Who Stood With You In Getting Your Mustang
5/4/06, 03:24 PM
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For me, the most enjoyable posts are the stories of the people here on the forum - the human side. I want to read about the significant people who have stood with you in your pursuit of your new Mustang. I’ll start …
Like most of you, when I first saw the concepts, I knew I had to have one of these new Mustangs. I had a perfectly good 2000 Mustang. I certainly didn’t need a new one; I just wanted a new one. That’s a very important point here - there is no way at all I could justify a new Mustang as a vehicle purchase other than a kid wanting a new plaything.
Well, in 2005, money was tight and there was too much debt to justify an admittedly dream toy when there were responsibilities to be met. Also, my wife was 2 years into nursing school. Well, let me expand on that a bit. I am an electrical engineer and used to think I was a big deal because of it. I no longer do. In nursing school, you have to attend two years of pre-requisites just to apply to nursing school. No guarantees you’ll even get accepted. Nursing school also is the only place where the existing nurses eat their young. It is brutal. Once accepted into nursing school, there are two more years of clinical study to get your degree. And then, if you don’t pass your state board exam, you can’t do SQUAT, no matter how educated you are. I started my engineering position after three years of school, and never officially picked up my degree until after seven years of night school. If I went into nursing school today, they’d scrape my balled-up whimpering body off the floor and toss me into the nearest dumpster. There’s no way I could handle nursing school; I have been humbled.
So what does this mean? Well, after four very difficult years, along with battling significant health issues as well, my wife graduated nursing school today. I’ve had my new Mustang for almost two months. Get this - my wife goes through four years of grief, and I’m the one who gets the new Mustang, just because I wanted a new toy. The first major purchase - even before she graduated - wasn’t for her - it was for me, because I love driving, love Mustangs, and this 50-year old wanted to live his mid-life crisis.
I know it’s a thing, and it doesn’t even come close to being really important, like my wife’s health or her continuing work as a nurse. But things are OK to have, as long as you know where they stand compared to the really important issues of life. My Mustang is one of the nicest things I’ve had for a while, but I have it because of the work and support of quite a remarkable woman, to whom my words fall pathetically short.
I had an engraved brass plaque made that I mounted in my glove compartment dedicating my Mustang to my wife the R.N. to remind me where my toy really came from. Excuse me, I have to go now and wipe the tears from my keyboard.
That’s my story of who stood by me in my getting my new Mustang. What’s your story …
Like most of you, when I first saw the concepts, I knew I had to have one of these new Mustangs. I had a perfectly good 2000 Mustang. I certainly didn’t need a new one; I just wanted a new one. That’s a very important point here - there is no way at all I could justify a new Mustang as a vehicle purchase other than a kid wanting a new plaything.
Well, in 2005, money was tight and there was too much debt to justify an admittedly dream toy when there were responsibilities to be met. Also, my wife was 2 years into nursing school. Well, let me expand on that a bit. I am an electrical engineer and used to think I was a big deal because of it. I no longer do. In nursing school, you have to attend two years of pre-requisites just to apply to nursing school. No guarantees you’ll even get accepted. Nursing school also is the only place where the existing nurses eat their young. It is brutal. Once accepted into nursing school, there are two more years of clinical study to get your degree. And then, if you don’t pass your state board exam, you can’t do SQUAT, no matter how educated you are. I started my engineering position after three years of school, and never officially picked up my degree until after seven years of night school. If I went into nursing school today, they’d scrape my balled-up whimpering body off the floor and toss me into the nearest dumpster. There’s no way I could handle nursing school; I have been humbled.
So what does this mean? Well, after four very difficult years, along with battling significant health issues as well, my wife graduated nursing school today. I’ve had my new Mustang for almost two months. Get this - my wife goes through four years of grief, and I’m the one who gets the new Mustang, just because I wanted a new toy. The first major purchase - even before she graduated - wasn’t for her - it was for me, because I love driving, love Mustangs, and this 50-year old wanted to live his mid-life crisis.
I know it’s a thing, and it doesn’t even come close to being really important, like my wife’s health or her continuing work as a nurse. But things are OK to have, as long as you know where they stand compared to the really important issues of life. My Mustang is one of the nicest things I’ve had for a while, but I have it because of the work and support of quite a remarkable woman, to whom my words fall pathetically short.
I had an engraved brass plaque made that I mounted in my glove compartment dedicating my Mustang to my wife the R.N. to remind me where my toy really came from. Excuse me, I have to go now and wipe the tears from my keyboard.
That’s my story of who stood by me in my getting my new Mustang. What’s your story …
5/4/06, 03:52 PM
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Beautiful story Dave! My story is still being written at this moment. But it isn't about someone standing with me, its about someone standing AGAINST me.
My Dilema
Actually, thinking about it, there ARE people who are standing with me. The wonderful people of The Mustang (Marrage?) Source! Thank all of you for everything you've done. From the spy pics, instillation pics, reviews of aftermarket doo-dads, and most importantly, the wonderful advice both concerning cars and life.
I raise my bottle of water to you, TMS! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif[/img]
My Dilema
Actually, thinking about it, there ARE people who are standing with me. The wonderful people of The Mustang (Marrage?) Source! Thank all of you for everything you've done. From the spy pics, instillation pics, reviews of aftermarket doo-dads, and most importantly, the wonderful advice both concerning cars and life.
I raise my bottle of water to you, TMS! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif[/img]
5/4/06, 04:36 PM
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I'll tell ya, Mustang people are serious about their cars. When I bought my car last year I was super stoked that I was able to go down to the dealer myself, my deal already in hand, and drive out with the 05 of my dreams ALL ON MY OWN! This was a total milestone for me. I have a very wonderful BF who supported me the whole way and didn't have a problem with me handling the deal by myself.
In the past I have had super controlling people in my life that through many different ways tried to suppress the Mustang girl in me. I would often have to hide my mechanical knowledge and not be too open about my capabilities with a car because dudes would be intimidated. Not anymore...I don't care anymore....have a great supportive guy who loves everything about me, including all the car stuff.
Another note. When I sold my 1967 Mustang a few years back, the kid (16 yrs old) who bought her from me came out with his parents, they brought a video camera, and they taped him counting out his cash on the trunk of the car and me taking it from him and then he shook my hand on the deal. They loved Mustangs so much they couldn't wait to commemorate the kid's first Mustang purchase with the video. I was sad to see the car go, but it was great to know she was going somewhere where she would be loved.
In the past I have had super controlling people in my life that through many different ways tried to suppress the Mustang girl in me. I would often have to hide my mechanical knowledge and not be too open about my capabilities with a car because dudes would be intimidated. Not anymore...I don't care anymore....have a great supportive guy who loves everything about me, including all the car stuff.
Another note. When I sold my 1967 Mustang a few years back, the kid (16 yrs old) who bought her from me came out with his parents, they brought a video camera, and they taped him counting out his cash on the trunk of the car and me taking it from him and then he shook my hand on the deal. They loved Mustangs so much they couldn't wait to commemorate the kid's first Mustang purchase with the video. I was sad to see the car go, but it was great to know she was going somewhere where she would be loved.
5/4/06, 05:05 PM
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[attachmentid=48334]My dream of owning an 05 Mustang started when I saw the Concept Mustang at the Detroit Auto Show in Jan.2003. It was the first Mustang that really appealed to me since the 1970 model. At that time I thought I would never be able to get one. I kinda forgot about getting one so about ayear and a half later I test drove and decided to order a Mini Cooper S.After almost a 2 month wait. I happened to read an article describing the new Mustang and showing a picture of the production model.I showed it to my wife and asked her which car she would rather have, the Cooper or the Stang? Her reply was "No Contest, the Mustang Any Day". I told her that the markups would probably be so high and the wait so long we would never be able to get one.I contacted a couple of Ford dealers in early Oct. of 2004and was told they didn't know when they would be getting any or even if they could take an order.Finally I found a dealer that would take my order and give me Z plan price so I cancelled the Cooper a week before it arrived and started the wait all over.It was at that time I stumbled across the TMS web site. From then on I could see what the other members were going through and what to expect. I learned what a DORA was and began wondering why after a month I had not received one from my dealer. After getting the run around I visited another dealer and told my salesperson what I was running into. I ended up reordering the same car from that dealership and then had 2 cars on order.On Dec.30,2004 I became the proud owner of a Windveil Blue {Wifes Choice}Gt premium.We both love this car and with the silver Gt stripes and other minor mods have gotten many compliments and even a second place in a local car show against some pretty formidable competion.So, I guess the bottom line is I owe my wife, Joni for swaying my decision and all the fun we've had cruising our Mustang.
5/4/06, 05:09 PM
#7
My parents were actually pretty excited when I told them I was buying a Mustang...they still haven't seen it yet (except for pictures), but they will when they come to visit in July
5/4/06, 05:23 PM
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rebel73 @ May 4, 2006, 7:17 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Nice story. Your wife sounds like a remarkable woman..
[/b][/quote]
Yup! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumb.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wub.gif[/img]
Nice story. Your wife sounds like a remarkable woman..
[/b][/quote]
Yup! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumb.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wub.gif[/img]
5/4/06, 09:34 PM
#10
legacy Tms Member
I'll 'paste past posts' as I type way too slow...
Re: Can you believe this???
waking up an old thread...
this was started over 6 months ago and so far has been one of the top ten worst experiences of my life stress wise, but then I learned a LOT along the way too...heres a recap of my 2005 Mustang GT experience(so far):
2/29/04- Cleveland auto show:
fell in love with the new mustang- love at first sight- spent 2 hours talking to all the ford people there- couldnt find a negative. Arguements with the wife start almost immediately. 3 kids/4 seats= NO
4/18/05- off and on arguements with the wife end(14 months)- finally go to order the 05 Mustang. OOPS- Ford quit taking orders several days ago. go figure...
7/26/05- had been stopping at dealer every couple weeks to see when 06 orders start- they never call, luckily I stop in and ask a couple weeks into it. Placed order Monday- first chance I could.
nothing happens. nothing. start reading. calling dealer, writing to higher ups at ford...nothing. find out about some poor guys sitting 7 months un vinned on allocated orders. in reading learn about 'Kzinti' at blueovalforums.com- helps track build info- dealer is clueless...also learn about the 'ERL' automated phone tracking thru Ford- not up to date, but something...finally understand the absolute mess that is Ford's allocation thinking...
9/6/05- figured out fords email structure, wrote VP marketing and VP sales...figured couldnt hurt...
9/8/05- dealer had some issues with regional(?) maybe my emails got some attention(?), by my dumb luck got a priority 1, best of all finally got a vin the same day- its actually gonna happen. serialized/segment dates both 9/8/05
9/26/05 sequenced! almost there!
9/29/05- 'blended' - within a week to build!
10/8/05- got lost for a few days, but it rolls off the line- and sits a couple days...
10/10/05- gate released- the shipper has it
disappears at 'the ramp' (truck transport sorting lot) for a full week.
10/17/05- they 'find it' and it will go out tomorrow!
10/18/05- finally. about 11:00 they call to say it was just rolling in. my boss tells my buddy to go get the shop truck and drop me off to pick it up...beautiful day, the wait is finally over...too good to be true...pull in, there it is. Oops, the guy smashed it in the trailer. Not wanting to wait another year on a replacement, still wanted it anyway- would bring it back in a week or two to get fixed- IF I COULD GET IT THAT DAY. Cant sell it till repairs done. $2500 estimate, 1-2 weeks...time changes next week, summers over...
10/20/05- no answers from ford/shipper/dealer, wrote VP's again, nothing... f-it, I'm done...3 days no sleep...its just a friggin car. Tell dealer just to cancel, dont bother reordering, I'm done.
for the first time in 3 months, I feel better. this car had become an obsession and had I gotten it- it would have owned ME. Letting go of the obsession was a good thing. best thing that ever could have happened to me regarding that car. I'm ashamed I let it go this far- we all have our favorite things, but hey- theyre just things...In my mind this goofy car became way more than that, and it never shoulda happened.
5 minutes later, Ford eastern regional manager CALLS ME- here an email I sent to Vice President of Marketing actually got thru a couple days before, and he called regional and said 'fix it'. they offer another code 1 priority build, promised it would be 'delivered in pristine condition, handled with kid gloves' built by end of november likely, but couldnt promise delivery for sure- but guaranteed before Christmas- plus they are changing warranty to 5 year instead of 3.
OK, here we go again- but its now just a nice car thats an incredible pain in the hiney to get. might just walk up and kick it the first time I see it to get that first blemish out of the way. I am gonna wear this car out, and wring every pennys worth out of it along the way. its just a car, and until the day I end up in the ground or its recycled into a refrigerator, I'm gonna enjoy it.
10/20/05- order the identical twin to first car- late in the day, wont get entered till next week(vins pulled on thursday). I go home to sleep.
10/27/05- vin as promised
11/11/05- sequenced, but not 'blended' yet, last info from Kzinti- he had to leave for a 'real' problem- granddaughter/major surgery...easy to forget about whats truly important- no greater blessing than healthy loved ones...
ERL says build scheduled 12/2 but ETA backed off a week till week of 12/13...sucks as I'll be out of town then- figures right? whatever...
thats where its at for today...maybe it will get built this week, maybe it will show up next week before I take off, if not- well I got other things to worry about...working with one son who needs to try harder in school, got a very sick friend/neighbor(lost 2 last year- praying for better luck this time) things around the house to get after, yeah, I still spend spare time chasing this freakin car order in my spare time, but not like before...now its not so much the 'great' car excitement, its more the "I cant believe buying a new ford is such a pain in the hiney" thing. Ive read all about them- yeah they are not perfect and to be expected with mine are:
transmission noise on the sticks.
gear whine in the rearend - mostly sticks that have been to the track though.
klunking in the frontend(tsb last year, but still an issue-upper bearing?)
hard to fill gas tanks- unusual design and filler kinda small
squeaks/rattles in the dash-many comment on this
delays in the drive by wire throttle-mostly noticed on sticks
possible crossmember/rearend wrong parts installed- heard of a couple
possible lifter ticking- some are getting replaced
and a few other odds and ends...it aint perfect, nothing is. BUT for the money, I think its still reasonably priced, and the closest thing to 'worth the asking price' for I new car I've ever wanted to spend my money on.
The car aint bad- trying to buy one though really sucks way more than necessary.
12/17/2005-
well on the 14th my car came in...but I had taken the family to disney 1100 miles from home. go figure...I do 'decide' to cut vacation early by a day due to weather(for real- our friends had one helluva time getting home as a big ice storm came in day behind us) drive 1100 miles straight thru- hey I'm not tired- my car awaits- stop at the dealer early Saturday morning- practically noone around- luckily sign a paper, they give me the car- come back Monday for final docs- he hands me the keys at about 9:30 am, and I finally get that test drive- didnt even get to look at the car till after I had the keys. been awake like 30 hours, my white elephant of a car is here, I'm shaking like a leaf as I FINALLY hop in- I wont get out- they put the rear plate on it, everything still wrapped in plastic(asked minimal prep-no drives, fearful of another wreck before pickup), we pull out. God it sounds good. fits like a glove too. no 'new car' nerves at all...oldest son(poor wife took her van home all alone) says- "Dad, how much gas is in it"- thank God as it was dry...no drives= no gas- DOH. We stop next to dealer to fillup- guy starts talking to me about the car...clik,clik,clik...I'm like 'no problem, Ive read about this', flip the nozzle carefully so as not to scratch paint, fills right up- click. WOOSH as a half gallon of gas burps out, all over the side of the car, big puddle, looking around to make sure nobodys smoking...the guy kinda shakes his head and walks away...I wipe off the car, grumbling about 'this is gonna be fun', get back in and away we went...took a couple hours to get home, worth the wait- heck yes, but still-Ford needs to get their heads out of their hiney about this allocation over sold order bullpoo, and drop the 'regional allocation' bullpoo. It should NOT be this difficult to spend 26,000 dollars.
our region was getting 6 gt's per week split among 99 dealers. this is bad. one Florida dealer was getting 10 gt's per week. regional stuff is BS- a sale should be a sale, and location should not give rights to cut in line over allocated/sold orders. lot filling is one place allocations can work, but giving priority 80 orders to florida 100 times faster than code 10 sold orders is just wrong. A sale should be a Sale, first come/first served. this would stop all the gouging too. when theyre gone, theyre gone...
Early february, my neighbor passed away- he never got well enough to even come out and see the car, but he asked about it every time I talked to him(talking involved pointing to letters on sheet...ALS is a sad way to go). All three of my older buddies are gone- sucks for a lot of obvious reasons, but also now we got the 'new neighbor worries' to think about...over 20 years, had the coolest old guys for neighbors...time marches on.
Last month(?) at the columbus all ford swapmeet, got sequentials and my middle son(7 at the time) 'insisted' we needed a painted pony for the grille...also picked up a set of black rockers, bought the black and semigloss clearcoat to dull out the new rockers and shoot the lower bumper lines...havent got around to it yet. Also bought a expensive little roll of 3M black reflective 'scotchcal' like used on the 70 boss 302's...gonna try a almost yenko camaro-ish tapered stripe with it, just to be different...got cad layout/rollplot today, cutout to verify fits, real close, but wheelwell radii are not true on the car apparently- got to trim up a little bit...might actually cut the vinyl this week, but yikes- gonna be nervous as one slip, and Ive got some expensive sticky tape. Still not sure of best way to cut- think I'll tape the CAD plot right to the tape and cut thru...just wish I had a 15 foot layout board to work on. got a 3x2 silicone 'self healing' cutting mat, might cut into 4" strips and tape together to use it- only got to restart cuts a couple times then...wish me luck...
next is the cougar eliminator scoop- almost bought a shaker, but no room for a roots blower underneath...think a eliminator is wide enough to be functional ramair and still straddle a future magncharger blower if they ever come out- and at the $3500 estimated...bought a new fiberglass one from mustang depot, but they didnt pack it very well, and quality is just enough to keep me from just throwing it in the wastebasket- they will take back, but partial credit 30 day coupon if shipping damage billed to shipper, etc...by time I send it back it aint worth messing with...studs bonded crooked, stresscracks, both front points shattered back...pisspoor packaging- box loos fine, but it was so loose inside, it bounced around and 'points' poked partway thru box/crunching glass... never again. Expected typical wayvy rough edged glass piece, but this is pathetic. looking for a 'fair' OEM one to redo instead. might just jump up and down on this one and toss it in the can- but if I can get a OEM template, might just cut off the crooked studs, drill/tap glass for original pattern, so at least it would be replaceable someday. but the amount of time to fix it, probably gonna get fedup and pitch it. live and learn.
still daydreaming of making up a nice set of bolt on hinged rear slats like the 69 has...will take a lot of work as each slat will be bigtime different(top almost straight, bottom like 4" curved) but I think it culd be done. MRT's to me look funny from behind as you can see under the top slat, and they only tape on. I'd trust tape on lower latches- just because my 69 never even got the latches installed and they never moved a bit-, but I cant trust the top being stuck on...wifes windstar rearview mirror fell off in the driveway a week ago- that was factory taped on item...something as big as slats could really hurt someone if they blew off on the highway. just cant do it.
well thats my story (so far)... if anyones still awake after reading all this [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]
Re: Can you believe this???
waking up an old thread...
this was started over 6 months ago and so far has been one of the top ten worst experiences of my life stress wise, but then I learned a LOT along the way too...heres a recap of my 2005 Mustang GT experience(so far):
2/29/04- Cleveland auto show:
fell in love with the new mustang- love at first sight- spent 2 hours talking to all the ford people there- couldnt find a negative. Arguements with the wife start almost immediately. 3 kids/4 seats= NO
4/18/05- off and on arguements with the wife end(14 months)- finally go to order the 05 Mustang. OOPS- Ford quit taking orders several days ago. go figure...
7/26/05- had been stopping at dealer every couple weeks to see when 06 orders start- they never call, luckily I stop in and ask a couple weeks into it. Placed order Monday- first chance I could.
nothing happens. nothing. start reading. calling dealer, writing to higher ups at ford...nothing. find out about some poor guys sitting 7 months un vinned on allocated orders. in reading learn about 'Kzinti' at blueovalforums.com- helps track build info- dealer is clueless...also learn about the 'ERL' automated phone tracking thru Ford- not up to date, but something...finally understand the absolute mess that is Ford's allocation thinking...
9/6/05- figured out fords email structure, wrote VP marketing and VP sales...figured couldnt hurt...
9/8/05- dealer had some issues with regional(?) maybe my emails got some attention(?), by my dumb luck got a priority 1, best of all finally got a vin the same day- its actually gonna happen. serialized/segment dates both 9/8/05
9/26/05 sequenced! almost there!
9/29/05- 'blended' - within a week to build!
10/8/05- got lost for a few days, but it rolls off the line- and sits a couple days...
10/10/05- gate released- the shipper has it
disappears at 'the ramp' (truck transport sorting lot) for a full week.
10/17/05- they 'find it' and it will go out tomorrow!
10/18/05- finally. about 11:00 they call to say it was just rolling in. my boss tells my buddy to go get the shop truck and drop me off to pick it up...beautiful day, the wait is finally over...too good to be true...pull in, there it is. Oops, the guy smashed it in the trailer. Not wanting to wait another year on a replacement, still wanted it anyway- would bring it back in a week or two to get fixed- IF I COULD GET IT THAT DAY. Cant sell it till repairs done. $2500 estimate, 1-2 weeks...time changes next week, summers over...
10/20/05- no answers from ford/shipper/dealer, wrote VP's again, nothing... f-it, I'm done...3 days no sleep...its just a friggin car. Tell dealer just to cancel, dont bother reordering, I'm done.
for the first time in 3 months, I feel better. this car had become an obsession and had I gotten it- it would have owned ME. Letting go of the obsession was a good thing. best thing that ever could have happened to me regarding that car. I'm ashamed I let it go this far- we all have our favorite things, but hey- theyre just things...In my mind this goofy car became way more than that, and it never shoulda happened.
5 minutes later, Ford eastern regional manager CALLS ME- here an email I sent to Vice President of Marketing actually got thru a couple days before, and he called regional and said 'fix it'. they offer another code 1 priority build, promised it would be 'delivered in pristine condition, handled with kid gloves' built by end of november likely, but couldnt promise delivery for sure- but guaranteed before Christmas- plus they are changing warranty to 5 year instead of 3.
OK, here we go again- but its now just a nice car thats an incredible pain in the hiney to get. might just walk up and kick it the first time I see it to get that first blemish out of the way. I am gonna wear this car out, and wring every pennys worth out of it along the way. its just a car, and until the day I end up in the ground or its recycled into a refrigerator, I'm gonna enjoy it.
10/20/05- order the identical twin to first car- late in the day, wont get entered till next week(vins pulled on thursday). I go home to sleep.
10/27/05- vin as promised
11/11/05- sequenced, but not 'blended' yet, last info from Kzinti- he had to leave for a 'real' problem- granddaughter/major surgery...easy to forget about whats truly important- no greater blessing than healthy loved ones...
ERL says build scheduled 12/2 but ETA backed off a week till week of 12/13...sucks as I'll be out of town then- figures right? whatever...
thats where its at for today...maybe it will get built this week, maybe it will show up next week before I take off, if not- well I got other things to worry about...working with one son who needs to try harder in school, got a very sick friend/neighbor(lost 2 last year- praying for better luck this time) things around the house to get after, yeah, I still spend spare time chasing this freakin car order in my spare time, but not like before...now its not so much the 'great' car excitement, its more the "I cant believe buying a new ford is such a pain in the hiney" thing. Ive read all about them- yeah they are not perfect and to be expected with mine are:
transmission noise on the sticks.
gear whine in the rearend - mostly sticks that have been to the track though.
klunking in the frontend(tsb last year, but still an issue-upper bearing?)
hard to fill gas tanks- unusual design and filler kinda small
squeaks/rattles in the dash-many comment on this
delays in the drive by wire throttle-mostly noticed on sticks
possible crossmember/rearend wrong parts installed- heard of a couple
possible lifter ticking- some are getting replaced
and a few other odds and ends...it aint perfect, nothing is. BUT for the money, I think its still reasonably priced, and the closest thing to 'worth the asking price' for I new car I've ever wanted to spend my money on.
The car aint bad- trying to buy one though really sucks way more than necessary.
12/17/2005-
well on the 14th my car came in...but I had taken the family to disney 1100 miles from home. go figure...I do 'decide' to cut vacation early by a day due to weather(for real- our friends had one helluva time getting home as a big ice storm came in day behind us) drive 1100 miles straight thru- hey I'm not tired- my car awaits- stop at the dealer early Saturday morning- practically noone around- luckily sign a paper, they give me the car- come back Monday for final docs- he hands me the keys at about 9:30 am, and I finally get that test drive- didnt even get to look at the car till after I had the keys. been awake like 30 hours, my white elephant of a car is here, I'm shaking like a leaf as I FINALLY hop in- I wont get out- they put the rear plate on it, everything still wrapped in plastic(asked minimal prep-no drives, fearful of another wreck before pickup), we pull out. God it sounds good. fits like a glove too. no 'new car' nerves at all...oldest son(poor wife took her van home all alone) says- "Dad, how much gas is in it"- thank God as it was dry...no drives= no gas- DOH. We stop next to dealer to fillup- guy starts talking to me about the car...clik,clik,clik...I'm like 'no problem, Ive read about this', flip the nozzle carefully so as not to scratch paint, fills right up- click. WOOSH as a half gallon of gas burps out, all over the side of the car, big puddle, looking around to make sure nobodys smoking...the guy kinda shakes his head and walks away...I wipe off the car, grumbling about 'this is gonna be fun', get back in and away we went...took a couple hours to get home, worth the wait- heck yes, but still-Ford needs to get their heads out of their hiney about this allocation over sold order bullpoo, and drop the 'regional allocation' bullpoo. It should NOT be this difficult to spend 26,000 dollars.
our region was getting 6 gt's per week split among 99 dealers. this is bad. one Florida dealer was getting 10 gt's per week. regional stuff is BS- a sale should be a sale, and location should not give rights to cut in line over allocated/sold orders. lot filling is one place allocations can work, but giving priority 80 orders to florida 100 times faster than code 10 sold orders is just wrong. A sale should be a Sale, first come/first served. this would stop all the gouging too. when theyre gone, theyre gone...
Early february, my neighbor passed away- he never got well enough to even come out and see the car, but he asked about it every time I talked to him(talking involved pointing to letters on sheet...ALS is a sad way to go). All three of my older buddies are gone- sucks for a lot of obvious reasons, but also now we got the 'new neighbor worries' to think about...over 20 years, had the coolest old guys for neighbors...time marches on.
Last month(?) at the columbus all ford swapmeet, got sequentials and my middle son(7 at the time) 'insisted' we needed a painted pony for the grille...also picked up a set of black rockers, bought the black and semigloss clearcoat to dull out the new rockers and shoot the lower bumper lines...havent got around to it yet. Also bought a expensive little roll of 3M black reflective 'scotchcal' like used on the 70 boss 302's...gonna try a almost yenko camaro-ish tapered stripe with it, just to be different...got cad layout/rollplot today, cutout to verify fits, real close, but wheelwell radii are not true on the car apparently- got to trim up a little bit...might actually cut the vinyl this week, but yikes- gonna be nervous as one slip, and Ive got some expensive sticky tape. Still not sure of best way to cut- think I'll tape the CAD plot right to the tape and cut thru...just wish I had a 15 foot layout board to work on. got a 3x2 silicone 'self healing' cutting mat, might cut into 4" strips and tape together to use it- only got to restart cuts a couple times then...wish me luck...
next is the cougar eliminator scoop- almost bought a shaker, but no room for a roots blower underneath...think a eliminator is wide enough to be functional ramair and still straddle a future magncharger blower if they ever come out- and at the $3500 estimated...bought a new fiberglass one from mustang depot, but they didnt pack it very well, and quality is just enough to keep me from just throwing it in the wastebasket- they will take back, but partial credit 30 day coupon if shipping damage billed to shipper, etc...by time I send it back it aint worth messing with...studs bonded crooked, stresscracks, both front points shattered back...pisspoor packaging- box loos fine, but it was so loose inside, it bounced around and 'points' poked partway thru box/crunching glass... never again. Expected typical wayvy rough edged glass piece, but this is pathetic. looking for a 'fair' OEM one to redo instead. might just jump up and down on this one and toss it in the can- but if I can get a OEM template, might just cut off the crooked studs, drill/tap glass for original pattern, so at least it would be replaceable someday. but the amount of time to fix it, probably gonna get fedup and pitch it. live and learn.
still daydreaming of making up a nice set of bolt on hinged rear slats like the 69 has...will take a lot of work as each slat will be bigtime different(top almost straight, bottom like 4" curved) but I think it culd be done. MRT's to me look funny from behind as you can see under the top slat, and they only tape on. I'd trust tape on lower latches- just because my 69 never even got the latches installed and they never moved a bit-, but I cant trust the top being stuck on...wifes windstar rearview mirror fell off in the driveway a week ago- that was factory taped on item...something as big as slats could really hurt someone if they blew off on the highway. just cant do it.
well thats my story (so far)... if anyones still awake after reading all this [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]
5/5/06, 05:35 AM
#11
After all these years,
My C/T still sucks!
My C/T still sucks!
Join Date: May 5, 2004
Location: Orlando(DP!) Florida
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FINE:
Everyone who has been here forever knows I began my hot pursuit and joined TMS two years ago today.
I was set on WB, then Fell for LL then was told by my hubby No way in hades was he going to foot the bill for one of those colors.
Then it turned black- till I didn't want to wash it.
Then it was SILVER until someone else in my town beat me to it.So I decided YELLOWWWWWW.
November 2004. Brad posted there was a hauler full of mustangs headed down my way. I got dressed and met the truck there. A Yellow with EXACTLY what I wanted rolled off.
[attachmentid=48373]
It was sold and I was desolate. FINANCING FELL THROUGH. I wanted it. It got Financed Again. Financing FELL THROUGH a second time [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/banana.gif[/img] She is meant for me!. Meanwhile, I am visiting Ernest McCarty Daily. In Frigging Love with Ellie- who is sitting on the showroom floor.
December 18, 2004- My Husband Wrecks the bronco. We decide to get a 2004 Mustang for him. He had some cash he was getting the bronco painted with, and we decided to use it for a car instead.
December 20- we set out to go pick it up.
We walk into Ernest McCarty. My Salesman JR comes out to meet us. He says: Which Mustang do you want? Paperwork has been taken care of. pick it out and lets go home. He sends me into a panic Attack- (Imagine), SOOOOOOOOOO I Got my yellow. We signed, And I drove her off the showroom floor. Put 300 miles on her the first night. I don't know how those two pulled it off ,but it was the greatest Christmas present EVER!
In keeping with us who got the first batches: It rained the first night I had her:
[attachmentid=48374]
And even better yet- in January of 05- Hubbys Company gives us an Auto Allowance- so I don't even have to make the payments on her [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/banana.gif[/img]
Everyone who has been here forever knows I began my hot pursuit and joined TMS two years ago today.
I was set on WB, then Fell for LL then was told by my hubby No way in hades was he going to foot the bill for one of those colors.
Then it turned black- till I didn't want to wash it.
Then it was SILVER until someone else in my town beat me to it.So I decided YELLOWWWWWW.
November 2004. Brad posted there was a hauler full of mustangs headed down my way. I got dressed and met the truck there. A Yellow with EXACTLY what I wanted rolled off.
[attachmentid=48373]
It was sold and I was desolate. FINANCING FELL THROUGH. I wanted it. It got Financed Again. Financing FELL THROUGH a second time [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/banana.gif[/img] She is meant for me!. Meanwhile, I am visiting Ernest McCarty Daily. In Frigging Love with Ellie- who is sitting on the showroom floor.
December 18, 2004- My Husband Wrecks the bronco. We decide to get a 2004 Mustang for him. He had some cash he was getting the bronco painted with, and we decided to use it for a car instead.
December 20- we set out to go pick it up.
We walk into Ernest McCarty. My Salesman JR comes out to meet us. He says: Which Mustang do you want? Paperwork has been taken care of. pick it out and lets go home. He sends me into a panic Attack- (Imagine), SOOOOOOOOOO I Got my yellow. We signed, And I drove her off the showroom floor. Put 300 miles on her the first night. I don't know how those two pulled it off ,but it was the greatest Christmas present EVER!
In keeping with us who got the first batches: It rained the first night I had her:
[attachmentid=48374]
And even better yet- in January of 05- Hubbys Company gives us an Auto Allowance- so I don't even have to make the payments on her [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/banana.gif[/img]
5/5/06, 05:50 AM
#13
After all these years,
My C/T still sucks!
My C/T still sucks!
Join Date: May 5, 2004
Location: Orlando(DP!) Florida
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dustindu4 @ May 5, 2006, 6:43 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
good god someone give me a box of tissues I'm so emotional
[/b][/quote]
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nana.gif[/img]
The more interesting story will be how I pull off aquiring the Grabber orange GT I currently Covet.
good god someone give me a box of tissues I'm so emotional
[/b][/quote]
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nana.gif[/img]
The more interesting story will be how I pull off aquiring the Grabber orange GT I currently Covet.
5/5/06, 06:16 AM
#15
Bullitt Member
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(conv_stang @ May 5, 2006, 5:58 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
ah...............nice topic. poor women dont know that they are marrying a man and his machine!
[/b][/quote]
I'd also say April's husband didnt know he was marrying her and her machine. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/04.gif[/img]
Me, I wanted a vert and an auto. GF wanted coupe and a stick. Settled on a vert with a stick. Would still like the auto if for anything else but for the track. Cant seem to shift properly at the track. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif[/img]
ah...............nice topic. poor women dont know that they are marrying a man and his machine!
[/b][/quote]
I'd also say April's husband didnt know he was marrying her and her machine. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/04.gif[/img]
Me, I wanted a vert and an auto. GF wanted coupe and a stick. Settled on a vert with a stick. Would still like the auto if for anything else but for the track. Cant seem to shift properly at the track. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif[/img]
5/5/06, 06:51 AM
#16
Cobra Member
Join Date: September 29, 2004
Location: Spangdahlem AB Germany/ Home is Ft Worth
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SonicStanGirl @ May 4, 2006, 4:39 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
I would often have to hide my mechanical knowledge and not be too open about my capabilities with a car because dudes would be intimidated.
[/b][/quote]
Whaaaaaat?!?! I'd LOVE to be with a woman who knows her way around a car. And if she knows more then me, man, talk about sexy! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen.gif[/img]
I would often have to hide my mechanical knowledge and not be too open about my capabilities with a car because dudes would be intimidated.
[/b][/quote]
Whaaaaaat?!?! I'd LOVE to be with a woman who knows her way around a car. And if she knows more then me, man, talk about sexy! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen.gif[/img]
5/5/06, 07:03 AM
#17
Team Mustang Source
Join Date: July 20, 2004
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Might as well chime in on my story.....
Back in June of 2004, I was driving around a beautiful 2002 Mustang V6 convertible, silver. I loved this car, because it was really my first Mustang. And of course at the young age of 18, the V6 was the only thing I could afford. I drove this thing back and forth from high school school and to college. It was soo much fun to drive, especially for the hot summer times. I had about 55,000 miles on her, until the one horrific day, rainy and cloudy, when i was dispatched to my station for an EMS call. Shortly after, we were getting reports of poeple getting water in their houses. As we drove around responding, we noticed the streets were filling with water, the sewage drains were bubbling up, and the lakes were overflowing. We ran back to the station for one last bite to eat because we had not eaten in a few hours, till finally the PD came on the radio and said, "The Dam Broke, the Dam Broke, Sound the evacuation!!" We immediately jumped on the truck, and went lights and sirens, ordering the evacuation. In a matter of seconds and minutes, my station and the twp. was under 7 ft of water. The town was devistated with the flood, and sadly, my Mustang didnt make it.
So the insurance co. came out and totalled the vehicle and gave me the full value of the car. In the meantime, I was given a FREE vehicle, courtesy of the Ford Dealer down the road from my house, to myself and 5 other FF's who lost our personal vehicles when the station when under water. It was a nice 1995 Mercury Sable. In the meantime, I went ahead to MY dealer a little farther down the road, and put in a pre-order for an 05 Mustang GT.
So the long wait began!! As I joined the forums, I grew anxious as I started to see most of you members start to take delivery of your mustangs.
Its now the month of November, I am on my way to college, for I commute to community college everyday. And on my route to school almost everyday, i pass the Ford dealer where I put the order in for the car. I'm about 10 min down the road from the dealer when I get a buzz on my cell phone and its the sales rep. "Paul, guess what, I got a truck here in the yard with a blue Mustang with your name on it!" I said "NO WAY!!!" I'm 10 min down the road, I'll be there shortly!!!! So i fly down the road to the dealer and there she is being unloaded!! Beautiful as can be. Sales rep came out, he was drooling over it as well. "wanna take her for a spin???" "i really cant, I have to be at school in exactly 20 min for an exam, but I want to soo bad." I think god was being good to me that day because I got a call from a friend of mine who was in the class I was taking the exam in, "Yo Bro, Prof. T**** is not in today, classes are cancelled!!" "WAHOO!!!!" Hey I'll take that spin!!!!!!!! Went in, got the keys and took her for a nice spin, and i could not get the happy grin off my face when I first drove her! It was amazing!!
So we pulled back into the dealer lot and there is a couple in the lot shopping for a car. The guys eyes lit up when he saw the car. So what does this guy try to do, he tried to buy the car from me!?!? I said No way in heck!! So then what does he try to do, he tries to go in with the sales rep and trys to buy it from him, this guy is unbelievable. So the guy came out screaming, because he was willing to pay more that what I was paying for it and no one would give him a deal, this guy was pissed. But the sales rep, going way back, has been friends with the family for a long time and said that this car was SOLD to this gentleman (pointing to me) and I just game the guy a happy grin look and the guy literally stomped off the dealer lot pissed. So my sales rep. took the keys and hid the car behind the building in hopes to not get anymore customers like that guy.
But sadly, i did have to get back to school for the rest of my classes. But as I left, I did manage to find my digi cam in my car, so I snapped a few pics before I left. So the sales rep guy told me to come back later 2nite around 6 and the car will be ready.
I sat and I waiting in class patiently, soon as I got out, I shot home, got my dad and we drove down. Picked up the car and she was as beautiful as can be! Shook my sales rep's hand and said thank you, and then screeched wheels out of the lot in enjoyment, for now I own a beautiful Sonic Blue 2005 Mustang GT.
Here are pics I took when I took the pic after my test drive.
Back in June of 2004, I was driving around a beautiful 2002 Mustang V6 convertible, silver. I loved this car, because it was really my first Mustang. And of course at the young age of 18, the V6 was the only thing I could afford. I drove this thing back and forth from high school school and to college. It was soo much fun to drive, especially for the hot summer times. I had about 55,000 miles on her, until the one horrific day, rainy and cloudy, when i was dispatched to my station for an EMS call. Shortly after, we were getting reports of poeple getting water in their houses. As we drove around responding, we noticed the streets were filling with water, the sewage drains were bubbling up, and the lakes were overflowing. We ran back to the station for one last bite to eat because we had not eaten in a few hours, till finally the PD came on the radio and said, "The Dam Broke, the Dam Broke, Sound the evacuation!!" We immediately jumped on the truck, and went lights and sirens, ordering the evacuation. In a matter of seconds and minutes, my station and the twp. was under 7 ft of water. The town was devistated with the flood, and sadly, my Mustang didnt make it.
So the insurance co. came out and totalled the vehicle and gave me the full value of the car. In the meantime, I was given a FREE vehicle, courtesy of the Ford Dealer down the road from my house, to myself and 5 other FF's who lost our personal vehicles when the station when under water. It was a nice 1995 Mercury Sable. In the meantime, I went ahead to MY dealer a little farther down the road, and put in a pre-order for an 05 Mustang GT.
So the long wait began!! As I joined the forums, I grew anxious as I started to see most of you members start to take delivery of your mustangs.
Its now the month of November, I am on my way to college, for I commute to community college everyday. And on my route to school almost everyday, i pass the Ford dealer where I put the order in for the car. I'm about 10 min down the road from the dealer when I get a buzz on my cell phone and its the sales rep. "Paul, guess what, I got a truck here in the yard with a blue Mustang with your name on it!" I said "NO WAY!!!" I'm 10 min down the road, I'll be there shortly!!!! So i fly down the road to the dealer and there she is being unloaded!! Beautiful as can be. Sales rep came out, he was drooling over it as well. "wanna take her for a spin???" "i really cant, I have to be at school in exactly 20 min for an exam, but I want to soo bad." I think god was being good to me that day because I got a call from a friend of mine who was in the class I was taking the exam in, "Yo Bro, Prof. T**** is not in today, classes are cancelled!!" "WAHOO!!!!" Hey I'll take that spin!!!!!!!! Went in, got the keys and took her for a nice spin, and i could not get the happy grin off my face when I first drove her! It was amazing!!
So we pulled back into the dealer lot and there is a couple in the lot shopping for a car. The guys eyes lit up when he saw the car. So what does this guy try to do, he tried to buy the car from me!?!? I said No way in heck!! So then what does he try to do, he tries to go in with the sales rep and trys to buy it from him, this guy is unbelievable. So the guy came out screaming, because he was willing to pay more that what I was paying for it and no one would give him a deal, this guy was pissed. But the sales rep, going way back, has been friends with the family for a long time and said that this car was SOLD to this gentleman (pointing to me) and I just game the guy a happy grin look and the guy literally stomped off the dealer lot pissed. So my sales rep. took the keys and hid the car behind the building in hopes to not get anymore customers like that guy.
But sadly, i did have to get back to school for the rest of my classes. But as I left, I did manage to find my digi cam in my car, so I snapped a few pics before I left. So the sales rep guy told me to come back later 2nite around 6 and the car will be ready.
I sat and I waiting in class patiently, soon as I got out, I shot home, got my dad and we drove down. Picked up the car and she was as beautiful as can be! Shook my sales rep's hand and said thank you, and then screeched wheels out of the lot in enjoyment, for now I own a beautiful Sonic Blue 2005 Mustang GT.
Here are pics I took when I took the pic after my test drive.
5/5/06, 07:24 AM
#18
Mach 1 Member
Join Date: November 3, 2005
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Yea, my wife went through heck too. I was driving a 94 Civic Coupe - 30+ mpg, 190,000. Time for a new car. The original plan was for a 4 door something - 6 YO daughter and infant son. Starting looking at the Acura TSX. Then I saw a colleague of mine leave a conference in a GT. That was that. My fiirst car was a '70 Stang. The internal and (to my wifes dismay) external struggle began between practicality and fun. This was August 05. Over the next 4 months, I went back and forth and sideways between the TSX (4 doors, sporty, good mpg) the GT (rocks) and the V6 (best of both worlds, so I thought). I created spreadsheets comparing gas costs, bugged my wife endlessly for her opinion, and traded several dozen emails with Acura and Ford dealers. I test drove the Acura a couple times, and the V6 coupe and convertible several times. Then I dragged my wife and kids (twice) with me to drive them all again. I finally decided to buy the V6 and get a GT front and rear bumper and rockers. My wife at this point thinks I'm insane. So the I start calling every Ford dealer in the area getting quotes on parts and labor. I scour the internet endlessly for information.
So now it's December, and we go home to Philly for the holidays. Somewhere on the 7 hour ride home, my practical side takes over and I decide to go with the Acura. That was one miserable trip for my wife, who's about ready to divorce me at this point. So I get back from Philly, like 12/28, ready to buy the Acura, and I get an email from a Ford dealer saying I could order any 06 I wanted at invoice +100 if I do it before 12/31. Boom, I knew then that's what I really wanted all along, and I was ready to say"screw practicality, you only live once". But I had to run it by my wife. After the months of aggravation I put her through, as well as the fact that the original plan of a decent mpg 4 door car had now morphed into a two-door gas hog, I wasn't expecting her blessing. Know what she said - "Go for it, you deserve it". Now that's love. Either that or exhaustion and resignation.
I now own a 2006 WV Blue GT Premium, Fanblades, loaded. And my wife loves it as much as I do. I won't go into how much my wife had to put up with while I decided on color, options, etc.
So now it's December, and we go home to Philly for the holidays. Somewhere on the 7 hour ride home, my practical side takes over and I decide to go with the Acura. That was one miserable trip for my wife, who's about ready to divorce me at this point. So I get back from Philly, like 12/28, ready to buy the Acura, and I get an email from a Ford dealer saying I could order any 06 I wanted at invoice +100 if I do it before 12/31. Boom, I knew then that's what I really wanted all along, and I was ready to say"screw practicality, you only live once". But I had to run it by my wife. After the months of aggravation I put her through, as well as the fact that the original plan of a decent mpg 4 door car had now morphed into a two-door gas hog, I wasn't expecting her blessing. Know what she said - "Go for it, you deserve it". Now that's love. Either that or exhaustion and resignation.
I now own a 2006 WV Blue GT Premium, Fanblades, loaded. And my wife loves it as much as I do. I won't go into how much my wife had to put up with while I decided on color, options, etc.
5/5/06, 07:29 AM
#19
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Join Date: July 20, 2005
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Nice and long. Lots of buildup HAHA [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/04.gif[/img]
Of course when I saw the concepts of the new mustang I was still a senior in college. I wanted one almost immediately. I would set my wallpaper to pictures of the new mustang and whatnot and I probably mentioned it to my fiance' every other day. I graduated in Dec '04 and landed a job about 240 miles from where my wife was. She had to stay and finish getting her master's at least until July '05. At the time I was driving the wrangler in my sig. It was in NO shape or form a daily driver...and more importantly since I was going to drive back and forth from Blacksburg,VA to Martinsburg, WV every weekend I knew I could not use it for transportation. Well that left my wife's subaru legacy from back when she was in high school. I was at the point where I could now buy a new car and of course the first thing to cross my mind was a new mustang. Sure I could drive that 500 miles a week for over 6 months. Perfect daily driver [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]. We went to a couple of dealers and I got as far as sitting in the driver's seat and then just walking away. I couldnt do it yet. My wife's car started to have trouble and I no longer felt safe letting her drive it the 60 miles a day she had to drive. And if something happened to it during the week when I was working.. I could not be there to help her until the weekend. The other option was to let her have a new car and I'll just stick it out for a while. She of course did not like this idea because I had been talking about getting this mustang for so long now.. and im just passing on the chance. After some talk we ended up getting her a new Jeep Liberty in January '05. I then had to drive the Subaru back and forth the 500 mile weekend commute. After a couple of months the car was getting to the point where it was going to cost some money to fix and I needed to find an out. Not to mention I felt like a real geek driving it [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]. In March of '05 my wife locked in on a job to start teaching(yea she's a teacher) in August '05. So it was signed in blood and we were to become a dual income family very shortly. So my quest once again started. I worked out the finances and I had the money to cover the payments before my wife started working in August.
Well as Im sure many of you did ... I did a lot of zipcode plugging and chugging on the Ford site to find my mustang. I found one in PA about 5 hrs away and almost went for it but it was sold by the time I called back. Mustangs near DC were all marked up and it started to become quite the norm to see dealer markups on the mustangs. I thought about ordering the car.. but this was about the time I started reading these stang forums and seeing the horror stories on how long it was going to take to get the car. And.. I felt I had waited long enough so I was determined to buy it off a lot. I called my parents down in Fla. and told them to start checking out dealers whenever they pass one. See if they have a GT with no markup on it. April 8th, '05, I get a call from my dad who is standing next to a Silver GT Premium. No markup. I hammered my dad with questions.. "is it a 5spd... you sure its a GT... what wheels?..etc" I told him to test drive it .. make sure you dont hear this sound .. make sure the shaker plays cds correctly. This was about the time I had read all the TSB's and became a little more aware of the problems the car could possess. He set the phone down beside the car and revved it and it was the first time I had ever heard the new mustang minus online videos. I was so extremely excited its not even imaginable. After some online paperwork.. money transfers I was technically the proud new owner of my mustang. I was still in VA though so I booked 2 plane tickets for my wife and I to fly down to Tampa, Fl and drive the mustang back to VA. You couldnt ask for a better first drive then the one where you drive it 14 hrs straight.
April 12th, 2005: We are on final approach into Tampa and my heart is abs. about to pop out of my chest. I knew my parents drove the mustang and another car so I could be the one to drive it back from the airport. .. I knew it was going to be sitting somewhere in the parking garage.. So I was sitting there nearly pushing my head out the window of the plane to see if I could see my mustang sitting on the upper deck or something. Meet my parents and my dad hands the keys over and we head off to the parking garage. I step out of the elevator doors and start the search for my car. There it sits parked in the corner with the sun hitting it.. shiny .. absolutely gorgeous. After that it was a blur for the most part. I sat in it but I was shaking like a leaf. I had everyone there with me... I actually became a bit emotional over the whole situation(kinda pathetic I know).. It was finally my day.. it was mine. Im not sure if another car will ever have the same effect this one did on me.
Of course when I saw the concepts of the new mustang I was still a senior in college. I wanted one almost immediately. I would set my wallpaper to pictures of the new mustang and whatnot and I probably mentioned it to my fiance' every other day. I graduated in Dec '04 and landed a job about 240 miles from where my wife was. She had to stay and finish getting her master's at least until July '05. At the time I was driving the wrangler in my sig. It was in NO shape or form a daily driver...and more importantly since I was going to drive back and forth from Blacksburg,VA to Martinsburg, WV every weekend I knew I could not use it for transportation. Well that left my wife's subaru legacy from back when she was in high school. I was at the point where I could now buy a new car and of course the first thing to cross my mind was a new mustang. Sure I could drive that 500 miles a week for over 6 months. Perfect daily driver [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]. We went to a couple of dealers and I got as far as sitting in the driver's seat and then just walking away. I couldnt do it yet. My wife's car started to have trouble and I no longer felt safe letting her drive it the 60 miles a day she had to drive. And if something happened to it during the week when I was working.. I could not be there to help her until the weekend. The other option was to let her have a new car and I'll just stick it out for a while. She of course did not like this idea because I had been talking about getting this mustang for so long now.. and im just passing on the chance. After some talk we ended up getting her a new Jeep Liberty in January '05. I then had to drive the Subaru back and forth the 500 mile weekend commute. After a couple of months the car was getting to the point where it was going to cost some money to fix and I needed to find an out. Not to mention I felt like a real geek driving it [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]. In March of '05 my wife locked in on a job to start teaching(yea she's a teacher) in August '05. So it was signed in blood and we were to become a dual income family very shortly. So my quest once again started. I worked out the finances and I had the money to cover the payments before my wife started working in August.
Well as Im sure many of you did ... I did a lot of zipcode plugging and chugging on the Ford site to find my mustang. I found one in PA about 5 hrs away and almost went for it but it was sold by the time I called back. Mustangs near DC were all marked up and it started to become quite the norm to see dealer markups on the mustangs. I thought about ordering the car.. but this was about the time I started reading these stang forums and seeing the horror stories on how long it was going to take to get the car. And.. I felt I had waited long enough so I was determined to buy it off a lot. I called my parents down in Fla. and told them to start checking out dealers whenever they pass one. See if they have a GT with no markup on it. April 8th, '05, I get a call from my dad who is standing next to a Silver GT Premium. No markup. I hammered my dad with questions.. "is it a 5spd... you sure its a GT... what wheels?..etc" I told him to test drive it .. make sure you dont hear this sound .. make sure the shaker plays cds correctly. This was about the time I had read all the TSB's and became a little more aware of the problems the car could possess. He set the phone down beside the car and revved it and it was the first time I had ever heard the new mustang minus online videos. I was so extremely excited its not even imaginable. After some online paperwork.. money transfers I was technically the proud new owner of my mustang. I was still in VA though so I booked 2 plane tickets for my wife and I to fly down to Tampa, Fl and drive the mustang back to VA. You couldnt ask for a better first drive then the one where you drive it 14 hrs straight.
April 12th, 2005: We are on final approach into Tampa and my heart is abs. about to pop out of my chest. I knew my parents drove the mustang and another car so I could be the one to drive it back from the airport. .. I knew it was going to be sitting somewhere in the parking garage.. So I was sitting there nearly pushing my head out the window of the plane to see if I could see my mustang sitting on the upper deck or something. Meet my parents and my dad hands the keys over and we head off to the parking garage. I step out of the elevator doors and start the search for my car. There it sits parked in the corner with the sun hitting it.. shiny .. absolutely gorgeous. After that it was a blur for the most part. I sat in it but I was shaking like a leaf. I had everyone there with me... I actually became a bit emotional over the whole situation(kinda pathetic I know).. It was finally my day.. it was mine. Im not sure if another car will ever have the same effect this one did on me.
5/5/06, 09:05 AM
#20
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Join Date: June 27, 2005
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Well, I'd been talking about a new car for awhile. The "plan" was for me to replace my ugly 10 year old Honda Accord with 100K miles when the wife's minivan was paid off in Aug 03. Had been looking around since early '03 at what vehicles would be available and meet my requirements (looks, performance, reliability, price, etc.). Then the minivan starts having issues and were forced to pick up another, so now the payments are stretched out another 3 years to spring '06. Meantime the new Mustang concept comes out. Sure looks like a winner, but we have to see what the production model will really entail, and be sure that there are no major quality issues in the first year.
Fast forward to spring '05, I love the look, performance, and price of the production model, so I start researching quality and stumble across this forum. Some minor quality issues are reported in the first 6 months after production, but nothing major. But what's this... people posting pictures of their aftermarket mods. Stripes, performance tunes, tires, everything...hmmm
So now I go to my lovely wife, and start showing her what others are doing to their cars. Wow, the V6 has good performance, but I'd really like to get a fully loaded GT. "Go for it, you've waited a long time for this car". Honey, look at the blue Mustang with the white stripes. Her response "oh yeah, you HAVE to get it striped". But Honey, Ford only puts vinyl stripes on, and paint will last longer, but they are more expensive. Her response, "Oh yeah, you have to get them painted on". Honey, look at the 18" with the spinners, but the Ford spinners are plastic and you can just pull them off, but look at these nice metal chrome spinners, but they are more expensive. "Oh yeah, you have to get the metal spinners". Honey, the stock exhaust is nice, but is doesn't really growl. "Oh yeah, its got to SOUND like a Mustang". And honey, you can add extra HP with a simple CAI and computer tune. "Sure, that sounds great".
So my bottom line, I ordered my loaded GT with the 18" bullitts, drove it off the lot to the body shop for stripes, brought it home and started adding my other mods. I love my car, but I love my wife way more. Funny, she is the Mustang fanatic. She can id any year Mustang on the roads. I'm the newbie in the family...
Fast forward to spring '05, I love the look, performance, and price of the production model, so I start researching quality and stumble across this forum. Some minor quality issues are reported in the first 6 months after production, but nothing major. But what's this... people posting pictures of their aftermarket mods. Stripes, performance tunes, tires, everything...hmmm
So now I go to my lovely wife, and start showing her what others are doing to their cars. Wow, the V6 has good performance, but I'd really like to get a fully loaded GT. "Go for it, you've waited a long time for this car". Honey, look at the blue Mustang with the white stripes. Her response "oh yeah, you HAVE to get it striped". But Honey, Ford only puts vinyl stripes on, and paint will last longer, but they are more expensive. Her response, "Oh yeah, you have to get them painted on". Honey, look at the 18" with the spinners, but the Ford spinners are plastic and you can just pull them off, but look at these nice metal chrome spinners, but they are more expensive. "Oh yeah, you have to get the metal spinners". Honey, the stock exhaust is nice, but is doesn't really growl. "Oh yeah, its got to SOUND like a Mustang". And honey, you can add extra HP with a simple CAI and computer tune. "Sure, that sounds great".
So my bottom line, I ordered my loaded GT with the 18" bullitts, drove it off the lot to the body shop for stripes, brought it home and started adding my other mods. I love my car, but I love my wife way more. Funny, she is the Mustang fanatic. She can id any year Mustang on the roads. I'm the newbie in the family...