 second Honda, of course. 
b) ACTUALLY DOING IT is another
What people think might happen doesn't mean ****. Some doof at school a couple weeks ago was arguing w/me that his 04 Maxima can run a 12 in the quarter mile
He knew this because he used to own a 12 second Honda, of course. 
MAC'n89Blckstng
Active Member
alanw6
Member
QUICK91LX
Founding Member
Here are some facts and some comebacks you can use when people bash the 5.0...
our cars dont handle the greatest = fox chassis was introuced in 1978, what do you expect? thats what the aftermarket is for
they are pretty outdated = yeah? the youngest fox is now 14 years old. cant exactly stop time. now compare a fox to an iroc...which looks more modern?
and get low mpg = 18-ish around town and 22-25 on the highway for a 15+ year old V8 is nothing to sneeze at. They were rated at 16/24 by the EPA when they were brand new. i guess you are hearing too much crap about your buddies sisters boyfriends civic that runs 12's and gets 30mpg?
they come from the factory underpowered = name me a car from the same era that wasnt underpowered. once again, the aftermarket fixes this little dilemma. by the way, a bone stock car that can run mid 14's is still a solid performer, even by todays standards.
they are heavy (in relation to imports) = which imports? civics? yeah, you are right. lots of cars are heavy when compared to tin cans. check the weight of a 300ZX or a Supra of the same era...now whos heavier??
similar era gm v8s make more power = this is flat out wrong. the 305 chevy never made more than 190hp and the 5.7 iroc was a 220hp beast. up until the LT1 came out in 1993, the 5.0 mustang slapped the camaro around.
and everyone in their family sedans think they can beat them = do they think they can beat them or do they just wanna have a little fun next to the mustang, or watch it take off fast?? ive had guys in minivans squeaking their tires off the line next to me... plus, alot of todays V6 powered "family" sedans are cranking out some solid power and can beat a stock mustang...but the beauty of the 5.0 is you never know if you are pulling up next to a stocker or an 11 second street machine.
have fun
our cars dont handle the greatest = fox chassis was introuced in 1978, what do you expect? thats what the aftermarket is for
they are pretty outdated = yeah? the youngest fox is now 14 years old. cant exactly stop time. now compare a fox to an iroc...which looks more modern?
and get low mpg = 18-ish around town and 22-25 on the highway for a 15+ year old V8 is nothing to sneeze at. They were rated at 16/24 by the EPA when they were brand new. i guess you are hearing too much crap about your buddies sisters boyfriends civic that runs 12's and gets 30mpg?
they come from the factory underpowered = name me a car from the same era that wasnt underpowered. once again, the aftermarket fixes this little dilemma. by the way, a bone stock car that can run mid 14's is still a solid performer, even by todays standards.
they are heavy (in relation to imports) = which imports? civics? yeah, you are right. lots of cars are heavy when compared to tin cans. check the weight of a 300ZX or a Supra of the same era...now whos heavier??
similar era gm v8s make more power = this is flat out wrong. the 305 chevy never made more than 190hp and the 5.7 iroc was a 220hp beast. up until the LT1 came out in 1993, the 5.0 mustang slapped the camaro around.
and everyone in their family sedans think they can beat them = do they think they can beat them or do they just wanna have a little fun next to the mustang, or watch it take off fast?? ive had guys in minivans squeaking their tires off the line next to me... plus, alot of todays V6 powered "family" sedans are cranking out some solid power and can beat a stock mustang...but the beauty of the 5.0 is you never know if you are pulling up next to a stocker or an 11 second street machine.
have fun
grey5.0beast
Cookies should never be DUNKED!!!
I like how one well informed import enthusiast said it in a thread on his site about some kid claiming he beat a 5.0 in a civic: "5.0s are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get, a 15 sec auto vert rust bucket or a 10 second TT'ed beast" Paraphrased of course...
MrStang123
New Member
Yeah I have some friends from work that are into the import tuner scene. One of them usually bashes 5.0's cause it bothers me. But then he is usually the one that ends up telling me how he was at some car meet and there was some 5.0 stang that would end up schooling everybody.
25thmustang
Mustang Master
jtfairlane
New Member
- Mar 5, 2006
- 468
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Fox Body 5.0 Recipe:
Trick Flow/Edelbrock/Holley HCI Top End Kit (or subs. AFR heads) approx ~ $2500
Vortech S-Trim Supercharger approx ~ $3400
Maximum Motorsports Chassis Stiffening Kit approx ~ $350
Drastically improved handling and over 450 no-bull**** tire melting, pavement shredding, stroke inducing horsepower for only $7,000?
What can you do with a Honda with only $7k? Not nearly enough to keep from getting your ass totally owned by the 5.0, that's what.
Trick Flow/Edelbrock/Holley HCI Top End Kit (or subs. AFR heads) approx ~ $2500
Vortech S-Trim Supercharger approx ~ $3400
Maximum Motorsports Chassis Stiffening Kit approx ~ $350
Drastically improved handling and over 450 no-bull**** tire melting, pavement shredding, stroke inducing horsepower for only $7,000?
What can you do with a Honda with only $7k? Not nearly enough to keep from getting your ass totally owned by the 5.0, that's what.
Strippt88
New Member
Between 1982 and 1993, Ford built 703,425 5.0 equipped Mustangs. In 1989, 105,577 of the 209,769 Mustangs built were 5.0 cars. In any one year, has any competitor, before or since, made the kind of dent in the industry this beast did? How about twenty years later, anyone at all? In twenty years, the market for these cars will continue, based on the interest the current model enjoys. And the fact that the competition will build knock off's means Mustang in nearly every form is what people want. Barracuda? Camaro? Trans Am? All exist at all because the Mustang hits it with the people. It did first, and it still does. Imports are irrelavent. In ten years, the Civics kids think are race cars today someone will use as a DD, what its meant for. All its meant for. The people who come up with one reason or another to dislike the Fox forget that the cars they do like probably exist because of it. In the mid 80's, Ford wanted to cancel it so bad, they figured if it outlived its usefullness, they could cancel it due to poor sales, and build the Probe they wanted to be the next Mustang. Even Ford couldn't top the Fox. We kept buying, they kept building. Here we are, still buying. Your buddies don't think so clearly,or aren't so smart. We aren't leaving with our Fox's anytime soon, and they hate that. Its good to be the king, aint it?
GSXRMIXXER
New Member
- Feb 13, 2006
- 97
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or stiffen your own chassis, ie- subframe connectors, weld up, stiffen, control arm boxes. that alone could cost 100-400 dollars. do it yourself, 60 bucks(if you have a welder and can get good prices on steel)
The fox mustang is (IMO) the best car out there for performance. These cars are 3400 pounds MAX!!! Honda accords weigh in around 2700 pounds..... Spend 1-1.5k and run low 12's. There is no replacement for displacement. "there is no replacement for displacement, except for my turbo" I read that in someones profile on some forum. This is absolutely true expect when that displacement has a turbo too.
Dont get me wrong, there are some fast "2 liter" cars out there, and I plan on buidling one this summer (not a honda, it has a ford badge on it
), but if you put a turbo i-4 against a turbo v-8, 9 times out of 10 that v-8 is gonna walk that i4 like it was a legless chihuahua.
Aliate X
Member
The foxbody mustang has the biggest aftermarket on the planet. That should be enough right there. There must be at least 15 different brands/styles of heads you can buy for a SBF....
Shakerhood
20+ Year Stangneter 
