After 23 years I am a Mustang owner once again. I wanted a convertible car wtih attitude, perforamnce and V8 sound. I shopped hard and narrowed my list down to a few choices - SLK 55, Corvette and Mustang. I finally took the plunge and bought a car over the internet. I live in California and purchased a vehicle that was in southern Florida from a small dealer, sight unseen.The car is a Steeda modified 2007 GT convertible. It has a Magnuson supercharger, Steeda suspension and many other upgrades.
I had a local speed shop check it out to make sure it matched the dealer description. The shop said they would buy it if they had the same budget although the suggested a fuel pump upgrade but said it was a great car overall. I closed the deal and had it transported across the country.
When the car finally arrived (over 2 weeks late), my wife and I picked it up in a muddy lot on a rainy Saturday. My first drive was very disappointing. The car vibrated terribly on the highway and the worst part was it seriously stumbled upon acceleration. I couldn't believe the shop said it ran well. Over the weekend I had the tires balanced to fix the vibration. It turns out that the Steeda Ultra Lite wheels don't hold wheel weights very well. I have already had to have them balanced again.
The engine problem turned out to be related to the tune that was loded in the car. The previous owner had loaded the stock tune - which of course wouldn't perform right when the engine was as modified as it was. Once I loaded the right tune, the car I was expecting finally arrived.
My latest concern is the dreaded fuel filling problem. Unfortunately I spend a lot of time at gas stations. It is incredibly frustrating that I couldn't fill the car up fully. The car is still under warranty (one month left) so after doing some research here, I took it to the dealer and expected it to get fixed. After a day of haggling with the service manager (Folsom Lake Ford, Folsom, CA) I was told that it was my problem to deal with. I was informed that I needed to wait until the tank was less than 1/4 full and then only fill up at the slowest speed setting at the pump.
So far I have mixed feelengs. The car certainly meets all my criteria and is an incredible performer but I am constantly reminded that I am not driving a car that was built with the quality I have come to expect. I have owned (and continue to own) Japanese cars over the last 23 years and haven't had to experience the regular challenges I face wtih my Mustang in regards to quality. It is too bad... I am proud to be driving an American car again, and I have great expectations for Ford. For now I am willing to live with the compromises. If my experience doesn't get worse, i plan to move into a new generation Mustang in a few years. We will see....
My motivation for joining is to keep posted on other owner experiences and of course find solutions for issues I may face.
Thanks,
Chris
07GTConv
I had a local speed shop check it out to make sure it matched the dealer description. The shop said they would buy it if they had the same budget although the suggested a fuel pump upgrade but said it was a great car overall. I closed the deal and had it transported across the country.
When the car finally arrived (over 2 weeks late), my wife and I picked it up in a muddy lot on a rainy Saturday. My first drive was very disappointing. The car vibrated terribly on the highway and the worst part was it seriously stumbled upon acceleration. I couldn't believe the shop said it ran well. Over the weekend I had the tires balanced to fix the vibration. It turns out that the Steeda Ultra Lite wheels don't hold wheel weights very well. I have already had to have them balanced again.
The engine problem turned out to be related to the tune that was loded in the car. The previous owner had loaded the stock tune - which of course wouldn't perform right when the engine was as modified as it was. Once I loaded the right tune, the car I was expecting finally arrived.
My latest concern is the dreaded fuel filling problem. Unfortunately I spend a lot of time at gas stations. It is incredibly frustrating that I couldn't fill the car up fully. The car is still under warranty (one month left) so after doing some research here, I took it to the dealer and expected it to get fixed. After a day of haggling with the service manager (Folsom Lake Ford, Folsom, CA) I was told that it was my problem to deal with. I was informed that I needed to wait until the tank was less than 1/4 full and then only fill up at the slowest speed setting at the pump.
So far I have mixed feelengs. The car certainly meets all my criteria and is an incredible performer but I am constantly reminded that I am not driving a car that was built with the quality I have come to expect. I have owned (and continue to own) Japanese cars over the last 23 years and haven't had to experience the regular challenges I face wtih my Mustang in regards to quality. It is too bad... I am proud to be driving an American car again, and I have great expectations for Ford. For now I am willing to live with the compromises. If my experience doesn't get worse, i plan to move into a new generation Mustang in a few years. We will see....
My motivation for joining is to keep posted on other owner experiences and of course find solutions for issues I may face.
Thanks,
Chris
07GTConv
