1995 5.0 vs. 1996 4.6

[Norvin]

I use to own a 1995 Mustang GT 5.0. I keep kicking myself in the ass for selling it. I now have the opportunity to buy either another 1995 or a 1996 4.6. A couple of people have told me the 1996 & 1997 4.6s sucked. That they were way slower than the 1995 and 1998 and up models. Is this true?

I can get the 1995 in black with gray interior, Mach 460, 5 speed, 101,000 miles for $6995 or the 1996 in bright red with gray interior, 5 speed, 120,000 miles for $4995. I have to go through a dealer since I have a trade in and don't want to waste time selling privately.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Norvin
Post #1

 

[Norvin]

After a little research, I have found out there is, or at least was, a heated debate between 5.0 vs. 4.6. My post is not intended for that.

I am just looking for opinions between the 2 cars I mentioned above is all.

They both drive well. The 95 also has PW & PL.

Norvin
Post #2

 

[Booyah]

Who ever told you that stock for stock a '94-'95 GT was faster than a '96 - '98 Cobra is very misinformed. But as far as which I would choose, I would have to got over each one. They both have nice aftermarkets(the five liter having a larger one) but which is in better shape?

 

[GT2aCOBRA]

it all depends on what u want outta the car. The 5.0 is cheaper to mod vs the 4.6, and the aftermarket for the 4.6s isnt to great yet and 4.6 stuff is expensive.

As for the 96,97 vs the 94,95 there pretty much dead even, the 5.0 i think has a better 60ft time then a 4.6, but the 4.6 inches it on the top just a tad cuz it likes a little more rpms then the 5.0.......im actually lookin to get a 94 95 myself cuz rite now i have a 96 gt with a few bolt ons and its slow lol..... oh yea and before i forget my friend has a 95 5.0 with long tubes o/r h pipe slp catback 373 gears intake and pulleys, i have o/r hpipe mac catback 373 gears pro m mass air with 24lbs injectors and pulleys and i still manage to pull him by about half to a full car so i hope my rambling helps sum lol

 

[GT2aCOBRA]

it all depends on what u want outta the car. The 5.0 is cheaper to mod vs the 4.6, and the aftermarket for the 4.6s isnt to great yet and 4.6 stuff is expensive.

As for the 96,97 vs the 94,95 there pretty much dead even, the 5.0 i think has a better 60ft time then a 4.6, but the 4.6 inches it on the top just a tad cuz it likes a little more rpms then the 5.0.......im actually lookin to get a 94 95 myself cuz rite now i have a 96 gt with a few bolt ons and its slow lol..... oh yea and before i forget my friend has a 95 5.0 with long tubes o/r h pipe slp catback 373 gears intake and pulleys, i have o/r hpipe mac catback 373 gears pro m mass air with 24lbs injectors and pulleys and i still manage to pull him by about half to a full car so i hope my rambling helps sum and goodluck with which ever one u pick cuz atleast its still a mustang

 

[2814v]

I am pretty sure he's talking about 95,96 G.T.'s. If that is the case. the 95 is the way to go. The 96 to 98 G.T.'s were very weak from the factory. Both were rated the same horespower but seat of the pants will tell you diffreant. The 95 is also much cheaper and has alot more products to mod.

 

[GT2aCOBRA]

sorry for the double post...

 

[raven69david]

Why is this in the market?:??: Should be in SN/95 forum.:beer:

 

[poopnut2]

Originally posted by Booyah
Who ever told you that stock for stock a '94-'95 GT was faster than a '96 - '98 Cobra is very misinformed. But as far as which I would choose, I would have to got over each one. They both have nice aftermarkets(the five liter having a larger one) but which is in better shape?

I think he's talking about GT models. Which still, a SN GT isn't much faster then a 4.6 GT if any faster. I think you should get the 95', or save up a little longer for a 4V 96-98. To get the type of power the 4V puts out from a 2V is almost impossible until you swap heads, port them, do full exhaust, etc etc. Then you'll be at about where the cobra of the same year is. And after that, there's nothing left. Plus, the cobra is a nice car, tighter steering, better handling, and if you've never driven a cobra, trust me, it just feels good.

 

[Norvin]

They are both GTs. I posted here since I am trying to make a buying decision. I am starting to think the 95 would be the way to go. It has more options like Mach 460, PW, & PL that the 96 doesn't have. The 95's black paint looks awesome. The 96's red paint looks good, but the black looks better. I am going to go talk to the bank now. Thanks for the posts guys.

Norvin
Post #3

 

[Norvin]

What is the easiest way to tell if the 4.6L is a 2 or 4 valve?

Norvin
Post #4

 

[Lethalchem]

Both of those cars perform so poorly, I'd buy the cheaper one, rip the engine out and throw in a nice crate motor.

 

[Booyah]

Originally posted by Norvin
What is the easiest way to tell if the 4.6L is a 2 or 4 valve?

Norvin
Post #4

The huge intake with a Cobra on it would be an indicator.

 

[Norvin]

I remember looking at the 4.6 yesterday and noticed (I may be saying this wrong since I am not a mechanic) that it appeared it had 2 distributors with 4 spark plug wires going to each one. Does that mean anything?

Norvin
Post #5

 

[99SVTcobraVERT]

no,means nothing. trust me if it had a 4v in it you would know... huge heads, huge intake tells you it is. if it has small black valve covers and an upper intake plenum that can fit in the palm of your hand then its a 2v.

in addition the 1996 is 2,000 less than the 1995. which i have seen a lot of because of the "5.0" and how popular it is, and prob beacuse of the 20k extra miles. blk is hard to keep clean, red fades bad, so thats no help. the 4.6 is 2k less, that is a supercharger less than the 5.0. would prob make up mind based off of that. but 2k in mods to the 5.0 will make more hp than the 4.6 because of price differences and how they react to mods.

also the prices 4995 and 6995 SCREAM nego to me lol. i mean 7k is waaaay too much to pay for a 95 gt and 4995 is about right for the 4.6. but you can have a 96 cobra with 120k for 8-9k and 94/95 cobra for 7k range easy.... think about that

 

[poopnut2]

Originally posted by NOScobra2001
no,means nothing. trust me if it had a 4v in it you would know... huge heads, huge intake tells you it is. if it has small black valve covers and an upper intake plenum that can fit in the palm of your hand then its a 2v.

in addition the 1996 is 2,000 less than the 1995. which i have seen a lot of because of the "5.0" and how popular it is, and prob beacuse of the 20k extra miles. blk is hard to keep clean, red fades bad, so thats no help. the 4.6 is 2k less, that is a supercharger less than the 5.0. would prob make up mind based off of that. but 2k in mods to the 5.0 will make more hp than the 4.6 because of price differences and how they react to mods.

also the prices 4995 and 6995 SCREAM nego to me lol. i mean 7k is waaaay too much to pay for a 95 gt and 4995 is about right for the 4.6. but you can have a 96 cobra with 120k for 8-9k and 94/95 cobra for 7k range easy.... think about that

If he plans to mod out the 5.0 there's really no point in spending extra cash for a 5.0 cobra other then the brakes, bumper cover, and instrument cluster. Very rarely will you see a 94/95 cobra for $7,000. If they're in decent shape they go for $10K and up.

$7,000 is high for 101K miles. Sucks that you have to do it through a dealer. Did you try and talk them down any? I can guarantee you they didn't give NEAR that for trade in.

On the 4.6, you can spend $2000 and hit what 260rwhp maybe? But with the 5.0, you can find a set of AFR 165's for $1000, cam for $100 or less:coolman: and a cobra intake w/ throttle body for $300 and see 300 to the wheels. Without a blower, and still plenty of more stuff to do.

 

[99SVTcobraVERT]

Originally posted by poopnut2
If he plans to mod out the 5.0 there's really no point in spending extra cash for a 5.0 cobra other then the brakes, bumper cover, and instrument cluster. Very rarely will you see a 94/95 cobra for $7,000. If they're in decent shape they go for $10K and up.

its not the point that the cobra is only little faster its just the point that its a cobra. and even with less hp will always have more respect than a gt or v6. sort of like comparing the old gts and hatch's to the coupes and 1993 cobra's... and for couple grand more he gets a nice upper/lower,decent heads to start with,tbody,bigger injectors,maf,better interior (unless its the stripped down model which 90% arent) better wheels,better tires, better brake system,better looking car, and part of elite and not just anther mustang running around. and 94/95 cobra's sell for much less than 10k. i paid $11,000 for my 94 loaded 94 cobra back in 98 at a dealer....

here is one that is 94 that has 60k original miles for 9000 buy it now.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6236&item=2469731171

and another but 1995 for 7900
http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c...anced=n&start_year=1993&=&color=&cardist=2099


i mean one with 100k which is still average can be had just about any time of year for 7000.
how much more clean does it have to be and stock to be 10,000+ 30k original or less? if you going to spend that much on cobra here is two for 8200-8700 that are dohc 96 with clear titles!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6236&item=2470941511

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6236&item=2470198359

also here are some rare 1993 cobra's for 8,000

http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c...vanced=n&start_year=1993&=&color=&cardist=517

this 1993 even has a blower!!

http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c...vanced=n&start_year=1993&=&color=&cardist=181
nice teal 1993 cobra

http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c...vanced=n&start_year=1993&=&color=&cardist=940

Originally posted by poopnut2

$7,000 is high for 101K miles. Sucks that you have to do it through a dealer. Did you try and talk them down any? I can guarantee you they didn't give NEAR that for trade in.

agreed, trade in on 1995 gt with 100k mile is more like 2500 if that at major car dealerships and maybe little more at small ones or ones that sell mostly mustangs . this is based off of wholesale grey book that wholesale guys use(which is based off of nation wide auctions)like i said 6995 type price alone screams nego!

Originally posted by poopnut2

On the 4.6, you can spend $2000 and hit what 260rwhp maybe? But with the 5.0, you can find a set of AFR 165's for $1000, cam for $100 or less:coolman: and a cobra intake w/ throttle body for $300 and see 300 to the wheels. Without a blower, and still plenty of more stuff to do.

actually find a good set of used 99+ heads and have them worked and installed for 1000 with the newer upper/lower (like a buddy of mine did) then put usual bolt ons and exhaust and you tapping on 280's at wheels easy and it will be a 4.6 96 gt that no one would suspect is fast. where as a 5.0 will always be suspect when it sounds mean.

also afr 165's for $1000, then complete them,and head change kit, also where can you find a good cobra upper and lower intake for $300 with tbody? also i dont believe that out of the box heads,cam and intake will put him at 300 at wheels. my 94 dyno bone stock 215rwhp i added long tube headers,cold air, h pipe and a mac catback and only pulled 242rwhp. he might get 50-60 from the heads and intake out of the box. and i say maybe. but he sure as hell cant do the 300rwhp w/o full exhaust and cold air which is more $$$

not to mention if he cant do the work himself then labor is even more $$ so all in all he would have 2500+ in work and "300rwhp" say it gave him that then he would have almost 10k in a 1995 gt with 300rwhp, compared to a 96 gt with easy 270-280 for 7k? that extra 3k is a used blower installed and tuned. or built shortblock with shot of nitrous. either way he says bye bye to the "300rwhp" 5.0

guy go with which ever one you can get down cheaper, if they will come another 500 or 1000 off the 4.6 steal it and run. if they will drop the price on the 5.0 2,000 then get it. but dont pay more than 5,000 for a 1995 gt because they are all over the place for that price....

 

[99SVTcobraVERT]

hey not sure where you at norvin but this place says trades welcome!

1996 cobra 1 owner and not bad miles for $7,995!
http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c...amp;cardist=929

 

[Norvin]

I am in west central Illinois. I have decided to use my 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP as trade in. The dealer will give me $3750 for trade in (up from $3000) and the 1995 Mustang will cost $3567 after taxes and fees.

Mustang GTs in the 1994 - 1997 range are rare in my part of Illinois. This month (March) I have called and visited 350+ dealerships and have only found 3! They are the 1995 GT with all options for $6995, the 1996 GT with no options for $4995, and another 96 that was so beat up it was ridiculous for $5800.

Norvin
Post #6

 

[99SVTcobraVERT]

so you are trading your car plus paying 3576 i assume thats what that means because you sure not trading plus him giving you cash lol see if you can trade plus 2500-3000 even, and tell them thats the only way you will do it. i doubt they will pass it up if you havent been nego heavy already to get that price (which sounds like you havent) its ok to ask =) worst they can say is no then you just ask again hahaha lmao