One Year with a Mustang GT

"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
07/01/2018 at 17:44 • Filed to: None

Yesterday marked a year since I picked up my 2015 Mustang GT, replacing the 2015 Mustang Ecoboost I had previously. It’s been a heck of a year, full of autocross wins, track days, adventures, and gas. Lots of gas. Let’s review, shall we?

As it sat at my parent’s house, day 1. The paint was a little overly loved and well driven, the wheels were curb rashed and tires mismatched, but the interior was flawless.

With the help of a great friend I met from this very site a number of years ago, we flew down to Houston, TX, my hometown, to pick up a black 2015 Mustang GT Premium with Performance Package. It had about 32,000 miles on the odometer, and at wholesale price I actually think I came away with about the best value vehicle purchase anyone could possibly ask for.

A year and nearly 18,000 miles later, it’s hard to find the words for how happy I’ve been with this purchase. This car has been incredible, not only in what it’s been capable of but what it has allowed me to do. Of all the cars I’ve owned over the years, no other car has so consistently put a smile on my face day in and day out.

A year ago as I watched my Ecoboost ride off in to the sunset past my new GT, I was left wondering if I had done the right thing.

After all, it’s pretty silly to replace a perfectly good, maybe even great car with another car almost identical. I bought my ecoboost new, paid I’m sure too much for it, had spent a few hundred dollars on a tune and spent hours maintaining the paint and interior meticulously. Yet here I was, trading it for the same car but louder, more fuel thirsty, and with more miles on the odo (the ecoboost had about 24k to the GT’s 32k).

Of course, my Ecoboost did many things well, but it would never be able to do this:

I don’t think I need to go over my thoughts of the Ecoboost vs. the GT again here, but I’d be happy to answer any questions. The best way to summarize it is this: the Ecoboost mustang is a great car. The GT is a better Mustang.

And oh, what a better Mustang it is. My first autocross run in it was eventful:

I pretty quickly got a hang of it though, taking home top street tire time last September:

Since then, I’ve had a few top street tire times, a few top PAX times, and I consistently place top 5 raw time locally.

I also visited my first solo nationals, where I learned that being fast locally doesn’t mean anything about being fast period, but had fun nonetheless

This year I took it to my first ever trackday, and I’ve been itching to go back ever since.

The track day was really the moment that pushed it over the top for me. Here is where this car felt perfect, where I finally had the chance to fully unlock its potential and feel what all that extra power and noise I paid for was made for. It spent an hour on the track without any complaints, then took me home comfortably for an autocross two days later.

Most recently, it took me to Nashville where I had the pleasure of meeting a bunch of you all. This really has nothing to do with the Mustang, but it was fun so I might as well include a picture.

It has its downsides, though. While I don’t get it enough for it to be a problem, sometimes a V8 powered Mustang attracts attention on the street when you just want to be left alone. Tires cost an arm and a leg, and because its so massive they wear out on the autox course pretty quickly. The fuel economy, well, it could be worse. According to fuelly, which I’ve been using to track fuel ups since a week after purchasing the car, my lifetime average is 17.4 MPG. Like I said, could be worse. Could be better, too.

All in all, I’m extremely happy to have this car in my garage. If I’m ever having a bad day I can hop in it and row through the gears to giddy delight. This car truly feels special, and some days I can’t help but pat it on the hood and say “damn, I love this car. ”

DISCUSSION (6)

TrickJos > Jayhawk Jake
07/01/2018 at 18:40

Nothing puts a smile on your face like a V8.

That last picture is really great!

cbell04 > Jayhawk Jake
07/01/2018 at 19:08

It was fun reading over the last couple years as you went from the (I may be wrong here) sonic to the eco then tuned then to the 5.0. I think it's time for forced induction! :)

Jayhawk Jake > cbell04
07/01/2018 at 19:17

I’m saving the forced induction costs for a GT350. Or a Miata. Or both.

BeaterGT > Jayhawk Jake
07/01/2018 at 19:37

TLDR: Guy lives with V8 muscle car for a year and is very happy. It’s as simple as that!

wafflesnfalafel > Jayhawk Jake
07/01/2018 at 22:15

A buddy at work just picked up a 2017 Roush stage 2 with only 35 miles on the clock for a good deal, (basically stock motor, upgraded suspension, brakes, etc.) He honestly hasn’t stopped smiling for a week.

camaroboy68ss > Jayhawk Jake
07/02/2018 at 00:36

Its pretty amazing how vastly different the mpg gap is now between auto and stick cars, but probably due to the extra gears autos have over sticks. I have gotten a best of 32 in my 17 Camaro SS, and average 21/22 on my work commute