How do you guys feel for each of these muscle cars? Seems like the Mustang has the general advantage in interior, motor-quality, lightweight handling, etc. Still have a likening for the Camaro due to its stature and IRS as well as sharper steering from what I've heard.
Is the Camaro's suspension/3.6 engine easily workable to be a better overall car than the Mustang?
Mustang would be a SOHC 4.0L in the S197. The 3.8 was from the SN95 chassis.
Also, if youre looking at those generations, spend the money on the V8 versions of each car. They are WORLDS better in every category than the V6 versions.
I ran a 2005 Mustang GT as a track car and it was terribly expensive. Later model years were better when they beefed up the brake system and suspension revisions lowered the NVH from the 3 link. Budget for a good brake upgrade if you go for an earlier version as the stock 12" brakes are severly undersized.
The one good thing about the V6 versions of both cars is you can upgrade to the heavier V8 model suspension, brakes, drivetrain parts for cheap from people parting them out or buying take off parts from people upgrading.
In reply to kevinatfms :
11-14 S197 Mustangs used the Cyclone 3.7
In reply to Dootz :
What do you want to do with the car?
kevinatfms said:Mustang would be a SOHC 4.0L in the S197. The 3.8 was from the SN95 chassis.
Also, if youre looking at those generations, spend the money on the V8 versions of each car. They are WORLDS better in every category than the V6 versions.
I ran a 2005 Mustang GT as a track car and it was terribly expensive. Later model years were better when they beefed up the brake system and suspension revisions lowered the NVH from the 3 link. Budget for a good brake upgrade if you go for an earlier version as the stock 12" brakes are severly undersized.
The one good thing about the V6 versions of both cars is you can upgrade to the heavier V8 model suspension, brakes, drivetrain parts for cheap from people parting them out or buying take off parts from people upgrading.
The 2011-2014 S197 cars ditched the 4.0 SOHC in favor of the 3.7L "Cyclone" v6 with 305hp/280tq. They seem to perform almost on par with the previous 4.6L S197 GT, but they depreciate like crazy and are capable of 30mpg.
In reply to buzzboy :
Daily driver
I've driven both the 3.6L V6 5th-gen Camaros and the 3.7L V6 S197 Mustangs. I prefer the Mustang. It definitely feels lighter and sportier and more spry. The Mustang felt like a sports car. The Camaros just felt heavy and numb, more like just a regular car.
buzzboy said:In reply to kevinatfms :
11-14 S197 Mustangs used the Cyclone 3.7
In reply to Dootz :
What do you want to do with the car?
I didnt think of the later models. The 3.7L makes good power compared to the 4.0.
STM317 said:kevinatfms said:Mustang would be a SOHC 4.0L in the S197. The 3.8 was from the SN95 chassis.
Also, if youre looking at those generations, spend the money on the V8 versions of each car. They are WORLDS better in every category than the V6 versions.
I ran a 2005 Mustang GT as a track car and it was terribly expensive. Later model years were better when they beefed up the brake system and suspension revisions lowered the NVH from the 3 link. Budget for a good brake upgrade if you go for an earlier version as the stock 12" brakes are severly undersized.
The one good thing about the V6 versions of both cars is you can upgrade to the heavier V8 model suspension, brakes, drivetrain parts for cheap from people parting them out or buying take off parts from people upgrading.The 2011-2014 S197 cars ditched the 4.0 SOHC in favor of the 3.7L "Cyclone" v6 with 305hp/280tq. They seem to perform almost on par with the previous 4.6L S197 GT, but they depreciate like crazy and are capable of 30mpg.
Totally forgot about the refresh later cars. The 4.0 was a total boat anchor but the 3.7L def has the stats to equal a GT of the early models. I do remember they got most of the GT suspension and brakes sometime in the later model runs.
If OP could find an 8.8 equipped model with the GT brakes it wouldnt be a bad little cruiser. What class does it fit into? FS?
I have not driven one but it seems to me that the 3.7L Mustangs at 300hp and 30 mpg hyw rating would make for a great all-arounder. More than enough power for most all situations while still being rather economical. Add to that the mentioned depreciation of not being the V8 model.
Bonus: The whole Mustang aftermarket is at your disposal for upgrades.
The mustang is a better daily.
The camaro can be a better track weapon..
Bang for the buck, the 2011-2014 V6 Mustangs are underrated. Another way to look at this: In C&D's lightning lap, while bouncing off it's top speed limiter, a 2011 Mustang GT was 2 seconds a lap slower around VIR than the 2010 Camaro SS (6.2L V8). ...So probably about the same on a slower track. It was .8s faster than the 2010 Mustang GT with the 4.6. If you want a daily driver and you don't want to go to town on the suspension, it seems the OEM suspension setup is fairly decent, as it would seem that much of that performance was due to the suspension, not the engine.
I believe it's fairly easy to install a ford oil to water cooler and swap to GT brakes. They were also sold with a performance package which gave them a lot of the GT spec suspension/wheel gear.
Why limit your self to the V6? The 3V 4.6 S197 cars (05-10) are old enough that you can get clean ones in the $6-8K range. Even though the 3.7 and 3v 4.6 have similar power numbers on paper, the V8 is still a better platform to build for power and more fun to drive.
The S197 is a large and piggish car, with even the V6 approaching 3500 lbs, but is lighter and more nimble than the 5th gen Camaro.
The cyclone is a good motor, but again why go with a V6 (2011-2014), when you can have the V8 (2005-2010) for essentially the same price?
In reply to GarageGorilla :
Could also flip that argument around and say "Why would you pay about the same amount for an older car with a worse interior, more miles, and significantly worse fuel economy just because it has 2 more cylinders?"
It's a daily driver, not a weekend toy. I think it's ok to make some fairly minor performance compromises in the name of practicality and a nicer/newer vehicle.
STM317 said:In reply to GarageGorilla :
Could also flip that argument around and say "Why would you pay about the same amount for an older car with a worse interior, more miles, and significantly worse fuel economy just because it has 2 more cylinders?"
It's a daily driver, not a weekend toy. I think it's ok to make some fairly minor performance compromises in the name of practicality and a nicer/newer vehicle.
You *could* say that, if you were a person that doesnt deal in logic.
If this is a toy, the gas mileage doesnt matter - and even with that said, the real world mpgs between the 3.7 and the 4.6 are negligible.
If you think the interior between an 2005 Mustang GT (maybe a premium) and and 2011 Mustang v6 (typically a base car) differ in any real way, you are not grounded in reality.
In any realm, ~3500lb 300 hp manual V8 coup > ~3500 lb 300hp manual V6 coupe.
Also, keep in mind, V6 comes with 7.5 inch rear vs the GT and the 8.8.
GarageGorilla said:You *could* say that, if you were a person that doesnt deal in logic.
If this is a toy, the gas mileage doesnt matter - and even with that said, the real world mpgs between the 3.7 and the 4.6 are negligible.
If you think the interior between an 2005 Mustang GT (maybe a premium) and and 2011 Mustang v6 (typically a base car) differ in any real way, you are not grounded in reality.
In any realm, ~3500lb 300 hp manual V8 coup > ~3500 lb 300hp manual V6 coupe.
It's not a toy though. OP said it would be their daily driver. Fuelly shows the most common fuel mileage of an 08 GT is 20mpg. Fuelly also shows the most common mileage of a 14 V6 is 24mpg. 20% better fuel economy can add up for a daily. It's also likely cheaper to insure, and much less likely to have unwanted attention from Dbags trying to race you all the time, or targeting your car for vandalism/theft.
I like V8s as much as the next car guy, but that doesn't mean the V6 is a bad choice. Especially with the intended use.
Also, all Mustangs got the 31 spline 8.8 beginning in 2011, so any of the 3.7L v6 cars would have an 8.8 equal to the one in the GT.
STM317 said:GarageGorilla said:You *could* say that, if you were a person that doesnt deal in logic.
If this is a toy, the gas mileage doesnt matter - and even with that said, the real world mpgs between the 3.7 and the 4.6 are negligible.
If you think the interior between an 2005 Mustang GT (maybe a premium) and and 2011 Mustang v6 (typically a base car) differ in any real way, you are not grounded in reality.
In any realm, ~3500lb 300 hp manual V8 coup > ~3500 lb 300hp manual V6 coupe.
It's not a toy though. OP said it would be their daily driver. Fuelly shows the most common fuel mileage of an 08 GT is 20mpg. Fuelly also shows the most common mileage of a 14 V6 is 24mpg. 20% better fuel economy can add up for a daily. It's also likely cheaper to insure, and much less likely to have unwanted attention from Dbags trying to race you all the time, or targeting your car for vandalism/theft.
I like V8s as much as the next car guy, but that doesn't mean the V6 is a bad choice. Especially with the intended use.
Also, all Mustangs got the 31 spline 8.8 beginning in 2011, so any of the 3.7L v6 cars would have an 8.8 equal to the one in the GT.
The V6 got the ultralight driveshaft to help it get the higher mpg numbers which limits the car to 112mph. IIRC switching to a V8 driveshaft drops a couple mpg.
Anyone want to comment on how the V6 Camaro sounds? The 3.7 Ford, especially with an exhaust, sounds quite nice to my ears. I really couldn't see the need to step up to the V8 when the V6 is that decent in the Mustang. I feel like Ford did the market a disservice when they canceled the V6 Mustang and left the turbo 4 and V8. The 3.7 and attendant manual trans from the Mustang seem like a nice package for swaps, ignoring challenges with the ECU.
lol. I did expect some strong opinions but not quite so all-Mustang internecine warfare. 
Anyone want to comment on how the V6 Camaro sounds
My opinion is they sound kinda bad (stock) in the 5th gens and pretty good in the 6th gens.
I had a lot of armchair enthusiasm for the ~300hp 3.6 when it first came out, but i've gotten over it after driving some of them. The only one that i out and out liked was the ATS, and i've driven 3.6/6spd Camaros and CTS's. Didn't really like them.
STM317 said:GarageGorilla said:You *could* say that, if you were a person that doesnt deal in logic.
If this is a toy, the gas mileage doesnt matter - and even with that said, the real world mpgs between the 3.7 and the 4.6 are negligible.
If you think the interior between an 2005 Mustang GT (maybe a premium) and and 2011 Mustang v6 (typically a base car) differ in any real way, you are not grounded in reality.
In any realm, ~3500lb 300 hp manual V8 coup > ~3500 lb 300hp manual V6 coupe.
It's not a toy though. OP said it would be their daily driver. Fuelly shows the most common fuel mileage of an 08 GT is 20mpg. Fuelly also shows the most common mileage of a 14 V6 is 24mpg. 20% better fuel economy can add up for a daily. It's also likely cheaper to insure, and much less likely to have unwanted attention from Dbags trying to race you all the time, or targeting your car for vandalism/theft.
I like V8s as much as the next car guy, but that doesn't mean the V6 is a bad choice. Especially with the intended use.
Also, all Mustangs got the 31 spline 8.8 beginning in 2011, so any of the 3.7L v6 cars would have an 8.8 equal to the one in the GT.
Wow, didnt realize that V6s got the 8.8. Thats pretty cool.
Still, in my book V8 S197 > V6 S197.
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