Life without a Mustang

My head’s in a muddle – we’re looking for a new car and haven’t got a clue what to buy

I/we have a real dilemma that’s been lurking for quite a while now. The Mustang GT has been the daily driver for the last three years now and, while I love it, my wife says she doesn’t want to drive it. Or, to be more precise, she doesn’t mind driving it, but hates driving or parking it in confined spaces. So, when my wife wants something from the shops, I usually have to go and fetch it. 

As she points out, this wasn’t a problem with our last daily driver, an Abarth Fiat 595 Essesse, which she loved. Thinking about it, going from a little Fiat to an American muscle car might have been a bit rash. No one has ever accused me of being overly sensible when it comes to buying cars…

The Mustang problem

Problem 1 – too wide

I understand why. The ‘stang isn’t quite standard and it has ST XTC coilover suspension (made by KW in Germany), and 20 inch HRE wheels and Michelin SuperSport 4S tyres that really fill the wheel arches.- see above. So, parking requires some attention to avoid ‘kerbing’ the rims and backroads also demand a sharp eye for jutting kerbs and rocks.

Living as we do, in the upper Blue Mountains, there’s no shortage of narrow roads and bridges to catch out the unwary. I’ve learned to be careful, but Mrs.Car O’ Clock says she’d rather drive something less intimidating to pop down to the shops in.

Problem 2 – too low

As you would expect the ‘stang sits a tad lower than standard too. Which is fine on the highway but, again, the variable condition of some of our local back roads are more suited to utes, and SUVs than a low GT coupe. 

In fact, I did have a Steeda K- brace under the car which tightened it up nicely, yet the number of times it got caught out by bumps and humps forced me to abandon it and I replaced it with a Steeda tower strut brace instead. And, thanks to the fully-adjustable suspension, I’ve had it raised slightly so that’s not a real issue now.

Problem 3 – the dog issue

The sad reality is that while the Mustang is a fast and well-balanced GT car, it actually spends most of its life carting our old doggie pal, Dexter, from one dog walking spot to another. Poor old ‘Dex’ is now well over 14 years old and finds leaping onto (and out of) the rubber-covered back seat increasingly difficult. In truth, it’s all pretty tight back there for adult humans too.

The other issue is that Dexter isn’t the cleanest of passengers – a mud-covered coat and paws are fairly typical after every walk, hence the need for a fully covered, rubber rear seat cover.

Problem 4 – my other car is a Porsche 911

No, I’m not complaining – I’m a lucky lad to have an air-cooled 911 in the garage ( a ’93 model, 964 Carrera 2, manual coupe) and, with luck, I hope to hang on to it until I start driving with my mouth open – a common sight among ancient drivers, I’ve noticed. 

Hmmm, a quick aside here – my wife has strict instructions to shoot me if I can’t both drive and keep my mouth shut at the same time. She points out that I should be okay for a while because my Dad showed no signs of this common old codger problem when he gave up driving in his late eighties. So, I’ve got plenty of time yet!

Anyway, I digress; the problem is that I/we have two sporty coupes with just 2 doors. Neither has those assets that some people think might come in handy now and then, like four doors, a large load space, and enough room for adult rear passengers. What I/we need, apparently, is something known as a practical car.

So, while I do love the Mustang, it does seem that after 3 enjoyable years, it might be time to sell and move on. The trouble is, to what?

Finding a car that suits me, my wife, occasional passengers, and the dog – for less than $20,000

The notional plan is to save some money, keeping to an upper budget of about $20,000, which means a used car with, ideally, low-ish kms., decent reliability, space for four adults, not too big and, not too boring to drive. 

Well, in theory, this shouldn’t be too hard because when you start to explore the used car market, the choice of cars that meet that criteria are pretty wide-ranging and confusing. So much so, my shortlist of ‘Saved Cars’ on carsales.com.au is not only a very long list but an ever-changing one.

Let’s get one car out of the way right away, it’s an Audi RS4 (B7) wagon which would be ideal if it wasn’t way over budget. Okay then, what might begin to run that car close for a lot less money? A few get close-ish and the rest are much less exciting, if sensible.

The initial list:

• VW Passat R36 wagon (fast, but not a brilliant thing to drive)
• Volvo V60 T6  R-Design wagon (ditto)
• Volvo XC60 T6 (too sensible? )
• BMW 320i wagon (good, not that quick or exciting)
• Citroen C5 wagon (v.practical and dull to drive)
• Peugeot 508 wagon (ditto)
• Ford Mondeo wagon (capable, not remotely sexy)

The second list:

A wagon is nice to have although not absolutely essential, how about a sedan?

• Volvo S60 T6 Polestar (fast, pushing the budget, hard to find)
• Volvo S80 T6 sedan ( an oddball and a bit big)

The third list:

Putting my ‘sensible’ hat on, perhaps an SUV might be the answer. After all, everybody else seems to think so.

• VW Touareg V6 TDi ( expensive to run?)
• BMW X5 (ditto)
• Mercedes Benz M Class 320 diesel (ditto)
• Land Rover Discovery (only under budget if the mileage is high)

All offer a lot of car for the money until they go wrong. And, while practical (hate that word!), none of them would be much fun to drive either. Then again, that’s what the 911 is for.

The fourth list:

Maybe we don’t need to be quite so sensible and could consider a hot hatch. They have room for four, cost less to run than the cars above, are easy for my wife to park and, would keep me amused on the back roads (or, whisper it, on the odd track day). I couldn’t go back to the Abarth because the ride was, um, bloody awful. Still, there are a few more capable all-rounders out there:

• Renault Clio RS200 ( would I get on with the paddle-shift? Must try one)
• Renault Clio Sport 200 – earlier model (reportedly huge fun, but just 3 doors and probably thrashed
• Ford Fiesta ST (bugger, only 3 doors)
• Peugeot 208 GTi ( 3 doors again)
• VW Polo GTi ( less fun than the Clios I read)
• VW Golf GTi Series VI) (ubiquitous, but very capable all-rounder)
• Mini Cooper S Clubman ( those weird doors)

In conclusion

As my shortlists reveal, I don’t really have any idea what to buy. Almost every day I add new cars to my list of searches and my mind wanders off into completely unchartered territory.

Like an Alfa Romeo 159 Wagon and maybe buy a third car with the money left over? No, that’s not going to work. Honda Civic Type R (earlier model) – too baseball cap on backward, if you know what I mean. Yes, I’m too old for one. Commodore V8 wagon? Not me somehow. Subaru Forester? Everyone seems to have one around here and not exactly a thrill ride.

Needless to say, I’m sure anyone reading this could add another list of options to my not-so-shortlists. Believe me, I have considered dozens more that I haven’t even dared to mention.

Right now, my heart says the Clio RS200 or a Golf GTi would suit us both, most of the time. However, in a day or two, they’ll be more lists, more confusion, and more temptations. My wife, sensibly, generally doesn’t get too involved in this process, knowing I’m only going to change my mind again.

And, just to really confuse everything, I just asked her if she’d fancy a Citroen C6 if one came up at the right price. She said ‘yes.’ A bit left-field but a car I’ve always fancied and, it seems, so does Mrs. Car O’Clock. Like me, she has a weakness for stylish and slightly wacky cars, like the C6. Oh dear, there’s no hope for us.

Meanwhile, I have to find someone to buy the much-loved, 2016 Mustang V8 GT, as featured above – lovely-looking car, isn’t it? Just 37,000 kms., metallic Guard Green with beautiful and expensive HRE 101 alloys, fully-adjustable coilover suspension (plus the original suspension/wheel, tyres – all unused) and just one, very sad, careful owner from new. 

Any offers?