MS3 v2 Mustang GT

[Pfft]

My brother in law is a salesman at a Ford dealer and in addition he can get me A-plan. When he heard I was shopping for the MS3 he immediately started talking the stang - as any good salesman should. I had my heart set on a MS3 but I gotta say, the stang is really tempting.

I can drive away in a Mustang GT Premium for the same price as a MS3 GT (which is what I was looking at). Maybe a tad more if I get one of the GT trim packages (18" wheels) for the stang but we're talking maybe $500 max. Its a little faster and the gas is a little worse, and only 5-speed. Rear wheel vs front wheel isn't a concern since I'll drive my Wrangler on snowy days. The stang engine and drivetrains are proven performers and reliable, and financing is better for the Fords right now. Insurance will be more for the stang.

From looks, I like both. The new stang is miles ahead of the last body model so I wouldn't have an issue there. There are obviously more stangs on the road then MS3 but still....

All things are not equal, but each has give and take. I understand there is bias in this forum, but I gotta ask you, if you could drive away in a stang paying the same, assuming you like the look of the stang, would you do it?

 

[Knox Joe]

Do you live where handling doesn't matter?

Because you forgot to mention the >1000lbs weigh difference.

 

[knowledge007]

No, I have not and would not ever purchase an American made car...

 

[SwampAss]

Do you live where handling doesn't matter?

Because you forgot to mention the >1000lbs weigh difference.

300lbs.


Pffft,

That sounds like a screaming deal on a mustang. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably go the mustang route. Performance per dollar you'd be hard pressed to match it. I love my MS3 but if you can get by with a 2 door sport coupe do it.

 

[Knox Joe]

Damn, didn't realze the MS3 was such a pig.

Yeah, get the Mustang.


Better yet, get an MSP. I raced a new Mustang GT through a few straights, and some long sweepers, and I left his ass.

 

[Pfft]

Do you live where handling doesn't matter?

Because you forgot to mention the >1000lbs weigh difference.

I'm a red-light racer, I don't race road courses; I am looking for 0-60 speed out of the car. The weight doesn't concern me unless it was seriously impacting the gas mileage. This would be the first I heard someone questioning the handling of the new Mustang; can you talk more about your thoughts on it? Car and Driver had favorable things to say about it.

 

[Knox Joe]

Handling, in a Mustang??!!!???

Are you F'en crazy. I've owned an older foxbody (read; best handling) Mustang, and driven a few new ones, they wallow in turns.

The Mustang slaloms at 65.3 mph, the MSP is 68.something. You tell me which one turns better.

 

[Knox Joe]

Oh, I was wrong about the weight though.

Mustang GT = 3500

MS3 = 3200


not much of a difference.

If it means anything, my MSP can stay next to a lighty modded Mustang GT 04' (I think they run stock high 13's or low 14's) from a stop. For much less money than you're going to spend on the Stang or MS3.

 

[BOOSTR]

I'd get the Mustang if I were you. There's a company called Maximum Motorsports that offers products to cure any perceived cornering deficiencies for any Mustang.

 

[CantCMe]

Mustang hands down. I love my Mazda, but for the price I'd take the Stang in a heartbeat, plus it's easier to modify if you choose that route.

 

[Knox Joe]

If your just a street light racer why spend all this money on a new car so you can break it?

Build you a cheap, and extremely fast Foxbody Mustang for a fraction of what it will cost you to buy a new one. Then just buy a nice economical low price daily driver.


My project right now is to find a decent foxbody (preferably an 89 LX) and put full road race suspension on it. Out of the box, the Mustangs are not as quick on a tight mountain backroad up here.


I used to do a lot of drag down home in Florida, but I got tired of going straight, and breaking s***.

 

[MM3Canuck]

What ever you do, post pics of your new vehicle!!!

Stang: Looks obviously more american, muscle car I suppose. Sound wise, the Stang defenitaly sounds 100x better than the Mazda. However, I love the BOV sound on the Mazda.

Mazda: More European (Nicer modern curves), performs very well and is fast!

 

[CTGrey02]

I'd get the Mustang if I were you. There's a company called Maximum Motorsports that offers products to cure any perceived cornering deficiencies for any Mustang.

I'll second that notion. Maximum Motorsports suspensions on a Mustang Body style will give you a car that will piss off a lot of people on the road courses. They're two totally different styles of cars. Mustangs are unrefined brutes with more than enough torque to make up the meager difference in weight, not to mention they put down what the MS3's engine is rated at to the wheels in stock form. A quick blower add on and your looking at 450 RWHP on the stock motor for only about 8 hours worth of work. Add in the RWD launch at the drag strip and you've definitely got a better sport oriented platform. The 5 speed does limit it however. As soon as I hit 135 MPH you might as well have a chute out.

That said... The MS3 has 4 doors and a hatch back with folding down rear seats. The Mustang can never match that kind of versatility. (Fox bodies came close with their awesome hatchbacks, but still only 2 doors). Fuel economy in all honesty is going to be about the same. With 400 RWHP in my GT I still get about 26 MPG when I drive with in the legal limits of the road. The engine simply doesn't need to rev to keep up with traffic. Loafing at 1700 RPM at 75 MPH is kinda amusing. Insurance is definitely cheaper with the MS3.

Either car will be tons of fun. If you dont need the utility, get the Mustang. If you move around a lot and want something that you can easily live with on a daily basis get the MS3. My GT stays in the garage half the year because it's just too much of a PITA to drive in traffic, and it has no business being outside in the winter. The MS3 is going to be my daily driver, thats how much faith I have in it.

 

[kobaq7]

Mustangs are one of the easiest cars to upgrade, no matter what year, they get more hp per $ also with upgrades, i love mazdas as well, but if i could get a new Mustang GT, i would. Go for it big guy.

 

[RogRacer]

I don't think you can really begin to compare these two cars. An MS3 is a 5-door hatch with a very strong practical side to it. The Mustang is anything but.

To me, cars should be practical. If I'm just interested in pure speed, I'll just hop on my sportbike.

So...the Mustang is really not a practical car, nor is it really that fast for the level of practicality it offers. Still, I like 'em....but it's not for me.

 

[TheDutchGun]

I had an MS3 on order until I decided on a 2006 Mustang GT. I got my Mustang for $1000 less sticker than the MS3 would have been. My car does not have leather and has an aftermarket Cervini's Ducktail spoiler as opposed to the factory one.

Other than the gas mileage, I'm very happy with my decision because I know that for another $10,000 or so, I can get my car close to 500 hp at the wheels including the appropriate suspension mods to handle the power.

 

[meha11]

if you get the mustang you will also get every asshole in the world trying to race you.
sit inside one and play with all the plasticy buttons and handles, look at the fake bad chrome, to me the mustang represents pure cheap s*** that is fast in a straight line until it breaks down the day after the warranty expires because thats what its designed to do.

MS3 does not stick out like a sore thumb to every boy racer, cop and thief. It is also very practical and will put a smile on your face when driving it.

i guess in a nutshell all i am saying is theres more reasons to own a car than it 0-60 time.

 

[Black_Protege_5]

I don't know. I drove the mustang when I was considering and it just felt sluggish and no road contact. Plus I hate that clutch. Thats why I went with the 350z. The stang did drift nicely though leaving the parking lot at the dealership though haha.

 

[CTGrey02]

if you get the mustang you will also get every asshole in the world trying to race you.
sit inside one and play with all the plasticy buttons and handles, look at the fake bad chrome, to me the mustang represents pure cheap s*** that is fast in a straight line until it breaks down the day after the warranty expires because thats what its designed to do.

MS3 does not stick out like a sore thumb to every boy racer, cop and thief. It is also very practical and will put a smile on your face when driving it.

i guess in a nutshell all i am saying is theres more reasons to own a car than it 0-60 time.

LOL No one ever pulls up to me to race unless I'm at a strip. Vettes and the like don't want to waste their gas on a GT, Civic's and such can't compete. They're everywhere so no one really cares much. "It's just another Mustang" They also blend in due to the fact theres so many on the road. Most people think they still have 5.0's in them or are 6 bangers.

Also, I'm 4K over the warranty period on mine. Running at twice the output I have no mechanical issues, my "cheap" interrior (last I checked the mazda's interrior was filled with plastic as well) has no creaks or weird noises, all very solid and still looks good in my opinion. My leather isn't all out of wack like everyones complaining about with the MS3 GT side bolsters. That said I care for it appropriately as well. Nor has my engine fallen out, lol

Neither car is better than the other, they just have different uses. That's why I'll have both as soon as it comes in.

 

[TampaBlackMSP]

Apples to Oranges - get what YOU want.

Imo - rear wheel drive and V8 torque for teh win! My next car will likely be this as well (not a stang, but having the other two)...