majin ssj eric

Well there is all kinds of supposed Mustang "love" going on in this thread but the poll results clearly show that over 70% of AZiners would take an M3 over the new Mustang. Frankly, I'm astounded its not more.

I can't imagine anyone being offered a choice of either car free of charge and picking the Mustang....

Sarlacc

And VW's carry their own stigma, yet you chose to own one.

The ignorance in this thread is starting to reach the levels moron-ism.

Everyone needs to knock it off.

Sarlacc

1) With the economy in its current state many Americans are finally starting to adopt a Euro attitude regarding cars...its not as much about "the prestige" anymore as it is about good vehicle that gets you where you want safely and comfortably

2) The domestics are showing they are trying hard, and because of the many people are willing see what the hullabalo is about and they are walking away impressed. I myself was out of town for a week and picked an all new Tauras SEL for my rental...color me impressed, I'd consider one as a daily driver, it was that good.

3) Again....scalpel vs chainsaw and what is your desire.

charliemike

Yumcha

I'll bite...but, for the sake of argument...what is the VW stigma/stereotype...?

charliemike

Who the hell knows. He's still pissed that no one likes his Dodge Aspen.

Sarlacc

The majority of makes carry "owner stereotypes"

Its one of the most retarded ways to base your argument.

Crazy Bimmer

Lets relax on the name calling meow. This topic was going just fine without it. Remember folks, everyone has their own opinion! Its crazy.. i know.

I thought about something else. What would you rather have... V6 Stang or an E46 M3? Now that be interesting as well.

Sarlacc

Mustangs shouldnt have 6 cylinder engines, so that argument is bunk.

Yumcha

I'd somewhat disagree with that Dave.

Believe it or not, I don't buy certain products because of the "stereotype" some carry. And there are people out there who make that choice as well...

I won't lie that I chose the FX over the BMW X5 because of what "stigma" the BMW holds. Same reason why I didn't consider a Mercedes. Is it narrow-minded, perhaps. But, there's a big-deal in perception IMO. So, if I can get something comparable...why not?

I'd argue the same goes for clothing.



But, whatever...I still think this comparison of the Mustang versus the M3 is a bit off-to-orbit. Sure, the Mustang has "M3-like" performance numbers, but, please...they are in different markets and for different buyers!

Crazy Bimmer

Why because they are stereotypical for girls?

Yumcha

^ That'd be the Miata and (sometimes) the SLK, Bimmer-breath.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

E46, of course.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Miata

teranfon

Think so? I always thought that part of the success of the Mustang was it's broad appeal and accessibility. You could have a very basic powertrain but still with that particular Mustang appeal, or a rumbling V8 with plenty of performance. Although the Mustang has had it's ups and downs, I believe this broad appeal is what allowed it to survive, whereas the offerings from across town struggled, and even ceased production at times.



Terry

Yumcha

There's nothing wrong with a V6 Mustang, IMO.

Sarlacc

Wont disagree with this, its true and very smart business.

But the muscle car fan part of my brain still says meh

TommySalami

It would be nice, but the real question is whether they would do it without adding another 400 pounds

TommySalami

And I don't think these cars are so dissimilar. They're performance cars, but one is more expensive because it's more refined and prestigious. There. The whole thing in one sentence. What's so hard about that?

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

x2, I know some attractive girls that drive V6 Mustangs.

And the 2011 models are pretty quick with the new V6.

Yumcha

Sure...same goes for suits. You have Brioni suits and you have the other stuff which you can buy for $200.

It's a suit and I'm sure if one looks hard enough, you'll find one which fits decently.

mrmako

Funny question. I believe it was a simple "If you had to chose one" question. For me, it's pretty simple, outside of the late 60's, the Mustang never did anything for me. I just never warmed up to them.

Having lived in Europe (Germany) for more than 10 years of my adult life), BMW really impressed me as a "drivers machine". No joke. I drove them there (never owned one), and it was impressive.

So my opinion, and that is all it is, is I would expect the majority to pick the M3 based on tradition and panache, the later being a bit silly in this day and age.

Silver™

With the $30K I save with the Mustang I am renting a Gulfstream to fly me across the country

Yumcha

^ Love the avatar, Silver!

myron

iTrader: (4)

e46 offcourse

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

I never buy or don't buy cars (or any item) b/c of stereotypes. I could care less what other people think. I buy what I want b/c I like it/want it.

And for the record, I'd likely look at the Challenger or Camaro before the Mustang... but neither is a part of this article. So I can't say that officially

Costco

And give the Mustang another 4-5 years, and they'll have a brand new Mustang from the ground up also

The 2011 5.0 Mustang is a continuation of the modern S197 platform introduced for the 2005 Mustang, but it happens to have a brand new engine and many significant improvements, more than the typical MMC. Then again it has been 6 years.

Stereotypes and stigmas have never bothered me when it comes to cars. I was looking at Miatas a long time ago and still do once in a while. My car is supposed to be a "redneck/Mexican's dream car" or whatever.... but I'm neither Caucasian or Latin so it matters even less to me.

I'd love an M3 despite whatever stigmas are associated with BMW drivers, same goes for the Mustang GT.

Depends on how much they increase the price among other things. The major appeal of the Mustang is how much it offers at its price range.... both the V6 and GT.

However, I doubt they would make a Lincoln with a solid rear axle. The solid rear axle is highly appealing for drag racers and drifters.... not so much for a potential Lincoln buyer, who probably wants a cushy, Lexus-like ride.

Well, of course almost anyone would pick the M3 over the Mustang if it was free or charge. You could rephrase that question as "Would you take a $60k car or a $30k car?" Pretty obvious, isn't it?

I don't see how that even matters. Someone can always pull up the sales numbers for Mustang GTs vs. M3s over the years and see what the entire public thinks



Its just that it doesn't offer the things that make the Mustang GT so attractive. Plentiful aftermarket, incredible all-around performance from the factory, any options you would need (not sure if the HIDs/heated seats/navigation/etc. is available on the V6) and plenty of great standard features already.

Those pros also factor in for the Mustang GT vs. the M3. Without even checking I can confidently guess that the GT is cheaper to mod, from engine parts to suspension, cheaper to maintain, and probably more reliable too. The simplicity of the Mustang wins out for me, since I'm a DIY mechanic. And even then, since it's a new car, it would be nice to have peace of mind too so I can spend more time driving my own car and less time driving loaners.

Sarlacc

JB...youre actually disagreeing with yumnuts...

Brandon24pdx

Sorority chick.

fsttyms1

I think this thread needs to be renamed to something along the lines of if it was your money in your current financial status what would you purchase.

SouthernBoy

What's a suit?

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

M3 in that case.

Mustang GT 5.0 because I just can't afford the brand new M3.

Brandon24pdx

In that case a subway pass for $89/mo starts to look pretty tempting.

majin ssj eric

Interestingly this is how I ended up in another G37. I wanted an M3 but just couldn't afford one. I looked at the Camaro (couldn't stand the interior/no nav option), the Genesis coupe (cheap interior/disappointing performance), and even the GTi (too slow for the price). The G37 was the only car that fit my performance/luxury criteria while still being remotely affordable. Even had the new Mustang GT been available, I would still have gone for the G37 for many reasons (styling/interior/quality/).

There are many things that factor in to something as important and personal as a new car purchase besides simply "which one is the fastest".....

mclarenf3387

My Lincoln has a solid rear axle and still has a semi cushy ride. Granted its a full size truck, but they've done it before if it suits the needs of the vehicle. If Ford ever did a luxury mustang I would see them bringing back the Cougar moniker instead of sticking it under Lincoln.

You can barely work on a standard outboard motor today without a computer cars are no different anymore, even muscle cars.

Also maintenance is included for 4 years 50k miles on the BMW so unless you keep cars for a long time, there really won't be a huge difference in maintenance costs.

mclarenf3387

And thats why the mustang will have no effect on M3 sales. Sure they perform the same, but they are in a completely different price bracket. I could go buy a ZR1 and be as fast if not faster than just about any Italian sports car currently on the market, but people still by Ferraris and Lamborghinis cause its in a different league.

Costco

I hope Ford's days of badge engineering are behind them. Granted, the last time I checked Mercury's lineup it looked like a bunch of rebadges, but still. I doubt they'll dilute the Mustang brand, especially by bringing back the Cougar nameplate, which was last a forgettable FWD pseudo sports car, and before that a badge-engineered T-Bird.

It'll also be more difficult to offer a solid rear axle in a luxury performance car. As you mentioned, Lincoln has offered a solid rear axle before..... if it suits the needs of the vehicle. I'm not sure if FoMoCo will deem it suitable for a Lincoln, let alone will Lincoln customers who are looking for a performance car. Actually, wait a second.... will Lincoln customers even look for a performance car?

The Mark LT (guessing this is the full-size truck you have) was another badge-engineered Ford (F-150) that didn't last very long. In addition Ford is moving towards IRS and unibody (at least with the Explorer) and considering the market trend of declining full-size truck sales, I doubt anything similar will happen anytime soon.

True, but if I wanted to upgrade the clutch I may not have that option, or at least know how to do it myself if I get DCT on the M3. I'm not sure if it operates similar in principle to Airmatic but if I go with EDC (which is what an M3 owner touted as a plus) it will likely cost a lot to repair out of warranty, whether it comes to the dampers, control unit or whatever it uses. Even though there are a few M3 owners on AZ alone, most of us who are serious about owning one will probably own one out of warranty eventually. And I still stand by my statement that pretty much any BMW will cost more to mod than a Mustang. $15,000 for a HPF Turbo Kit for an E46 M3 a Hellion kit for an 03-04 Cobra starts at $7,000.

Despite offering free maintenance for 4 years, I'm disappointed by BMW's extended OCI. Free oil changes every 15k miles, isn't it? I know you are/were a tech at one point, and I don't know whether or not the extended OCI coincided with the free maintenance or not, but I'm sure in order to give something they had to take something else too.

I hate to assume things also but I'm pretty sure an oil change for an M3 is not cheap. I'm going to guess (at least) 10 quarts of full synthetic, plus the drop-in filter of course, and however much it costs for labor. Who is going to wait 15k for the oil change? Not me.

TS_eXpeed

Good luck getting all the way to the other side...

Johnny_b

No. It went right over your head.

Most people here with a 30k dollar acura have practical priorities that can't be satisfied with a 60k dollar BMW, or a 35k dollar RWD 2 Door mustang.

They are all different cars, tending to different needs. Put peformance aside, since I'm not racing to the supermarket.

GET IT NOW?

Edit

And this is all in response to this:

"I like how people are picking the M3 and ignoring the price factor. If its "M3 hands down" then why aren't they putting their money where their mouth is and instead of buying a $35k 3G TL-S (or a $35k Mustang) why didn't they buy an E90 M3? Or instead of a $30k TSX why didn't they get a $40k 335i?"

In case you forgot what came out of your keyboard.

TommySalami

I think what he is getting at is why are people getting a TL over a 5-series, or an MDX over an X5. Not why are they getting a TL over an M3