I just did a sad thing. 

"GTCL" (GTCL) 11/06/2016 at 21:39 • Filed to: None

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I just wrapped up returning my 2013 mustang GT to its almost stock form. Gone is the full stereo, Koni shocks/struts, hotchkis upper strut tower bar, and Eibach sportline lowering springs. Also removed the plastidip from the wheels. All that’s left on it is the Pypes Bomb axle backs and the black billet front grill. Once those are also returned to stock I’ll be trading it in. I have to do the responsible/practical thing and get a car that is better in Atlanta commuting traffic. I’ll most likely be picking up a Subaru Crosstrek to be my new daily driver. The mustang was like my attainable dream car. I’ve had some great times owning over the last 3.5 years. I’m really going to miss it.

gawdzillla > GTCL 11/06/2016 at 21:41

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on the upside you can always STi swap that crosstrek

dogisbadob > GTCL 11/06/2016 at 21:43

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There’s an Atlanta, VT? :p

Because Atlanta doesn’t really have a bad winter or anything?Anything where you need AWD?

The Accord should be able to handle anything you’d encounter down there, unless you just have manual transmission in traffic, but they are available with an automatic.

Leonardo DiCabriolet > GTCL 11/06/2016 at 21:50

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Sad days :/

AestheticsInMotion > GTCL 11/06/2016 at 21:50

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This is sad to read... But hey things change. You could end up with another fun car sooner than you think

GTCL > dogisbadob 11/06/2016 at 21:52

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I’ve had hondas on the past. My wife aslctually had an odyssey. It’s freaking awesome. I kind of like to try different cars out. The Subaru just appeals to me for some reason. I do quite a bit of mountain biking, so I like the some of the features the crosstrek offers for that.

The manual is what is killing it for me in traffic on Friday it took me an hour and a half to go 23 miles. A MT mustang just isn’t the right car for dealing with that. Plus it aggravates my already bad left knee. I’ve had surgery on it, but it still acts up.

GTCL > gawdzillla 11/06/2016 at 21:52

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That would definitely be awesome. Only if it goes kaboom. Otherwise it’s stock for commuting.

GTCL > AestheticsInMotion 11/06/2016 at 21:54

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Hopefully so, but probably not for a while. Most likely not until my kids are finished with college. That’s a good 10 years or so out, but have to save for it. Plus braces and their cars........life.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > GTCL 11/06/2016 at 21:59

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Golf GTI DSG? From what I’ve heard, the DSG is pretty amazing. And the GTI seems to be the perfect compromise between practicality and fun.

dogisbadob > GTCL 11/06/2016 at 22:03

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well, I was kidding about the Accord thing (you know, how the new Mustang looks like an Accord) Yeah I know yours is the previous gen, but still :p

Sorry about your bad knee.

Good luck with your Crosstrek! I hope you get many enjoyable miles out of it. (and too bad there’s no Crosstrek STI haha)

Did you take any video of the pypes? How does it sound?

GTCL > dogisbadob 11/06/2016 at 22:25

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Ah yes, the 2015+ Ford Accord.

I don’t know that o have any vids of the Pypes. I personally like the sound, and I get lots of compliments on them. Has a nice rumble at low speed and sounds like someone released the Kraken when you get on it. They drone bad around 2000 rpm, but there’s an easy fix for that.....push the pedal!

I’m hoping the crosstrek does what I need. I don’t need it to

Be the mustang, just do what it does.

GTCL > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 11/06/2016 at 22:27

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The car I had before this was a 2006 GTI. I had so many problems with it I had to ditch it. I couldn’t stand the constant check engine lights and all the other things. Wife and I agree, no more VWs.

It did drive awesome, and was extremely practical yet fun though.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > GTCL 11/06/2016 at 23:00

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They’ve fixed a lot of their previous issues. Granted it’s not a year old yet, but my 16 GTI has been hassle free since I bought it in January.

VW is also desperate to make sales so you can probably find a great deal. The MK 7 Golf is really quite reliable.

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > GTCL 11/06/2016 at 23:28

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I DD pretty much the same vehicle (minus mods). Sad to see you give it up, but I get the reasons. 

Panther Brown Tdi Volvo Shooting Brake Manual Miata RWD Wagon Stole HondaBro's Accord. > GTCL 11/07/2016 at 02:14

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might as well go all out and buy an ls400 for a commuter car.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventorylisting/viewDetailsFilterViewInventoryListing.action?sourceContext=carGurusHomePage_false_0&formSourceTag=112&newSearchFromOverviewPage=true&inventorySearchWidgetType=AUTO&entitySelectingHelper.selectedEntity=d564&entitySelectingHelper.selectedEntity2=&zip=30301&distance=50000&searchChanged=true&modelChanged=false&filtersModified=true#listing=153587940

random001 > GTCL 11/07/2016 at 06:35

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We have a Crosstrek. It’s nice. I much prefer the comfort of the Outback, so if you can swing that way I’d recommend it. We briefly owned both, until the outback turned out to be a very abused specimen...

AMA.

Stapleface > GTCL 11/07/2016 at 07:54

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Best of luck with the Crostrek. It really is a pretty decent vehicle. It’s just rather underwhelming in the powertrain department. I’m not sure I could take going from a Mustang to one. In fact, that’s why I traded mine in. I figured if I’m going to have to be stuck going slow, at least get something that gets better gas milage. I could never pull above 28mpg in the Crosstrek no matter what I tried.

brianbrannon > GTCL 11/07/2016 at 08:12

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The cross trek is way underpowered

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > GTCL 11/07/2016 at 08:43

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What made the Mustang not so good for commuting?

Is it mainly because you need a 4 door car with more space for the kids?

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > GTCL 11/07/2016 at 08:47

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1.5 hours to go 23 miles? The ideal car for commutes like that is probably the Volt or the Prius.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 11/07/2016 at 08:52

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“They’ve fixed a lot of their previous issues.”

I hope that’s true for you. But I’ve heard variations of “only the old ones are like that... the new ones are better” more than once before from VAG people.

I recall the same type of thing being said in the 2000s... Problem is the new ones developed problems just like the old ones as they aged.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/07/2016 at 10:01

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I am aware that has been said about previous generation VWs. I suspect they really have ironed out a lot of the flaws their previous generations had.
At least I am very hopeful to the effect, as I do not want to deal with the hassle of keeping my GTI running if does develop issues.

GTCL > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/07/2016 at 10:26

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Yeah. That’s just a regular day in the ATL. It’s pretty terrible. I typically try to bring my mountain bike and hit the trails after work. But that doesn’t happen every day. I think the crosstrek will give me some more flexibility with that.

GTCL > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/07/2016 at 10:27

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I agree with that. I’m just over the “quirkiness” of German Engineering. Having a check engine light on 90% of the time is not something I can deal with.

GTCL > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 11/07/2016 at 10:28

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Best of luck to you with the GTI. I hope they really did get rid of all of the issues. I just have worked on a lot of VWs in my time, and they all had issues.

GTCL > Stapleface 11/07/2016 at 10:31

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Well, as I see it anything up in that range will be an improvement over what i’m doing now. I’m putting in Premium and getting between 15-17 mpg every day. I figure the Crosstrek should half my expenses in that respect. I test drove it, and yeah it doesn’t fly like the stang, but that’s not way i’m getting. I have the right expectations for it. It will get me too and from work, and work for a long time. At least that’s what i’m hoping for.

GTCL > random001 11/07/2016 at 10:33

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I know the outback would be a bit more comfortable and polished. I actually told a coworker to pick one up recently. We own an Odyssey for the big things. I’m hoping the Crosstrek just serves my purposes. Are there any issues to look out for? Is maintenance on it pretty easy/cheap? That’s really what i’m looking for out of it.

GTCL > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/07/2016 at 10:56

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Mainly it’s the clutch and the fuel mileage. Sitting still on an interstate isn’t so fun in a mustang. I don’t think anything i replace it with will be as fun, but it will make so much more sense. Not to mention it will be easier on me. Sitting in traffic in it just frustrates me to no end. It also creates a lot more wear and tear on the car that will cause maintenance costs to go up.

GTCL > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 11/07/2016 at 10:57

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I’ve been driving it for 3.5 years. The last year or so has been in some truly terrible traffic. I wish I could hold on to it, but it just doesn’t make sense right now. The wear and tear on my left knee is getting worse. I could barely walk for about a half hour on Friday after I got home.

Keep driving yours as long as you can. It’s truly a fantastic car.

GTCL > brianbrannon 11/07/2016 at 10:58

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I was really expecting to feel that way when i test drove it, but i really felt it was powered about right for what it is. It didn’t feel like a dog. It’s not as fast as the mustang, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s not even as fast as my wife’s odyssey, but i’m okay with that too.

DynamicWeight > GTCL 11/07/2016 at 12:16

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I had a crosstrek and traded it in at 20,000 miles. I couldn’t freaking stand it anymore. I think a lot of that had to do with it being manual though. I just hated that clutch. One great thing was it held it’s value like crazy. I paid 21.5, and traded it in for 19.5.

Take a look at the Mazda CX-5. It’s a little more but a much... much nicer crossover. Unless you really need that Subaru AWD, which, admittedly, was pretty amazing in the snow. If you don’t need the crossover, take a look at the Mazda 3.

Kanaric > GTCL 11/07/2016 at 12:38

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If you want to replace it with a fun non-manual car why not get like a DSG GTI? I have the same car you do but don’t have to deal with traffic but if I did that is probably what I could go for if I wanted more utility yet still having a fun car.

Since I dont’ care about utility I would probably look more towards Evo X MR which, actually, isn’t that bad as a DD since it’s a sedan with decent trunk space. However a GTI I would be able to go to home depot or ikea and pick stuff up lol

GTCL > Kanaric 11/07/2016 at 12:58

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I had a 6MT GTI before this mustang. It was fun to drive for sure, but the reliability was terrible. Actually it was reliable at breaking things. Spent so much time and money keeping it going that my wife literally made me get rid or it. There’s now been a strictly enforced no VW law passed in our household.

If i hadn’t had such a bad experience with one in the past I would definitely consider it though.

random001 > GTCL 11/07/2016 at 15:04

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We haven’t had a problem in 2 years at all. Normal stuff, oil changes, rotate tires, etc. I just find there is a lot of road noise in the XV that the Outback doesn’t have. I’d say if the room is adequate, that’s the only place I’d take issue.

GTCL > random001 11/07/2016 at 15:20

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That’s not too bad. I typically don’t end up going fast enough for road noise to be an issue for me. I have a background in car audio, so i know how to quiet down the noise floor if it is a bit much. I actually had the road noise on that mustang down to minimal. When shut the doors on it it would thud like a luxury car.

It’s good to hear that it’s been reliable. That’s really one of my main concerns at this point.

CaptDale - is secretly British > GTCL 11/07/2016 at 16:29

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Just be ready to expect to burn lots of oil and have the short black replaced. I would highly suggest getting a subaru with a 6 cyl or a turbo. Those don’t fail (Subaru Parts guy here). We see so many short blocks we have 6+ in stock. Just a little heads up.

GTCL > CaptDale - is secretly British 11/07/2016 at 21:33

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What’s the cause of that?is it something that preventative maintenance can help reduce the likelihood of occurring? The plan is to get a new one, so hopefully if there are any issues warranty will take car of it.

CaptDale - is secretly British > GTCL 11/08/2016 at 00:15

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Nope, as far as we can tell the ring tension is too low due to cafe standards and trying to get better mpg. we haven’t had a come back yet on he short block whoch come with cranks and pistons and what we belive to be bigger rings with more tension. So combine low ring tension, 0w20 synth, and a flat motor and you end up burning way too much oil.