Any of you “downgrading” to get into an FL5?

[007]

I had a e92 like 10 years ago... I thought it always felt heavy and not very playful. Loved the engine, hated the manual on it. Also it got 13mpg pretty much always.

Love and miss my Mazdas.

I had a ‘21 M2C and pretty much felt the exact same way. Except unlike the e92 M3, the f87 M2C had the most numb steering feel of any M car I’ve owned or driven. To say that it felt dead is an understatement. Couldn’t stand it.

I wish everyone in the CTR community could own a modern ///M car for a while. They would quickly learn that grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Especially when it comes to driver engagement and fun factor.

I learned that slower can be better. If one can keep their ego in check, they can quickly get over the badge and hp numbers. They’re meaningless if you’re seeking a true driver’s car.

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[Vtextc]

I have an E90 M3 and have put my name on a list for an FL5. I think it is like comparing apples to oranges; nothing beats the sonorous sound of a NA V8 singing at 8500RPM. The M3 is a keeper, and I suspect I will feel the same way about the Type R too.

 

[zeroptzero]

Kind of similar to OP here. I have a 2021 Supra 3.0P i am looking to trade in for the new 2023 Type R. The 2021 Type R was one of my options when i got my Supra but i could never get over the looks and trying to show up to my job and stuff in that car was just going to make people think less than me unfortunately. I actually love the Supra, its an absolute riot. Its blisteringly quick and responsive, makes all the right noises, gets great MPG, its a super comfortable daily but i find myself still leaning towards my miata on nice days anyways. I have two 2 seater vehicles and a lifted old Tundra with 260k miles. I need a more practical in between daily between my Miata and the truck i use for plowing and property duties. The Supra and Miata sit in the garage for months during the winter as i get stuck with 10MPG V8 truck blandness. I totally get what you mean though. Even though the Supra is fun and WAY more powerful(too powerful sometimes) than the Miata, there's something about using 100% of what you got VS having to feather a car so you don't die lol. Faster does not equal funner or better. I learned that when i got rid of my Civic SI for a Newer VW GTi.

I try to explain this to people all the time. I owned a Honda S2000 for 9 years, but I only drove it at 8/10ths most of the time, I would never take it to its limits as it would bite hard if it got squirrely. I can drive my FWD Civic Si at 10/10ths and not worry about it at all, so at the end of the day I can drive it faster despite it being FWD and it having less ultimate capabilities.

 

[Chinotto]

Been driving a M2 for the last 4 years and have placed a deposit on a M3 as I needed a 4 door car and there aren’t many performance 4 doors out there that are offered in manual. Now I am seriously considering to cancel my M3 order and wait for the FL5 instead.

I’ve driven JDMs pretty much my whole life, learning how to drive in a FC3S, then I’ve had multiple Mazdas: 2x Miatas (NB + NC), a RX8, and a FD Spirit R (which I do regretted selling), as well as a 3rd gen Audi TT-S and a Mustang GT. The only front driven car I’ve ever owned is a Peugeot 206 GTi which I sold within a year of owning it. It was a disappointment and I do worry I won’t like the FL5 cause it is also FWD.

Anyway, I think the FL5 is way better value performance wise, I think it ticks a lot of my boxes and I am genuinely excited about it since launch day. The only minor things I will miss not having in the CTR is the lack of a HUD and 360 cameras, which I felt any modern cars in this price range should really have. Minor stuff really.

 

[zeroptzero]

Been driving a M2 for the last 4 years and have placed a deposit on a M3 as I needed a 4 door car and there aren’t many performance 4 doors out there that are offered in manual. Now I am seriously considering to cancel my M3 order and wait for the FL5 instead.

I’ve driven JDMs pretty much my whole life, learning how to drive in a FC3S, then I’ve had multiple Mazdas: 2x Miatas (NB + NC), a RX8, and a FD Spirit R (which I do regretted selling), as well as a 3rd gen Audi TT-S and a Mustang GT. The only front driven car I’ve ever owned is a Peugeot 206 GTi which I sold within a year of owning it. It was a disappointment and I do worry I won’t like the FL5 cause it is also FWD.

Anyway, I think the FL5 is way better value performance wise, I think it ticks a lot of my boxes and I am genuinely excited about it since launch day. The only minor things I will miss not having in the CTR is the lack of a HUD and 360 cameras, which I felt any modern cars in this price range should really have. Minor stuff really.

Maybe you should test drive an FK8 if you can find someone that has one or possibly a dealer. A lot of people are super sensitive to the fwd vs rwd spec. It really doesn't bother me as I've driven RWD , FWD , AWD vehicles all my life and the difference is not worth me thinking about it, but you might be someone who might find FWD hard to own, I'd hate to see you not like the car after getting one because of the powertrain setup.

 

[Chinotto]

Maybe you should test drive an FK8 if you can find someone that has one or possibly a dealer. A lot of people are super sensitive to the fwd vs rwd spec. It really doesn't bother me as I've driven RWD , FWD , AWD vehicles all my life and the difference is not worth me thinking about it, but you might be someone who might find FWD hard to own, I'd hate to see you not like the car after getting one because of the powertrain setup.

Good call. I’ll see if I can find a 2nd hand FK8 for a test drive first before making a call. Might be a good idea to check out the FL1 for size and interior finishing. Thanks for the advice!

 

[polishedmetalctr]

I sold my FK8 and went to a new Mach 1 HP, its a beast of a car and more capable than a Type R. I will likely "downgrade" to the FL5 just for the quality and practicality.

 

[TypeSiR]

I sold my FK8 and went to a new Mach 1 HP, its a beast of a car and more capable than a Type R. I will likely "downgrade" to the FL5 just for the quality and practicality.

The Mach 1 is the improved GT350, right? Performance aside, what makes its quality lacking vs the FL5?

 

[polishedmetalctr]

Just the interior is not as plush, some panel gaps, interior squeaks etc.

 

[Boostlag]

Mach 1 with the track pack is nearly 70k… cool car but 70k for a mustang is insane.

 

[polishedmetalctr]

Mach 1 with the track pack is nearly 70k… cool car but 70k for a mustang is insane.

Mine was 61k with track pack .. agreed 70 is too much

 

[Whitboy82]

I had 2018 PP2 GT, and I like Mustangs, but the Mach 1, I’m just not a fan. I do like that they didn’t use the crap MT82 though.

 

[Boostlag]

I had 2018 PP2 GT, and I like Mustangs, but the Mach 1, I’m just not a fan. I do like that they didn’t use the crap MT82 though.

Yeh the pp2 gt were going for low 40s fully loaded before covid. Thats like 90% of mach1 imo and even liked thr aero and the wheels better.

 

[Whitboy82]

Yeh the pp2 gt were going for low 40s fully loaded before covid. Thats like 90% of mach1 imo and even liked thr aero and the wheels better.

Yeah those wheels were my favorite, if it had just had the better trans it would have been perfect. The MT82 was the only reason I let it go.

 

[Rhorn]

The Mach 1 is the improved GT350, right? Performance aside, what makes its quality lacking vs the FL5?

Improved GT with upgrades from the GT350, its the other way around. The highlights is that it uses the same transmission as the GT350, and gets the front brake calipers and oil/trans cooler. It gets some suspension upgrades too I think, but it still uses the same 5.0 Coyote engine in the GT, not the 5.2L in the GT350.

He probably is getting at the interior, it isn't really much different than the GT and ecoboost, which all of the higher trim Mustangs suffer from, because they are all built on the same assembly line.

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