Robert

Just keep comforting yourself with these arguments as domestic automakers continue to lose market share to imports.

And by the way, what does this have to do with the interior quality of the new Mustang issue?

Are you asserting that the plastics used inside the Mustang are every bit as good as the import cars mentioned, or trying to offer excuses for why it is not?

kevinb120

I knew you would get offended. My mom has a 99 turbo spyder, I have played around with various lancers, all gens of eclipse, monetero and sport, outlander(which is a stand out turd in itself) and several gens of galants. It is so behind the bar against rival japanese companies its no wonder their sales are in a continuous downward spiral. They are behind Korean makers now in quality. I make it a point to drive all kinds of vehicles from everywhere to see how they hold up. None of it is THAT impressive, they fade indiferently, get cracks and squeaks and scratched just like anything else. Take your pick I have over 100 late model imports I can play with at will.........




(did i not mention the g35? plastic box for instruments, vents and console are uber cheap and creak, the shifter is notthing to write home about, all control buttons are cheap as heck[EVERY single vehicle they have uses the same buttons], looks good though ) outside molded dash most materials are hard and easy to scratch. This car is so overrated for interior quality it isnt funny. Drives nicely though, almost german feel.


The allmighty camry, we have like 4 of them that are 03's no pics yet.......yawn

4 of them, all worn the same way inside.........

would be nice if it was still 1988

have a trio of these

I am very impressed with the new civic though, top notch car, no complaints whatsoever for the bucks this time around

industry average wear on all of these we get, great when new, ok after a couple years or so


I have dozens more......only the AMG CLK55 is off limits What do you think I do when I'm bored, I drive other make's cars to lunch or just around the block. The regular used vehicles owned by owners, not magazine cars 'selected' by the factory.

Kamikaze

I'm in no ways offended Kevin but my car is irrelevant because it felt well put together when I got it and it's still in good condition now. The Stang feels cheap so wait a year or two like these cars have and see if it is as perfect as you say these cars should be. It's brand new for all we know we can have another Lincoln LS on our hands.

bigred0383

Ok first of all, many of us hold strong opinoins on those matters for good reasons. Religion is a personal thing, so I won't argue with you on that, but just state that I am pretty religoius. American happens to be a world leader in many things, and a wonderful place to live, so many of us take pride in being afforded the opportunity, to work, play and live here. George Bush is our president, whether or not people like that can be determined in November, however as our Commander in Chief, he holds one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and deserves our support. Being a Mustang enthusiast website, and the mustang being a Ford product, yes, many of us feel strongly about Ford. It has a very rich history, and to many of us, has personal ties that goes just beyond cars.
Ok, stepping off the soap box.

As you said, you have never seen the interior first hand, I will comment no further on that.

I have, and gotten the opportunity to compare the new and old mustang side by side. After getting in and out of both several times and going back between the two, the step up with the generatoin is HUGE. Now don't get me wrong. I still love the old mustang, I still have a hard time finding anything sexier to me personally than the Bullitt, automotively speaking (except Ferrari...darn). But the improvement is quite astounding. For the price of the car, and the total package, I think the new GT is one heck of a steal. And I think pre-orders and actual sales of the new car will prove that.

As far as comparing the new interior to it's competitors, that is kind of tough considering the Mustang doesn't really have any direct competitors these days (covered in length on Stangnet). And many people are reaching to the pricer GTO, or to luxury cars for comparison, G35, etc. Even the RX-8 and the Z don't fit the mold perfectly.

In the end it comes down to opinoin. If you think it's cheap, that is your perogative, so don't buy it. Buy something you are happy with. But if you are going to come bash not only the Mustang but all Ford and eventually all Detriot products, take a look around, because you probably came to the wrong place.

Sorry for the long post.

Kamikaze

Ok first of all, many of us hold strong opinoins on those matters for good reasons. Religion is a personal thing, so I won't argue with you on that, but just state that I am pretty religoius. American happens to be a world leader in many things, and a wonderful place to live, so many of us take pride in being afforded the opportunity, to work, play and live here. George Bush is our president, whether or not people like that can be determined in November, however as our Commander in Chief, he holds one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and deserves our support. Being a Mustang enthusiast website, and the mustang being a Ford product, yes, many of us feel strongly about Ford. It has a very rich history, and to many of us, has personal ties that goes just beyond cars.
Ok, stepping off the soap box.

As you said, you have never seen the interior first hand, I will comment no further on that.

I have, and gotten the opportunity to compare the new and old mustang side by side. After getting in and out of both several times and going back between the two, the step up with the generatoin is HUGE. Now don't get me wrong. I still love the old mustang, I still have a hard time finding anything sexier to me personally than the Bullitt, automotively speaking (except Ferrari...darn). But the improvement is quite astounding. For the price of the car, and the total package, I think the new GT is one heck of a steal. And I think pre-orders and actual sales of the new car will prove that.

As far as comparing the new interior to it's competitors, that is kind of tough considering the Mustang doesn't really have any direct competitors these days (covered in length on Stangnet). And many people are reaching to the pricer GTO, or to luxury cars for comparison, G35, etc. Even the RX-8 and the Z don't fit the mold perfectly.

In the end it comes down to opinoin. If you think it's cheap, that is your perogative, so don't buy it. Buy something you are happy with. But if you are going to come bash not only the Mustang but all Ford and eventually all Detriot products, take a look around, because you probably came to the wrong place.

Sorry for the long post. [/b][/quote]
If you buy anything and everything a company produces they will just keep putting out the same garbage until sells drop. No one is attacking Ford so calm down go get some fresh air we are just talking about quality issues.

bigred0383

I didn't mean to offend you or your original question, but if you scroll through the posts the person I quoted has said several negative things first about the cars, then about the company, and then anything that comes out of Detroit. I have respect for everyones individual opinion, I guess I am just trying to say I don't appreciate his attitude.

bigred0383

Sorry if I am making this too serious, I guess I just let some comments rub me the wrong way. But I think my opinoins are just as valid as anyone elses. Safe and fun driving everybody.

SixtySix

kevinb120

Actually I like the last gen of Eclipses better then the current gen, only major gripes are weak brake parts, so so paint, and the unlighted buttons on the very complicated shaped door panel make finding the right buttons almost impossible at night. If they are taken very good care of they hold up decently, if neglected they fall to the wayside easilly.

as for the LS :notnice: Car has a lot of potential, needs to have a thorough going-over with the new-gen suspension tuning, nvh control, bushing materials and interior quality. Outdated car. If they wait any longer to redo that car, it has no chance ever selling. Explorer barely missed the same problems of 'cheapness', they did a enormous amound of subtle makeovers throughout the truck from 02-03 to make it a nice vehicle. They got it right by 04. You can see the quality spike up throughout products developed for the 03 model year and obviously a huge boost for 04 and 05. Escape and Focus were dramatically improved this year, Freestar was a dumb move, still cant figure that one out

Here is my Ford gripes and likes list

Freestar: ugh, needs to go to the boneyard and start over. Using the pushrod motors was the dumbest thing I have seen Ford done. Its not a TERRIBLE van, but nothing in any way shape or form is great about. A whole lotta blah even for the type of vehicle that is supposed to be blah. handles better now, has a decent interior and has enormous impressive brakes, but still not nearly enough - :notnice:

Taurus: still a sturdy fleet car but was outdated by 2001. The platform is actually good enough it could survive a MAJOR overhaul, but Ford wore the entire reputation out, owner loyalty is amazing though. Its a decent appliance, but still :notnice: Armys of loaner Taurus' have KILLED resale value, and any desireabilty. There really isnt a reason to buy it in its class other then being from a 'Ford' familly. Shows the old Nasser 'caryover' mentality like a festering sore. :notnice:

Focus: excellent chassis, terrible start in the country 2000-2002 problems killing the reputation. By 03 upper models are decent well-equipped vehicles. 05 ads much more pollish and tons of value. Quality is very good. Needs vehicles like the new Mustang/500 to bring attention back to it. It takes only one good very fast turn over a very bumpy offramp to show how good this car really is. ST is a great car. Torquey smooth Duratec now in all models brings new life to the car. The motor is extremely sturdy and mods very easilly too, old ztec was fussy, delicate engine. SVT accounting for such very small numbers each year is not enough to mention. for 05...

Exped: excellent vehicle, after some minor 03 teething problems holds up very well against every other full-size, light years beyond the first gen truck and much more robust and sophisticated than any competition in class, 05's with the 3V 300hp engine bring the word 'awesome' to mind. The platform has a long future ahead of it, way overbuilt

Ranger: has very loyal folowing, but time to get redone is way overdue. Being better then the old god-awful S-10 aint good enough anymore. For commercial use it is fine. Tundra outclasses it in every way. Existing Frontier is no better though, new one may(most likely will) be another story. :notnice:

Explorer: mentioned above, BARELY saved and turned into a great SUV. Funny enough, I hear nothing but how much everyone LOVED thier 90-01 explorers, but I HATE them. Pre-03 new-gen models are stinkers though, not for mechanics per-se but for interior/exterior looks and feel. 03-05 models (05 now all with stability control too)

Freestyle/500: TONS of vehicle for the money. Power is not really a problem like mags make it out to be. Engineering is impressive in every aspect, the more time you spend in them the more you like it. Very presidental feeling in the 500. Do NOT like the shade of the tan interior though, black and grey are very nice. Leather and cloth quality and all buttons are leaps and bounds better then anything Ford has ever put in a car. They talk about bank vaults with Avalons, makes the Avalon feel like a bowling alley locker in comparison. Freestyle has great room, better then explorer, and pricing is excellent. Looks depend completely on color though, a few of the colors warent hanging the Ford employee that picked them(titanium green comes to mind, quickly). The CVT feels fine to me and looks to be overbuilt, but IF it becomes a problem tranny, Ford may have serious trouble. Although I love the car(s), the 250+hp Duratec 35 will make it absolutely stellar next year.

Escape: Its a good thing Ford got lucky building a decent platform considering management at the time of creation. Interiors were generally lousy though 02. MAJOR improvement in 03-04 models alone(you can feel the Mays touch on cars), the 05 redo makes this little truck FANTASTIC for the money. New sound deadening, 'just right' facia retouches, and the center console and interior overhaul rub everyone the right way. The closing rate on customers is astounding on Escape, being up 50% in sales in just this year alone says much for it. The Escape is fully grown up now. If the Duratec 35 makes it to this truck it would be a blast to sell(or at least test drive ). Have driven a few Hybrids now, that thing is too-cool-for-school, but can get expensive if you go options-crazy.

F-150: Not much to say here, other then it has no competition for 5 years at least. None at all. I have never seen a vehicle more 'right' in the first year. If the 6.2 hurricane makes it in two years into this truck, make that no competition for 10 years. I can't see this vehicle needing a platform upgrade for at least a decade. :worship:

SD: For 05 its another incredible vehicle with no competition. Interior upgrades are just right, about the only thing unchanges was the outer body panels. Fit and finish are amazing. Entire truck uses F-550 spec frame and suspension. Chevy advertising cracks me up, they are micky mouse where they need to step up. Looking at suspension components on '3/4' ton chevys is entertaining. Not to mention that 350-series in Ford speak means 3 tons now, Chevy is still working on making thier 35's=one. The sheer bulk of this truck is mind-numbing and for heavy haulers the integrated linear-gain brake controler is from another world, you can pummel the brakes at 60 with a 10,000 rig attatched and the vehicle doesnt even quiver. They could put a 750s Cat motor in a 350 and up the tow rating to 25,000 lbs and not touch another part. :worship:

Mustang: 05 duh :worship:

as for fox-sn-95's, the cars I loved to hate. I dont think people realize how many buyers wanted the old car walking in and promptly walked right out of dealers. They will be coming back now and leaving in the seat. The old mustang is only for people who had to own mustangs no matter what, the new one fits so many more consumers' needs(and fannys). This car and the new F-series MAKE this company, they both are looking to be absolute out of the park home runs.

Crown Vic: heck dont even need a description for this one-other then police cars and taxis this one is a big turd deluxe with cheese :notnice: :notnice:


Fusion will be filling an enormous hole in the Ford car line.

And the biggest car mistake from Ford I have seen in years was not bringing back the Probe hatch. They missed a huge opportunity not making a Ford version of the Cougar. They could of put another 100,000 cars a year on the market without much trouble, yet let the Cougar die a lonely death. :bang:

JustAnotherDude

Just to add fuel to the flames... it isn't there Kamikaze. It's on the remote and that's it.


Edit: Just to add my 2 cents, from looking at the pics the center console does look a bit on the cheap side, but the seats and the rest of the dash (with IUP) looks good. And definitely more individual than most cars. Just glancing at it you can tell it's a Mustang interior. You have to be an expert to tell a Honda from a Toyota just by looking at the dash.

bpmurr

I wish Ford would have included the option of an integrated navigation system into the Mustang. At first, I thought the one in my Accord would just be for showing off but now I can't live without it. It's probably the biggest reason I'm holding off buying a Mustang GT.

As for this interior quality issue, I sat in a Mustang GT with the IUP and it seemed pretty nice. It is no way on par with the quality of my Accord but then I'm not expecting it to be. It is however much better then the previous Mustang and other cars such as the 350z.

Indystang

Maybe you should just go buy a Cadillac.

bpmurr

Maybe you should just go buy a Cadillac. [/b][/quote]
No these should be pretty much standard things or at least options on a 2005 Model car, retro or not. The Mustang can look like an old car but yet offer the latest in tech and really everything on that list has become standard on cars in the 20k+ price range.

Robert

Like I've been saying all along, it's hard to attract buyers outside the corerequisite Mustang enthusiasts when you don't provide the options they want.

This poster is probably just one of MANY who feel this way.

Robert

Maybe you should just go buy a Cadillac. [/b][/quote]
A Cadillac?!

You can get most of those features on a MAZDA 3, for crissake!

Out of touch.

JustAnotherDude

A Cadillac?!

You can get most of those features on a MAZDA 3, for crissake!

Out of touch. [/QUOTE]

Yeah, but to buy a Mazda 3 you've got to be at least 60 years old...at least it looks like that around here....like with Cads....oooh... I see your point.

And yeah, considering they come *cheap* these days, I don't really see why the opted not to slap in a color screen w/ satellite navigation system while at it. I mean, even Hyundais got it so it can't be a cost issue.

incorrigible

Geeez, this thread is............ :crazy:

dke

There's a simple, legitimate point.

Ford has targeted low-end enthusiasts. The sparse interior options appeals to price conscious, especially the young, but that may not be their core market, or more important the broader untapped market.

Ford is also missing an opportunity to charge for these options, and move people up the product line or fatten their margins. I have no problems with the base options, and like their "start low" entry point. But I mentioned (as others have), that heated seats, sunroof, computers or nav systems and other things might be nice options to move people up with. Charge me an extra $500 for an auto-stick (over automatic), gouge me for $795 for a sunroof, charge me $2,500 for AWD, or an extra $1,000 to have the back end be a hatch like the Concept. Heck, I'd pay for those. I'm not saying everyone will, but options are good things.

Indystang

A Cadillac?!

You can get most of those features on a MAZDA 3, for crissake!

Out of touch. [/b][/quote]
Muscle Cars have never needed all the cushy nice feely stuff. The Mustang IS what it IS and will never pretend to be anything else....I hope!

TomServo92

They can't but not for any technical reason. This issue has come up on a Mazda 6 forum I frequent as well. From what I've heard, the union contract at AAI doesn't allow for the installation of a navigation system by union workers or for it to be done by an outside vendor. In order to do that, they'd have to re-negotiate the contract. That's why you can get a navigation system in the less expensive Mazda 3 (built in Japan) and the not the 6s (or the '05 Mustangs) built at AAI. I believe a nav system is available for 6s built outside of North America.

Perhaps some of our AAI members can confirm or deny...