Throwback

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 12/03/2016 at 00:25 • Filed to: None

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I keep finding myself forgetting I ever owned one of these. Still my favorite bodystyle, even if they’re a complete piece of shit.

E90M3 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/03/2016 at 00:34

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I had a fratnerinty brother who had an 06 GT, I powerslid the shit out of the car by accident on campus. He was laughing his head off in the passenger seat.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/03/2016 at 00:35

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I’d still drive a Bullitt.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 12/03/2016 at 00:45

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hnnnnnnggggg sogood

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/03/2016 at 05:22

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You bought an abused rental. Of COURSE it was unreliable...

Put blame where it’s due; with the rental company for not fixing and those who wrought havoc upon it.

The plastic thermostat housing in the V6 is a sin however. And fuck the A/C condenser....

The Compromiser > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/03/2016 at 08:36

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Guy around the corner has the Bullitt version. see it all summer. I drool EVERYTIME. It is so much the most faithful modern interpretation of the original. makes me want to get a Burgundy Cardigan .

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 12/03/2016 at 11:32

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It had 140k miles on it, it was only a rental for 20k miles. Any damage from it being a rental long since ceased to matter. It was a piece of shit because Ford makes some of the most sinfully poorly engineered cars ever. HERE’S A LIST:

Plastic thermostat housing (of course)

Four timing chains. Four. Fucking. Timing. Chains. Two of which are on the back of the engine.

One-piece driveshaft that will tear itself apart above 110mph or so

Outer door handle assemblies that rely on the flex strength of small tabs of plastic to stay together, and require replacement on 90% of pre-facelift S197s

Convertible hydraulic actuators held in place by one 1/4 inch long bolt clamping down a piece of metal holding in a small wristpin. That bolt has no threadlocker in it. One side fell off completely and the actuator slammed into the seatbelt retractor, the other side was so loose I could tighten it with my fingers.

The world’s most godawful exhaust system that had harmonics so bad they would make the interior rattle at 1400rpm and 3000rpm. Ford tried to fix this by welding weights to the tailpipe but spoiler alert it didn’t work.

Aluminum hoods that regularly delaminate their paint. Mine started coming off on the underside, most people aren’t so lucky and the paint starts bubbling and flaking off on the outside.

I’ve owned many cars with more miles, more years, and more abuse and none have had as many issues as that Mustang. Combined with the bullshit I see with my dad’s Ford Taurus and JayhawkJake’s Ecoboost I don’t think I can ever bring myself to buy a modern Ford.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/03/2016 at 13:31

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You had a lemon then. I have a friend who bought his 2006 V6 second-hand with 17k on it. It now sports 130k and a supercharger was installed 2 years ago. The only real issue he’s had was that damned thermostat housing.

The rental mileage ceased to matter?Bullshit. What car goes TO the rental lot? Ones that got cherry picked over by a dealer with a certified used lot and the management says “send this one out to auction”. That car lived a most likely very hard life before you ever laid eyes upon it.

4 chains.... It’s a large OHC engine what would you expect? The 4.6 is very similar. That and you can put 300k on them without taking them apart, even in extreme cases; taxi duty for instance. Thats like having double miles of normal driving.

The V6 exhaust....I got nothin’. Everyone I know swaps the muffler on them because they’re total shit and putting one V8 spec stock muffler on with no other changes is a proven 10 hp. I shit you not.

We could sit here and not pick any and every car for shortcomings, because they all have them. This is what happens when budgets become involved.

You plain hated the car. Nothing wrong with that. Ive driven a couple of cars I DESPISED and for the life of me could not figure out why. Example: early 90s Toyota Celica. Can’t stand to be behind the wheel of one. Something about it....

You think these are bad, drive a 99-04 V6....

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 12/03/2016 at 13:33

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Also, only issue I’ve had with mine:. Alternator. Every other part was a mod.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 12/03/2016 at 13:56

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Everything I listed was just bad engineering. That’s not subjective, it’s just poor design.

The car was privately owned after 20k miles so... yeah. Any problems caused by those first 20k miles would have been long taken care of by the time 140k rolls around. It was in the back lot of the dealership I worked on because anything over 100k miles goes straight to auction no matter what it is.

Yeah, the 3.8 V6 cars are utter shite. I’ve driven several. The interiors literally fall apart if you look at them wrong and the engine is laughably gutless. Dunno what Ford was thinking. Definitely not an SN95 fan.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/03/2016 at 14:14

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I’d say everything you listed was engineering by cost-cutting.

Pro tip: You couldn’t pay me to own a convertible ANYTHING.

I think a lot of the reasons mine has been a reliable car boil down to the fact that I garage it, it’s only seen snow one time (the day i brought it home), and the fact that other than the V8 and auto tranny; I ordered a stripped down version.

Base radio? Check. Apparently the Shaker system will drain your battery within 2 weeks if the car sits....

Base interior? Check. No side door panel inserts to come unglued. Plus easier to keep clean.

Cloth seats? Check. I just prefer them.

Hell, if crank windows had been an option, I’d have gotten them.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 12/03/2016 at 14:22

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UGh, yeah, I have yet to see an S197 with the door panel inserts intact.

wiffleballtony > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/03/2016 at 15:12

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Early S197s are garbage

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > wiffleballtony 12/03/2016 at 16:16

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I’ve driven later ones and boy howdy they ain’t much better

wiffleballtony > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/03/2016 at 16:42

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Mine handles pretty well. But, I have installed adjustable coil overs.

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/31/2016 at 20:06

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Even pop’s ‘08 GT had door issues but he simply reglued them. Other than that 55k miles later and everything still feels nice minus some small rattle coming from the passenger side door.

That said, he’s selling it next year since his knee can no longer keep doing manual and the seats aren’t helping his worn-out back. $12k takes it away.