Likes
- Exudes character and charm.
- Old school muscle car vibes with very few of the drawbacks.
- Wide range of examples available on the used market.
- Showing very good reliability.
Used Ford Mustang review
2015 - 2023
Dislikes
- The fit and finish does not match the asking price.
- Safety rating concerns.
- Not the most practical performance car out there.
- V8 fuel consumption when you flex that right foot.
Stuff you should know
The Ford Mustang has been around since 1964, spanning 6 generations but this cheat sheet is focussing on the 2015 to 2023 S550
Available as a rear-wheel drive, 2-door coupe or convertible, here in Australia packing either a 5.0-litre V8 (with the majority of these being naturally aspirated, however a couple of variants have been assisted by supercharges) or a turbocharged 2.3-litre 4 cylinder engine.
Many of you will may your noses up at the 4-cylinder Mustang but that engine is ostensibly the same as found in the hottest of Ford’s hot hatches. So to make the 4-cylinder Mustang far more appealing, just think of it as a rear-wheel drive Focus RS, only it’s ditched the hatchback body and replaced it with some retro-inspired 2-door coolness.
The vast majority of Mustangs on the used market will be badged either the V8-powered GT or simply the Mustang (packing that 4-cylinder engine), but there have been a smattering of special editions here locally like the Steve McQueen-inspired and tastefully enhanced ‘Bullitt’, followed by the 4-cylinder ‘High Performance’, the fire breathing supercharged ‘R-Spec’ and finally the honed and improved ‘Mach 1’, all the specific details are below.
However, this doesn’t include the plethora of special editions that have been available internationally, some of which are available here via private or grey imports here in Australia, for example, the Shelby GT350 and 500 but, you’ll be paying quite the premium to get your hands on one of these. Think in the order of north of $200,000.
The Mustang also received a mid-cycle update available from 2018 that featured more power thanks to a host of mechanical improvements, extra options when it comes to the chassis, improved tech and features, and some new exterior and interior trim.
The easiest way to spot a pre or post-update Mustang is the headlight design, pre-update the headlights sweep up, looking all tough and angry, post update they swoop down, and look a bit sad, poor thing.
What goes wrong
Exterior:
The most common complaint from owners is underwhelming build quality.
Misaligned or poorly fitting body panels, paint colours not matching across panels and doors dropping in alignment have been reported.
With the doors being so long, be sure to check for missing paint on the outer edge of the door and that the doors haven’t been scraping up against anything solid too often too.
Also, there have been reports of water leaking through the rear window due to poorly sealed holes.
Also, with plenty of Mustangs being modified, be on the lookout for cheap dodgy body kits and accessories and poorly repaired accident damage.
Inside:
Some owners have had dramas with the Sync 2 infotainment systems, complaining of glitchy or slow operations. Sometimes just a software or firmware update will sort it out.
However, if the radio or infotainment system is on the fritz, check to see if the rear window-mounted brake light and reverse camera are working as the issue might actually be related to a wiring harness issue.
Although, that rear camera failing might just be a loose connector.
There are plenty of reports that the older the Mustangs get, the more rattles and squeaks and alarming noises occur.
Also thanks to some of the dodgy panel gaps, water can get into the doors but it can then create issues with the electronics for the window and door locks so just make sure the windows go up and down and the locks don’t have a mind of their own.
Also, check if the windows slightly lowering and lifting when the door is opened and closed, doesn’t occur randomly when driving.
On 2015 to 2017 Mustangs, check that the sat nav and speedo actually work, there have been reports these can fail on earlier models.
Then there are complaints of issues with the air conditioning, compressors and evaporators have quite the reputation and fixing them can quickly add up financially. If you’re in the market, make sure the air-con works on every setting.
Aside from that for the interior, there are plenty of reports of sporadic electronic issues and again, just poor overall build quality.
Mechanically:
Focussing on the 2.3-litre 4-cylinder Ecoboost first. It features direct fuel injection and is ostensibly the same engine as in the hot hatch Focus RS.
The Focus did have some head gasket issues early on, which were typically covered by warranty, although in the Mustang, in standard engines (without performance modifications) the head gaskets are not a common problem.
However, when modified with more boost and therefore more load, the head gasket can become a problem.
High mileage examples do suffer from clogged-up inlets (thanks to no port injection) but other than
Exterior:
The most common complaint from owners is underwhelming build quality.
Misaligned or poorly fitting body panels, paint colours not matching across panels and doors dropping in alignment have been reported.
With the doors being so long, be sure to check for missing paint on the outer edge of the door and that the doors haven’t been scraping up against anything solid too often too.
Also, there have been reports of water leaking through the rear window due to poorly sealed holes.
Also, with plenty of Mustangs being modified, be on the lookout for cheap dodgy body kits and accessories and poorly repaired accident damage.
Inside:
Some owners have had dramas with the Sync 2 infotainment systems, complaining of glitchy or slow operations. Sometimes just a software or firmware update will sort it out.
However, if the radio or infotainment system is on the fritz, check to see if the rear window-mounted brake light and reverse camera are working as the issue might actually be related to a wiring harness issue.
Although, that rear camera failing might just be a loose connector.
There are plenty of reports that the older the Mustangs get, the more rattles and squeaks and alarming noises occur.
Also thanks to some of the dodgy panel gaps, water can get into the doors but it can then create issues with the electronics for the window and door locks so just make sure the windows go up and down and the locks don’t have a mind of their own.
Also, check if the windows slightly lowering and lifting when the door is opened and closed, doesn’t occur randomly when driving.
On 2015 to 2017 Mustangs, check that the sat nav and speedo actually work, there have been reports these can fail on earlier models.
Then there are complaints of issues with the air conditioning, compressors and evaporators have quite the reputation and fixing them can quickly add up financially. If you’re in the market, make sure the air-con works on every setting.
Aside from that for the interior, there are plenty of reports of sporadic electronic issues and again, just poor overall build quality.
Mechanically:
Focussing on the 2.3-litre 4-cylinder Ecoboost first. It features direct fuel injection and is ostensibly the same engine as in the hot hatch Focus RS.
The Focus did have some head gasket issues early on, which were typically covered by warranty, although in the Mustang, in standard engines (without performance modifications) the head gaskets are not a common problem.
However, when modified with more boost and therefore more load, the head gasket can become a problem.
High mileage examples do suffer from clogged-up inlets (thanks to no port injection) but other than that, they are showing pretty good reliability, and if well serviced, there is no one serious issue to worry about.
Now the good ol’V8 Coyote. In the earlier (pre-update) FM generation Mustang, this is a 5-litre normally aspirated V8 with port injection while the later versions in the FN (post-update) had port and direct injection, a slightly larger capacity plus there are less common supercharged versions as well.
All of the Mustang V8 engines are widely considered reliable.
There are cases of piston and bore complications which are more common in the supercharged versions and there are different opinions regarding the cause. From an engine fault mechanically to issues with the tune.
There’s a lot of internet talk about a ticking noise coming from the engine. Again there is a lot of speculation about what causes this ticking and if it’s a problem at all. The post-update engines definitely have a direct injection rattle which is totally normal but there’s information that suggests piston slap may be another cause of the ticking sound. There are also theories that it’s just the oil splashing around inside the sump. Typically though, it’s nothing to worry about, they just tick.
The MT82 manual trans does have a few problems. There are some issues with the selector mechanism, both external selector linkages and internal problems with selector forks failing. And some reports of premature clutch failure too, although that one might be more to do with operator technique.
The 6-speed 6R80 and 10-speed 10R80 autos are in a variety of rear and 4WD Fords and because they’re so common, you don’t have to look too hard to find plenty of mechanical and operational issues.
But statistically, a low percentage of these transmissions actually catastrophically fail. They do have a number of valve body, solenoid and clutch pack issues and the service interval on the transmissions is every 200,000km which is ridiculous. If you want the transmission to last, do it every 50-60,000km. That wont guarantee you wont have any problems but it will certainly help.
Recalls:
- 27 June 2022 – Manufacturing faults were discovered with the rear-view camera, reverse lamps and other driver assist features. This will cause warning signals to show on the instrument cluster. This recall affected 2,303 vehicles built between 2018 & 2020.
- 9 March 2017 – There was an issue with clearance between the battery cable wiring loom and the exhaust manifold. It was possible that battery cable could short circuit causing an engine bay fire. There were no reported occurrences of this happening, but the issue affected 1,391 vehicles made between 2016 & 2016.
Exterior:
The most common complaint from owners is underwhelming build quality.
Misaligned or poorly fitting body panels, paint colours not matching across panels and doors dropping in alignment have been reported.
With the doors being so long, be sure to check for missing paint on the outer edge of the door and that the doors haven’t been scraping up against anything solid too often too.
Also, there have been reports of water leaking through the rear window due to poorly sealed holes.
Also, with plenty of Mustangs being modified, be on the lookout for cheap dodgy body kits and accessories and poorly repaired accident damage.
Inside:
Some owners have had dramas with the Sync 2 infotainment systems, complaining of glitchy or slow operations. Sometimes just a software or firmware update will sort it out.
However, if the radio or infotainment system is on the fritz, check to see if the rear window-mounted brake light and reverse camera are working as the issue might actually be related to a wiring harness issue.
Although, that rear camera failing might just be a loose connector.
There are plenty of reports that the older the Mustangs get, the more rattles and squeaks and alarming noises occur.
Also thanks to some of the dodgy panel gaps, water can get into the doors but it can then create issues with the electronics for the window and door locks so just make sure the windows go up and down and the locks don’t have a mind of their own.
Also, check if the windows slightly lowering and lifting when the door is opened and closed, doesn’t occur randomly when driving.
On 2015 to 2017 Mustangs, check that the sat nav and speedo actually work, there have been reports these can fail on earlier models.
Then there are complaints of issues with the air conditioning, compressors and evaporators have quite the reputation and fixing them can quickly add up financially. If you’re in the market, make sure the air-con works on every setting.
Aside from that for the interior, there are plenty of reports of sporadic electronic issues and again, just poor overall build quality.
Mechanically:
Focussing on the 2.3-litre 4-cylinder Ecoboost first. It features direct fuel injection and is ostensibly the same engine as in the hot hatch Focus RS.
The Focus did have some head gasket issues early on, which were typically covered by warranty, although in the Mustang, in standard engines (without performance modifications) the head gaskets are not a common problem.
However, when modified with more boost and therefore more load, the head gasket can become a problem.
High mileage examples do suffer from clogged-up inlets (thanks to no port injection) but other than that, they are showing pretty good reliability, and if well serviced, there is no one serious issue to worry about.
Now the good ol’V8 Coyote. In the earlier (pre-update) FM generation Mustang, this is a 5-litre normally aspirated V8 with port injection while the later versions in the FN (post-update) had port and direct injection, a slightly larger capacity plus there are less common supercharged versions as well.
All of the Mustang V8 engines are widely considered reliable.
There are cases of piston and bore complications which are more common in the supercharged versions and there are different opinions regarding the cause. From an engine fault mechanically to issues with the tune.
There’s a lot of internet talk about a ticking noise coming from the engine. Again there is a lot of speculation about what causes this ticking and if it’s a problem at all. The post-update engines definitely have a direct injection rattle which is totally normal but there’s information that suggests piston slap may be another cause of the ticking sound. There are also theories that it’s just the oil splashing around inside the sump. Typically though, it’s nothing to worry about, they just tick.
The MT82 manual trans does have a few problems. There are some issues with the selector mechanism, both external selector linkages and internal problems with selector forks failing. And some reports of premature clutch failure too, although that one might be more to do with operator technique.
The 6-speed 6R80 and 10-speed 10R80 autos are in a variety of rear and 4WD Fords and because they’re so common, you don’t have to look too hard to find plenty of mechanical and operational issues.
But statistically, a low percentage of these transmissions actually catastrophically fail. They do have a number of valve body, solenoid and clutch pack issues and the service interval on the transmissions is every 200,000km which is ridiculous. If you want the transmission to last, do it every 50-60,000km. That wont guarantee you wont have any problems but it will certainly help.
Recalls:
- 27 June 2022 – Manufacturing faults were discovered with the rear-view camera, reverse lamps and other driver assist features. This will cause warning signals to show on the instrument cluster. This recall affected 2,303 vehicles built between 2018 & 2020.
- 9 March 2017 – There was an issue with clearance between the battery cable wiring loom and the exhaust manifold. It was possible that battery cable could short circuit causing an engine bay fire. There were no reported occurrences of this happening, but the issue affected 1,391 vehicles made between 2016 & 2016.
Should you buy it?
We’re going to take a wild guess here, if you’re seriously considering buying a Mustang, no matter what this Cheat Sheet says about it, you’re probably just going to buy one regardless, aren’t you? Thought so.
Obviously, there’s no valid reason you should ever buy a Mustang, the build quality is questionable, the levels of safety even more so, yes it’s pretty quick but not in any nuanced or highly refined or dynamic way, it’s not all that practical, it’s so thirsty when you flex that right foot and it’s all a bit loud and obnoxious.
But, the minute you get into experiencing it, all of that is forgotten, actually, it’s more ignored than forgotten but that’s why we love the Mustang.
The majority of cars today are sensible and safe, they’ll get from A to B without any hassle or fuss and honestly, they’re just so bloody dull.
The Mustang isn’t, it just makes you feel good, it’s fun, it has character and charm and of course, it’s so far from perfect but thank god because perfect is boring.
Should you buy one? Of course not, but you should so buy one.
Just get the most recent example you can and please have it thoroughly inspected before you hand over your cash.
We’re going to take a wild guess here, if you’re seriously considering buying a Mustang, no matter what this Cheat Sheet says about it, you’re probably just going to buy one regardless, aren’t you? Thought so.
Obviously, there’s no valid reason you should ever buy a Mustang, the build quality is questionable, the levels of safety even more so, yes it’s pretty quick but not in any nuanced or highly refined or dynamic way, it’s not all that practical, it’s so thirsty when you flex that right foot and it’s all a bit loud and obnoxious.
But, the minute you get into experiencing it, all of that is forgotten, actually, it’s more ignored than forgotten but that’s why we love the Mustang.
The majority of cars today are sensible and safe, they’ll get from A to B without any hassle or fuss and honestly, they’re just so bloody dull.
The Mustang isn’t, it just makes you feel good, it’s fun, it has character and charm and of course, it’s so far from perfect but thank god because perfect is boring.
Should you buy one? Of course not, but you should so buy one.
Just get the most recent example you can and please have it thoroughly inspected before you hand over your cash.
Should you buy it?
We’re going to take a wild guess here, if you’re seriously considering buying a Mustang, no matter what this Cheat Sheet says about it, you’re probably just going to buy one regardless, aren’t you? Thought so.
Obviously, there’s no valid reason you should ever buy a Mustang, the build quality is questionable, the levels of safety even more so, yes it’s pretty quick but not in any nuanced or highly refined or dynamic way, it’s not all that practical, it’s so thirsty when you flex that right foot and it’s all a bit loud and obnoxious.
But, the minute you get into experiencing it, all of that is forgotten, actually, it’s more ignored than forgotten but that’s why we love the Mustang.
The majority of cars today are sensible and safe, they’ll get from A to B without any hassle or fuss and honestly, they’re just so bloody dull.
The Mustang isn’t, it just makes you feel good, it’s fun, it has character and charm and of course, it’s so far from perfect but thank god because perfect is boring.
Should you buy one? Of course not, but you should so buy one.
Just get the most recent example you can and please have it thoroughly inspected before you hand over your cash.
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Models, pricing & features
Tech specs
Body Style:
2-door coupé (Mustang, High Performance, GT, BULLITT, Mach 1, R-Spec)
2-door convertible (Mustang, High Performance, GT)
Engines:
2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang, High Performance)
5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT, BULLITT, Mach 1)
5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol (R-Spec)
Power:
233kW – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang)
224kW – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang) – from MY18
236kW – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (High Performance)
303kW – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT)
339kW – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT) – MY18
345kW – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (BULLITT, Mach 1)
552kW – 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol (R-Spec)
Torque:
432Nm – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang)
441Nm – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang) – MY18
448Nm – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (High Performance)
525Nm – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT)
556Nm – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT) – MY18
556Nm – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (BULLITT, Mach 1)
Transmission & drivetrains:
6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – Mustang coupé, High Performance coupé, GT coupé, BULLITT, Mach 1, R-Spec
6-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – Mustang, Mustang convertible, GT coupé, GT convertible
10-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – Mustang coupé, Mustang convertible, High Performance coupé, High Performance convertible, GT coupé , GT convertible, Mach 1
Fuel Consumption:
8.5 – 14.0L/100km
Length:
4789mm
Width:
1916mm
Height:
1387mm
Kerb weight:
1716 – 1840kg
Body Style:
2-door coupé (Mustang, High Performance, GT, BULLITT, Mach 1, R-Spec)
2-door convertible (Mustang, High Performance, GT)
Engines:
2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang, High Performance)
5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT, BULLITT, Mach 1)
5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol (R-Spec)
Power:
233kW – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang)
224kW – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang) – from MY18
236kW – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (High Performance)
303kW – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT)
339kW – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT) – MY18
345kW – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (BULLITT, Mach 1)
552kW – 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol (R-Spec)
Torque:
432Nm – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang)
441Nm – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang) – MY18
448Nm – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (High Performance)
525Nm – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT)
556Nm – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT) – MY18
556Nm – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (BULLITT, Mach 1)
Transmission & drivetrains:
6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – Mustang coupé, High Performance coupé, GT coupé, BULLITT, Mach 1, R-Spec
6-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – Mustang, Mustang convertible, GT coupé, GT convertible
10-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – Mustang coupé, Mustang convertible, High Performance coupé, High Performance convertible, GT coupé , GT convertible, Mach 1
Fuel Consumption:
8.5 – 14.0L/100km
Length:
4789mm
Width:
1916mm
Height:
1387mm
Kerb weight:
1716 – 1840kg
Body Style:
2-door coupé (Mustang, High Performance, GT, BULLITT, Mach 1, R-Spec)
2-door convertible (Mustang, High Performance, GT)
Engines:
2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang, High Performance)
5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT, BULLITT, Mach 1)
5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol (R-Spec)
Power:
233kW – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang)
224kW – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang) – from MY18
236kW – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (High Performance)
303kW – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT)
339kW – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT) – MY18
345kW – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (BULLITT, Mach 1)
552kW – 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol (R-Spec)
Torque:
432Nm – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang)
441Nm – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (Mustang) – MY18
448Nm – 2.3-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol (High Performance)
525Nm – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT)
556Nm – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (GT) – MY18
556Nm – 5.0-litre V8 petrol (BULLITT, Mach 1)
Transmission & drivetrains:
6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – Mustang coupé, High Performance coupé, GT coupé, BULLITT, Mach 1, R-Spec
6-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – Mustang, Mustang convertible, GT coupé, GT convertible
10-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive (RWD) – Mustang coupé, Mustang convertible, High Performance coupé, High Performance convertible, GT coupé , GT convertible, Mach 1
Fuel Consumption:
8.5 – 14.0L/100km
Length:
4789mm
Width:
1916mm
Height:
1387mm
Kerb weight:
1716 – 1840kg
Warranty & servicing
Warranty:
3 years/100,000kms
5 years/unlimited kms (from May 2018)
Servicing:
12-months/15,000kms
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Disclaimer
Please note that pricing information is subject to fluctuations in the automotive market.
Information correct as of February 10, 2023.
The advice provided on this website is general advice only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.
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