How does the new Mustang compare?

[300bhp/ton]

You always get the Mustang vs Fbody debate, but I'm not really interested in that. Although to some this is not a direct comparison, but if you're looking at spending 20-30k on a car how do you think the new GT compares to the likes of:

-1997/8 Dodge Viper GTS
-2000 Corvette C5 Coupe

Purly in terms as a practical ownership porpersition. I guess dynamically the Stang is the newest and probably the best. The Viper has the biggest engine and most BHP so should be the fastest with the Vette somewhere in between.

But numbers only tell half the story. What are they like to drive, not just flat out but in town or in traffic. Can they all be used sensibly every day?

What are you thoughts - discuss:

 

[martimus]

Personally I've driven in a vette and a stang so I can't comment in detail on the Viper.

In my opinion I think that if price wasn't the object I'd give the nod to the vette for fit and fitment... To the Viper for raw power... and to the 'stang for being the most dynamic, resilliant, and flexible of the bunch!

From my limited experience I think the thing I don't like about the vette is the feeling of having to "sit down" into the car. When I was 20 that wasn't an issue but now my knees aren't what they used to be. With the Viper I think my dislike would be my poor past experience with Dodge. Since I don't have direct experience with the Viper I'm really not qualified to speak specifically about it. And with the 'stang there are a number of areas that I believe Ford could have improved on but their beancounters seemed to be more concerned with keeping cost down. Are they major? No... more like prop rods versus hood lift; "not quite ready for prime time" radio platforms; etc.

From a "day to day" driving standpoint, they are all awesome in their own way though I do like the feeling of "punching it" when behind the wheel of the vette. But to me that car just isn't practical as anything but a toy. I've got a friend with one and he is constantly paranoid about something happening to that car. And another who adamently believes vettes are simply p3nyle extensions. To me its just a big price tag for a big toy... something I simply can't justify.

Bottom line for me is that money will always be an issue. Unless I win a lottery at some point I'm gonna stick with the 'stang for lots of reasons. I've been driving them for years and plan to continue doing so till Ford closes the book on the Mustang; or life closes the book on me!

 

[Infinity]

I have driven a 1997 Viper. It was very cool. Unfortunately, it was the single most uncomfortable ride I have ever taken. The car was very stiff, felt like a hollow can, hot as hell (the exhaust runs by the door), and the suspension nearly beat me to death.

 

[Shaggydog2000]

I had a friend who owned a Viper from the mid-90's. He was a few years older and sold his software company for a fortune. Even brand new the damn thing always had something wrong with it and spent more time in the shop than his driveway. He spent all that money and had to bum rides from his friends whenever he went out. Driving in the car it was obnoxiously loud inside, cramped, always way too hot (air-conditioning barely worked to counter the giant heater that engine was), and even the best roads felt like riding off-road in a 4X4. But man did it move when you floored it. He drove it a short distance in 15 mph traffic back and forth to work every day. I don't think it was worth it to him. He didn't think so either.

If you have the money, the Corvette is a great buy. Not expensive to keep up (compared to "exotics"), rides well for a performance car, has plenty of muscle, and performs with exotics for a fraction of their costs. Yes, compared to Porsches, Mercedes, Lamborghini's, and Ferarris, it has a relatively cheap interior, but it's still better than the mustang's and compares well with other sports car's in it's price range (although a luxury car will outclass it).

Now, even with the sale price of a new Mustang and a used corvette being even, you have to remember that the Vette will be more expensive to insure, gas up, service, and keep in tires, and will depreciate much more sharply since it's the older body model. The Vette would have to be a good deal cheaper to make the ownership cost equal over the next few years, so take that into consideration. Having said that, the new Mustang becomes a pretty attractive package if you're look for a good car at a good price. Yeah you can spend some money on it, invalidate your warranty, reduce your car's dependability, and possibly resale value to mod it to come close or beat the Vette in one measurable category (1/4 mile time), but really they're in two different classes as far as overall performance goes so let's not talk about that.

The mustang is the better choice for people who want to do things like pick up groceries, drop off the kids at their friends house, commute more than 1/2 hour to work each day in traffic, etc., but still want to make their tires squeal and feel like a juvenile delinquint for a few minutes.

 

[The Extreme]

For day-to-day living the Mustang will win this battle, hands down. Not even a contest. It's cheaper to fuel up, costs less to insure, is less money to maintain, and being the newest of the three (save nothing for opinions/experience with different car companies) will certainly be the most reliable. The Mustang has the largest trunk, some semblance of a backseat, and isn't planted in the weeds. It has a pretty nice interior... I know it's far more comfortable than the Viper's (every review I have heard about the Viper - professional or otherwise - notes how uncomfortable a ride the Viper can be... noise, temperature or suspension) but not having even been in a C5 I can't speak there; from what I hear the C5's cockpit would probably get the nod over the 'Stang, if only by a little.

I'm not trying to knock any of the three but from a "daily driveability" standpoint I just don't see any other answer.

If you're talking about speed, the tables turn in a big way. The Viper creams the C5 and 05 GT in raw acceleration and horsepower. Again, not a contest at all. My wife used to know someone who had a Viper and the guy couldn't stand the thing in everyday traffic. He was always ending up tailgating people, particularly when he was in a bunch of cars accelerating form a stoplight. This despite trying to be as easy as he could - he'd wind up on someone's backside regardless. Both the 'Vette and the 'Stang will have good acceleration, but nowhere near that of the Viper. Which makes one wonder how long a Viper could be driven with plenty of traffic around.

So, I think the Mustang and Viper are extremes of a "fun car" pendulum (all of them are fun to drive) swinging between raw, brutal performance and good performance balanced with driver friendliness. The C5 is somewhere in between - not as liveable as the Mustang, but better performing; not as fast as the Viper, but far better suited to daily driving.

Just my $0.02,

The Extreme

 

[Shaggydog2000]

I think this part of the basic problem with how people look at the Mustang. They can go fast, but they're not a sports car. They're a sporty car. Sports cars aren't good for anything else but sporting purposes. Sporty cars however can have nicer rides, back seats, decent sized trunks, and maybe even four doors. A corvette and a Viper are completely different animals, pure sports cars, and shouldn't be debated in the same terms as the Mustang. Good comparable cars to the Mustang are things like the GTO's, Subaru WRX's (not real sports cars, but very sporty), Dodge SRT-4's, etc. Cars that have typical family car features and a decent engine. Actully, most of them are just regular passenger cars with turbos added and some suspension tuning. The mustang is really the only one designed from the ground up to be a "sporty" car. The GTO really seems like a car intended to go after the bottom end of the Sports-luxury market.

A Mustang simply can't keep up with the luxury features of the sports luxury market, or the over all performance of the good cars in the sports car market, but it pretty much owns the sporty car market and thats why so many people here love it as much as they do. Figure out what type of car you want first, then go comparing inside that type, otherwise the question is simply ill-defined.

 

[300bhp/ton]

I have driven a 1997 Viper. It was very cool. Unfortunately, it was the single most uncomfortable ride I have ever taken. The car was very stiff, felt like a hollow can, hot as hell (the exhaust runs by the door), and the suspension nearly beat me to death.

think you may be correct there. One of my mates has a fairly modified Lt4 C4 Corvette, which are not that reknown for ride quality. He had a go in a Viper GTS and said it was quick but rode way worse than his Vette did.


As for comparing the cars, well I kinda look at it as a bigger picture. All I'd be after is a good looking performance car that could be used daily, regardless of specific category.

I odn't often carry more than 1 other person or a lot of luggage, so these aspects are not a must have, although they would not be a detriment either.

Having spent a fair chunck of money over the last 5 years or so on my current cars I'm about ready to look at something else, a little newer. I'm looking at a max of £25-30k but this would be on finance, the alternatives would be cheaper car and some mods straight off. Cars that I personally would consider alternatives are:

-New 05 GT Mustang, very nice great looking but will loose a far bit in deprciation.

-99+ GT Mustang, cheap and easy to find but I would want to spend a fair bit on mods and it would still be dynamically inferior to the 05

-C5 Vette, not the best looking Vette ever. Hard to find with a manual and will cost more. Would probably have to look at 98-2000 model year.

-03 Cobra, very nice but very few in UK and massivily over priced

-LS1 Z28, cheaper than a Vette but more expensive than sn95 Stang. Manual cars are like hens teeth, still a bit wibbly wobbly underneath.

-TVR Cerbera 4.2, Very fast (faster than all the above) but expensive to run and maintain. Probably not suited to every day use.

-TVR Griffith 500, fast and more reliable than Cerbera but would be an older car.

-Vauxhall VX220 Turbo, small lightweight car built by Lotus and has a turbo, but its not a V8 and would prefer more muscle.

-Monaro, Ls2 grunt but its a big car and not really OTT enough for me

-Viper GTS, great looks and grunt but most expensive and not an every day ride

-My TR7, fab little sports car. Could spend £10k on it and have new motor and suspension setup. But would still be a 30 year old car.

- A whole host of 4wd cars from Japan, but not really my cup of tea as they just don't look good enough and don't have a V8.

-Dodge Ram Cummins, not a car I know but interesting non the less. Would still be usable every day and in the UK very rare, with a few mods fairly quick too. Expensive to buy and a bit big for British car parks.

-BMW's and Merc's, don't really interest me, I personally find them all abit soleless.


Nah I really want an American car. If I had the money it would be a new C6 Vette without a doubt but I don't.

And it probably comes down to two cars - Z28 or Mustang

BUT

I like both and have driven both. But the 05 GT would be a big commitment and leave no real money left for mods. A manual Z28 is just so hard to find, so would it worth spending hardly anymore and getting a slightly older C5 or would it be a mistake? Or go slightly cheaper and get a 2001/2 Mustang and spend the money on suspension and a blower. The Viper looks fantastic but is really better left as a dream, I guess sometimes the reality doesn't quite measure up.

 

[topless beach]

I want to know when and how someone uses a vette or a viper when they say it's not used as a daily driver. I understand that some people can afford more than one car, but if you work and/or you have a family when do you really get a chance to use your weekend toy?

I don't drive my gt vert every day but almost. And when I'm not driving it to and from work it's for errands or the weekend date w/ the wife. I just don't understand how someone can justify a car that's not good as a daily driver. If you like the vette it should be good enough to be a 'daily driver' IMO. I think if you like go karts you should drive them to work if you want to.

 

[kristopher]

I havent driven or rode in either 3 but comparing something close to the stang at about the same price I would say the GTO. It has the same engine as the new C6 vette but is more practical having a back seat and truck (even thought the trunk is itty bitty). I wouldnt mess with a Viper, I dont trust Dodge let alone a old Dodge that isnt under warranty. Just my .02

 

[Shaggydog2000]

It looks like what you really want then is a sports car, but you don't have the cash to get the ones you desire most. Of course lots of people have this problem. Coming from a nifty triumph you know how great a small sports car can be, but you want to try something with more grunt. It sounds like the american cars are relatively expensive, even as rare used examples in the UK. I know there are a lot of great British sport car makers, but I have no clue what those cars cost over there, or even how they compare. Other european makes are probably relatively cheap for you too. I know my Dutch ex-gf swore by Alfa Romeos for some reason. I can't tell you why since all I've seen are 20 year old crap-box versions of those (they haven't been imported to the states since the mid-80's). I don't think too many of us are going to be able to help you on this since we have no clue of what the market is like for you.

All I know is that I'd really like to test drive one of those Lotus Elise or Exige, man those seem like killer little rides. And 0-60 in 4.9s, 13 second 1/4 mile times, while still getting 30+ miles to the gallon is damn impressive.

 

[SpazHairlip]

Ok, I’ve come to the right place. Last year, for my birthday, my GF rented me a 2003 Viper for the weekend. Before buying the Mustang GT, I rented a C6 for a few weeks from the same guy to try it out. I also rented a Murcielago for a weekend once at a $980 price lol. Anyway, here is my .03 cents.

C6 Corvette: This car rides and drives considerably better then any other generation Corvette. I liked the interior (was no match for the Murcielago) as far as being comfortable, easy to drive long distances in, good radio, AC, amenities, etc. The car is very refined on the road, even in traffic. You don’t feel like you’re trying to hold back a rush of power. But when you do get on it, she will boogie. There are great exhaust notes at all rpm ranges, but the heat won’t melt you at all, and you can tune the exhaust out with the radio. Handling and breaking on the C6 were spectacular. It’d rate it as good or better then the Murcielago. Also, there is enough trunk space for golf bags and other goodies back there.

All things considered, this is still not a 4-season car. I was a bit nervous driving in heavy rain, so I’d imagine that snow/slush would be out of the question. Also, there is no backseat at all. This is fine if you only have one friend or so, but I got a GF and a kid, and it’s illegal to lock kids in the trunk these days (damn liberals). If I wanted a personal toy for under $100k, I would buy the new C6. I just don’t have that luxury right now.

Viper: I’ve been driving hi-performance cars for most my life. I’ve done some on course racing, some drags, a few enduro races and lots of speeding down windy roads. One thing that I’ll tell you, I put this car sideways and scared myself to death a few times. This thing is just a rocket and a death wish. No road manners, crappy head banging ride, I barely fit into it (I’m 6’3”), it did not hold the road nearly as well as the C6, an absolute gas pig, it roasted my butt from the exhaust, and gave me a headache when I got on the throttle from all the noise. The only thing that this car is good for is blowing the doors of most other cars in a straight line. If I could afford the C6 AND this, then I would have one, but this car just isn’t practical unless $80K to you is a drop in the hat.

Mustang: You can’t really compare the Mustang to the C6 and the Viper. It’s $24K less then the C6 convertible and $50K less then the stock Viper. Like the C6, it’s the best riding Mustang out of all the past generations (not withstanding the specialty onces like Saleen, Cobra, SVT, Rouche, etc). All things considered however, the GT doesn’t handle, brake, or accelerate that much worse then the C6. It’s not close to the Viper in take off, but I think it feels better on the road. It’s a well mannered car with some get up and go, and offers a good mix of variety for people as daily drivers, something to mod, pile your friends in it, etc. It’s a more practical option as a sports car for the guy making $40K a year with a wife, kids and mortgage then a C6 or a Viper.

Final Thoughts: If I had my druthers, I would get a C6 for myself. It was a great car, and like the Mustang is for its price base, so to is the C6 a bargain. I see no real need for a Viper unless you could really car less about comfort and just want something that looks mean. It’s one of the fastest cars you can get for under $90K, but that’s about all it is. I think that if the Mustang was only a 2-seater, it would pretty much ride, drive and handle just like a Corvette. So think of your GT as a 4-seater C6 and pat yourself on the back for getting a great car.

 

[stanmckinney]

I rode in a Corvette. Sets way too low to the ground for me. I could barely get in and out of the thing.
I also drove a new 350Z. The seat is uncomfortable, felt like I was sitting on the ground.
My 2005 Mustang is better than any of them in my opinion.

 

[300bhp/ton]

It looks like what you really want then is a sports car, but you don't have the cash to get the ones you desire most. Of course lots of people have this problem. Coming from a nifty triumph you know how great a small sports car can be, but you want to try something with more grunt. It sounds like the american cars are relatively expensive, even as rare used examples in the UK. I know there are a lot of great British sport car makers, but I have no clue what those cars cost over there, or even how they compare. Other european makes are probably relatively cheap for you too. I know my Dutch ex-gf swore by Alfa Romeos for some reason. I can't tell you why since all I've seen are 20 year old crap-box versions of those (they haven't been imported to the states since the mid-80's). I don't think too many of us are going to be able to help you on this since we have no clue of what the market is like for you.
All I know is that I'd really like to test drive one of those Lotus Elise or Exige, man those seem like killer little rides. And 0-60 in 4.9s, 13 second 1/4 mile times, while still getting 30+ miles to the gallon is damn impressive.

I'll try and answer.

Bascially as far as the UK performance car market is concerned there are cars available from 5 countries for the most part.

- British cars
These include Lotus and TVR as the big hitters along side Jaguar and Aston. There are also cars like the Monaro and the VX220 (a bit like a Lotus) and lots of small independant makers.

As a rule most of the fast cars willset you back £30k+ New with 2nd hand usable examples (3-5 years old) from less than £15k

A new Mustang is about £22-25k and a new Corvette about £43k but they will be LHD only.

-German cars
Such as Porshce, BMW & Merc. New they are all way too expensive for performance. C6 Vette prices and higher. 2nd hand becomes more comopetitve. But although I respect these machines I would never own one. I've been in a few and driven some and I personally just find them a bit dull and clinical. No sole.

-Italian cars
The home of the Supercar, but they also carry super prices too. "nd hand can be had for Mustang money but it will be a 20 year old car and very expensive to run not to mention slower than a new Mustang.

-Japan
RX8's and 350Z's and the 4wd rally want'a be's. Lots of respect but not really my thing, I want a car that looks good not a regular family saloon with a wing. They also tend to have a rather mass produced feel and lack character. Not as cheap to ruun as they appear.

-American cars
All will be imported and LHD not RHD so a slight compromise. Also they are often seen as slightly socially unacceptabe, which is really one of the main reasons I love them. Big V8 engines are normally shuned over here so I like to run the biggest fasted engined car my finances will allow. These are a great bang per buck even over here.

There is a host of 'hot' hatches and affordable coupes from the other manufacures such as Peougot, Renalt, Citrioen, Seat, VW, Ford Europe, Alfa and so on. But as a rule they are not really that exciting and certainly not exoctic. A V6 is about the best they can offer with 00-60 times around the 7 second arena.

To help put the pricing in prospective and average spec'd 2.0 Ford Focus would cost around £12,000

American muslce is great performance in the UK. TVR comes close and often exceeds in raw accelaration terms but they tend to offer Ferrari rivaling performance and style with high quality hand made components for less than a 1/3 of the price, so its not unreasonable to assume they may have similar reliability as a Ferrari.

Ferrari's do break down a lot and many will only cover 2000 miles a year. A TVR Cebera will out drag a F360 Modena from 0-185mph and not be far behind in the bends but many are used to do 10,000-20,000 miles a year in.


As for practicality, well I'm only 25 don't have a mortgage or kids and am single on a part time basis. So a 2 seater would do fine. I do have a Land Rover Discovery if needed though.

If I had the money I would buy a C6 Vette tomorrow, sadly I don't. I;ve driven a few LS1 Z28's and an 05 GT guess I ought to have a go in a C5 Vette before finally deciding.

But it will be American not British, as to me it is the hight of cool to have one.

Thanks for all your help so far.