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Hey guys. Long time lurker, first time poster. A little history on myself. My first car was an automatic red '70 Coupe with a '71 351C shoehorned into the engine bay. Engine work sucked, but I loved that car. The 2 barrel carb with the throttle kick down made for a lot of street light and highway fun. Of course I got rid of it after high school, and have regretted it ever since. I've been toying with getting another mustang ever since they brought out the retro style. It wasn't until I saw the Boss that I knew it was time. I made a gamble that they wouldn't change much on the '13 and being a technophile, I wanted SYNC. I was going to be the first to get a 2013 from that dealer, until I saw what they did to the car. While it is cool, a mini-GT500 is not what I wanted. In a panic I called my dealer and they were able to get me in on a 2012 CO Boss. I went and put my deposit down and hunkered down for the long wait. That was November 9th. I just got my VIN yesterday from the dealer and checked my online Monroney sticker, turns out my baby's birthday is tomorrow Dec 9th. ;D Now that you have my back story, here are my questions.

1) I live in the Pacific Northwest, while keeping it as a summer car sounds nice, I would like to drive it for more than 6 weeks of the year. :-\ Are there such things as good all weather tires with comparable ratings to the summer tires? I'm a bit nervous going from an '04 Audi A4 3.0 Quattro, to the 444hp RWD beast that is the Boss. ;)

2) I'm trying to come up with a list of desires for the dealer prior to delivery. I don't want to be a helicopter-dad, but I would like to make sure everything goes well. Anything I should add to this?
a) Do not touch the front bumper with a drill. Leave the front bracket in the trunk please.
b) I would like to be there when it comes off the truck.
... ?

I appreciate any help you guys can give.
 
Welcome to BMO and congratulations on your new Boss. Your wait has been a lot shorter than some of us. ;)

I would save any paperwork and tags that come with the car. Some guys are saving the plastic that came on the seats. I saved the plastic but cut the tags off of them and threw the plastic away. Not drilling the bumper is a must IMO and I let my dealer do their normal prep. Some guys like to do their own first wash but I was more excited about seeing my car nice and shiny sitting on the showroom floor.

P1020347.jpg

AS for tires the stock Pirelli's do better in the rain than I expected. While I never planned on driving mine in the rain on purpose my very first session at my very first track day with my Boss was in solid rain. Glad I got that out of the way early. ;D During that first session I ran up close to 100 mph and was surprised how secure the tires felt. Not that I would do that on the street in the rain but once I got on the track I couldn't help myself. Below is link to tires that fit our Boss but I don't have any specific recommendations for you. The Conti DW's did pretty well in the rain and the Hankook V12's also do well in wet conditions.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=148

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/hankook-ventus-v12-evo-page-10

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/tire-test-nine-affordable-summer-tires-take-on-the-michelin-ps2-comparison-tests
 

MLM

Mike
129
0
Just say no to any dealer name stickers on the back, if that's something they do out west. And check the oil before you leave the dealer, because apparently that is no longer part of the pre-delivery inspection and there have been stories about failed engines on Mustangs in the first few thousand miles due to lack of oil from the factory. Easy enough to do.

Congrats and enjoy! Looking forward to pics when it comes in.
 

PeteInCT

#LS-378 - So many Porsche's, so little time....
Moderator
2,848
14
Connecticut
Congrats ! - as you probably know your in for a ton of fun. I've been driving Audi's (S4/A4/TTS/Q5) with Quattro for quite a while, and while you won't get that 'safe understeer' response from the Boss you will (if you havn't already) learn how well behaved the rear end really is.

I have a set of Conti Extreme Contact's that I use for wet tires on the track as well as for street tires. In the limited miles I have on them I'd say I'm very happy with them so far. They get pretty high ratings for wet traction fro TireRack. Unfortunatly with our wheel sizes there are not a lot of options. My first choice for a wet tire was Michelin Pilot Super Sports (which I used as an all-around track tire dry/wet with my TTS) but so far they don't have them in our size.
 
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Welcome...make sure they don't mess with the protective plastic film on the radio/cd player display. The protective film says something to the effect not to remove except by owner and that is correct because the display plastic will scratch if you just look at it wrong. My dealer removed it and there are minor swirl marks on it for life. Make sure you're the first person to remove the plastic film.

Congratulations!
 
jimprw said:
Welcome...make sure they don't mess with the protective plastic film on the radio/cd player display. The protective film says something to the effect not to remove except by owner and that is correct because the display plastic will scratch if you just look at it wrong. My dealer removed it and there are minor swirl marks on it for life. Make sure you're the first person to remove the plastic film.

Congratulations!
LMAO. Sad but true mine is scratched too.
 
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if you got the got the option with the car cover check the trunk before you leave. mine was missing and it was a pain to get one because the dealer couldn't find it and it took two months for the replacement. Congrats you are going to love the car.
 
Congratulations! As far as a good all season tire, I myself am going to go w/ the Continental Extreme DWS. They have the same AA traction rating and a better wear rating than the Pirelli's.
Probably not as good as the the Pirelli's for all out performance, but an excellent all season tire.
 
Thanks for all of your good suggestions and warm welcome. I'm looking forward to being part of the family again. :D I was going to trade in the Audi, but we (the real boss and I) decided to keep it for family use and winter driving. So the tires can wait a bit. It's weird, my car is coming like a freight train, literally. I don't know what I did, but it's on the train in Michigan on it's way home. Mid November order date to December 25th-ish delivery date? On one hand I'm super happy and excited. On the other hand I feel guilty because I know a lot of you guys had to wait a LONG time to get your pony. I'll have to get a license plate that says DONTH8. LOL Course now we're hitting sub-freezing temps at night and in the shade during the days up in the Northwest, so I won't be able to take her out when I get her. My wife restricted me to no mods till the car is paid off. <sigh>
 

PeteInCT

#LS-378 - So many Porsche's, so little time....
Moderator
2,848
14
Connecticut
grffnhwk said:
Thanks for all of your good suggestions and warm welcome. I'm looking forward to being part of the family again. :D I was going to trade in the Audi, but we (the real boss and I) decided to keep it for family use and winter driving. So the tires can wait a bit. It's weird, my car is coming like a freight train, literally. I don't know what I did, but it's on the train in Michigan on it's way home. Mid November order date to December 25th-ish delivery date? On one hand I'm super happy and excited. On the other hand I feel guilty because I know a lot of you guys had to wait a LONG time to get your pony. I'll have to get a license plate that says DONTH8. LOL Course now we're hitting sub-freezing temps at night and in the shade during the days up in the Northwest, so I won't be able to take her out when I get her. My wife restricted me to no mods till the car is paid off. <sigh>

Hmmmm - No mods or no Nookie. Ah, the choices we must make in life..... ??? SInce you can't drive her till the Spring I'd go with no mods. For now...... ;D
 

Boomerstoys

Keep the shiny side up & the rubber side down!
grffnhwk, where are you in the PNW? I'm in Seattle & would really like to know the dealer you used for your order. I'm actually working with a dealer in Portland. Has a 2012, but being somewhat of a PITA on terms.

Have seriously considered ordering but thought I'd only be able to get a 2013.

On tires, I have the Conti DWS on one of my rides & I really like them. If I ever land a Boss, the only time I won't drive it is in snow.

Have you done HPDE's? We have a great couple tracks up here and soon to have a new one, Ridge Motorsports Park. If you haven't run Oregon Raceway Park yet, DO IT. It's an amazing track and worth the drive.

Sorry to ramble!

Cheers!
 
Boomerstoys, I live in Kirkland, commute to Kent for work. :-\ Luckily I head in around 9, so I don't hit the morning traffic, but coming home sucks. My car is going to be the 4th 2012 sold through that dealer. So I'm not sure if they'll be able to pull another one out of their hat. I went through Evergreen Ford in Issaquah. Nice bunch of guys, I'm surprised they were able to get 4 allocations, but I believe they move a lot of inventory. As for terms, I pretty much didn't get any deals besides being able to get my car. :) $2,500 deposit (instead of $5,000) I'm looking at the standard $5,000 over MSRP. At this point I'm considering that 5k a rush delivery charge. LOL

As far as tracks go, I've never had anything worth tracking before. I did some looking around, and I'm surprised at how many we have up here. I just looked up Ridge Motorsport. Their "Master Plan" looks like a really fun track. I guess that brings another question to mind. Have all of you guys gone to racing schools or just done novice training onsite through one of the organizations? I think I'm an good driver, but I can be better. I don't want to be holding the Boss back. What are some suggestions for getting started in amateur racing?
 

Boomerstoys

Keep the shiny side up & the rubber side down!
grffnhwk, wow, didn't think of calling them. That's a OK deal of 5K over.

If you have never done any HPDE's or Car Control Clinics/Drivers Skills, look to the Pacific NW Region of the PCA or the Puget Sound BMW Club. I'd start with a CCC but I'd do PCA. They hold theirs at Bremerton whereas BMW holds theirs in the paddack @ Pacific Raceways. Better with the PCA IMO. There is a winter skills day offered by the PCA on Jan. 7.


http://www.pnwr.org/calendar07/display.asp?EventID=2327&CalendarID=4&StyleID=2&thisMonth=1&thisDay=7&thisYear=2012&Window=Same

Then sign up for a HPDE.

You can also contact Proformance Racing School at PR. Don Kitch is the main man and he runs a good program but expensive compared to the Club programs. IRDC also offers some schools. But bang for the buck is PCA, BMW and Alfa also runs some events.

Great instructors and many teach at both Porsche & BMW days. Some even teach @ Proformance. Really a terrific value and great people. Very safe as well. The skills day or CCC will give you plenty of exercises to help you understand the dynamics of your car. Then you can get on track. Think BMW requires a CCC but PCA requires a ground school for their HPDE.

Rambling again, Sorry. If you want more info check out the Club websites or PM me and I'd be happy to help or answer questions.

Yes, I'M ADDICTED!!!!!

Cheers!
 

PeteInCT

#LS-378 - So many Porsche's, so little time....
Moderator
2,848
14
Connecticut
grffnhwk said:
Boomerstoys, I live in Kirkland, commute to Kent for work. :-\ Luckily I head in around 9, so I don't hit the morning traffic, but coming home sucks. My car is going to be the 4th 2012 sold through that dealer. So I'm not sure if they'll be able to pull another one out of their hat. I went through Evergreen Ford in Issaquah. Nice bunch of guys, I'm surprised they were able to get 4 allocations, but I believe they move a lot of inventory. As for terms, I pretty much didn't get any deals besides being able to get my car. :) $2,500 deposit (instead of $5,000) I'm looking at the standard $5,000 over MSRP. At this point I'm considering that 5k a rush delivery charge. LOL

As far as tracks go, I've never had anything worth tracking before. I did some looking around, and I'm surprised at how many we have up here. I just looked up Ridge Motorsport. Their "Master Plan" looks like a really fun track. I guess that brings another question to mind. Have all of you guys gone to racing schools or just done novice training onsite through one of the organizations? I think I'm an good driver, but I can be better. I don't want to be holding the Boss back. What are some suggestions for getting started in amateur racing?

The suggestion to run in HPDE's is truly a sound one. Find one or two clubs that have a reputation for good instructors. Recognizing good from bad when you start is usually not obvious, so seek out people whose opinions you feel confortable with. The clubs that have the strictest rules I find to be the ones where you learn the most. Some clubs doll out solo cards at the drop of a hat. Check the car incident ratings of those clubs if you can and you'll see a correlation. If you have only driven in the street then (and please don't take this the wrong way) you really don't know how to drive yet. I don't believe anyone can. You may be amazed at how much you cam learn through HPDE's through seasoned instructors, some of which also may drive pro previously or currently drive semi-pro. You will gain a connection to and an understanding of your car that you can't get from public road driving. It's truly a fantastic experience - for me I actually never open up my cars on the street/highway anymore except for some test runs. There nothing like the track, especially when you're running with a group of guys/gals that you get familiar with over time and you understand each others strengths/weaknesss/tendencies. I have some close club members that I drive with where I'd drive on their tail at up to 150 mph all day and never worry about bending any metal between us. I think that's part of the sessence of a good club HPDE event. Good luck !
 
Boomerstoys and PeteinCT: Thanks guys for the suggestions. I understand I don't know how to drive in a performance setting. :-[ But, everyone has to start somewhere and luckily I have you guys pointing me in the right direction. :) I look forward to getting better and experiencing the Boss to it's fullest. They pushed my delivery to the 30th, I have some extras that the dealer is going to have to install, so I'm not sure when it will be sitting in my garage. :'( I wish I could sign up for that winter driving skills event. <sigh>
 

Boomerstoys

Keep the shiny side up & the rubber side down!
grffnhwk, you'll still have the car to start the New Year, very cool.

While you won't make the Winter Skill Day, here's a site you'll need to sign up for to register for events:

http://www.motorsportreg.com/

Are you a member of any car club? If not, join the BMW Club, you don't need to own a BMW to join the club. Think it still under $50.-- a year. This will also get you Roundel, national rag and Zundfolge, local rag. Roundel subscription is worth it.

What "extras" are you having the dealer install?

I'm envious. Hope to see you and your Boss at a driving event next year!

Cheers!
 
The extras aren't anything great. I'm putting the LS rear spoiler on, painted black. Putting illuminated sills and fog lights. I know... I'll be the only Boss owner with fogs, but I figure we get more fog/rain/snow up here than heat. If I really need brake cooling, I have some ideas on a custom project. I need the car to really get a good look and see what's possible though. I hope to be at every mustang and driving event I can find. ;D

As for belonging to any car clubs. No, never been a part of one. I was hoping to find someone else in my area that I could buddy up with and do events with. hehe Unfortunately, my wife has appended her previous statement. Apparently I can't spend money on anything for myself "for a while". LOL Looks like she really doesn't approve but knows how much I want the car.
 

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