dustindu4

350Z is 287 hp, but like only 250lb torque. Plus it's a 6 banger

svtdriver

Some people are never satisfied. They want 350hp or more. And they'll want it at the $20k price tag.

Greywolf

I want 1200hp for $5k

bob

Well I guess it probably will be no deal. The F-cars sacrificed to much on the altar to the performance gods IMO.

What is the average poster at Z28.com. I would say hardcore performance. To those guys its all about going fast at any price.

That and I think they are afraid of the mustang glory years (87 to 92), when it was the best bang for the buck ride in town and unless you had a V8 stang or a hair dried one gallon bent six from buick, all the rest was just no game (well except for those anniversay edition firebirds)

ergo, the camaro can have no less than 350 hp and the SS has to be able to compete with the cobra.

a 350 hp 30,000+ camaro is not what they need.

future9er24

300hp aint weak sauce with the average import fourbanger barely making enough to compete with our six bangers. and think wat could be done witha few thousand bux in mods!!
geez, this things gonna b unstoppable!! i'd buy without question. if i had $$. but it'll only get better with the SE's so that's something else to consider

BlackRiderX

Compare the SRT to the 05 Mustang and I don't believe it will even be close. The Neon is going to be a little closer to a 99-04 Stang.

As for the performance for price value I think the Mustang easily has the mid 20K market wrapped up right now.

Why do people keep setting the LS1 engine as the goal for the new Mustang? Thats what SVT is for! High performance/low volume Cobra. If Ford wants to sell a lot of GTs in the Mid 20s there has to be a trade off between engine size/power and the rest of the car itself. I'd rather have an evenly designed vehicle than just an engine on a car that was thrown together. GM has tried to sell these types of poorly thought out vehicles at this price range and what happened?

If anything is a goal for the Cobra it has to outdo the LS2 that is going into the base Corvettes and the new GT0.

scottie1113

I see all these cars that guys have spend major coin on (which they'll never get back) to get a 300 hp Mustang, and here Ford is giving us one with a warranty for under $30K. That's more than enough power for me.

In fact, for the street driving I do, my 95 GT Vert with the 5.0 is just fine.

houtex

I have a Mark VIII. It's got 280HP. It's by far heavier than the Mustang's gonna be.

I leave people behind all the time. I love it. I surprise all kinds of cars. Especially those imports. Heh.

Gimme a lighter car, 20 extra horses, and better torque? I'll be LOVIN' my new 2005 Mustang GT, OOTBE* style.

I'm still unsure about the leather though... Decisions, decisions.

* - Out Of The Box Experience.

BlackRiderX

I heard it was going to 300HP for 2005, 35th ann for the Z cars.

Dan

I heard it was going to 300HP for 2005, 35th ann for the Z cars. [/b][/quote]
I thought I heard Nissan was bumping up power as well. :scratch:

NolanzDad

Yeah,but, the Z is still a "french" product (Nissan controlling interest owned by Peuguot), disguised as a Japanese product!

BOYCOTT FRANCE!!!........BUY AMERICAN

TampaBear67

Considering the fact that my 97 Thunderbird LX 4.6V8 has 215HP, and the 05 V6 has 210, I think 300 is More than Enuff Horsepower for a Mass Produced Performance Car. The Masses can barely control what they have now. You have to stop and think about the amount of MORONS out there that are gonna be let loose on Society with horsepower numbers that used to be Exotic Car Teritory.

You also have to remember Insurance rates, I believe one reason they capped HP at 300 is because anything over 300 really gets the attention of your insurance company.

HeII, I remember when everyone was Hyped that the 87 GT had 225 HP, and that was a High HP Rating for any car! you also have to stop too and think about gearing, it's not always about pure Horse Power.

The 05 with 300 Horses will be More than Sufficent for me! HeII, I have trouble keeping my foot out of My T-Bird's Throttle Body. I have already thought about how much trouble I can get in with 300 Ponies Raring to go under my hood!

Purple Hayz

Because it's an admirable and worthy target :worship: . Think about it, try to name a performance buy in the last quarter century that was even close to rivaling the 98+ entry-level LS1 f-bodies in performance value. The turbo Buicks maybe? DSM's? But were they even close? The Gen III Chevy small block was a gem, no if ands or buts about it. In 1998, a Z28 coupe listed for UNDER $21K. 350 horses, 60mph in 5 flat, mid to high 13s in the quarter, and if you kept your foot on the pedal, you would hit 160 before all was said and done (take my word for it, I've done it ) . That is bang for the buck if I've ever seen it. I bought a brand new anniversary (and as fate would have it, final) year Z28 for my old man in 2002, and paid just $22K even. I would have been hard pressed to find a base GT for that price...

Seriously, it's saying a lot when the biggest criticism one may have of the LS1 is that it spent far too many years with a CAMARO wrapped around it. Truth is there isn't much else to critique (of the engine). The LS1 was the (then) perfect blend of old and new. Old school mechanicals (pushrods, 2V, no VVT) in a modern design (all aluminum, high revving). Makes me appreciate the 05 even more, which takes the synthesis of old and new to a whole new level.

Which brings me to my final point, and bold prediction: The 05 GT will run neck in neck with the dearly departed LS1 f-body . In 99, C&D ran a then new 99GT against a Z28. Even in their incompetent hands, the Z hit 60 in 5.2, the Stang in 5.4. I believe the quarter mile times favored the Z by half a second. These times aren't that far off from what we'd read on stangnet/corral or LS1.com. Fast forward to 2004. Add 40 more ponies, several ft pounds of torque, variable timing, better power delivery (as all you suspension gurus have convinced me), and comparable weight and I see the Stang shaving half a second from the 99-04 times. In the hands of a skilled driver, there is no way the new Pony shouldn't pull (sub?)5 second sprints and mid 13s in the quarter. That my friends, is prime LS1 f-body territory

D..m it I can't wait

woody1

Well there's :

1)$20K Neon SRT-4 making 270 with factory warrantied Mopar packages taking it well over 300 and into the 12s

2)$28K 340hp Dodge Magnum Hemi that'll run mid-high 13s with an auto

3)$32K 400+hp 6.0 GTO for '05

4)$?K 400+hp 6.1L Hemi Charger coming out some time next year.

Point is there are viable competitors for reasonable money and most people are starting to think twice about modding with the way the warranty-***** are operating these days. Not just at Ford either.

I for one would NOT do anything more than exhaust and intake on a new car these days. And I doubt that gets you more than 10hp on the new GT. [/b][/quote]
B) Hmmmm; Facts from C&D, R&T, Allpar, FF&MM, manufacturers literature; kept my feelings to a minimal but definitely opinated.

SRT-4: Both Car & Driver and Allpar show following - dyno avg of @250hp. 0-60 @ 5.6 and a 1320 @ 14.2. Good HP to weight, reasonable price and cutsie but looks like a ricer

GTO: Articles I’ve found show it’s LS1 @ 350hp. Realistic pricing will be in the $35-38 range. Recent article did heads up against a Mach I. Interior, gadgets and driver comfort went slightly to the GTO. Sex appeal and performance (MPG, Gs, 0-60, 1320, slalom and braking) gave slight edge to the MACH I

Magnum: Looking at $35K range realistic to get into a slightly upgraded Hemi. 0-60 @ 7.5; 1320 @ 15.8. Nothing personal but it’s a station wagon. Who really needs capacity to haul 10 sets of golf clubs fairly fast. My Tundra almost matches these specs except it cost less and hauls more sets of golf clubs. Besides the only real Magnum was made in 78-79 made for Petty; and he quickly left Dodge after only one year in the Magnum.

6.1L Hemi Charger. Still smoke and mirrors that may never come to life the way Damlier is run

WXRi: About $32K for 300hp; 0-60 in 4.9, 1320 @13.2. A speedy gutsy hot rod on rails giving close to Viper performance at half the price. Unfortunately, unlike the Viper, it doesn’t have any soul. Don’t know why this wasn’t mentioned.

So lets see …. for some of the aforementioned we’re looking at $5-7K more than the expected 05 Mustang GT cost. For that delta we can get chipped, boosted, gassed, exhausted and dyno tuned to get 400hp+ being reliable, streetable AND still have one of the coolest cars going …. fairly long post but can we say duuuuh

Shea

FWIW, I drove the Magnum, and I'd be VERY suprised if that car pulled of 13s in the auto.

As far as the WRX, I've read that the engine on that car is pushed to the limits, and is unreliable in the long run.

Sorry, I'd rather get my HP through displacement. It's a simple question of compression ratios. Any 4 or 6 cylinder can put out good HP numbers, but if you raise the compression to 14:1 the engine won't last long. This is simple engine mechanics...

Take a look at the GP motorcycles if you don't believe me. How long do their engines last?

JZInternet

I guess we are running out of stuff to talk about huh?

I hate to post another "yeah I agree posts", But I AGREE!

I doubt most people on this forum will buy something else because of this. For one this little 290 (or whatever it was) rwhp rumor isn't that old. I remember brad posting that a little while back. I could care less. It's a great looking car and much much improved from 04.

A lot of us worry about hp for no reason. I think alot of us want it just to say it has it. Unless your going to race this car, how much horsepower do you need to get up to 60mph anyway? lol

jgsmuzzy

They have a service interval of 7500 miles and it costs a fortune to service! Also, if you drive them hard, you need to replace the turbo every 40k or so miles. Not cheap!

Bhead32

ill be stayin around 300hp switchin from my Volvo S60 R. Mustang just seems much meaner and better sounding and looking than my volvo.

snkbtn99

Those that scoff at 300hp standard in a readily available car like the Mustang that doesn't think it is enough has probably NEVER ridden in a car that produces 300/300.

Dude, if you like the freakin Neon so much, go buy one. You will be driving a fairly quick girls car. I'm sure you will look cute running around from stoplight to stoplight.

BTW .... magazine racing is for those that are not truly informed.

GTJOHN

I know some of us were hoping (dreaming!) that the 05 Stang GT would have 350hp. But, being realistic, and knowing Ford, we are lucky to have 300hp in a Mustang under $30k!! We are also lucky that Ford decided to completely redesign the Mustang. They could of gave it another face lift, and made us wait a few more years for a complete make-over. There wasn't any urgency for Ford to change the Mustang, not after the Camaro & Firebird died. And I really don't think it would of mattered much, even if those two cars were still around anyway.
The Stang is an Icon. You can put 400hp in a Camaro for under 30k, and I am still going to buy a Mustang!! I am a Mustang guy! If I really want a Mustang with more then 300hp, I will save my money and get a SE or Cobra. Or buy performance parts for the GT.

The bottom line is, I don't want anything other then a Mustang!