Car purchase question

[litsnsirn]

I know that this is a biased audience, but if the chance came up to purchase a new '13 Mustang GT track pack & Recaro car, 13 Camaro 2SS 1LE, or a used '12 Charger SRT8, what do you think the best choice would be?

As I see it:

Mustang lowest cost, but this car is missing the convenience package and rear view camera, for a few hundred in options when it was ordered it would be great. Tires could probably be driven home in winter as long as I avoid snow.

Camaro, I think is a better car than the Mustang, but I am not sure if it is $5k better, but it would have the camera and heated mirrors. Goodyear supercar F1 tires, probably a little dicey to drive on in winter.

Charger, similar in price to the Mustang, slower around a road course(weight) and all the cheap ones have the red and black interior. Plus, not stick. Best electronics package out of the lot, adaptive cruise, blind spot protection, etc... Usable back seat. Last generation of the LX platform seemed to have suspension issues.

[downtime!]

Having driven ever one of those cars before buying my '12 GT, I would go with the Mustang.

The Camaro is a decent car, but it's really heavy and you feel that weight every time you drive it. You can't launch it hard at the strip with the IRS or it will break, and the cabin is straight up tiny feeling with almost no rearward visibility.

The Charger is also a HUGE car and it feels like it. The Hemi is nice, but to run with this crowd it needs at least another 100 hp. The interior is roomy, but looks very pedestrian to me.

The Mustang is also a pretty big car, at least compared to our beloved Foxes. Mine weighs 3755 with me in it and half a tank of gas at the strip. The difference is, the Mustang hides its weight very well. It fells lighter, dartier, than the others. Much easier to toss around on the track. The interior is open and airy (albeit still with some cheap materials, overall not bad though). The biggest "plus" to the new cars is the 5.0 engine. It revs to 7400 in stock form and is so responsive to mods that mine made 430 hp at the wheels with basic bolt ons. Now she has a Kenne Bell 2.8 kit on her and a makes right at 650 at the wheels.

In the end, all that is just my opinion, but for living with on a daily basis, it's just hard to beat the new Mustang.

[litsnsirn]

The strip is not an issue for me.

This is going to be a fun summer car that might see a track weekend or three a summer. At most road courses, I believe, the 1LE has proven it would be the best of the three. I think it even rates comparably or better than even the Boss 302. Your right on the visibility, the Camaro is hard to see out of, I passed on a CTSV wagon because of the weird blind spots it has. I also will be a beginner to the road courses, so whatever the Camaro is better would probably not matter to me.

[ChrisL]

Definitely drive all of them, but here are my thoughts.

The mustang is the best car of the mix. I own a '13 Boss 302, and talked a friend into buying a '13 Base GT just like the one you are looking at with recaro/brembo/3.73. Basically a baby boss, and he loves it. A Trackpack/recaro base car is going to be an extremely rare, desirable car too... there was a run on the track pack parts mid year and they were hard to get.

The Camaro is HUGE, and you feel every bit of it. It just doesn't feel fast. The interior is very cavernous, and the sea of black plastic parts just feel much cheaper than the mustang. The Chargers are neat cars, but again they are giant and if gas mileage is a concern, they are going to get 5-8 mpg less than the stang (and be significantly less fun).

The mustang feels "pure" (just like our foxes do) compared to the Camaro. Drive them both, but I'd be really surprised if you preferred the drive of the camaro over the mustang. What color is that Track Pack GT?

[litsnsirn]

Grey metallic, it is a premium with the track pack, recaros, and nav, but no convenience group. They are looking for about $5k off sticker.

[GSPI]

Track Pack All the way! A friend of mine in Wisconsin got one too...

I cannot release the image of one of my buddies on the assembly line that was being built in June but I can tell you that it's probably a rare piece as less than 300 were released for sale before June 2012 and then the production stepped up to complete the orders for them.

[28HopUp]

I would go with the Mustang. The biggest "plus" to the new cars is the 5.0 engine.

You should drive them all, but as said above I agree about the Mustang. It is a GT in the truest sense of the words. My 2012 loves the road. I cannot wait to drive to the MCA show in Beaumont this year. I don't think I'd feel the same way about the other two cars on your list. The only downside on that '13 GT is no Convenience Package, which I have and like on my GT/CS.

[downtime!]

You should drive them all, but as said above I agree about the Mustang. It is a GT in the truest sense of the words. My 2012 loves the road. I cannot wait to drive to the MCA show in Beaumont this year. I don't think I'd feel the same way about the other two cars on your list. The only downside on that '13 GT is no Convenience Package, which I have and like on my GT/CS.Bill, these things road trip like no other car! I actually enjoy the drive up to Ohio for the Brawl and MD for the RTJR every year. I'm taking Route 66 up this year to the Brawl, should be a blast!

[93chipper]

camaro has huge A pillars and lots of blind spots and the charger is only automatics and a 4 door. mustang has decent visibility as long as you fold the rear head rest down. it has good power and is the fastest of the bunch

[NoDrama43]

camaro? not if it was 5k less.

[NoDrama43]

yes I am biased.

[downtime!]

Me too (just a bit!). Pick her up from the shop tomorrow, just had a Kenne Bell 2.8LC installed. She's making 650 for now, until we finish the built shortblock and turn up the boost!
http://badtexasgt.com/hosted/002r1.jpg

[GSPI]

Nice and stealthy! :thumbsup:

[NoDrama43]

nice....:2thumbs:

[ChrisL]

So what's the verdict, did you pick up the track pack GT? And since we are sharing photos of our S197s, here's mine.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k95/buickgs455/312320_735645783369_51759563_n.jpg

[MOstang]

Chris - Love the BOSS in green! :thumbsup:

[litsnsirn]

No, I am still trying to decide. I really wish that the Sterling Gray Mustang had the mirror heaters, as well as the camera, but it looks like you can't have the comfort package with the Recaros. The only three options are the GT Track Pack, electronics & navigation, Recaros, and the RR sensing sys/security package. The camera would have been a whopping $214 to add to the price and it would shove me closer in that direction.

The downside to the Mustang is no back seat and my LMM Silverado is already a bit challenged in the back seat department. Also, I road trip with my brother quite a bit, and he is not really coordinated enough to pull off driving stick, which means I'll be stuck driving the whole time, every time, and with diesel at nearly a buck more than gas, I'd rather take the car.

I'm starting to regret passing up on the 2011 CPO CTSV wagon for 41.4k.

[downtime!]

So what's the verdict, did you pick up the track pack GT? And since we are sharing photos of our S197s, here's mine.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k95/buickgs455/312320_735645783369_51759563_n.jpgNice! Didn't know you had that one. I love the GHG cars.

[NoDrama43]

you gonna bring that to Beaumont ???? nice ride !

[ChrisL]

Thanks for the compliments guys! I'm probably only bringing the DPS car, but we will see, maybe I'll get a wild hair and bring the Boss also.

And as someone who sold exotic cars for a couple of years, I personally don't like backup cameras. I've seen more accidents because of them than saved by them, as you don't have any perspective with them. The beepers won't ever let you down, they will always beep as you get close to something, but the camera doesn't cover the corners of the car, which is where people always bump them backing up.

And the back seat isn't very big, but it's no smaller than a Camaro or Challenger. Of course the Charger will be bigger out back, but it's by no means a sports car. Buy the GT, put a barton shifter bushing ($15) in it and a Boss side exhaust setup ($700) and you'll never be happier with another car.

[ChrisL]

Did we ever get a purchase here?!

[28HopUp]

I was thinking about this thread while traveling over the weekend, and wondered what ended up happening...