2 Weeks into GT ownership
12/31/04, 11:46 AM
#1
Big Falken Tires
Thread Starter
So with plenty of good Mustang Source folk out there still waiting for their ponies, I figured I would get an update on here of how things have been so far with the Dark Knight II….
13 days in:
Clocking 513 miles on the car. Been off from work the past few days so just been getting in some casual driving.
General:
LOVE this car.
Didn’t really notice HOW much I missed my ’88 until I had to really jet out into traffic the first time and pushed down on the GT’s pedal…. Boy, four and a half years in an Escort will REALLY do a number on ya!! I am so happy with it – only had a few cars of my own in my life but never owned one as great as this.
Interior: Sweet – absolutely love the dark charcoal with the IUP. What a great look. The cloth seats are excellent and the driver’s seat is just perfect – I have an old lower back injury and the lumbar support makes me forget it is even there. The way the car is set up, you really feel like you are sitting IN the car (as opposed to the earlier ‘Stangs) – laid back and comfortable and yet when you are diving into a curve, the seat and the belt really hold you firm. I have the automatic and the shifter and the center console is perfectly placed – you can rest your arm and don’t feel like you have to reach for anything. Love the new dial for the lights – I loved my ’88 but got real tired of those thick push buttons up on the left hand corner of the dash. The gauges and layout are really neat – the My Color features is great for nighttime driving – my only gripe is part of the layout of the speedometer – been driving without cruise control since I’m just breaking the car in, and on the dial readout, between sixty and eighty is a sort of ‘wasteland’ where it’s a bit tough to see at a QUICK glance how fast you are going. When you are trying to make sure you don’t get State Trooper’s attention on the interstate, 5 to 10 mph can make a difference.
Shaker 1000 – rocks, hands down. Had one single Bad Disc incident and that’s it- and being the music nut I am, I use it ALL the time. And since most of the heavier music I listen to has great bass guitar work and double kick drums, the shaker box in the trunk is IT.
The customizations for how many passengers in the car is great too.
Even things like the stalk controls are great – the turn signal is nice and fat/thick – feels real solid and I usually tap it with my left hand still on the wheel when I drive– and it is PERFECTLY placed for that. Nice and natural. I even like that ‘clicking’ noise the turn signal makes when it is engaged. My Escort had TINY sidemirrors so I am LOVING the roomy ones on the Stang. I feel like I have a better field of vision than my old car. Not worried about any blindspots at all.
Message center is great – first time owning a car with something like this. MPG is up from about 13-14 when I first picked it up, to about 17 or 18 now. (On my third tank of gas so far…)
Exterior: Love the styling – the foglights, the front fascia, the long hood….. The GT just looks great. After driving a TINY car for so long, I thought it would take me longer to adjust to a much bigger car – but by the end of the second day, I was ‘locked in’ with the GT. It’s such an easy car to drive. Steering is nice and responsive, feels low and solid in sweeping turns and tight corners. Parking is a breeze – although I usually out in the boondocks since I park as far away from other cars as possible – or at least in a corner spot where there will only be ONE car next to the DK II.
I was considering a possible new exhaust down the line somewhere…. But for the time being, I am sticking with the stock exhaust – love the way it sounds and is the perfect tone I like – a low grumble – and then nice and throaty when you get on it
In general – I am a fairly laid back and low-key kinda guy. But I have to say that I get a real kick out of the looks this car gets from folks. The first day I brought it to work, I had taken two ‘tours’ of a few people down to the parking lot to see the new car by 8:45 am (and I get in about 7:45..). The attention is very neat – cruised down the Ft. Lauderdale strip a few times and got some great double-takes and pointed fingers. Two girls on bikes were at a cross walk right off the beach – the first one was starting across the street and the light turned green – she was kinda trapped half in the lane and trying to figure out whether she should bolt across or back her bike up…. And then she looked to her left, saw the GT and stopped dead and pointed it out to her friend…… completely forgetting she was standing in the road! It was pretty funny… Gotten comments about how sharp the car looks from fellow drivers and some doubletakes out on the road…. No challenges as of yet, but a few folks who felt ‘threatened’ – a Dodge Ram who had to rev hard and blow by me in traffic, just to turn a corner, and a kid in one of those zippy Subaraus with the hood scoops, who had to jet by me just so he could get in front of my in traffic.
Funny …..
Future mods:
Phase one –
Tinting –within the next two weeks or so.
Custom dark charcoal seat covers
Eibach springs – drop it down an inch or so.
18 inch Bullitt/Torque Thrust wheels and BF Goodrich tires
Phase Two -
K&N/Cold air kit/MMR intake
SCT/flash chip (?)
Considering stripes – I LOVE the way Orthoguy’s car looks – amazing. And yet……. The car looks SO good in solid black…. After I actually got it and brought it home, I suddenly had second thoughts about the stripes. Going to play it by ear and wait and see….
Anyway, that’s it for right now. Just having fun and really enjoying my Pony. To all those still waiting (sixty-six – dude can’t believe you are still waiting!
) for their new Ponies, hang in there. You will be so happy when it arrives and the wait will be worth it. Seriously.
Looking forward to early next year and trying to organize some kind of Southern Florida Mustang Source get-together!!! Bound to be fun!!
Of course, so as not to make this thread WORTHLESS because it has NO pics….
Here are some I took X-mas Eve day after washing, claybar, and getting in one coat of Zainos. Then I’ve got a few taken later in the week including some interior shots.
13 days in:
Clocking 513 miles on the car. Been off from work the past few days so just been getting in some casual driving.
General:
LOVE this car.
Didn’t really notice HOW much I missed my ’88 until I had to really jet out into traffic the first time and pushed down on the GT’s pedal…. Boy, four and a half years in an Escort will REALLY do a number on ya!! I am so happy with it – only had a few cars of my own in my life but never owned one as great as this.
Interior: Sweet – absolutely love the dark charcoal with the IUP. What a great look. The cloth seats are excellent and the driver’s seat is just perfect – I have an old lower back injury and the lumbar support makes me forget it is even there. The way the car is set up, you really feel like you are sitting IN the car (as opposed to the earlier ‘Stangs) – laid back and comfortable and yet when you are diving into a curve, the seat and the belt really hold you firm. I have the automatic and the shifter and the center console is perfectly placed – you can rest your arm and don’t feel like you have to reach for anything. Love the new dial for the lights – I loved my ’88 but got real tired of those thick push buttons up on the left hand corner of the dash. The gauges and layout are really neat – the My Color features is great for nighttime driving – my only gripe is part of the layout of the speedometer – been driving without cruise control since I’m just breaking the car in, and on the dial readout, between sixty and eighty is a sort of ‘wasteland’ where it’s a bit tough to see at a QUICK glance how fast you are going. When you are trying to make sure you don’t get State Trooper’s attention on the interstate, 5 to 10 mph can make a difference.
Shaker 1000 – rocks, hands down. Had one single Bad Disc incident and that’s it- and being the music nut I am, I use it ALL the time. And since most of the heavier music I listen to has great bass guitar work and double kick drums, the shaker box in the trunk is IT.
The customizations for how many passengers in the car is great too.Even things like the stalk controls are great – the turn signal is nice and fat/thick – feels real solid and I usually tap it with my left hand still on the wheel when I drive– and it is PERFECTLY placed for that. Nice and natural. I even like that ‘clicking’ noise the turn signal makes when it is engaged. My Escort had TINY sidemirrors so I am LOVING the roomy ones on the Stang. I feel like I have a better field of vision than my old car. Not worried about any blindspots at all.
Message center is great – first time owning a car with something like this. MPG is up from about 13-14 when I first picked it up, to about 17 or 18 now. (On my third tank of gas so far…)
Exterior: Love the styling – the foglights, the front fascia, the long hood….. The GT just looks great. After driving a TINY car for so long, I thought it would take me longer to adjust to a much bigger car – but by the end of the second day, I was ‘locked in’ with the GT. It’s such an easy car to drive. Steering is nice and responsive, feels low and solid in sweeping turns and tight corners. Parking is a breeze – although I usually out in the boondocks since I park as far away from other cars as possible – or at least in a corner spot where there will only be ONE car next to the DK II.
I was considering a possible new exhaust down the line somewhere…. But for the time being, I am sticking with the stock exhaust – love the way it sounds and is the perfect tone I like – a low grumble – and then nice and throaty when you get on it
In general – I am a fairly laid back and low-key kinda guy. But I have to say that I get a real kick out of the looks this car gets from folks. The first day I brought it to work, I had taken two ‘tours’ of a few people down to the parking lot to see the new car by 8:45 am (and I get in about 7:45..). The attention is very neat – cruised down the Ft. Lauderdale strip a few times and got some great double-takes and pointed fingers. Two girls on bikes were at a cross walk right off the beach – the first one was starting across the street and the light turned green – she was kinda trapped half in the lane and trying to figure out whether she should bolt across or back her bike up…. And then she looked to her left, saw the GT and stopped dead and pointed it out to her friend…… completely forgetting she was standing in the road! It was pretty funny… Gotten comments about how sharp the car looks from fellow drivers and some doubletakes out on the road…. No challenges as of yet, but a few folks who felt ‘threatened’ – a Dodge Ram who had to rev hard and blow by me in traffic, just to turn a corner, and a kid in one of those zippy Subaraus with the hood scoops, who had to jet by me just so he could get in front of my in traffic.
Funny ….. Future mods:
Phase one –
Tinting –within the next two weeks or so.
Custom dark charcoal seat covers
Eibach springs – drop it down an inch or so.
18 inch Bullitt/Torque Thrust wheels and BF Goodrich tires
Phase Two -
K&N/Cold air kit/MMR intake
SCT/flash chip (?)
Considering stripes – I LOVE the way Orthoguy’s car looks – amazing. And yet……. The car looks SO good in solid black…. After I actually got it and brought it home, I suddenly had second thoughts about the stripes. Going to play it by ear and wait and see….
Anyway, that’s it for right now. Just having fun and really enjoying my Pony. To all those still waiting (sixty-six – dude can’t believe you are still waiting!
) for their new Ponies, hang in there. You will be so happy when it arrives and the wait will be worth it. Seriously.Looking forward to early next year and trying to organize some kind of Southern Florida Mustang Source get-together!!! Bound to be fun!!
Of course, so as not to make this thread WORTHLESS because it has NO pics….
Here are some I took X-mas Eve day after washing, claybar, and getting in one coat of Zainos. Then I’ve got a few taken later in the week including some interior shots.
