So should I keep it? It followed me home
- Thread starter Dasfinc
- Start date
It's an Automated Single clutch Manual.
So its a "Manual" gear box, but the clutch and gear selector is actuated hydraulically by a computer and pump system.
Drive it hard, its fantastic. Drive it in traffic, and its awful.
I like how he neglects to mention the mileage on the Odo
I'd hope my car to be worth about his ask once its 100%, but I suspect his car is comfortably over 100,000 miles if I had to guess (granted his is a 3 pedal car).
There's a couple of areas that you want to look at if you haven't already. The rear subframes on the E46s can crack and they make reinforcement kits. The VANOS system is troublesome and lastly the pumps in the SMG have been known to fail with mileage. The E46 M3 is one of my favorite M's. The interior is great and the styling still looks sharp to this day.
Had it up on my lift (photo on the first post) to check the rear subframe, car is immaculate underneath, no stress fractures from what I could see, and no structural rust (or even really any surface rust).
The VANOS system is why I IMMEDIATELY changed the oil the moment I got it home, and have been putting some miles on it (hot/cold cycles) to check for CEL's. Car revs smooth and no CEL's tied to the VANOs system, so that all seems in check.
And yes, the SMG is notorious, but I've driven through a few hot/cold cycles, and played around with the driving modes, and it seems to behave as expected, and I haven't found any weeping or leaks.
All in all, the 3 'big' problems these cars are known for are usually pretty obvious if they are experiencing them.
The one I'm REALLY worried about is the rod bearings to be honest. The car was not really flogged in its lifetime so far, so I'd hate to suddenly be the owner that spins a bearing (which cars with 2003 and older build dates have a TSB on). Hopefully the dealer service history will show they've been replaced, otherwise its going to be a $1200-1500 preventative maintenance item.
The tires are practically square from sitting, I don't think you'd want to drive it right now
You don't understand, sharing 1 car sucks, i'd drive just about anything now.
At first I thought the interior was a little too loud, the more I look at it the more I like it however.
Little of column A, little of column B.
I'm leery of destroying something that I've effectively purchased as an investment, and a 'Sunday Driver' type car, which I know is a shame given its a track oriented car without question...
It depends on if the Mustang moves on or not primarily.
The mustang simply isn't holding up well (and neither have my past ones), and I find myself being increasingly bothered by that. Tracking it would likely put it into the ground, or require more money and work than I'm willing to put into the car right now.
Our last mini (despite its time in the shop for its share of issues under warranty) held up flawlessly, not even a hint of wear on anything in or on the car....
Sitting down in my Mustang right now on its 'leather' premium seat that's fraying on the edge after getting out of the Napa hides in the BMW is like going from a limo to a school bus.... The buttons and plastics are fading, the SYNC system has about completely given up the ghost, and I really need a clutch if I want to track it.
Maybe its because we had our kid? Maybe its because i'm getting older? Maybe its because I've gotten to play with what is historically 'the bench mark' for sports coupes the past week, But to be be frank, I'm not happy with the Mustang right now.
But in all seriousness, I bought (and am still building) the Ranger to be an Auto-Cross vehicle. Something that's cheap to work on, and cheap to repair/replace that I won't worry about destroying. Not having the car note will increase the speed in which I'm able to resume that project. I have 13 inch Cobra brakes for it, 2 sets of wheels, disk brake/LSD 3.73 rear, a mild 302 for it, headers for the platform, and a reasonably stout transmission all hanging out waiting for when it comes back home.
That's the other thing, I LOVE having a soft top, I really do, but there's no getting away from how heavy the car is. This combined with some hesitancy about safety concerns of lacking a roof and having a new born makes me feel like my current Mustang is no longer the 'right' car for me right now.
I love the way the Mustang makes me feel when I'm driving it, but it doesn't change the fact that I hardly drive it, it doesn't feel 'quality' anymore, and I'm tired of pouring money into it to make up for its short comings off the assembly line.
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