Advice for SHO purchase...

[gbriank]

Currently driving a GTI with six speed manual. Lease ending and lower back problems are preventing me from getting anything too low to the ground. Thought about jumping into SUV territory, but my driving habits wouldn't go down well. So, I've narrowed down the purchase to the following:

2013 Dodge Charger R/T V8 AWD (fully loaded at $40k)
2013 Ford Taurus SHO with PP, nav, moonroof and contoured seat
2013 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec

I have enjoyed driving all of them, but really want a folding back seat (Genesis...bye bye...plus, you had "bucking" in the steering when you hit bumps). The Charger has an awesome motor, but it is 2-3mpg lower than the Taurus and reliability is questionable. That leaves the Taurus. The dealer has twenty (yes, 20) on his lot. All identical. 3 White, 1 Red, 10 Black and 2 Silver. He's knocking the price down to $620 below invioce, before even taking off incentive cash ($3000 Customer Cash, $1000 VW Lease Conquest Cash).

1. Of the four colors, I like White (extra cost) and Silver (all have black interior). Thoughts on which is better looking and easier to maintain?

2. This is the first Ford product I've ever owned. Anything I should be aware of?

3. MyFordTouch seemed ok to me. I'm a techy person so all of the doodads and gizmos are cool. Are y'all experiencing any lock ups or other gremlins? Any updates I should be aware of to have the dealer remedy before delivery?

4. Tires. I've read several folks have traded out of the Goodyear F1's for Michelin Primacy MXM4's. Thoughts? (I live in North Texas...Dallas...so, we do get some of winter stuff...plus, I travel to Chicago every once in a while).

5. Price. Does $38664 seem reasonable? Should I push further?

6. Leasing. 0.25% for 36 months is AMAZING! I've never seen a lease so fricking low. Residual of 52% for 15,000 miles. What is 12,000 miles?

7. Fuel economy. The owners manual states "87 Octane". Are y'all seeing any improvement with higher grades of fuel? Is 12mpg in the city and 25-28 highway seem reasonable, or is it actually higher?

Thanks!
Glenn

 

[Crash712us]

Price is great! 16-19 mpg for city is more like it. As for highway your on the money. The good year F1's are summer tire anything below 40 degrees and they become very slippery plus they only last about 20k tops 15k is average.

 

[HighBarSHO]

The SHO in good weather and premium fuel should be quicker than Dodge R/T. I will confirm this in a couple of weeks as my buddy just bought one. FYI

May check used market. I just picked up a 3k mile 2013 SHO for 33k. Loaded except sunroof and PP.

 

[someguy35]

honestly, I like the look of the white better, however, white cars need to be washed a bit more often

 

[SDSHO13]

I traded a 2011 Mustang GT/CS, 5.0 on my Black '13 SHO. The Mustang was a dream, with no problems, we just needed something to travel in, all year. I have a little over 2500 miles on the SHO, and so far no problems. we just returned from a 1000 mile trip to the Rocky Mountains. Ended up in Estes Park, in a snow storm. The car is a wonder in the snow, with the Michelin tires. This was deep snow, about 5-9" depending on location, it drove right through it. The drive to our rented cabin was about 30 degrees, up, and covered in ice. Not a slip, she just pulled up and into the parking space. They did plow the roads, but left a layer of snow which greatly helps with traction. We did two trips through the Rocky Mountain National Park, two lane roads, with lots of hills and curves. Again, flawless performance by the AWD system on basically lightly cleared roads. I lived in Denton and drove to Irving everyday for 4 years, before moving back to South Dakota, and I think you will find these tires fine for the those weather conditions.

On the in bound trip, with little wind, we saw 28.3 mpg average. On the way back it dropped to 23.8 due to the heavy head winds. Cruising at 75, with two adults and luggage.

The Ford My Touch performs well, and I enjoy the touchless the method. I talk to it, changing everything from the radio to the temperature. The comfort seats are really cool, and make long trips a breeze.

All in all, I am very satisfied with the car, and its equipment. It is fast, and quiet, no squeaks or rattles.

I can't speak to your deal, as I was given $26,615 for my Mustang with 27000+ miles on it. Plus the incentives . I did purchase the SHO in lieu of leasing.

I hope this helps you in your decision making..

 

[EcoBrick Bob]

I think if I were getting rid of the summer only tires, I would go to a Bridgestone 970 A/S as they are the highest rated Ultra High Performance A/S tires.

White may look dirty up close, but from 50-100 ft, it looks the cleanest of any color when slightly dirty. Black is the worst, but looks good clean, unless it has metallic in the paint and then it always looks dusty from a distance. Have 3 family members with the Pearl White in various Ford vehicles, and they love the color.

 

[gbriank]

Thanks everyone! So, here are the answers to my questions posted earlier:

1. Of the four colors, I like White (extra cost) and Silver (all have black interior). Thoughts on which is better looking and easier to maintain?

WENT WITH WHITE. LOOKS AWESOME!

2. This is the first Ford product I've ever owned. Anything I should be aware of?

Excellent feedback. Most problems, that I found on the web, were pre-2011 models.

3. MyFordTouch seemed ok to me. I'm a techy person so all of the doodads and gizmos are cool. Are y'all experiencing any lock ups or other gremlins? Any updates I should be aware of to have the dealer remedy before delivery?

Got everything set-up and had one lock-up so far. Reported it to Ford and they're looking into it. Dealer did NONE of the updates, so I spent about an hour with a USB key doing them myself.

4. Tires. I've read several folks have traded out of the Goodyear F1's for Michelin Primacy MXM4's. Thoughts? (I live in North Texas...Dallas...so, we do get some of winter stuff...plus, I travel to Chicago every once in a while).

Talked to Discount Tire about the tires. Their advice was to run the tires into the ground, as any "trade-in" would be $100 or less per tire (since they're considered used). Suggested E-Bay, but I'm just too lazy. Not to mention, its getting hot out...so I think things will be ok until fall...

5. Price. Does $38664 seem reasonable? Should I push further?

This price was reflective of the cash back for financing offer. (1250 vs 1000 for competitive lease offer). Got them down to $39000. Could have pushed further, but the sales manager was looking desperate for a few bucks. I figure $86 wasn't worth the fight.

6. Leasing. 0.25% for 36 months is AMAZING! I've never seen a lease so fricking low. Residual of 52% for 15,000 miles. What is 12,000 miles?

Actually, 52% was for 12,000 miles. Ended up with 15,000 at 50% because Ford was charging .20/mile over. 15,000 @50% residual worked out to .108/mile between 12000 and 15000. A great deal.

7. Fuel economy. The owners manual states "87 Octane". Are y'all seeing any improvement with higher grades of fuel? Is 12mpg in the city and 25-28 highway seem reasonable, or is it actually higher?

Awesome news. Thanks everyone. I've got 87 octane in it right now, but will be switching to 93.

 

[gbriank]

I think if I were getting rid of the summer only tires, I would go to a Bridgestone 970 A/S as they are the highest rated Ultra High Performance A/S tires.

White may look dirty up close, but from 50-100 ft, it looks the cleanest of any color when slightly dirty. Black is the worst, but looks good clean, unless it has metallic in the paint and then it always looks dusty from a distance. Have 3 family members with the Pearl White in various Ford vehicles, and they love the color.

Read up on the 870's. They seem like more of a three-season tire when looking at the winter testing Tire Rack did. I really with Michelin would produce the Pilot Sport A/S Plus in our size. That would be my choice!

 

[typhoon5000]

I like the white platinum paint a lot too. My neighbors recently picked up a '13 SHO in that color and it looks really good with the black accents and wheels. I will mention that because it is a tri-coat paint (the pearl is mixed in with the clear instead of the base coat), touch up paint won't match as well if you do happen to get chips and if you do need to get anything painted, it will be more expensive because it requires an extra coat and you use more paint supplies (also why it costs more from the factory).

I would say that price is really good too, since you're already under the MSRP of a base SHO and you have a lot of options added on.

I wish you the best of luck with your purchase and I think you'll love it. The messaging seats will def help your back!

 

[EcoBrick Bob]

Read up on the 870's. They seem like more of a three-season tire when looking at the winter testing Tire Rack did. I really with Michelin would produce the Pilot Sport A/S Plus in our size. That would be my choice!

I am running Michelin Pilot Super Sports (Summer only tires) on my Flex. Fantastic Tire.

As for 970's, you have AWD so unless you are in a foot of snow, you will be OK with them, and enjoy them more than lots of A/S tires in warm months.

 

[gbriank]

I am running Michelin Pilot Super Sports (Summer only tires) on my Flex. Fantastic Tire.

As for 970's, you have AWD so unless you are in a foot of snow, you will be OK with them, and enjoy them more than lots of A/S tires in warm months.

Good point. I infrequently see snow/ice here.

 

[SHOrod]

I will mention that because it is a tri-coat paint (the pearl is mixed in with the clear instead of the base coat), touch up paint won't match as well if you do happen to get chips and if you do need to get anything painted, it will be more expensive because it requires an extra coat and you use more paint supplies (also why it costs more from the factory).

Actually, the pearl is a coat by itself, not mixed in with the clear, and hence the three (tri) coats (white base, pearl, followed by clear). Part of the reason for the added cost is Ford calls out (at least they did for the 2004 model year) real pearl rather than the fish scale pearl some manufacturers use. When I bought a half pint of the base and pearl (I had plenty of clear, reducer, and activator) it ran me $185. The separate pearl coat actually makes it somewhat easier to match than if the pearl were in the clear. You can apply additional coats of pearl to get the shade nearly perfect for feathered repairs. Fixing chips and using a brush is more challenging to match, but it's also a much smaller area so if it's not perfect, it's not all that noticeable either.

-Rod

 

[gbriank]

SHOrod, thanks... I've thought about it and the ClearBra covering seems like a "must" with this car color. I'll be driving on some imperfect roads and possibly gravel here in Texas (best barbeque is outside the city in rural Texas...a MUST).

I've not gotten traction on my full sized spare tire question. Any ideas of other boards (or possibly Ford mechanics) to hit up for answers? Looks like you need the following parts to make it happen (not including the tire and rim):

Part Name Part Number /*Price*/
Jack Mounting Bracket 1424 /*11.15*/
Wing Nut 1462 /*4.23*/ *Equipped all ready for the inflator kit??*
Handle and Nut Wrench 17035 /*32.93*/
Jack 17080 /*87.42*/
Jack Retainer 1A381 /*28.90*/

Spare Wheel Mounting Bracket <47076 /*56.33*/ *Equipped all ready for the inflator kit??*