Motortrend 2011 Mustang GT vs M3

[captainaudio]

Originally Posted by MAZNG

It's the same as going to McDoanld's and then Ruth Chris' Steak house (or even Red Lobster -lol) for Dinner , they will all get the job done, but which would you really prefer and/or enjoy better?

.

Is there a choice for "None of the above"?

CA

[captainaudio]

A couple of comments.

I would personally choose the M3 but I think Ford did an amazing job with the Mustang.

Mustangs, and particularly Shelbys, have a huge following and the idea that everyone who buys a Mustang does so because they can't afford an M3 is a bit of a stretch. There are some very wealthy Mustang afficianados.

As far as holding value goes older M3s are for the most part just used cars and generally have no presense in the collector car market. Mustangs (particuarly Shelbys) have a huge presense in the collector car market and can command huge prices.

The masses have no idea what an M3 (or a Shelby) is and for the most part see them as just another BMW or just another Mustang. The people who can tell the difference are people that are into cars. I can tell you from personal experience that a Ferrari owner is more likely to notice and comment on an M3 than a Camry owner.

Park a GT500 next to an M3 Sedan and see which one attracts more attention.

CA

[Scoobe]

Originally Posted by captainaudio

A couple of comments.

I would personally choose the M3 but I think Ford did an amazing job with the Mustang.

Mustangs, and particularly Shelbys, have a huge following and the idea that everyone who buys a Mustang does so because they can't afford an M3 is a bit of a stretch. There are some very wealthy Mustang afficianados.

As far as holding value goes older M3s are for the most part just used cars and generally have no presense in the collector car market. Mustangs (particuarly Shelbys) have a huge presense in the collector car market and can command huge prices.

The masses have no idea what an M3 (or a Shelby) is and for the most part see them as just another BMW or just another Mustang. The people who can tell the difference are people that are into cars. I can tell you from personal experience that a Ferrari owner is more likely to notice and comment on an M3 than a Camry owner.

Park a GT500 next to an M3 Sedan and see which one attracts more attention.

CA

As you can see in my sig, I own both, and no doubt the GT500 gets way more attention and people walking up to talk about it. There are those who do notice the M3, but its far more seldom. Not that I care either way, but it is noticabley different. At my work, everyone I talk to knows the Shelby, only a couple have any idea what an M3 is and I usually have to tag "BMW" in the sentence for them to get an idea.

That said, I love both cars. I am enjoying the best of both worlds, raw brute power and simplicity, and a refined technological masterpeice of performance engineering. They are both drivers cars but feel completely different driving them. Its fun.

On a side note, the next generation mustang could have a DCT available. Ford is partnered with Getrag (who makes the M3 tranny) and is fielding the first american cars with DCT's in the US (focus and fusion). Doubtful it will be the advanced version of the M3 DCT, but might be a similar design, simpler and cheaper.

[thai357sig]

Originally Posted by omegaslast

youve probably been smacked for this already but my god, ford didnt accept government loans you tosser. Your brain is desperately trying to make up crap in an attempt to justify the reason why the GT 2011 matched an M3 around a track. Instead of embracing a $30k sports car that can perform as well as an M3 you make retarded statements like the above.

You claim Ford makes the best trucks, Top Gear calls Ford the Best car company and you go on to criticize someone for their opinion regarding their preference of M3 over Mustangs. I say "get your head out of your rear end and go buy the "Stang". Go post on a Stang forum and enjoy your miserable life defending your purchase to M3 owners over there.
You don't own an M3, have an 02' 330 you bought used (I doubt if even that), and have the nerve to come over to an M3 board and criticized M3 owners on their opinions. I seriously doubt you can even afford a mustang except perhaps 8 years from now, since the 330 is 8 years old.
Your a new poster here and all you have done is to bash people. You have too much time on your hands. Get a job, or another job and then maybe one day when you save up enough to buy that mustang, maybe then your words may have more weight.

I think you just like to read your own posts and have a sense of gratification that hundreds of other people are reading it. If that is your thrill, wouldn't you find the comraderie better at a Stang forum, rather than Trolling over hear?

[quality_sound]

I'd like to see this test revisited with the M3 on PS2s and the Mustang with better shocks.

[Scoobe]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

I'd like to see this test revisited with the M3 on PS2s and the Mustang with better shocks.

I think the next one we'll see will be the Boss 302, since Ford pretty much called the M3 out on the carpet when they unveiled the Boss, it's a shoe in that Motor Trend will have a comparo next spring (or sooner).

[foosh]

I think the two cars are cross-shopped by true enthusiasts, and two weeks ago, I pulled the trigger on a Race Red, GT Premium convertible with all the options. I am extremely impressed, and I've owned 12 different German performance cars (Audi and BMW) over the years.

I've driven plenty of Mustangs over the years, but the last one was an 05, which was year one of the current gen, but the '11 5.0 is an entirely different car. I almost feel I'm driving something German--the drivetrain is that smooth and platform is very well-balanced.

Ford appears to have continually tweaked the chassis since introduction, added to it, refined it, upgraded it, to the point that it just doesn't feel anything like any Mustang that I remember.

The new 6MT is buttery smooth, and the all-new engine is pretty amazing. The interior is much nicer than I expected, very tasteful, and pretty traditional, which I like. The Microsoft-developed Synch system is surprisingly good and user-friendly. The chassis is very tight and solid feeling. Fit and finish is good, and the paint is actually better on the Mustang in terms of orange peel. I've heard no squeaks or rattles.

My driving impressions, so far, are pretty close to the Motor Trend comparo (both pro and con) between M3 and GT, and I think it was dead-accurate. To me the GT "feels" faster. You really feel the 100 ft/lbs of extra torque, which peaks at 4K when accelerating from legal speeds. The power is easier and more practical to use in street driving, because you don't have to keep the engine spun up like you must to get equal performance from the S65. That's a huge plus in my opinion. It also makes it easier to nail the rev match and shift smoothly.

It DESTROYS the M3 on exhaust note, which is simply glorious, but I've always been more partial to the sound of American V8s. However the 32V, TiVCT is a much more refined V8-sound than that from the traditional push-rod V8s. The trannies are about equal, but I much prefer the new Ford engine.

It's clear that there is a lot more power to be obtained from the 5.0, and the aftermarket will, no doubt, be offering 500+ naturally-aspirated HP in short order. With S-charging, the sky is the limit, and Ford Racing is already offering a Roush-developed s-charger producing 550, with some warranty protection. One rag has dynoed the car under controlled conditions and found numbers suggesting that Ford significantly understated the OEM power numbers.

I am very impressed. The GT isn't as precise as the M3, but I've always appreciated cars with a bit of a raw edge. While I appreciate precision in engineering and design, it can also feel a little boring.

[foosh]

Originally Posted by stingray23

good review. A lot of people here automatically dismiss the Mustang and dont want to believe that there are other cars out there besides BMW's, more specifically, the M3. God forbid someone compares another car to an M3 and wins, or it was a very close comparo or whatever.
BTW, get ready for the Kool Aid gang.

I know, and I don't even bother to read that stuff and never respond to it. All I see on the page is, "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah . . . "

[Crazy Bimmer]

Congrats on the new car! Any reason you didnt want to wait for the Boss?

[foosh]

It's not my nature to wait, and the timing was right because I received a very good price on my 08 E93 M3. I paid $61.5K for it during the depths of the economic crash in March 09 when dealers couldn't get rid of them. I sold it for $57K after driving it for 18 months and 12K miles.

I needed a new daily driver, this was perfect, and I pocketed a healthy wad of cash.

[mkoesel]

Congrats on the new car foosh. Sounds like a sweet ride.

Originally Posted by Crazy Bimmer

Congrats on the new car! Any reason you didnt want to wait for the Boss?

No Boss 302 convertible.

[Scoobe]

Now if they only made RWD 4 door with that motor. Since Lincoln is hinting at RWD car with the 5.0 in a few years, I might have to do a switch. Doubt Lincoln will keep the weight down to the M3 level though.

[crackberry]

i have a question. correct me if im wrong (im still new to m3's) but did that m3 not have m drive? and does that make a difference on the track?

it only said the m3 had the competition package and did not mention the tech package.

thanks in advance

[Scoobe]

Originally Posted by crackberry

i have a question. correct me if im wrong (im still new to m3's) but did that m3 not have m drive? and does that make a difference on the track?

it only said the m3 had the competition package and did not mention the tech package.

thanks in advance

Yeah when I went, I purposely chose my wifes Porsche so they would know I was serious, even though it was months later before I ordered. A family friend owned a dealership for years. He would tell stories about how people would drive up in old beat up pickups wearing overalls and pay cash for a Ford GT at 180k.

But he also had stories of people he could just tell weren't serious about buying a car and wanted to test drive loaded Mustang GT's or his GT500's. He would ask for their drivers license and a release to do a credit check before he would let them drive GT500's. It's tough being in car sales.

[crackberry]

Originally Posted by Scoobe

He would ask for their drivers license and a release to do a credit check before he would let them drive GT500's. It's tough being in car sales.

credit check just to test drive? isnt that a little too extreme

[Scoobe]

Originally Posted by crackberry

credit check just to test drive? isnt that a little too extreme

Would seem like it, but he would only get like 5 GT500's, most of them would be on the showroom. It was a pain to wheel it out for a test drive and he wanted to make sure people were serious. It's a tactic.

[foosh]

Originally Posted by Scoobe

Would seem like it, but he would only get like 5 GT500's, most of them would be on the showroom. It was a pain to wheel it out for a test drive and he wanted to make sure people were serious. It's a tactic.

Not to mention, the average German new car buyer doesn't want to touch a new car with more than 5 miles on the clock. Why should an American car be different?

[crackberry]

Originally Posted by Scoobe

Would seem like it, but he would only get like 5 GT500's, most of them would be on the showroom. It was a pain to wheel it out for a test drive and he wanted to make sure people were serious. It's a tactic.

that makes sense. there was a les monds blue (sorry guys, cant spell over here) in the show room, but i couldnt really see the color due to the dim lighting. i didnt want them to go through all the trouble just to see the color because it is waaaaaaaaaaay in the back and they would have to move at least 4 cars. i guess i would have passed the test for a serious buyer if i asked them to move all those cars to see the m3. i have to go back there anyways, so ill guess i ask them to move the m3 outside

[quality_sound]

Originally Posted by Scoobe

I think the next one we'll see will be the Boss 302, since Ford pretty much called the M3 out on the carpet when they unveiled the Boss, it's a shoe in that Motor Trend will have a comparo next spring (or sooner).

If the current GT only needs better shocks to equal, or slightly best, the M3 I have a feeling the 302 is going to murder it. Unless of course the extra power overwhelms the chassic but I think the 302 will be significantly stiffer and I think it has IRS as well. This will be very interesting indeed.

[quality_sound]

Originally Posted by Scoobe

Would seem like it, but he would only get like 5 GT500's, most of them would be on the showroom. It was a pain to wheel it out for a test drive and he wanted to make sure people were serious. It's a tactic.

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to drop my credit score a minimum of 10 points for a pointless credit check because I want a test drive.

[crackberry]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

I"m sorry, but I'm not going to drop my credit score a minimum of 10 points for a pointless credit check because I want a test drive.

i feel the same way too. id rather just go to a different dealership. but thats just me.

also, its a little sketch when you pay a cashier's check, and they still want to run your credit.

btw, sorry for high jacking the thread.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

Unless of course the extra power overwhelms the chassic but I think the 302 will be significantly stiffer and I think it has IRS as well. This will be very interesting indeed.

No IRS for the Boss, but if the race car is any indication it doesn't really need it to be a good track car. Granted, the IRS has benefit on the road where things aren't nearly as smooth, but on a track the live axle will be adequate.

I agree this is going to be interesting to watch. The M3 is going to have its hands full against the standard Boss 302, nevermind the Leguna Seca edition.