No problem....I'm an engineer here at Ford and worked on the current Mazda6 and Mustang programs for a long time up until this March (from concept through to production.) so I've got quite a bit of background info on those cars. (as well as many others within the greater Ford family) RWD V8's are fun, but they make awful daily drivers. (for those of us that need some practicality out of our cars.)

 

Actually guys the Mustang now bases at $26,370 and the odds off finding one at that price on a lot are remote. Your average Mustang price tag is 29 to 30 grand. Sure enough it's a fast car, but for daily driver and practicality it's not a good choice. I liked mine, but after awhile it just wasn't worth the money. I'm actually much happier in the Mazda 3. A big change. lol

 

Yeah Muscle cars will be dead soon. Technology far surpasses the thought that V8 are the fastest way to go. The Rotary engine is a good example. How can a 1.3 Liter engine keep up with a 5.1 liter engine. That is amazing!!!! People far often miss that amazing fact! At 40,000 miles a Rx-8 will go 0-60 in 5.4 seconds with a 1.3 liter engine. A Mustang goes 0-60 with a 4.6 liter engine in 5.1. Wow. I would pick the Rx-8 or the Mazdaspeed 3 because it actually handles well! What a concept!

 

Only problem is that the V8 can comfortably perform at that level (or much higher if desired), whereas the 4-cyl has to be pushed quite hard to get the base performance of a V8.

Muscle cars definitely aren't dead (We just had the best sales year for Mustang in 27 years), they just aren't all that popular with the younger crowd. There are plenty of us in our 30's that would love to have a Mustang. If I could afford (another) summer only vehicle, it would be a Mustang.

 

Well, I am a bit more than "30" LOL!!. I have had quite a few V8 performance cars in my life (Corvettes, Trans Ams), and I could afford another. But I find myself much more interested in the smaller displacement, technologically advanced engines. I want something that gets reasonable gas mileage, but still has some fun factor. That is why I have decided on the 3 Speed. I will keep my old Explorer 4 x 4 for the really bad days. But intend to drive the 3 the majority of the time.

 

Same thing for me...I intend to my the Mazdaspeed3 because it does make a much better daily driver. I could see having both the MS3 and a Mustang (if I had enough garage space and my wife didn't kill me.) I put on over 25,000 miles/year and the difference between 28 mpg and 18 is significant. If I had a Mustang it would be 500+ hp which can be done with a naturally aspirated small block V8 with ~10.5:1 compression (not overly built)....a very hard thing to do reliably in a small Front drive car....One of my friends had a 331 cu-in Ford that dyno'd at 520 hp and we put it in an off-road race truck and pounded on it with never a whimper.

That power is possible in a 4-cyl, but the engines don't last very long.

 

True enough, it's harder on a smaller 4 cylinder engine then the big V8's. But then I personally don't race my car around everywhere I go. Even most of the guys that drive stangs didn't do that. Any car will break when constantly pushed to it's performance limits. When I test drove the Mustang GT we drove the version that had the driver information package. So naturally I selected the mode that was telling me average MPG while I am driving. Then we proceeded to "Find out what she would do." if you catch my drift. And sure enough, it was a kick in the pants, fun to drive, V8 growel, all that. OH and 6 MPG average. LOL. So yeah, I tended to stay out of the gas pedal most of the time. Even then I averaged 14 mpg around town, not 18. If you can afford a Mustang GT just as a toy, just a fun to drive on the weekends kind of thing, it's great. Personally I'd find something else to spend 30 grand on but to each his own.

 

I'm sure I'd be with you around the 14 mpg avg range if I owned one...I have a notoriously heavy skinny pedal.

 

Even if it isn't as fast as a Mustang GT it's still an Inline-4 and for it to keep come close to a GT V8 thats pretty damn good. I like mustangs but I LOVE MAZDAS!

 

Opinions on synthetic oil in turbos. Necessary, or a waste of money?