WarningSLO

Tell me what you think of this FAQ, I like it all organized into one post, PM me any additions and I will update this thing everyday:

For Specs and other miscellaneous information check here first.
You may also use the search function to find threads within the forum that might contain answers to your question.

Things we don't have definite answers to:
- Pricing and Availability
- Special Editions
- Cobra Specifics (i.e. appearance, engine output)

What options are available?
- The full order guide from ford is available, it lists all options currently available for the car and how they are packaged: Order Guide Thread

When can I pre-order a 2005 Ford Mustang?
- The order bank for the 2005MY (Model Year) Mustang opened May 24th. Ford will actually pull the orders roughly two weeks after that date, to determine which cars will actually be built.

When can I expect a 2005 Mustang to be on the lot?
- Job1 (day that full production begins) is scheduled for September 7th. The first cars should be hitting lots around the end of September or early October with all lots receiving cars by mid-November. This is when TV commercials will begin to air.

When will pricing be released?
- While nothing has been written in stone, pricing has been rumored to come out sometime this summer, probably sometime in August or early September. Check these forums often as members who are Ford dealers will have the pricing uploaded as soon as it is available. For now, expect a base V6 to come in under $20,000 and a base GT to start around $24,000 - $25,000.

What is the status of Special Editions, Cobras, etc?
- Ford has said repeatedly the earliest to expect a SE is 2007MY for 2006. The status of engines, designs, or anything related to the cars has not been confirmed at this time.

Why are the 18” wheels not offered for 2005?
- The 18" wheels have been delayed until 2006 because of equipment issues at AAI (AAI is the facility where the mustang will be produced).

Why is IRS not offered on the 2005 Mustang?
- Cost
- Rear-seat packaging
- The Lincoln LS IRS could not handle the torque output of the 4.6L engine.
- The LS IRS would not be a good platform when a convertible was used. When Hau Thai Tang was doing the chassis work on the Thunderbird, he had to put in a lot of bracing to stiffen the chassis which he could not do on the 2005 Mustang because there would be no rear seats.
- A solid axle is much easier to build on the line.

I'm thinking about modifying my Mustang, could I possibly see a picture of this?
- Absolutely, the forums are home to some very talented Photoshoppers, see our Photoshop sticky and submit a request.

Are the License Plate setups different between the V6 and GT?
- Yes, the V6 will have an indentation for a front license plate in the bumper. The GT will not have an indentation but will have 2 small dimples for the front plate.

What do you mean by paying MSRP? What do you mean by paying invoice? What is the difference from paying sticker vs. MSRP vs. invoice?
- MSRP is Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (usually sticker price) Invoice is the price of the car with little or no profit for the dealer. Some people can buy a Ford at or slightly above invoice by having a letter plan (these are the A, C, Y, Z, etc. plans). People on these plans work with or have family members who work with Ford Motor Co. or a related company (i.e. dealers, suppliers).

Are there any pictures of the 2005 Production Convertible out yet?
- The 2005 Production Convertible will be revealed at the North American/Detroit Auto Show in January 2005. The convertible will be on dealer lots in early spring, most likely late February to early March. The only pictures available thus far are spy pictures.

My dealer says pricing is available next week/this weekend/etc.
How is that possible?
- It's not. Pricing will absolutely not be released until right before or around Job1, September 7th. Some dealers will use this ruse to get you into the dealer to attempt to sell you on a different car. The best way to accurately price your 2005 Mustang would be to create a Mustang on fordvehicles.com then add 3-5% for a rough estimate on the price.

Will stripes be available on the 2005 Mustang?
- Stripes are available as a rocker panel add-on on the Exterior Sport Package coupled with a Spoiler on the V6 models. This package is not available on GT’s. Racing stripes that run across the hood and top of the vehicle will only be available from aftermarket vendors.

Will Blue Leather Be Available?
- No. The blue leather picture from Motortrend was photoshopped.
Blue seats were only seen in photoshopped pictures and were never even mentioned by ford.

I hear a lot of talk about A/Z/D/X Plans for Ford Pricing. What are these?
- Ford offers a discount to Ford employees and Ford vendors/suppliers employees, and their immediate families. Ford employees, and their immediate family (spouse, kids, parents, siblings) qualify for the A Plan, which is 2% below invoice on the vehicle. Ford supplier employees, and Ford partner employees, qualify for the X Plan, also known as the Friends and Family Plan. This plan is 2% above invoice, or 4% higher than A Plan. The Z Plan is available to former Ford employees who have retired from Ford, and is the same discount as the A Plan. D Plan is the Dealer Plan, available to employees of the dealer, which is also the same as the A and Z plans. A Plan pricing and X Plan pricing are both listed on the actual invoice of the vehicle, kept at the dealer.

When will the next SVT Cobra be coming out?
- The Cobra will be coming out in 2006 as a 2007MY model. Ford currently offers a lease package on 2004’s which gives you first dibs on the 2007 Cobra.

What octane does Ford recommend for the 05?
- Use the octane specified in your owner’s manual. A higher octane is only needed for higher compression engines.
- Buy gas from a reputable gas station.
- Use fuel injector cleaner in your tank every once in a while (But no more than once every 3,000 miles).
- The 2005 Mustang requires regular (87 octane).

Why doesn’t the production version of the 2005 Mustang look more like the concept car I saw at auto shows last year?
- The concept coupe and convertible were actually built AFTER the design for the Production 2005 Mustang was finalized. The concepts were designed to be more as "teasers" than a true concept car. It is speculated that some of the concept styling cues will appear on special editions in the future. This goes for the hood, side scoops and rear 1/4 window treatment. The taillights already showed up on the GTR concept.

Is the silver color I saw at the auto show going to be available for the 2005?
- The color on the show car is titanium silver and WILL NOT be offered as part of the color lineup in 05. The silver color that will be offered for 2005 is “satin silver”. However, Titanium will be offered for 2006MY.

kevinb120

kudos for the work, it could definately be added to the FAQ list, maybe for the first post

steve19970

Every once in a while for fuel injector cleaner shouldn't be more often than every oil change. If you use it more often, it can actually do more damage than good, as it strips out...er...I can't remember exactly what. But that is what my mechanic told me.

Not much of an answer I suppose, but it's better than nothing.

SVTJayC

you are correct. a certainly amount of "gunk" actually fills in minute cracks in the cylinder walls due to normal wear and tear. using product too much to clean out the motor can actually break this down.

elwhit95

Outstanding work. Here is a general question to anyone who can answer it. Has anybody else heard that Ford is doing a manditory spilt of 50/50 on the production of the Mustang? My dealer told me he had recieved and email from Ford telling him that. For all of us who have order your Mustang and recieved your DORA how many of you are like me have had no change in the status of your order since then? In other words how many of you are like me are still in the clean/unscheduled phase of your order? I had really hoped and still hope to hear something to the status of my order soon since production is kicking off so soon.

SVTJayC

This is BS...the S-Type R uses the same IRS, and makes 400 ft lbs of torque.

Galaxie

Maybe it uses the same IRS, but has beefed-up components,

bottom line, straight axle in a Mustang, regardless of the reasons

Shea

Using fuel injector cleaner is essentially using a solvent to soften any deposits which build up on the injectors. The problem is that this solvent will also come into contact with your piston rings, valve seals, and other important components. You will wash out the protective coating which your engine oil has built up.

As someone who has been working on engines for 15 years, may I say DON'T use fuel injector cleaner, ever!!! Don't use any other solvents either, (solvents probably make up about 90% of the products out there which supposedly "clean" your engine).

And that stuff which supposedly keeps your engine from leaking if you have an oil leak? It just swells the cork/rubber seals so that it fills whatever gap is allowing the oil to leak...Only problem is that eventually they will crack and you'll be worse off that you were originally.

Let me say once more, don't use ANY of that additive crap in your vehicle, the one exception being octane booster, IF you have a modded car which needs higher octane. I haven't heard anything terible about Dri-gas either.

SVTJayC

I like Berryman's Chem-Tool. But only like once every 30k miles or so.

travste

Mine is still in the Clean / unscheduled order status too, I ordered mine on May 25th...I am planing on calling the dealer soon to see it the status has changed any since last month when I asked him....It gets kind of frustrating seeing other people's orders pulled and not mine But I am happy that at least some orders are getting pulled

Evil_Capri

The S-Type R also does not have a Limited Slip differential. Which I think is a negative, but I love the S-Type R

USA-Adam

Is it just me, or couldn't Ford have fixed the problem with adding traction bars with snubs that would hit the chassis if it was under acceleration load? Maybe I missed something but that seems like an expensive solution to fit an IRS under there.

kevinb120

thats it?

V10

If you read any of the car rag reviews on the S-type R, you would have seen the complaints that the electronics on the S-type R NEVER let the engine put out full power. The car is much slower than it should be for 400 lb. ft.

montreal ponies

Using fuel injector cleaner is essentially using a solvent to soften any deposits which build up on the injectors. The problem is that this solvent will also come into contact with your piston rings, valve seals, and other important components. You will wash out the protective coating which your engine oil has built up.

As someone who has been working on engines for 15 years, may I say DON'T use fuel injector cleaner, ever!!! Don't use any other solvents either, (solvents probably make up about 90% of the products out there which supposedly "clean" your engine).

And that stuff which supposedly keeps your engine from leaking if you have an oil leak? It just swells the cork/rubber seals so that it fills whatever gap is allowing the oil to leak...Only problem is that eventually they will crack and you'll be worse off that you were originally.

Let me say once more, don't use ANY of that additive crap in your vehicle, the one exception being octane booster, IF you have a modded car which needs higher octane. I haven't heard anything terible about Dri-gas either. [/b][/quote]
I've used Valvoline Max life oil in my my 5.0 to stop that rear main seal leak, and it works like magic and has never leaked since then....

pony_chief

Take a look under an S-Type R IRS and compare it to the Lincoln LS. It's not the same IRS. 400 Ft-lbs of torque is the max torque output of the engine not the at the rear wheels. Torque on S-Type R is truncated to manage loads on IRS components.

Why do we keep debating the IRS/SRA decision? Ford gave us their rationale and it seems pretty straightforward. If you don't like it, you can go buy another $25K 300HP car with an IRS.

SVTJayC

You mean like the 350Z?

kevinb120

is there something special about a Z other then being a Metrosexual icon??

will

is there something special about a Z other then being a Metrosexual icon?? [/b][/quote]
It sounds very nice. Even my dad, an avid import hater, admitted to liking the Z. I like it too, but I definitely think the new 'stang is much better looking.