clockworks

Well, I see all cars in two categories... well, three actually:
functional (economy cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, etc)
sporty (pony cars, muscle cars, sports cars, sport sedans, etc)
trying to be sporty (haha, use your imagination)

It is a great bang for the buck and it's extremely modifiable. All I'm saying is that in the grand scheme of things, it's not that fast and doesn't handle all that great.

To be honest, I like the way a stock WRX and stock 350Z handle more than mine with a full Roush suspension setup. And it took a Saleen supercharger at 8 lbs of boost to not get my *** handed to me all the time.

I hear ya when you say there are a lot of cars that it's faster than... but it's not signficantly faster than them. I want to be leaving cars behind, not having luxury sedan glued to my tail. It just doesn't look right...

I guess I just had a rude awakening when I got it and expected to be king of the road.

But like I said... it's an incredible car for modding. 25k for the car + 6k for a turbo and you'll be walking almost everything out there... as long as the engine holds up...

Perdi

kevinb120

Personally I really don't care. Women love it. Everyone else seems to look at it like some strange entity, and not a $30k car. Its not my fault a lot of other car owners feel intimidated and inferior by its presence in traffic.

Hollywood_North GT

...and that they're always staring at it and trying to race it!

Guess Ford did something right, huh?

Hollywood_North GT

Well then, may I suggest your expectations were too high to begin with. It most definitely isn't 'king of the road' - but it's definitely prince of the road, and will still beat 80% of all vehicles from all combined vehicle categories right out of the box.

That, plus the looks it gets and the way it sounds, make it a helluva buy compared to anything within $10K of its price point, IMHO.

Rebel73

yah, and throw a blower on it and you'll be just a tad closer to king status

randy_tho

I'd say your expectations were high. Of course Ford likes to talk about it's performance vs competition which doesn't help any.

I've been trying to decide on a future purchase for quite some time now.

I want a coupe, manual, and fun to drive car. I'd like something that can be decent on MPG and is a comfortable cruiser.

At one point I was looking at an Acura RSX but when the new Civic Si came out it was a better car for less money. However these cars are both considerably smaller than I'd want. I've looked at the 350Z but I don't care much for the looks and it's hard to find one that isn't almost 36-38,000 out the door. Plus it's almost too small also. That brought me to the Infiniti G35 coupe which is kind of just out of my price range since they are difficult to find much less than 39,000. They also get poorer or equal mileage but on premium fuel.

I've just seen the Audi A5 and that would likely be a winner for me except it starts at almost 40,000 - 45,000. AWD, 6spd and good power utilizing a 3.2 direct injection V6. I don't know about mpg yet but it should be pretty good. I think it was the Audi's in the Grand Am that they made use smaller tanks because of their efficiency.

My question is, what is left? Mustang GT...

I could wait for the Challenger or Camaro but I don't think I could go for GM and it would be a long wait. Plus the price premium they'll command. Also with both these I'd be looking at a first year production and not sure I want to pay to be a test dummy.

The mustang being in its 4th year of production should be a solid reliable platform by now. Besides seeing some of the options that are on the 08's the only thing keeping me holding off is that there seems to be several issues that Ford has taken too long to address. The brake fluid and leak issue. Those and all the suspension noises that these cars seem to suffer from makes me wonder about the robustness of Ford's ability to put together a car. If they are having these issues in just a few thousand miles of use, how is this car going to be after 80,000 miles? I mean if there is a squeek, there is friction, and if there is friction, there is unnecessary wear.

By the time you option one out it is around 30,000 out the door and I'm not sure about that kind of money for a "clunker".

What I'd like to hear from owners is that their "higher mileage" mustang still feels put together as well as it did when new.

clockworks

At 15,000 miles, mine squeaked and rattled a good amount. Enough to annoy me. Mine's not a good indicator though, because it was somewhat heavily modded (gears, supercharger, suspension, wheels, tires, shifter, etc).

officespace56

its all about the 0-60 baby

Bennyandthejets

The mustang is a fast car.

Rebel73

I can attest to that. My previous car was a 1996 AWD Eagle Talon Tsi. The only mods were an exhaust, a BOV, and a boost controller. I would easily walk away from SN95 Mustangs. The only Mustang I ever lost to was a supercharged GT. Yep, a FI V8 trumps a FI I4. He he.

kevinb120

If you go out today and pick up a brand new 2007 Yamaha R1, within a week you will run into someone who has a turbo on theirs. The Mustang is plenty fast for street use.

Vermillion06

There's always someone faster than you...
There's always someone smarter than you...
There's always someone richer than you....

Hollywood_North GT

Well, for over a year I went through many of the same considerations as you are now. Though I only have about 1000K on my car so far, allow me to share some observations...

- The Mustang is not as refined as several of the other cars you list. There are MANY little things missing, but none that I have yet found to be deal breakers. The interior plastics are cheap and hard...and easily scratched, so you have to be careful. On the other hand, the interior design looks terrific and the ergonomics are excellent.

- The car feels very solid so far, but again, it's new.

- In acceleration at least, it will outperform just about all the cars you list above, and sound much, much better doing it. The Mustang, even stock, SOUNDS phenomenal. None of that "moo-cow" sound from the back of G35s and Z-cars.

- If you get just the right color and accessory combination, these Mustangs are real magnets for attention, in a way that none of the other cars you discuss are. Almost every time I go out, at least one of three things happen >> someone stares at the car; someone comments on the car; someone(s) tries to race you. Case in point >> Last night while I was out, what should pull up on my right side at the light, but a shiny new BLACK Charger SRT-8. The irony was not lost on me. The way the guy positioned himself, he cleary wanted a race, but I wasn't going to have any part of it since I'm noticing too many people trying to run me in this car, and it's too easy to quickly get into trouble (and a RED Mustang is a cop magnet). So I just let him go and reveled in the moment, and the history of these two rival muscle cars, that I'm sure he probably understood, too. The point is that it was just fun to both be on the road together at the same time: we didn't have that luxury five years ago.

- The Civic you list above isn't even remotely in the Mustang's league, performance-wise. The 350Z would be the closest competitor, but as you point out, they're pretty small, and there is NO back seat of any kind. Plus that bloody rear strut tower brace makes it impossible to really haul anything back there, either. The G35 is in another price league altogether, and that goes doubly for the new Audi A5 (which is as yet unproven). The A5 is also not terribly attractive, IMHO, and just trying to siphon some sales away from the 3-Series coupe, which is probably the better car.

At the end of the day, it's true that you get what you pay for. But with the Mustang, you also get many intangible qualities (heritage, sound, attention) that the other cars can't match at any price.

Spuddogg

First car I ever tangled with was a Lancer EVO.
It was about a year ago, not long after I got my GT.
When I saw the guy, I didn't know what it was at first; thinking it was a Lancer with a gaudy body kit and a bad attitude that needed adjustment.
So I slid in behind him at the light, grinning at the thought of what I was going do to him.
Light turns green and WHOA!
I'm hitting way too close to the rev limiter in 1st, 2nd and 3rd just to keep up with this guy!
Shifting from 2 to 3 I heard the distinct whistle/whir sound coming from him.
Uh huh.
Even though I managed to keep up with him up to about 80mph (where I backed off), I kinda felt like the Sherman tank driver in that movie Kelly's Heroes: 'We was assaulted by those Tigers! Assaulted!'
Yeah ... Know Thy Enemy.

Tres Wright

I've said it many times before, but why do you guys race against ugly cars? You've got nothing to gain and everything to lose. If you win, do you think you can come here and impress anyone with a thread titled "I beat an ugly, trash-out Galant!" Just let them go screaming off into the distance while you turn up the stereo to drown out their hissing BOVs. If you're going to go out there and get owned, then get owned by something respectable like a classic musclecar, or a supercharged SRT-8 or something!

randy_tho

This is one of the biggest things I dislike. I looked at a GT with tan interior and no premeir trim. The car felt kind of hollow. Like I could hear a pin drop and echo around the cockpit. In fact that might be one of the reasons people complain about noises. Perhaps a plusher interior would detract from the sound reverberation? However, I don't quite get the same effect from a dark interior car. I think it's mostly in my head.

Could you elaborate some more on the plastics?

Yes, the exhaust note is great. Adds much to the fun factor.


I agree entirely. Ford got it right with this car. But this isn't necessarily something I'm looking for. I've been there with my current car. I've heard of people wrecking because they were staring at a Stealth. I'd be fine with the plain clean lines of something like the Audi. It's the price tag on that one that is ugly.


I'm not really looking to race ever. I just want something that is fun and capable. All I've ever read about the Si is that it's fun to drive. With the 8000 RPM redline you go nowhere fast. But the car is too small and suffers from similar cheap interior issues. Even more so than the mustang I believe. Of course it is a 20,000 dollar car. I could probably get by with a 2 seater but it's hard to find a good deal on a Z around hear and I don't really care for the styling. Especially the new ones. If the G was slightly more affordable I would likely go that route. Though it doesn't help that the nearest dealer is like 150 miles away. The A5 is more of a short lived dream. I've not really considered a BMW. Never been much of a fan and I think I'd get a G way before one of them.

In some ways I wonder if that is more of a problem than a positive. How would the mustang appear to someone who was not infatuated with the brand and those intangibles? Would the sales be as good? And as a result would the Mustang platform actually be forced to improve on a few of it's shortcomings?

I don't mean to get too off topic but the way this thread was headed inspired me to post.

cmplxlgc

This is a repeat event, case in point - I'm leaving the gym 2 nights ago, now I often see this Dodge rumble bee truck in the lot and as I was leaving w/ my friend, I see the same truck slowly cruising by my car do a u-turn and cruise by again. I hit the unlock, lights go on and the guy pulls up in front of me and we do 20 questions, the usual "what to they go for? the power? options? wheels?" Does a walk-around...So I'm there w/ him about 5-10 mins talking, he wants to ditch his truck for a 5-speed GT.

After he leaves, I turn to my friend and tell her, yeah, it happens often...

...not to get preachy or anything, but there's something epic about this car - even puting price and Hp aside....there's just....something...

Hollywood_North GT

Well, you've seen it for yourself, right? It's the kind of plastic you'd expect to see used in the bed liner of a pickup truck, not the interior of a car; rough hewn edges in spots, hard, easy to scratch with sharp objects, etc.

That said, the interior design mitigates a great deal of the problem, particularly if you order the Mustang with all the premium upgrades - which is a must, in my opinion. Then it really isn't too bothersome.

Well, first of all, good design is good design. The original '60s Stangs had a beautiful, timeless, iconic design, hence the reason that the current car borrowed so heavily from them. And judging from people's reactions, it was the right decision. You speak of those who are "not infatuated with the brand and other intangibles." What I find, is that people who wouldn't ordinarily be impressed by Mustangs - or might otherwise buy something significantly more upscale - are drawn to this car like magnets, because the design is so stunning; "epic" as the above poster said. Few other carmakers, no matter how upscale, build a grand touring car that looks better, IMHO. So Ford nailed the design, to be sure.

The Mustang platform has few shortcomings - it's brand new and very rigid. Remember, when you buy a GT, you're getting the exact same chassis as the GT500, which is designed to handle 500 HP. The SRA is a contentious issue on paper, but since you said you won't be racing anyway, I would refer you to Road & Track from back in 2005, who said: "With modest clutch effort, you're off to discover how shockingly good the new Mustang's dynamics are." In other words, there's nothing wrong with the platform in the real world. And the real world is where you will do 99% of your driving.

Hope that helps.

randy_tho

That does help. The solid rear doesn't bother me too bad. And I plan to get the interior packages for that very reason. As far as shortcomings, I should have said: Would there be more reason to fix what it does fall short? Just from reading, it sounds like this is mostly suspension noises and just general operating noise. They could just add some sound insulation to the chassis.

The car definitely does attract people that older mustangs would be below their radar.