2002 Ford Mustang LX 3.8L

Summary:

A dream car turned into a night terror!

Faults:

I took the car in for a mild interior rattle and when I got it back the whole interior rattled severely.

The horn broke.

The right panel bends out when the window is rolled down.

A very loud squeak comes out of the windows when they get rolled down.

My windows rattle when I drive on the freeway.

The engine almost dies randomly even when it is out of gear.

When I try to put the car in 5th gear the gear sounds like it grinds and I can't put the car in 5th gear.

The car broke down at 10,300 miles and I almost got plowed by a truck. It has been in the shop for just over a week.

General Comments:

Up to 7,000 miles everything was fine until these random things started happening. I often found myself yelling at a certain Ford dealership who could never fix anything even if I told them the problem.

This car is junk, if you want a good car don't get the very bottom of the line. The only mustang I would ever drive again is the Cobra or Saleen.

I used to love Fords and especially Mustangs ever since I was a kid, but this car has truly changed my perspective. I will never drive another Ford vehicle as long as I live. I never want to put up with the random problems and the terrible customer service ever again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th July, 2004

16th Sep 2004, 09:29

Based on your comments and in reading the other reviews you probably got a lemon. This was a car that probably wasn't assembled properly. I feel bad for you, but don't say that all fords are this bad. Like I said before you got a car that probably wasn't assembled properly.

2002 Ford Mustang V6 Coupe Standard 3.8

Summary:

Cheap semi-practical sporty car that looks like it cost a hell of a lot more than it did

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong yet, though the brakes are noticeably softer than when the car was new. I used to have a nasty stop and go commute that was heavy on the brakes, I'm hoping the pads just need replacement. The seat-belts are poorly designed and are constantly getting tangled, preventing the recoil mechanism from working properly, which can be quite annoying. Other than that, everything has been great.

General Comments:

This is quite a fun car to drive. Even though I "just" have the V6 I never find it lacking. When I first got the car, my first thought was that it just doesn't flinch going around corners. The exhaust does not have that gorgeous throaty growl of the V8/GT, nor its push-you-into-the-seats as the light turns green acceleration, but its not wimpy either. I am referring to the automatic version- the manual I hear has significantly better acceleration.

This car is not good in snow. at all. If it was not for the traction control, I'm sure I would be dead. This car wants to be down at the beach with a fresh coat of wax, not commuting home through a snow storm. As a plus to practicality, it gets good mileage. You can fit 4 people if you are driving around town, though don't plan on taking more than one person on a road trip.

The interior is quite nice. The seats have a bit of a cheap look and feel to them if you look at them closely, but the first thought when entering the car is usually somewhere along the lines of "wow". The interior is actually what convinced me of buying this car over the Camaro and the used Z3 (shockingly crappy interior for a "luxury" car- reminded me of an 80's corolla) I was also considering.

The sound system is incredible. I blew the wad on the $1000 upgrade Mach 1000 system, and while I cannot say it was really worth it (I mean in retrospect how can a $1000 stereo ever be worth it?), it really kicks some arse. 1000 watts, 2 subs, 6 Cd's in dash, fully integrated into the natural feel of the interior, it can't be beat. It does kill a lot of the already scarce trunk room though.

You know what the Mustang looks like, but you probably do not realize what a head turner this car is. I've had a guy slow down in the right lane on the freeway and wave me on just to check out the car, and have had many people roll down their window at a light and say "damn, that's a nice car." You are not going to get that in an Altima, or even a 3 series BMW.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th February, 2004

5th Feb 2004, 19:33

Where do you live that people waste the energy to turn there heads at a Mustang. With the exception of the up coming 2005 there hasn't been a sharp looking 'Tang since the early 70's. Firstly they are a dime a dozen, secondly most people know that a lot of them are 6 cylinder automatics, blah. My '79 Impala taxi could run with the 6-cylinder 'Tangs, until the motor blew. Now it turns the heads of mustang drivers, thanks to a custom 355 small block V8 pushing around 450 horse, as I walk all over their little pony cars!