Hey guys. I have been intrigued by the 5.0 since they came out ( intrigued may be the wrong word, i wanted an '11 badly when i bought my cobra, but i couldnt swing it at the time) And i am in love with the 2013's... Needless to say i got the terminator. And while i love my car to death, i have been yearning for something else with the car. The Spring creak (which is my fault, tbh) and the random, intermittent rattles from the interior are getting on my nerves, as well as the overall quality(lackthereof) of the car has had me thinking of upgrading. That and i dislike the fact that i can have a drastic drop in performance if the day is slightly hotter than the last (heat soak is a bitch, as im sure alot of you know).
Recently me and my friends have been talking about getting into track days and autocrossing, and while i have my Z, i know i probably wont have it all the time, and i REALLY dislike the idea of only being able to do 5 or 6 laps at willow before having to pit and let my supercharger cool off,
All of this general discomfort has put me back on the thinking path of the 5.0... I really like the thought of being able to buy a car off the lot with recaros, brembos, and 3.73's that will be able to go run consistant times, consecutively, and also make a nice (ish) around town car (or daily if need be, of which my terminator does mediocre) And now that i am in a better position with work to be able to afford a loan, im really thinking about trading..
Now for the questions...
First and foremost, to all the Ex (or still current) Terminator guys who now drive 5.0's Especially if you were dailying and near stock, How did you like the trade. Ive test driven two now and i definately like the car, but that doesnt necessarily give you the full spectrum of the driving experience, Im mostly interested in a mileage comparison (i know we can talk ratings and averages for hours, but im looking for someone to inform on what they got in the cobra, vs what they get in the 5.0 ive been averaging 12-16 in my cobra mixed city and highway with a heavy foot)
Overall noteable driving differences between the two?
Do you have any regrets on the trade?
For all owners, how are your cars holding up over time. Sun fade on the interior, rattles, etc?
The known clutch and trans issues bother me some, but they all seem relatively simple to work around, and i plan on modding the thing anyway, and i dont go to the drag strip often, nor do i really care, and i dont powershift my cars, so im not terribly worried...
Generic car questions.
I really like the 4.2" LCD and the Track Apps. I played with it in the '13 i drove the other day and its a cool feature. I dont understand why they dont have it in the Base GT's though... I am not the largest fan of leather, and i would not mind getting the base by any means (keep costs down) but i dont really want to lose this feature. Can anybody elaborate on what the message center on the base has, or is it just basic parameters. Im planning on going back to the dealer to play with a couple of the cars to check out the differences, but there is a large chance i will miss something.
Any other particular opinions for or against the premium based on the interior features? id like to have a nice car, but i also dont really want to overpay for said car either
Does anybody know anything about the attainability of a 2013 GT500 rear bumper and axlebacks? Those things make me happy in the nether regions and i would very much like that kind of exhaust setup...
I have heard tell that the 3.55(?) or 3.31 axle is preferrable to the 3.73's for one reason or another. the first being that first gear was supposedly to "quick" with the 3.73's. I didnt really notice that with the car i drove, but i guess i could see why. Any input on that front?
Is the track package worth it? I like the idea of the upgraded cooling, but has anyone without the package had any overheating issues out on the track? It seems to be the only way to get a '13 with 3.73's as far as the builder is concerned, but if the answer to these last two questions is no, then why bother?
Recaro's. I believe i read that they save 80 lbs over the power seats? is that right or just some fancy BS. Are they worth the giant price tag? The stockness is nice and they are very comfy, but would i just be better off ditching them as an option and getting some corbeaus or something else aftermarket? Are they effective as a racing seat (obviously to people who have tracked their cars)
During my test drive of the 2013, i noticed a could of things as well.
A: The car felt very spongy in the suspension dept. I dont remember the 2011 (3.31 axle base)that i drove a couple months back feeling that way, but i didnt get a chance to take a few corners in that thing either. The 13 was a 3.73 axle Premium, and i noticed a lot of lift and dive on acceleration and braking., and the car seemed to want to take off on a very minor yump. This being said, i noticed on fords website that the Brembo package adds "Aggressive suspension tuning" I would hope that this would mean the car has been stiffened up quite a bit, but i have yet to drive a brembo car (the only one the dealer had was an automatic convertible,
B:There was quite a bit of throttle lag, i am completely unused to DBW cars, so im assuming it can be attributed to that. I prefer my cars to have a crisp throttle, is it easy/achievable to get this feeling with a handheld?
My sincerest apologies for the novel. Im really on the fence about this, and i just want some assistance deciding if this is a good idea for me... Im sure im forgetting some of my questions as well...
Recently me and my friends have been talking about getting into track days and autocrossing, and while i have my Z, i know i probably wont have it all the time, and i REALLY dislike the idea of only being able to do 5 or 6 laps at willow before having to pit and let my supercharger cool off,
All of this general discomfort has put me back on the thinking path of the 5.0... I really like the thought of being able to buy a car off the lot with recaros, brembos, and 3.73's that will be able to go run consistant times, consecutively, and also make a nice (ish) around town car (or daily if need be, of which my terminator does mediocre) And now that i am in a better position with work to be able to afford a loan, im really thinking about trading..
Now for the questions...
First and foremost, to all the Ex (or still current) Terminator guys who now drive 5.0's Especially if you were dailying and near stock, How did you like the trade. Ive test driven two now and i definately like the car, but that doesnt necessarily give you the full spectrum of the driving experience, Im mostly interested in a mileage comparison (i know we can talk ratings and averages for hours, but im looking for someone to inform on what they got in the cobra, vs what they get in the 5.0 ive been averaging 12-16 in my cobra mixed city and highway with a heavy foot)
Overall noteable driving differences between the two?
Do you have any regrets on the trade?
For all owners, how are your cars holding up over time. Sun fade on the interior, rattles, etc?
The known clutch and trans issues bother me some, but they all seem relatively simple to work around, and i plan on modding the thing anyway, and i dont go to the drag strip often, nor do i really care, and i dont powershift my cars, so im not terribly worried...
Generic car questions.
I really like the 4.2" LCD and the Track Apps. I played with it in the '13 i drove the other day and its a cool feature. I dont understand why they dont have it in the Base GT's though... I am not the largest fan of leather, and i would not mind getting the base by any means (keep costs down) but i dont really want to lose this feature. Can anybody elaborate on what the message center on the base has, or is it just basic parameters. Im planning on going back to the dealer to play with a couple of the cars to check out the differences, but there is a large chance i will miss something.
Any other particular opinions for or against the premium based on the interior features? id like to have a nice car, but i also dont really want to overpay for said car either
Does anybody know anything about the attainability of a 2013 GT500 rear bumper and axlebacks? Those things make me happy in the nether regions and i would very much like that kind of exhaust setup...
I have heard tell that the 3.55(?) or 3.31 axle is preferrable to the 3.73's for one reason or another. the first being that first gear was supposedly to "quick" with the 3.73's. I didnt really notice that with the car i drove, but i guess i could see why. Any input on that front?
Is the track package worth it? I like the idea of the upgraded cooling, but has anyone without the package had any overheating issues out on the track? It seems to be the only way to get a '13 with 3.73's as far as the builder is concerned, but if the answer to these last two questions is no, then why bother?
Recaro's. I believe i read that they save 80 lbs over the power seats? is that right or just some fancy BS. Are they worth the giant price tag? The stockness is nice and they are very comfy, but would i just be better off ditching them as an option and getting some corbeaus or something else aftermarket? Are they effective as a racing seat (obviously to people who have tracked their cars)
During my test drive of the 2013, i noticed a could of things as well.
A: The car felt very spongy in the suspension dept. I dont remember the 2011 (3.31 axle base)that i drove a couple months back feeling that way, but i didnt get a chance to take a few corners in that thing either. The 13 was a 3.73 axle Premium, and i noticed a lot of lift and dive on acceleration and braking., and the car seemed to want to take off on a very minor yump. This being said, i noticed on fords website that the Brembo package adds "Aggressive suspension tuning" I would hope that this would mean the car has been stiffened up quite a bit, but i have yet to drive a brembo car (the only one the dealer had was an automatic convertible,
B:There was quite a bit of throttle lag, i am completely unused to DBW cars, so im assuming it can be attributed to that. I prefer my cars to have a crisp throttle, is it easy/achievable to get this feeling with a handheld?
My sincerest apologies for the novel. Im really on the fence about this, and i just want some assistance deciding if this is a good idea for me... Im sure im forgetting some of my questions as well...
The rawness of the terminator is not there, but for a DD which my car is, I get 19MPG Combined, with A/C blowing.
