# Help me pick out a car (Honda CR-Z vs. Mustang vs. ???) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 5, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533 "2011-08-05T03:00:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/61 "2011-08-08T04:19:15Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > The manual-transmission Mustang is actually very easy to drive, compared to a lot of other manuals I’ve driven. It has such ridiculous quantities of low-end torque that it’s almost impossible to stall. Seriously, I used it to teach my sister and my wife how to drive stick. To make it challenging, I had them try _hill starts in third gear_. Everything else was too easy. Similarly if you forget to downshift after slowing down, you won’t stall it trying to accelerate from 15 mph in fourth gear. I’ve also had a very easy time getting comfy with the Mustang’s tranny. I thought it might take some time to get used to the location of the reverse gear and to get used to shifting to 6th when at highway speeds, but the transition from my old Tercel’s manual to the 'Stang’s has been effortless. > [@Cherry2000](#): > > I have a 2006 Mustang (V-6, full pony package, automatic) and I hate it. Worst car I have ever owned. > > Before I even hit 60k miles, the rear brakes went, shocks went, throttle body went. Now, at less than 70k miles, the transmission is having issues. Sometimes there is a delay and then a “thunk!” when shifting into reverse, and it also kicks hard when shifting into 2nd and third. The sensors in the gas tanks have both gone bad, and the car was also recalled for side curtain air bag issues. > > Sucker also burns out tail light bulbs like there is no tomorrow, and you have to take half of the trunk apart to replace them. > > The only thing good about this f’ing car is that it looks nice. Sorry to hear about you getting a lemon, **Cherry2000**. I guess the good news for **DoctorJ** is that the car has undergone significant changes since '06, so hopefully some of those issues have been addressed and corrected. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/62 "2011-08-08T05:08:42Z")
Rent a Chevy Cruze for a day. It has the option to shift yourself (bonus: No Clutch!) or let the auto take over. It has a little too much pick-up for me, I literally had to trade for a different car because my neck hurt. But one of my work colleagues bought one recently and loves it. There was a recall on the trans, but the new ones are coming out already fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Cherry2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cherry2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cherry2000)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/63 "2011-08-08T16:03:52Z")
Ironic that I posted to this thread yesterday…this morning, my car doesn’t start ☹ Yep, my Mustang is truly a piece of crap. ETA: Forgot in yesterday’s post…also had to replace one of the front tie rods. And lest anyone think I am Mario Andretti, I am not. I mostly just drive locally, around town, with the occasional trip to see a client about an hour away. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/64 "2011-08-08T16:42:31Z")
I’m going to be in your situation next year. I’ve posted before about my Camry From Heck… with the V6 and an able driver, it’s a lot faster than it really should be, especially in automanual mode. But… it’s _big_. It’s no Lincoln Town Car, but it’s big for a city vehicle. And it wallowed before I swapped the struts out. I’m looking at the WRX right now. Something tighter, decent mileage, and not RWD. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/65 "2011-08-08T17:11:11Z")
> [@Cherry2000](#): > > Ironic that I posted to this thread yesterday…this morning, my car doesn’t start ☹ > > Yep, my Mustang is truly a piece of crap. > > ETA: Forgot in yesterday’s post…also had to replace one of the front tie rods. And lest anyone think I am Mario Andretti, I am not. I mostly just drive locally, around town, with the occasional trip to see a client about an hour away. I looked up the Mustang V6 on CR. Huh. For '06 and '07 they have black marks for electrical system and drive system. looks like they got their shit together on that car AM (After Mullaly.) ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/66 "2011-08-09T14:01:02Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 138 horsepower, or three more than a CR-X, in a car that weighs twice as much. I do like the concept, but they should have given it the 2L four from the Elantra. Instead, it gets a tweaked version of the Accent’s 1.6L four, which has far less torque. I’m not sure where you get that it weighs twice as much. The spec sheet for the Veloster puts the base model with manual transmission at 53 lbs less than the CRZ with the manual transmission. Given it’s going to be $2k cheaper, have a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty and has quite a bit of electronic goodies, I can see it being very popular with kids. If you’re looking for more of a driver’s car, I’d shoot for the Genesis Coupe. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/67 "2011-08-09T14:37:04Z")
CR-_X_, not CR-Z. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/68 "2011-08-09T18:31:19Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > The manual-transmission Mustang is actually very easy to drive, compared to a lot of other manuals I’ve driven. It has such ridiculous quantities of low-end torque that it’s almost impossible to stall. Seriously, I used it to teach my sister and my wife how to drive stick. To make it challenging, I had them try _hill starts in third gear_. Everything else was too easy. Similarly if you forget to downshift after slowing down, you won’t stall it trying to accelerate from 15 mph in fourth gear. I drove **Jimbo’s** Mustang for the second time last night, and I managed to stall it again. I’m wondering if this is a personal preference thing - I have a very easy time driving my manual Corolla, and a hard time adjusting to Jim’s Mustang. I think my Corolla would be a great car to learn to drive stick on, and the Mustang a hard car to learn on. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/69 "2011-08-10T00:34:42Z")
Depends on what you’re good/bad at. The Corolla has a short, precise throw, but lacks torque. The Mustang has a horrible, clunky throw (at least, the 2007 rental I drove a while back did) but has enough torque to keep the engine running when you dump the clutch too early. So you can shift more easily in a Corolla, but you’re more likely to stall. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/70 "2011-08-10T03:04:23Z")
Mustang. V8 if you can swing it. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/71 "2011-08-10T03:26:30Z")
Update: definitely going for the Mustang. I want the V6 Premium Coupe in Kona Blue. I’ve got the dealer looking for a stick shift, but I’m still wavering on that. (Like I said, it seems like a shame to have such a car without a stick shift, but I haven’t driven a stick in years, and never more than occasionally.) It bothers me that I seem to know quite a bit more about the options packages available than my local dealer. Their business seems to mostly be trucks, and they said that the new Mustangs they sell are almost all of the “least money I can spend and still say I drive a Mustang” sort. One thing the Edmunds review mentioned that I hadn’t noticed until I started looking–there are a _lot_ of Mustangs on the road, especially here in EKY. I don’t consider this a bad thing; it just means that when I go to get it worked on a few years from now the mechanics won’t treat it like a Martian spaceship (like they have the VW), and I’ll be able to find tires for it (an issue with both the VW and the Fit). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/72 "2011-08-10T04:49:59Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > Update: definitely going for the Mustang. I want the V6 Premium Coupe in Kona Blue. I’ve got the dealer looking for a stick shift, but I’m still wavering on that. (Like I said, it seems like a shame to have such a car without a stick shift, but I haven’t driven a stick in years, and never more than occasionally.)\ Kona blue - [like this?](http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s142/featherlou/HPIM6991.jpg) 🙂 The Mustang really is a head-turningly beautiful car, and that is a VERY nice blue. Don’t let me scare you off the stick - I just need more practice getting used to my husband’s car. It really isn’t hard to shift or anything - it’s just different from the Corolla. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/73 "2011-08-10T19:54:56Z")
I believe the V-8 and 6 cyl transmissions are now all 6-speeds and the linkage has been improved along with the engine updates though still not Honda S2000ish for the shifting feel. Great choice, the 6 has plenty of pop though the V-8 has the tuned rumble from the exhaust for cruise night. The unoptioned models are for the secretaries (management assistants) just getting their first real car. Lots of Mustangs, Hawaii must have imported 20,000 of the older model just before the changeover for all the Rent-A-Car agencies. All convertibles. I might wait until I move back and pick up a used rental in couple of years. Top down all year there except for the occasional monsoon. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/74 "2011-08-10T20:18:40Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Kona blue - [like this?](http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s142/featherlou/HPIM6991.jpg) 🙂 The Mustang really is a head-turningly beautiful car, and that is a VERY nice blue. Yeah, like that. > [@](#): > > Don’t let me scare you off the stick - I just need more practice getting used to my husband’s car. It really isn’t hard to shift or anything - it’s just different from the Corolla. Oh, it’s not you; it’s us. He hasn’t driven a manual of any type in a decade, and he didn’t drive one more than once in a while then. So he’s not what you’d really call in practice. And trading cars for any reason would be right out, since I’ve driven a manual exactly once, about a quarter mile on the day I got my learner’s permit, and was thereafter permanently banned from my father’s truck. Given the situation, it would be really foolish _not_ to be a little cautious about the manual. Not that I would drive the thing anyway–the only reason I drive my car is because I can’t get a teleport device. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/75 "2011-08-11T00:57:18Z")
But it goes sooooo fast and looks sooooo butch. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533/76 "2011-08-11T03:58:33Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Kona blue - [like this?](http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s142/featherlou/HPIM6991.jpg) 🙂 The Mustang really is a head-turningly beautiful car, and that is a VERY nice blue. > > Don’t let me scare you off the stick - I just need more practice getting used to my husband’s car. It really isn’t hard to shift or anything - it’s just different from the Corolla. And in 2006 they called it Vista Blue… and my Dad’s 1970 was called Acapulco Blue. No matter what you call it this is the absolute best color for a Mustang (IMHO). As far as Manual v. Auto. I bought mine used and knew what I wanted. I looked for quite some time before I found one that had exactly what I wanted… low mileage, GT Premium Convertible, Vista Blue, perfect shape, and a great price (about half what a new one that looked exactly the same cost). The only thing I also wanted was the stick… but this one was auto. It was so perfect in every other way I decided to go for it. I really don’t regret it since it is still so much fun to drive. Also, my wife and daughter can drive it if they need. So, in my opinion, if they can’t find you a stick use it to negotiate a better price and it really won’t be the end of the world. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-out-a-car-honda-cr-z-vs-mustang-vs/591533.md?page=3)