Hesistant between to choose GT Base or GT Premium

[Radiant]

This is Mustang #9 for me and besides my '67 my favorites are always the premium trim cars.... If you are going to road trip or daily drive I find the Premium trims to be the best. IMO.

All the little things just add up to be nice, it's true. The funniest thing I've wound up liking is the wireless charging. I know they're removing it because it's hit-or-miss depending on phone, but with the Pixel 9 Pro it lines up perfectly with the charger, it just works, it's really nice.

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[BoostRabbitGT]

Base option is better and more comfortable financially for me however i am worried that i might feel a little regret that i did not get the premium.

Sounds like my conundrum. 301A Oxford White with Active Exhaust, or 400A Oxford White with Active Exhaust and California Special Package...oh, and automatic (again) or manual (finally learn it for life)?

 

[KSVENOM70]

azo0ozi, you have many more choices now versus waiting for the 2025. Of course there is virtually no difference between the '24 and '25 except for INCREASED PRICES because they can with the Camaro and Challenger gone!

Although one can order a '25 now....real life says it will not hit your dealer's lot until March or April....no matter what the dealer's sales management tells you. Trust me I have ordered and owned 16 mustangs and this is not my first rodeo.

That being said, I decided to look at a '24 GT that is available now (and with better color choices than the '25) instead of waiting. I was going to order a '25 from my local dealer but a Base GT with the 301A, polished wheels, etc was going to be OVER $50,000 MSRP. Even with a X-PLAN the discount only covered at most the $2,800 price increase of a '25 compared to a '24. And don't look for any '25 incentives...never happens on the new models until they sit for a while.

Sooooo, I spent a month searching Car Gurus (where most Ford dealers advertise) and found out something very interesting. The high volume Ford dealers who sell a lot of Mustangs are, right now, pricing Mustang GT Premiums at or near the price of the Base GT 301A prices being sold at smaller volume dealers. Here is the TRICK: Most ALL GT Premiums are loaded up by the dealers and MSRP from $53,000 to $56,000 or more. Try to find a GT Premium for UNDER $50,00 MSRP first....then look at the discounts being offered by that high volume dealer. I JUST BOUGHT A GT PREMIUM this month FOR $43,000 plus tax/title/lic. The MSRP was $49,135 with only the polished star wheels and spare tire as options. They say it can't be done but they are out there. Few would refuse a GT Premium model if it was the same price as a Base GT. I know that certainly appealed to me.

Some other facts:
Was the car out of state: YES

Did I have to do the deal with the Sales Manager over the phone: YES, and in writing of course

Was the car new or a dealer demo: NEW (20.2 miles)

What about out of state purchasing regarding my State Tax./Tit/Lic: Dealer handled everything

Did I have to make a road trip: Yes. I flew into Washington National/Reagen. Dealer picked me up. Closed on car then drove home in 1.5 days - 840 glorious miles through the Appalachian mountains and then home to Illinois. No better way to learn about your new car. The 5.0 delivered 27.8 mpg for the 840 miles! How could that be a better road trip? ANYONE can take a few days off work to do this. As a 78 yr old I enjoyed the comfortable seats and smooth ride and ALL the digital do dads! I have owned every digital dash option shown in the gauge options and viewed all of them during my trip. My fav was the 67-68 round chrome gauge cluster because my first new car was a '67 Convertible.

SOOOOO who was my dealer. KOONS FORD of Silver Spring, Maryland. I worked with Gerard King, one of the Sales Managers. Remember they didn't know me at all and treated me LIKE FAMILY! (and know I don't work for them or have any special arrangement with them). I started out making the deal with just a view of their web page and asking to speak with a Sales Manager.

I know this is a long message but I wanted you and others to know that the deals are out there. and ROAD TRIPS to save $9,000 (in my case) are worth the effort.

Hope this helps, Ken-

 

[young at heart]

azo0ozi, you have many more choices now versus waiting for the 2025. Of course there is virtually no difference between the '24 and '25 except for INCREASED PRICES because they can with the Camaro and Challenger gone!

Although one can order a '25 now....real life says it will not hit your dealer's lot until March or April....no matter what the dealer's sales management tells you. Trust me I have ordered and owned 16 mustangs and this is not my first rodeo.

That being said, I decided to look at a '24 GT that is available now (and with better color choices than the '25) instead of waiting. I was going to order a '25 from my local dealer but a Base GT with the 301A, polished wheels, etc was going to be OVER $50,000 MSRP. Even with a X-PLAN the discount only covered at most the $2,800 price increase of a '25 compared to a '24. And don't look for any '25 incentives...never happens on the new models until they sit for a while.

Sooooo, I spent a month searching Car Gurus (where most Ford dealers advertise) and found out something very interesting. The high volume Ford dealers who sell a lot of Mustangs are, right now, pricing Mustang GT Premiums at or near the price of the Base GT 301A prices being sold at smaller volume dealers. Here is the TRICK: Most ALL GT Premiums are loaded up by the dealers and MSRP from $53,000 to $56,000 or more. Try to find a GT Premium for UNDER $50,00 MSRP first....then look at the discounts being offered by that high volume dealer. I JUST BOUGHT A GT PREMIUM this month FOR $43,000 plus tax/title/lic. The MSRP was $49,135 with only the polished star wheels and spare tire as options. They say it can't be done but they are out there. Few would refuse a GT Premium model if it was the same price as a Base GT. I know that certainly appealed to me.

Some other facts:
Was the car out of state: YES

Did I have to do the deal with the Sales Manager over the phone: YES, and in writing of course

Was the car new or a dealer demo: NEW (20.2 miles)

What about out of state purchasing regarding my State Tax./Tit/Lic: Dealer handled everything

Did I have to make a road trip: Yes. I flew into Washington National/Reagen. Dealer picked me up. Closed on car then drove home in 1.5 days - 840 glorious miles through the Appalachian mountains and then home to Illinois. No better way to learn about your new car. The 5.0 delivered 27.8 mpg for the 840 miles! How could that be a better road trip? ANYONE can take a few days off work to do this. As a 78 yr old I enjoyed the comfortable seats and smooth ride and ALL the digital do dads! I have owned every digital dash option shown in the gauge options and viewed all of them during my trip. My fav was the 67-68 round chrome gauge cluster because my first new car was a '67 Convertible.

SOOOOO who was my dealer. KOONS FORD of Silver Spring, Maryland. I worked with Gerard King, one of the Sales Managers. Remember they didn't know me at all and treated me LIKE FAMILY! (and know I don't work for them or have any special arrangement with them). I started out making the deal with just a view of their web page and asking to speak with a Sales Manager.

I know this is a long message but I wanted you and others to know that the deals are out there. and ROAD TRIPS to save $9,000 (in my case) are worth the effort.

Hope this helps, Ken-

Ken, great write-up and overview of the process! Folks would do well to take note of your experience.

I’m not far from your age and I too have come to be a big fan of my ‘24 GT. I have other Mustangs and love ‘em all for different reasons but lately the ‘24 has been getting most of the exercise. It seems to do a lot of things right. It’s fast, comfortable, beautiful and sounds great-a true GT car IMO. I just put it in track mode leaving my driveway and never change it out, period.

On a ride a few days ago I told my wife that it surprises me a little that our government will still let us have this much fun. OP, my advice is stop equivocating and grab one while you can!

 

[KSVENOM70]

Ken, great write-up and overview of the process! Folks would do well to take note of your experience.

I’m not far from your age and I too have come to be a big fan of my ‘24 GT. I have other Mustangs and love ‘em all for different reasons but lately the ‘24 has been getting most of the exercise. It seems to do a lot of things right. It’s fast, comfortable, beautiful and sounds great-a true GT car IMO. I just put it in track mode leaving my driveway and never change it out, period.

On a ride a few days ago I told my wife that it surprises me a little that our government will still let us have this much fun. OP, my advice is stop equivocating and grab one while you can!

Young At Heart.......thanks for your kind words. I am an 18 yr old trapped in a 78 yr old body. For the decision to buy my GT....the 18 yr old won out!!!!

 

[IFFV68]

The 401a package has more that what you listed. Not saying get it, just saying

I purchased the 2024 GT, Atlas Blue, with the 401-A Package.
I believe it was only $900 more or something like that?
The heated/cooled seats & heated steering wheel come in handy in Colorado weather plus the 12 speakers. Larger screen and leather plus more was worth it me.
The bottom line is what you can afford. Remember, it’s not our money. It’s your money.

 

[azo0ozi]

Thanks everyone, i decided to go with the base model which includes the performance package but no spoiler. I have been enjoying the car for 4 months now.
Its a 301A PP Spoiler Delete (dealer deleted the spoiler)

 

[kinelisch]

It depends on what you want. But Premium is very nice and you will most likely regret not getting it in the long term. But to each his own...

 

[GrabThatBlue]

The 401a package has more that what you listed. Not saying get it, just saying

He didn't talk about the 401A package. That's a seperate option that comes on top of the Premium package.

 

[GrabThatBlue]

Thanks everyone, i decided to go with the base model which includes the performance package but no spoiler. I have been enjoying the car for 4 months now.
Its a 301A PP Spoiler Delete (dealer deleted the spoiler)

Very beautiful car bro. Enjoy it ya habibi.

 

[Farmer Fran]

He didn't talk about the 401A package. That's a seperate option that comes on top of the Premium package.

And I was just saying that it has more, that he should at least look at it.

 

[FredBGT]

Great looking Mustang. I think they look best with the spoiler delete, personally. Mine has received some positive complements over it, too. It is a very clean look.

 

[Cucurú]

What I don't like about the 300A is the handling. I prefer a very stiff ride. As of this moment I'm really not caring too much for it. The PP package to me was a ripoff. Too many features I'd never use. So I had the Whipple installed. That I like. As for the exhaust tune, I need something throatier, deeper. So I'm going to see which H-Pipe I should install. For V8 cars Mustang is the only one made. So I'm stuck with it. Just going to have to do something with the springs and shocks to stiffen the ride. After all, I got it as my get away car, or to catch up with someone.

 

[Mr Hyde]

What I don't like about the 300A is the handling. I prefer a very stiff ride. As of this moment I'm really not caring too much for it. The PP package to me was a ripoff. Too many features I'd never use. So I had the Whipple installed. That I like. As for the exhaust tune, I need something throatier, deeper. So I'm going to see which H-Pipe I should install. For V8 cars Mustang is the only one made. So I'm stuck with it. Just going to have to do something with the springs and shocks to stiffen the ride. After all, I got it as my get away car, or to catch up with someone.

Ditch the wobbly factory tires they tend to float and get the chassis stiffened up. Bmr, Steeda, or brand of choice. Struts/shocks springs. Though just going with a stiffer sidewall will help with much of that. I have the front sub frame brace by the radiator from bmr and the 2 point steeda g trac on it cleans it up a good bit. Working on the stop the hop and rear sub frame braces and putting in the shock brace/ shock relocation bracket across the rear from bmr as i don't think steeda makes a comparable part. Not a fan of a wiggly floaty car. Though i still consider the PP a rip for what you get.

 

[Cucurú]

Thing is, I don't drag race, but could. My car is mainly for commuting in safety. You never know who's tailing you. So I need responsiveness from my suspension for serious cornering. I'm using it to get away from the "Bad Guys". As for tires they must be all weather. I work all year. Bad guys don't stay home when the weather is foul. Since I have such a car, I will not surrender to "Jackers" and will pursue them to the depths of Hell until caught. As for the Whipple, it may be a bit too much. Thanks for the advice. I'm definitely going to look into it. I'm used to stuff suspension. Should see my Harley. People ride with me and they dip, dive, and rear tires hop off the ground on uneven surfaces.

Ditch the wobbly factory tires they tend to float and get the chassis stiffened up. Bmr, Steeda, or brand of choice. Struts/shocks springs. Though just going with a stiffer sidewall will help with much of that. I have the front sub frame brace by the radiator from bmr and the 2 point steeda g trac on it cleans it up a good bit. Working on the stop the hop and rear sub frame braces and putting in the shock brace/ shock relocation bracket across the rear from bmr as i don't think steeda makes a comparable part. Not a fan of a wiggly floaty car. Though i still consider the PP a rip for what you get.

I

Ditch the wobbly factory tires they tend to float and get the chassis stiffened up. Bmr, Steeda, or brand of choice. Struts/shocks springs. Though just going with a stiffer sidewall will help with much of that. I have the front sub frame brace by the radiator from bmr and the 2 point steeda g trac on it cleans it up a good bit. Working on the stop the hop and rear sub frame braces and putting in the shock brace/ shock relocation bracket across the rear from bmr as i don't think steeda makes a comparable part. Not a fan of a wiggly floaty car. Though i still consider the PP a rip for what you get.

The reason all heads of my family bought them was because Mustangs are the last powerful American cars made, and we need them for the exact same reason. To get away or pursue "Bad Guy" carjackers. I might head to Waco where I had my Whipple installed to see what they have. I'm definitely not a racer, and do plan on racing. Might do some with brother, daughter, nephews and nieces. We have GTs and couple nieces have Ecoboosts with PPs. We use them for commute, and fun on weekends. We go to parks on the weekend, and people thinks it's a car show. Eight 2024 Mustangs lined up.

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