Mustang vs. Camaro

C

CaptinFocker

New member
Here is my dilemma, I am getting rid of my 2003 Saab 9-3 due to the fact that i dont drive it anymore. I was looking at either a 98-2003 Mustang or a 98-2002 Camaro. I was wondering if anyone owned either of these and could give me some insight on how they ran ect.
 
It really is a matter of preference. They both have similiar handling traits (solid rear, strong engines). I perfer the interior of the Mustang's of that period. The Camaro's exterior is more pleasing to me, but I did not feel comfortable inside. The base models have comparable V6 power numbers and the V8 models are comparable (I think stock the advantage is the Camaro).
 
I owned a 94 Z28 and the exterior I liked more than the mustang but the interior of the camaro was very cheap but then again I did not buy it for the great interior. For v8 performance I would go for the camaro /trans am over the mustang. If you get the V6 maybe the mustang would do. As far as ride it very stiff then again look at the type of car. I thought the handling was decent for a 94 Z28 it took corners fairly well and straight line performance was good for what I paid and the year. I did not like the headlights of the camaro they did not illuminate well enough mustang wins that one. Mustang also takes regular gas GT and base v6 except maybe the cobra (premium) I think as for the Z-28 or SS premium or Trans am/Formula premium.
 
If you want to go fast (high 11's) with 4-5 cheap bolt-on components, buy a 03 SVT Mustang Cobra. You can pick up one now a days for under $20,000 already modified.
 
Unless it's a Terminator or Mach1/99(?) Cobra, no 99-03 'stang is gonna come close to the LS1 all things equal or stock.



IIRC an '03 Mach 1 and an LS1 is a driver's race. The Terminators are probably the only one I'd buy out of that generation, maybe a Mach if the price was right.
 
I like the f-bodys better: the ls1 is a great motor, t-tops are always nice



but go fast parts are usually a little cheaper the rustangs



you should just drive them and find what you like
 
If I were making this choice, I'd probably lean toward the LS1 car. I'm kinda GM biased; however, I did consider an 03-04 snake before I snapped to my senses and realized that I didnt want payments.



I've driven both cars in question, so here's some of my observations:



The Cobra has a very STIFF clutch...It's not something I'd really look forward to sitting in rush hour stop and go traffic in; HOWEVER, the car is so much fun to drive wide open, I'd deal with it. The blower whine is great and will DEFINITELY put a smile on your face every time you stomp the go pedal.



The F bods are decent daily drivers, but the clutches and rears could stand to be a bit stronger for the hardcore drag racer. I dont think that's a concern with the daily commute, but I've had a few friends break rear ends or have clutches stuck to the floor after running them hard at the track. Everything is repairable, and the rear on an F car is probably going to be cheaper than the IRS on the Snake (yes, one of my buds blew a rear on his 04 Cobra, so it can happen). LS1's make big power with simple mods, so with the money you save in the purchase price of the F car vs the Snake, you can easily build the F bod to negate any straight line peformance difference.



One thing I hate about the F cars is that stupid hump on the passenger side where the cat is. I think they should have put that somewhere else.



Depends on the car, condition and miles for me. I'd get the best car you can afford, no matter which model it is. Personally, if you're comparing a regular GT to a Z28 or T/A, I'd probably get the F car, but if it's an 03-04 Cobra we're talking about, then it'd be a hard choice for me.
 
Mustang GT's stock= 14.2-14.5 1/4 miles

Z28 stock= 13.2-13.4 stock



In terms of straight line performance they are pretty far apart.



I had a 1998 Z28... with a march pulley kit and headers (PITA to install), intake, and cat back I could run 12.7's on drag radials (the clutch let go pretty quick, but then again 5k drops can do that).
 
LouisanaJeeper said:
mustang looks better IMHO



camaro has a better motor that the base GT.

03 Cobra/Mach 1 performance is pretty even with the camaro
Click to expand...



z28=catfish SS=beauty



in conclusion either throw stripes on it or an ss hood and your good to go imo



being a FBody 4 life person id take a terminator over one all day, no better sounding car imo
 
I was a z28 fan until the last body of 81. After that they killed the styling big time.



I had a 95 T/A and liked it alot, but I broke that car a lot. Was fast, but just couldn't handle the abuse. I did hate the headlight and the seating.



I then dove into Mustangs and bought an 86 with a stroked 302 and loved the car... Well not the car, but the drivetrain. I had that for 4 years running low 12's all natural. The only thing I broke on that was the a/c pump which I shattered from the revs. The body was a tin can though.



I then had a 95 sn95 5.0 in bright sapphire pearl with pearl white stripes and I had that car for 5 years which was my favorite car. I only blew the transmission in that cause I decided to do a smoke runs in front of a cop with his permission. I was blowing donuts, figure 8's, etc. I had fun. I melted the trans that night due to my stupidity and ruined some tires. I still drove it howling for a few weeks till I fixed it and ended up putting in a Tremec. I also changed my harmonic balencer due to a vibration from me revving the engine to high. But all in all that car was extremely strong and I was very overly impressed.



I miss the 5.0's a lot and am not a fan of the 4.6's, unless it's a 32valve 4.6 supercharged. My friends 03 Cobra that I use to drive a lot was excellent and I had a lot of fun in that car too. Was fast and very comfortable. It's amazing what a chip and a pulley did to it.



But if it were me, I would easily want a 95 Saleen s-351 supercharged. Too bad they only made a handfull of them.



The regular GT's are ok, but need bolt on parts to make faster. They are inexpensive, parts are inexpensive, easy to install and upgrade anything, and comfortable.



I use to buy and sell cars and work on them too including modifications, so I have hands on with both GM and Ford. I am not biased at all and love ALL fast cars.



LS1 vs GT

LS1 is faster stock (except the 03-04 cobra)

LS1 is harder to work on with engine so tight and under windshield.

LS1 parts are expensive and GM parts have gone up

LS1 is fun to drive stock

GM has horrible wiring

GT is boring to drive stock

GT mods are inexpensive

GT is easy to work on

GT is harder to break

GT comes alive when modded and can be lots of fun

GT has way better braking





Both are dated in my opinion. If I had a choice, it would be the GT only due to the strength, easily modded, and inexpensive for the car whole and parts. I do like the LS1 engine better, but I would look at the whole package instead of just buying for just the engine alone.



Now if you add the 03-04 Terminator in the bunch, then there is no comparison at all. The engine is absolutely amazing, bolt ons give very impressive numbers. Ride quality and handling are superb and performance is outstanding. Bumping 500hp out of these is very simple. Ford and SVT put a lot of quality time in research and performance building this car while leaving lots of open room for the die hard drag racer. The engine is hand built and signed and not mass produced. Best bang for the buck without a doubt!



Saleen also too a few 03 cobras that were turned into Saleens. There were only a few of them.
 
'98 Mustang is an SN95 so cross that off your list unless you like slow cars. My Maxima has no problems with them at all. Even the stock '99-'03 usually comes down to whether it is an automatic (beat them) or a 5 speed (hang with them). Carmaros though? I don't even bother, they are significantly quicker cars.



The interior is a little nicer in the Mustang although towards the end of the Camaro production they got rid of those hideous grey buttons and switches that they shared with the F-birds which made them look a bit nicer. Most people didn't buy a Camaro for the interior anyway.



I absolutely loved the '74 Z/28 I used to have. Last year they shared a motor with the Corvette (L82 350) until the late '80s tuned port injected 350s. 4 speed, Hurst shifter, 3.73s with factory posi, Hooker headers, Edelbrock RPM Performer and Holley 3310 (780 cfm w/vacuum secondaries). Great car, loved blowing the plastic doors of C4 Corvettes with it, even when it was burning a quart of 60w oil every 50 miles. Handled great too, even better after bolting on the WS6 T/A anti-roll bars and switching to urethane bushings.



If it was my money though, I'd look for an '88-'93 Mustang LX 5.0. Much cheaper and tons of parts for them. :)
 
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