Rice vs Mustang

well when you buy a civic you plan on 'saving' gas, more tward a reliable commuter car, surely you're not gonna play around with it like you would a REAL car. like myself i beat the hell out (drive fast) of my car, very proud of it just like alot of people do. more 'drive it like you rent it' senarios is going to wear and tear your engine down faster. try that on a civic and it'll be blown very soon. if you take it easy on a stang it'll run you good for a long time.

The 4.6L is a pretty durable engine. Do the normal oil changes and stuff like that and it'll outlast every other component of the car. Keep the car clean and wax it every once in a while to prevent rust and the body will last a long time. Your biggest worry money wise should be the clutch and tires. Both are wear and tear items that you will eventually have to replace in any vehicle.

I've seen 4.6L that come into the shop that have 380 000+ KM's on them (you do the conversion to Miles ). Limos and taxis mostly but there is no reason a well maintained Mustang can't do the same.

MustanGangsta said:

I posted before and took your arguments into deep consideration, and I would like to get a mustang, but im still worried about the fact that some people dont take care of their cars.. I mean If I buy a mustang and someone didn't take care of it, way better chance of it breaking down than a ricer right?

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Sorry to jump the gun here, but I read your last thread and have some suggestions to make this one more productive: first of all, your are asking for opinions, so just listen them and don't argue them all. Then you can decide for yourself, as that's what you should ultimately do. It gets really tiresome to argue back and forth over opinions. Besides, you won't change our minds, im fairly positive. Remember, you are asking a very biased group of people!!! We are all here b/c we love our cars with a passion!

IMO, there really is no special equation to predicting longevity of a car. Sure, if you take better care of it, the chances are that it will last a long time and run a long time problem-free. But even then, there are plenty stories about cars that seems to be going back to the shop over and over again. This goes for ANY car; Honda/Acura or Mustang. As they get older, things fail.. That's just how it is. On the other hand, there are plenty of stories of cars that are lasting forever while running on the same oil for the last 500,000 miles (i may be exaggerating a little, but you get the point).

I'll just give you my advice. First of all, don't buy a Mustang that you suspect has been beat up. Don't buy an Acura that you suspect has been beat up....that would be stupid, no matter what make. Instead, try to buy from a middle-aged woman- like I have for my past two stangs. I bought a '95 Cobra from a 35 year old lady.....I then drove it like it was meant to be driven, and sold it 5 yrs later. My only shop-time: a new clutch, brakes, fixed wiring harness on a window, and ignition. I'd say that was pretty good. Now, I recently bought my GT vert from a 50 yr old woman, and everything seems to be top-notch.

So, think about going that route. Look at the owner and get a feel for how they drove and maintained the car. This are your best bet. Good luck, and trust me, you will NOT regret getting a Stang!! I have driven many many cars, and I am just lovin' mustangs!!!

One last thing; I really like Fords and so does my family. We have a pair of explorers and a '97 F-150 with a 4.6 liter motor and 185,000 miles. It has absolutely no problems (knock on wood), and drives exactly like it did when it was new! You would never know it had more than 50,000 miles except for the torn leather driver's seat. So, if that is any indication of how ford cars last, we're all in good hands!

i bought my 03 used from a car dealer.. i actually knew who the guy was that owned it (found that out after i bought it). it was very very well kept and he hardly turned it up.

before i owned this car i had a 95 mustang v6 with 144k miles. it has survived 2 accidents (1 pretty bad, 1 slightly bad) and its still a beast. my dad is driving it until i sell it and everyday he wants to race my gt and he serious thinks it would be a close close match

Mustang5L5 said:

next time you ride in a Taxi, ask them how many miles are on the engine.

Many Taxis have at least 150,000 miles on their 4.6's

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not to mention cop cars

It dosnt matter what kind of car that you have, If you dont take car of it its going to fall apart. I dont car if its a 1.2 liter honda or a 8.0 liter lambo.

I'm not much of a brand loyal kind a guy. I've owned Vettes, TAs, Camaros, and yes Hondas. I've had very good luck with all with the exception of the Vettes being plagged with electrical problems. I still have the little Honda Accord, it has 588,000 miles on it, I change the timing chains every 100,000 and the oil every 1500 miles, burns no oil and it just past safty 3 months ago. It evan has all origanal steering parts. My old 5.0 Stang had 225,000 miles when I sold it for more than I paid for it. It also was in excellent shape, with no problems what so ever. If you look after them, change the oil often, they will all last for a very long time. The littles you can beat pretty hard and they won't complain a bit. They don't really have enough power to hurt themselves. Where as the sports cars with monster torque put a lot of strain on the drivline. Drive them decently though and they will go a long long time.
Edit: Oh, I had a Ferrari 308 and it was allways in need of something and parts were friggen expensive, a real PITA.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't Hondas and most I-4's use timing BELTS, not chains...?

2k3gt said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't Hondas and most I-4's use timing BELTS, not chains...?

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Yup, it's a belt. My ooops!!

What do you want from your car? If your looking for something that has potential to be fast for a reasonable price you want the mustang. In terms of engine relibility you will have no problem with a 4.6L unless its been severly abused. You might have to replace a clutch if you get a manual but other than that you should be fine.

The civic probably will get more mileage out of all the whole car vs the mustang without doing some work. but its a commuter car that is about getting where you want to go. Again depends on what you want out of your car. If you want something that looks good sounds good performs etc. you want the mustang. If you want something thats the cheapest and lowest maintenance out there get the civic.

kirkyg

my '98 GT has 125,000 miles on it and it runs just as good if not better then a lot of cars with 50,000 on it.

Hmmmm........Honda or a stang.

Owning a stang is an experience, an opportunity to own the heart and soul of what an american sports car was,is, and ever hopes to be. The looks the car gets when you pass by, light em' up, or just parked in the grocery store lot......Priceless.

My wife drives a Honda, GREAT cars for gas mileage and reliability.

There should be no reliablility issues on a gently used mustang, but don't buy it for the reliablitiy. Buy it to own a piece of american pride, made in the USA, driven by american car enthusiasts for over 40yrs.

Sorry so long......Its just how I feel.

Mustang5L5 said:

next time you ride in a Taxi, ask them how many miles are on the engine.

Many Taxis have at least 150,000 miles on their 4.6's

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yeah that's if the cabby speaks english