I want a freaking Boss dang it!

[7998]

That's what I told my wife the other day, she about fell out of her chair.
You see since we have been together there has been two constants in our relationship, 1 is me owning an F-body and 2 is me ragging on Fords. Over the last 20 years I have owned 9 F-bodys including my current Trans Am 'vert. Over those same 20 years I have owned 6 Fords and everyone has been trouble except one, a 1988 Mustang GT convertible. I can understand the cracked head in my 94 Super Coupe, I was young and beat it mercilessly. But how does one have problems with an Grand Marquis, those things last 300k miles for everyone else but me(The timing belt tensioner let go at 62k). My F-350 PS had to have its entire wiring harness replaced. (This is not meant to flame so don't get butt hurt, I know there is people who have the same experiences with GM's)
But after experiencing all that and swearing and mocking Fords I want a Boss like I never wanted another car. The wife and I started talking about replacing our summer toy, a 2002 Triple black Trans Am 6-spd with something newer and nicer. We talked about a used C6 'Vert and maybe a new Camaro 'Vert or a new 5.0 'Vert. Upon doing some research the Boss kept popping up in my searches.
As an enthusiast I was well aware of the awesomeness that is Coyote powered mustangs. But nothing compares to how the Boss makes me feel just by looking at it. The sight of one makes me gush like a teenage girl watching a Justin Bieber video. It takes me back to that 12 y/o boy reading his first issue of Muscle Car Review. It envokes emotion for every angle.
Guys I'm almost 40 y/o and have owned over 60 cars, not many excite me.
Ok enough emotion.

Let me ask some you a few questions. I have read of a few issues with these cars. 1. The transmissions? 2. The pistons have a tendency to fry with a tune? 3. Weak driveshafts?

I guess by now anyone that has read the above would say for me to just buy it already, and I just may. The other reality is for a average blue collar guy with 3 kids the Boss is a little pricey for a car that will only be driven a 1000-2000 miles a year. The GT 'vert is in my budget with the 0% the Boss to be honest is a stretch with no rebates or special financing. What do you think are the chances of Ford extending the 0% to the Boss? There is plenty out there still and the '13 is coming soon. The logical side says to wait a month or two and hope they offer some incentives but the emotional side wants to take off work tomorrow at go get one in Competion Orange savings be damned.

 

[acrbill]

Some cars have issues but nothing to really concern yourself over. Not sure on the incentives for the Boss but there is a local dealer that has a white one with Recaros that has been there for awhile and you can probably score it for under $40k.

 

[five0three]

I gotta ask, why the boss over the standard gt? No leather. No sync. 10k more. Standard gt is a tune away from equal power. Sure it has some mechanical upgrades, but you may not need most of them. Has cool stickers though....

 

[11dsgGT]

The engine in the boss is the last thing you should worry about. With it being fully forged, most supercharged boss mustangs push over 700rwhp.

The transmission issues you read about are from daily driven cars. I think that they need to be hot and work better when they are, because all the issues Ive ever had stemmed within the first 5min after start up.

 

[96lasersnake]

I gotta ask, why the boss over the standard gt? No leather. No sync. 10k more. Standard gt is a tune away from equal power. Sure it has some mechanical upgrades, but you may not need most of them. Has cool stickers though....

Its a litte more that just that. It has the recaro seats (I know in cloth), and the motor has upgraded heads, cranks, rods, and other changes. Rev's a little higher, upgraded cooling system, larger oil pan etc. Not to mention all the little changes, suspension, front end, wheels, side exhaust, track key etc. Now is all that worth 10k more than a gt?, thats up to buyer. I did see a brembo brake/leather Gt and a red GTCS for 5600 off at local dealership which would be hard to pass up if I was looking again

To the OP look for a good deal on a boss, I got a killer deal on mine as there are ones bein sold under MSRP now that the 13's are coming out. Now if you are looking at the 13' gt's you can get most of the boss stuff (cooling upgrade, seats, rear diff etc) on the Gt's.

 

[jonesd]

There are lots of boss 302 still sitting on lots. I remember searching the other day on cars.com and something crazy like 480 new ones came up. As soon as the 2013 boss hits with the standard hid lights, sync, and the new LCD screen and track apps I bet ford will offer rebates and dealers will start to push them. Without even trying too hard I found a comp orange in Texas this week for 1000 under msrp. Not sure what the going rate is though.

 

[cobra1718]

good luck on your car plans. I personally just sold my GT and got the Boss which was used for a decent price

 

[7998]

I gotta ask, why the boss over the standard gt? No leather. No sync. 10k more. Standard gt is a tune away from equal power. Sure it has some mechanical upgrades, but you may not need most of them. Has cool stickers though....

Its funny you say that right after I posted my post I looked at the ad for the Boss and a regular hardtop GT that the same dealer had. I said to my wife "Geez is it really worth $10k more". Idk, the Boss is something unique,, you could change the upper intake and cam on a 94GT but it still wasn't a Cobra, you put a KB on a Mach but it's still not a 03/04. Your point is valid and I think if it was going to be a daily driver it would make more sense.

The engine in the boss is the last thing you should worry about. With it being fully forged, most supercharged boss mustangs push over 700rwhp.


The transmission issues you read about are from daily driven cars. I think that they need to be hot and work better when they are, because all the issues Ive ever had stemmed within the first 5min after start up.

I hope it is smoother than my T-56, not as smooth as my wife's Mazda though. I do love the fact it is forged but I think the 444hp is enough for me, maybe some DR's to smoke my brothers GTO.

 

[7998]

Its a litte more that just that. It has the recaro seats (I know in cloth), and the motor has upgraded heads, cranks, rods, and other changes. Rev's a little higher, upgraded cooling system, larger oil pan etc. Not to mention all the little changes, suspension, front end, wheels, side exhaust, track key etc. Now is all that worth 10k more than a gt?, thats up to buyer. I did see a brembo brake/leather Gt and a red GTCS for 5600 off at local dealership which would be hard to pass up if I was looking again

To the OP look for a good deal on a boss, I got a killer deal on mine as there are ones bein sold under MSRP now that the 13's are coming out. Now if you are looking at the 13' gt's you can get most of the boss stuff (cooling upgrade, seats, rear diff etc) on the Gt's.

Whats cooler than a Track key, Side exhaust, a 7500 rpm V8. I had a 327 that would turn 6700 rpm but you had to adjust the valve every 5000 miles.

 

[Turbosixx]

I fully recommend the Boss, especially since it'll be a weekend toy. It's should retain its value and one day it may be a sought after muscle car.

If I had to do it again, I think I might buy a Boss or a used GT500.

 

[Yellow03snake]

Whats cooler than a Track key, Side exhaust, a 7500 rpm V8. I had a 327 that would turn 6700 rpm but you had to adjust the valve every 5000 miles.

Don't forget the 2 step in the steering wheel

 

[najay]

Don't forget the 2 step in the steering wheel

and the pit lane speed control and the lopey idle from a factory car

 

[Yellow03snake]

and the pit lane speed control and the lopey idle from a factory car

Sold!

My next car for sure

 

[98ss88mm]

Id vote GT, ESPECIALLY if you arent going to do any power adder or race the car. I almost bought a boss, but couldnt justify the extra cost vs lack of nice daily options such as heated seats. Sure it has some appeal and by all means go nuts on the collector car, but for me it was/would be a waste and resale value should never be a reason for buying a car haha. As someone else mentioned, a GT with a CAI and a tune would be noticeably faster than a boss (even on track key). The one I saw on the dyno did like 380 I think with some axle backs and track key. Dont quote me on that, but it wasnt high. One pass was 370's lol. Not impressed!

The extra 10k you save could get you some mods, wheels, etc for your GT


Just realized I didnt answer your questions:

Piston thing has pretty much been labeled as a bad employee, and that has come and gone IMO. Driveshaft, i dont know if i would say weak but a 2 pc shaft just isnt really what you want for clutch dumps and high speeds. DSS is cheap insurance if you ask me.

The trans, i mean its no TR6060 but lets be serious. Its not a T5 either lol. If you change the fluid early and do the shifter base upgrade you will probably be fine. Mine has done a few funky things, like grind 5th a few times and got stuck coming out of 1st once and made a weird noise. That being said, I actually LIKE the trans. I can bang gears when I need it and it shifts like butter with Amsoil once its warmed up. Its a bit crappy in the cold, I shift 1-3 or 2-4 until it gets warmed up to avoid it crunching and so forth (pretty sure you will have this in winter with full synthetic). Its not perfect, but I love the car. I like it better than my signature!

 

[ViperBlueCobra]

I was in the same boat. I even hada 2007 Shelby gt500. I just paid 31k for a gt/cs. Dealer was taking 2k off the boss as well. I still couldn't justify the 9-10k difference for the lack of accessories and being the occasional car show and track car type guy.

Good luck with Ur decision can't go wrong w either car.

 

[H-TownMachI]

What's not to like? Get some!

 

[MikeLTDLX]

When I got my GT at the end of October, they wanted 10k over sticker for a Boss. They would not budge. Now, they are taking 3k off of sticker to move them. I wish I had waited. I really, REALLY wanted the Boss.

Mike

 

[MrBonus]

I gotta ask, why the boss over the standard gt? No leather. No sync. 10k more. Standard gt is a tune away from equal power. Sure it has some mechanical upgrades, but you may not need most of them. Has cool stickers though....

There is so much more to the Boss than sheer horsepower figures. Engine output is low on my list of concerns when I purchase a car.

 

[scott_0]

I say do it! you wont regret it, the transmission issue has been blown way out of proportion, a lot it is ham fisted gorilla shifters that should have bought an auto, some are legitimate issues, others just think they have issues because they read about it on forums, my trans isnt 100% perfect as it does have a slight nibble on the 1-2 shift when cold but other than that Im happy as it is very smooth once warmed up. youll have no worries with the Boss bottom end as its forged and ready for what you can dish out

 

[jonesd]

doesnt the boss also come with adjustable shocks?

so a:
forged engine
adjustable shocks
refined suspension
Launch control/2 step built in
upgraded cooling system
side exhaust
collector car value

That alone seems worth the price difference to me but value is subjective...