94-98/99 up mustang

[redline_13000]

hi..which mustangs are better for speed,looks,handling,interior, the 94-98 or the 99 and up...is the reliability different for these years? thanks

[2000impreza]

i think the 99+ stangs look and perform the best.

[4wheeldrift]

Reliability for mustangs is pretty much the same now. Seems like they are either dead reliable or they are garage queens, there is no middle ground. 94 and 95 cars came with the OHV 5L motor while the 96 and newer cars came with the OHC 4.6L. In terms of stock performance in regular mustangs (not cobras), the 99+ models are the best of the bunch, and IMO the best looking too. The interiors are pretty good, some plasticy switch gear but nothing unlivable. All IMO of course

[T5_X]

do not buy a 96-98! They have exactly the same power ratings as the 94-95 (215HP, 285tq) but they don't have as good an aftermarket! In 98 only though, they did get 10 more HP from exhaust porting. The big changes came in 99, where the 4.6 gets bumped up to 260HP, 300tq. Suspension upgrades included stiffer springs, smaller anti-roll bars, different shock/strut setup, all mated to a heavier steering feel.

Huge suspension upgrades come in cobra models (particularily the 03 cobra) and in 04 models when the mustang will get an entirely new platform.

BTW, IMO, the 99+ V8 mustangs are better looking (not V6 when they got the rice scoops). The 00 cobra R is one of the nicest looking cars ever IMO and a few companies sell replica parts (hood, bumper, wing, rims)
I got to drive an 01 V6 (really not too bad with 190 HP/220 tq!) last weekend and the interior was ok, though the dash and instuments were still rather cheap, plus the fucking windshield refused to de-fog. The ride worked pretty well for me though, with traction control off.

[Weapon_R]

How do the 96-98's perform? They still put out 290lbs of torque, but only 215 HP. I am thinking about one once I sell my integra.

EDIT: I DO want the 99+, but too expensive right now, and I can pick up a very decent 97 with 80,000km/s or less for around 12,000. Not a bad deal in my opinion.

Are the 96/98's slow?

[T5_X]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
How do the 96-98's perform? They still put out 290lbs of torque, but only 215 HP. I am thinking about one once I sell my integra.

EDIT: I DO want the 99+, but too expensive right now, and I can pick up a very decent 97 with 80,000km/s or less for around 12,000. Not a bad deal in my opinion.

Are the 96/98's slow?

I'd like to know where you can find a 97 with <80,000 for $12,000? In canada trader right now, there's one for 12 grand, but its an auto and has been in an accident. Most of them are going for 15-17 grand.

Anyway, 94-95 and 96-98s are pretty much dead even. C&D tested the 95 GT 0-60 in 6.5, and 97 at 6.6. Like I said though, the 5L is cheaper and easier to mod up. However, they tested a 99 at 5.5 seconds! So the 99+ are much faster. Either get a 5L and pump some money into it, or wait a couple yers to get a 99.

[T5_X]

Well what a car should go for is never what people will actually be asking (eg, the S-10 I tested a little while ago is valued to the dealerships at 14,000 but they were asking 18,500 for it!)
quality of stangs is not that good for many little things. If they've been taken care of though, the drivetrain will survive a very long time (but, as is with the case with any type of car, sometimes you're unlucky and you get a shitty one) The 4.6 is the engine of choice for many fleet cars (cops, taxis) and apparently, for the most part, they hold up quite well. Be sure it has a good history cause Mustang GTs are probably the cars that on average, get the shit driven out of them the most.

And what type of foxbody are you talking about? they were out between 79-93 and underwent many powerplant upgrades throughout. carbouretted (sp?) ones from before 86 will probably do 0-60 in 7.5-8 seconds. Later model fuel injected GTs will do it in mid-high 6s, and the LX 5.0 with basic stuff is the lightest of the bunch, and I know they can get as low as 6.2 seconds.

[Weapon_R]

I thought foxbody stangs were only 87-93, but anyways, i'm talking about those ones. Will the 94+ outperform the older ones?

[4wheeldrift]

They SHOULD, but there are no guarantees stock to stock. The specs for mustangs changed just about every year and could vary quite greatly from year to year as well. And technically, the SN95 mustangs are still fox body based. Just really racey sheet metal over top of it. Some improvements, but not enough to earn a totally new chassis code.

Ranger_X31, the 99 and newer stangs are faster more for improved tranny and rear end gearing than because of lots of extra power. Granted, the extra power helps but the 3.73 rear end from the factory helps more

[300rwhp]

4wheeldrift stick to talking about things you know about the improved tranny was the same as the 96-98s until 2002 they finally got a different tranny

gearing is the same not 3.73s not even a cobra r second of all the suspension changed drastically to better a arms and much sitffer chassis better brakes from fox to sn95 better springs shocks revised geometry as well

the reason the 99s are so fast is the fact that they are exactly the same car as 96 but with different cylinder heads. the weight is almost the same the body panel changed but the chassis didn't 215hp to 260 is the reason

[T5_X]

hasn't the tranny always basically been the same T5 since the mid 80s?

[4wheeldrift]

Originally posted by 300rwhp
4wheeldrift stick to talking about things you know about the improved tranny was the same as the 96-98s until 2002 they finally got a different tranny

gearing is the same not 3.73s not even a cobra r second of all the suspension changed drastically to better a arms and much sitffer chassis better brakes from fox to sn95 better springs shocks revised geometry as well

the reason the 99s are so fast is the fact that they are exactly the same car as 96 but with different cylinder heads. the weight is almost the same the body panel changed but the chassis didn't 215hp to 260 is the reason

Sorry, my bad, its a 3.27 rear end. But that is still higher than what they were using before.

The cobra uses a different tranny from the regular stang as well. The cobras are using a borg-warner T-45 instead of the T-5 out of the standard mustang.

[Davan]

Don't even worry about Ford's so called "reputation". From 1994 till now, between my father and myself, we have had 5 Mustangs, 2 Thunderbirds, a ZX2 and a Cougar. Only one of these ford vehicles was ever in the garage for unscheduled maintenance (the only one we bought used).

Just take care of your car and it won't leave you stranded.

[T5_X]

Originally posted by 4wheeldrift


Sorry, my bad, its a 3.27 rear end. But that is still higher than what they were using before.

What were they using before? With an auto it would never get out of third gear!

Does the mustang use a 9" rear end?

[300rwhp]

no they come with a 8.8 inch rear end and the cpbra from 96 up has the same tranny as the gt's so wrong again

[4wheeldrift]

Originally posted by 300rwhp
from 96 up has the same tranny as the gt's so wrong again

Prove it. every where I look on the internet I am seeing that the cobras come with a T45 and the regular stangs a T5.

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by 4wheeldrift
Prove it. every where I look on the internet I am seeing that the cobras come with a T45 and the regular stangs a T5.

I've seen that too. The T-45 is standard on Cobras, while the T-5 Tranny is found on regular GT's (v6s too? Dunno). Now that i've began looking for a new car, a GT stang has become an awesome prospect, and i've found that most people modify the performance aspect of it by replacing the generally unreliable T-5 with a T-45 tranny.

[T5_X]

The T-5 is very reliable!!! Lots of people still use it on modded up stangs and on other modded fords.... 300HP may be a bit much for it though, so I could see why it wouldn't be used in the newer cobras.

However, what cobras are you guys talking about? There has been many throughout the years:
93-95 cobras only had about 240HP/290Tq
96-98 cobras had about 300HP/300Tq
99/01 cobras (no 00 model) had 320/320
the 03 has 390/390

Not mentioning the 3 "R" models.

And for 03 I thought they were finally getting a 6 speed (T56)???

[300rwhp]

it fucking blew up in my 96 mustang you should really not talk about mustangs
t-5 is better than t-45
all mustangs that were manual from 96 on came with a t-45 includng gts and cobras in 2002 and two some came with a t-45 or a tr-3550
so 4wheel wrong again
weapon r as well
94-95s =t-5
93 and older t-5
96-2002 newer t-45
2002 tr-3550

[300rwhp]

oh you want me to prove it my tranny is in pieces in a garage so you can come look at it if you still think im wrong