I don't get the whole point of this thread, frankly. Why is anyone picking on the Mustang for being "stale"?

Using that logic, EVERY car on the road is stale in its third year of production.

Is the Mustang somehow more stale than a third model year Corolla? At least the Mustang doesn't look like a melted bar of soap, like every other Asian econobox out there.

 

So wait, it's selling slow in February/March.

Wait, lemme say that again.

So wait, it's selling slow in February/March.

Hmm, I dunno, maybe since snow storms are ripping this country a new one for the past 5 weeks - com'on 11 feet of snow - people might not wanna jump out and buy a 300hp rear wheel sports car. Wait till mid-March/April. I just ordered my '07 and it'll line up prefectly w/ the warming trend that's on the way.

jeez.....

 

Very well said!

Personally, I love my mustang and wouldn't trade it for any foreign car. There are no other Asian cars that can compete with the Mustang's looks, power, and price. You don't hear stories of people getting compliments from other drivers while they're driving their Toyota. The mustang just appeals to a lot of people. I think Ford needs to update the mustang's design every few years to keep it fresh and it'll do fine. I don't think the new camaro or challenger will be a problem for the mustang since they will likely cost a lot more and the mustang will be a more formitable competitor by then.

Rich

 

Werd, at least 1 time a day and 4 to 6 on the weekend

 

Well, I did my part. Took delivery on Feb 12th! I gave it a good once over at the dealer and found the build quality pretty good. After three weeks, I still feel that way. The car is right on the money for what it is! If I'd wanted a luxury coupe I'd have looked else where.

 

That the sale of Redfire GTs are down 19%.

 

As I've stated in other remarks, this is not that alarming to me. Jan/Feb have traditionally been slow months for Mustang sales (regardless of what people believe this is a fact). Warm weather inspires LOTS of things. Clothing changes, libidos, driving increases, and people looking at sports coupes/convertibles. The fact that sales were brisk last Jan/Feb is the fluke IMO and we should be thankful. It's not really normal honestly, what we're experiencing now is.

While visiting the recent Philadelphia auto show, I got a chance to gaze at the Camaro. One thing that I still contend was a glaring difference was that I was able to walk right up to this car and touch it. Sure, there were some people around it. People recognize it etc. It isn't a production version of the car even and yet the level of excitement was about 1/10th when I saw the first PRODUCTION version of the S197. People were 5 deep all the way around the car. You couldn't get near it for probably 30 minutes. I'm not that fearful the Camaro will steal that much thunder. Weather and gas pricing right now I believe are probably affecting things more than the anticipated appearance of the Camaro.

As others have stated, cough up a v-8 300hp car in ANY SEGMENT that matches this cars looks, performance and styling. Bzzz. There aren't any. Can sustained sales of 165,000 a year be maintained? I think that is pie in the sky to be honest. They hit a home run on this, but as in any ball game, the inning changes.

My prediction is we'll see an uptick in sales starting in March and it will continue on through the summer season.

 

Good. Makes my car rarer.

 

Hey, I did my part. I bought mine two weeks ago. The dealership was willing to deal and when you add in the $1K rebate, I think I got a great deal on a black GT/CS.

 

Well, if Ford thinks they're gonna improve Mustang sales by keeping it "FRESH", then they'd better try something different than they have so far. Up to now, keeping it fresh means coming out with special edition mustangs that end up costing more than the regular V6 and GT markets will bear, and then the dealers price gouge the hell out of them with $5K+ second stickers. This may increase the Mustang legend or mystique, and the collectablility of a few cars, but it's not going to improve the overall sales picture. That strategy rips off Ford's most loyal Mustang cutomers, and is a recipe for a business disaster.

Ford needs to continue offering new and exciting color and equipment options to make the standard cars more interesting to more of the market. How silly would it have been if the MP3 player audio jack or the premium trim package was only available in the 07 GT/CS? By making these options available on all cars, this type of non-recurring development cost can be applied over the entire product range, incorporated into the production process easier, and marketed to a wider audience. Maybe offer a T-top option? Just my 2 cents....

 

+1 I get people nearly crashing cars gawking at my car, hollering out their windows, starting conversations at the gas pump, etc. Very appealing car to ALL generations, young and old alike.

Exactly
Definite factors in the Jan/Feb sales decline.

The weather last winter was phenomenal, wearing shorts and playing golf in January. That plays a roll in people's decisions on what car they will/won't consider at the time.

 

wait until the Charger comes out. It could get ugly.


Mike[/quote]

Charger has been out for like 2-3 yrs now its the challenger and thats gonna be priced like the shelby's

 

+1 on the weather issue I only ordered mine in oct 04 because of the "newness" factor having the first one around, its a great feeling. The car went away for winter. People who are gonna wait to drive em will wait to buy em especially on the ordering end.

 

Let's see...

Seats not returning = Yup. big irritation!
HVAC not diverting air correctly = Not an issue with my car
Hood prop rod = Yup. Cheap.
No mp3s in base = Not an issue. I didn't buy the base system. Base is base...
No rear floor mats = So? I have only had passengers in the rear about 3 times in the last two years.
No power trunk releast = I think you mean no INTERIOR trunk release. I noticed it at first, now I don't even think about it. I would have used the remote ANYWAY.
vinyl seats = ICAP baby!!! Leather seats ARE an option. Not Fords fault you didn't chose that upgrade (not everyone wants leather)
Unheated seats = So? This is a pony car, not a luxury car!
Build quality = I have none of the issues you list.

It looks like my March 2005 build car is in pretty good shape compared to Mike's! All in all, I only agree with a few items on his list.

 

RRRoamer pretty much nailed it. No complaints here with my '07 premium GT. Its fit and finish and all around build quality is far ahead of the '99 Z28 I used to own and the '04 Silverado I also own now. Maybe some people on here bought one of those dreaded Friday or Monday cars.

 

Sounds like Pipas has a pretty good handle on things and that they are not going to let the Stang grow (too?) stale on the vine.

As for going stale, I think that is one inherent danger with retro themed cars, by definition, the look already has some mileage on it from introduction as opposed to a clean sheet design. It's a tricky balance between retaining retro identifying design cues and themes vs a "seen that, driven that" reproduction of past glories. Even at its best execution though, the design clock has already been running a bit on any retro design, Mustang included, and thus, each iteration has a shorter shelf life in the general market (hard core enthusiasts excepted).

The Stang, too, has existed in a green pasture all to itself, so that fact has probably forstalled the inevitable sales declines on an aging model. But there going to be some fresh new stallions stampeding through the gate soon and gunning for all the green of that pasture they can grab. The Mustang is going to have to compete much more vigorously than it has had to, or done, in the past couple years. Yes, while an overall excellent car, the Stang does suffer from some obvious and maladroit cost cutting in materials, creature features and engineering features. While that has sufficed now, make no mistake, those are gapping ****** in the armor that GM and DC will target like a Hellfire missle. Many are quite obvious -- swap out the 4.0 V6 for the excellent new 3.5, add IRS on the options list, upgrade the brakes and put another cog in the trannies, add at least 50hp to the GT stable and another version between the GT and GT500. Wrap that in freshened styling and an updated, upgraded and upfeatured interior. The rub is that they won't be able to raise the price much at all, if at all.

Pipas comments and the upgrades and enhancements belied by that online poll recently hint that Ford will get serious about the challenge. That would be great as Ford has had a dismal history in the past of letting good product whither too long on the vine for want of updates and refreshes.

 

Competition from the Challenger and the Camaro will be healthy for all three platforms. I will bring out the best in all three cars. The new Camaro hasn't really captured my attention yet but a Challenger R/T in the garage is a definite possibility in the future only if the build quality is far above my GT and the price is reasonable and as far as I am concerned anything above sticker price IS NOT reasonable. My 3rd option of course is keep my stang and mod the hell out of it when the warranty expires. It's a win/win situation for all of us.

 

Wow Mike, you don't think the car lives up to its looks? You made a mistake then getting the V6, because the GT definitely lives up to its looks. It's been mentioned in a million other posts, but what other car sells at the Mustang's price and has equal or better performance?

 

Hope they find a way to give us some more HP.

 

The thing that concerns Ford is that sales are slipping significantly in Feb/Mar '07 compared to Feb/Mar '06. Since we also had a fair winter last year, that virtually eliminates weather as a major factor.