My story is a little different but still pretty cool. Working at the dealership since 1997 (I started when I was 20), I got rid of my 1st car my dad got me when I was 17, when I was given a dealer demo. So owning a car wasn't really a necessity. I couldn't fit comfortably in the SN-95 (I have long legs), so I didn't want one of these. When the spy pics of the 2005 were being leaked, I signed up here on TMS, just to follow its progress, and get info for when we get them at work to sell. My screen name was a quick-picked name, that I don't use ANYWHERE else. Once the 2005s came out, I quickly sold the most at work. The kicker for me, that made me decide to buy one, was after I would call my custiomers who purchased their Mustangs. I call them about a week or so later, to follow up, thank then again for their purchase and ask them how they liked their cars. The response was overwelming to say the least.
Everyone said, getting gas, stopping into Wawa (convenience store), going to dinner, was an experience like they never had before. People would come up, ask questions, take cell-phone pics, and chat about the car. One customer told me he couldn't leave from geting gas for 15 minutes as so many people came over to see his 2005 Screaming Yellow GT. This got me thinking, "why don't I look into this". I did some quick calculations in Feburray 2005, but it was out of the realm for me (or so I thought). I forgot that I have a after-tax saving account setup at work, and it has been growning ever since I was working there. I looked into it, there is no penalty to take out the money, as its NOT 401K, but my own money that was already taxed. I had plenty in there for a good down payment.

So in July 2005, we got the 2006 Order Guide, and I asked our GM if I could order one (we still had 6 retail orders to be built). He said no problem, just gotta wait your turn. No worries there. It gave me more time to save up. So once I went out to another dealer when they were closed to see a 2006 Vista Blue GT (we didn't have one yet, and I didn't know what Vista Blue looked like as Ford didn't send the color chips yet), I was sold on the color and I ordered it August 15th. Car arrived January 23 2006, went to the body shop for the painted stripes, Street Scene Ducktail for paint/install, and side stripes to be added. I took her home February 2nd, and have been loving it ever since.

Having had my car for almost 3 years now, I still love it like the 1st day. I still get TONS of looks, and chat with people at gas stations who ask me questions (that NEVER gets old, let me tell ya ), and I love going to car shows. I bought it, I though at the time, to get me out of the house, as all I ever did, was work and go home. Plus, having gone through a liver transplant, and almost dying, I said, you may never get a 2nd chance at things, so live for the present. Hence I bought the car. Now, having it, it wasn't for the car shows, and such, but to meet all the friends I have made since I owned it. Friends that are family to me (my 2 car clubs). Its been one AWESOME ride, and I can't wait to take my 2nd ride, once the 2014 50th Anniversary car is released (I WANT ONE). That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

 

thanks

were in ohio, salt/rust belt...if we lived in florida, woulda been no problem getting he 06 in a few weeks- floridas 'regional priority' lets them 'cut in line' even with priority 40 (stock for the lot) orders, ahead of northern priority 10(highest dealer can assign), the system really sucks if you live up here. One dealer in florida I stopped at had 20 gts on the lot- plus they can get as many as they need due to volume...according to ford rep I talked to our 'pittsburgh region' has 99 dealers, who had to share 6 gts a week back in the last quarter of 05- and that made for a lot of starry eyed dealers up here, a lot of 'ordered cars never getting built' (those that got vinned sometimes got dealer traded out from under the guy that ordered the car in good faith before they hit the doors-the system encouraged dealer shenanigans)...
One guy in here (pullmeoverred05) had sat unvinned over 7 months- sent him contact info at ford, he got a nice reply from a VP and a vin, otherwise his new jersey allocated priority 10 also woulda been shuffled to the bottom of the florida pile indefinitely...another mustang owner in here was having serious electrical issues with her car, sadly looking at a buyback as dealer had repeatedly dropped the ball and regional didnt do anything- anyhow she wrote one of the 'good guys' at ford, who personally called her, had a factory tech flown down to figure out why the problem was unfixable, the guy found the problem in a harness plug under the fenderwell, repaired it that day and noted in detail in case it ever came up elsewhere...made me feel better to have been able to help out a couple other ford fans at least...
fords got a lot of truly concerned guys at the top, sadly the ADA rules/regional 'hands are tied' attitudes, and the stupid 'regional allocation over retail order date' rules in place really screwed a bunch of would be ford buyers, in 05 especially.
Kzinti over at blueovalforums was 'the man' to all us 'waiters' back then as dealers havent any way to access the data he was sharing- still think somebody at ford should be shot for not pushing that 'service' as standard to all ford buyers(probably some dealers would cry foul- but if so screw them- those would be the dealers that were screwing folks out of their ordered cars, just wanted not to get caught in my opinion...) only knew of one vinned car that 'never got built' getting dealer rightfully pinched- after reading the guys info, suggested he contact kzinti with his vin, see if the 'never got built' was bull or not- sure enough, dealer traded with his name on the dora...armed with the truth, he got a better deal and his car promptly from his 'slick' dealer. the other cool thing about kzinti was getting the pdf of the window sticker before the car was even built- might seem silly to someone that never waited/ordered a high demand car, but trust me- it was very cool to get ANYTHING about your car then. Sadly Kzinti/ViperPilot quit the service altogether last fall, was a great idea, and truly nice for some concerned ford employees that aparently cared more for ford buyers than the company did or does, to volunteer their free time to assist ford buyers, because ford and the dealers either wouldnt or couldnt...

theres a old thread over here and some polls you can vote in that might get thru to ford, but pissed off buyers are the least of their worries today- they are just scraping by, noones ordering anyways- still theres no reason in this day and age they cant track a $25000 order as well as Fedex tracks a $3 envelope...the first 2 stickys in this forum has the polls/allocation details if you ever get bored...http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums...p?showforum=12

man I wasted a LOT of hours rattling cages at ford about how they could make things more buyer friendly- doubt it will ever happen though...they shoulda put Kzinti in charge of a new customer relations arm- coulda made the car buying experience a lot better than the 'like getting a root canal' mess it can be now with regional allocation, and lack of info. sorry for wandering waaaaay off topic again

 

I had a 2006 Honda Civic Si. I bought this car with my head, not my heart. Low and behold, all rave magazine reviews hailing the supposed fit and finish, independent rear suspension, build quality and overall car value did not add up. I decided to stop listening to the media voices and import lovers and look for my mustang. I found a 1000 mile Windveil GT, which was put together exactly as I had dreamed, and bought the car for a good price. All this crap about SRA or bad quality or Ford this and that turns out to be utterly bogus. Its a fast car, the ride is great and the styling is killer. I love this car, that's why I traded my "advanced import" for my 2007 Mustang GT, the exact car I was configuring online years ago.

 

Short story version: I've always liked cars. Classic Mustangs, Ferraris, etc. My mom was into cars (once owned an AMX and when I was growing up had an Eclipse for a little bit)

Well as I like cars, I like auto shows. So in February of 2003, Ford has on display a concept for their next Mustang. That's all it took. I never thought owning a classic model would be practical and now they brought that styling to the future. I asked the rep when they would go on sale, and was told "16 months or so"... I even marked my calendar (then lost my job and had to work harder to get back to affording one, thats a different story). And sure enough, 16 months later, I found that "TheMustangSource.com" website that so many here have heard about. Found pricing, order guides, pictures galore, etc. So after careful planning and moderate financial forecasting (Excel FTW!) I went to the nearest Ford dealership, order guide in hand, and said "I want this".

Placed my order in August, 2004. Gave them $500 deposit towards down payment of the car... Then tracked them like a hawk until it arrived in mid November. First GT that Classic Ford had on their lot (and in their showroom)

Traded in my 4cyl FWD 140hp Mitsubishi Galant ($~2500) gave them a bit of cash to bring my payments down to where I was comfortable, and drove off.

Well, not exactly. My mom drove off. I would spend the next week learning how to drive a manual transmission.

 

Simply put, I was looking for a used G35 manual which wasn't beaten to hell, but I had no luck. I found a decent 350Z but Nissan wasn't willing to work with me on the price AT ALL, or give me something even close to fair for my trade-in. I was ready to sign right there and then, but I walked away and over to a Ford dealer we've purchased from in the past. I gave them the specs I wanted(5spd, leather, GT) and they brought out a Windveil Blue and Black GT/CS. I went with the CS because of the styling cues, and they were about the same price. Not only did I get X Plan, I got what I asked for my trade-in, and a little more off the top. Overall, I came out with a V6 priced GT/CS with 12 miles on the odometer. It was a good day.

 

I didn't go out looking for this Mustang, although after seeing the concept at the Detroit Auto show I have always wanted one. My wife was ready to replace her Focus and we had a special offer from the dealership on new cars so I told them I'd bring her car in. Before heading over I took my Explorer in for an oil change and they screwed up the fluid in the rear end (no friction modifier) so I went in with the Explorer instead to talk with them about her new car and to have the Explorer checked out. In front of the dealership they had two convertibles and the sales rep said "I thought you were bringing the Focus in". So I explained the Explorer was getting checked out in service, and then asked about the Mustangs. He grabbed the keys and said "let's look them over".

He was very pleased afterwards. I traded in the Explorer on my 2006 Pony convertible (didn't need the big Explorer anymore I reasoned), and arranged a trade on my wife's Focus for another Focus (almost bought her the Fusion but I had to get too many extras on it for the heated seats she wanted). Ended up with two new cars that day.

I bought my first Mustang off a friend and had to tow it home. It was a 1965 black convertible, 289, 4 barrel, and 3 speed stick. Tore the engine down, put a new clutch in, had the heads rebuilt, put it back together and drove it during college. Not bad for $50 for the car and $85 in parts for the rebuild. I sold it after college for $450 with a broken frame and rotted floors.

 

Jim, I had stopped by a dealer about getting a replacement Focus for my Focus with 177,000 miles (now up to 180,000+). While the dealer was talking, I said what I REEEALLY want is that orange car over there. Annnnnd he let me keep it for a day, brought it back, had to leave it because we couldn't work out a deal... but two days later I drove The Beast outta there. Mine's named The Beast cuz I'd just ridden the King's Island ride "The Beast" in the dark and driving my new Mustang reminds me of driving "The Beast," my all-time favorite roller coaster. Still got the Focus, which gets it done on the days I don't want to subject my Mustang to the elements.

 

That's a great heritage to name your car after

 

My dad bought one of the first '64 Mustangs and I've always liked them. I had an 88 GT and then a 90 GT convertable. Both great cars. After several SUV's and then a Toyota Tundra I saw the '05 Mustang at a car show several months before they were available for sale and really liked the retro styling. When they first came out I checked with several dealers in Charlotte. The Gt's were pulling $5,000.00 ADM's so I decided to wait for the market to chill a bit.

Fast forward 2 years...I stopped in Dale Jarrett Ford to see what kind of deal I could make. It was August and the '08's had just come out and there were some good incentives on the remaining '07's. I made what I thought was a low offer on a White CS. To my amazement they countered with a reasonable price. After an hour or so we were down to my original offer except for one option that I wanted added. I left and called my investment advisor about freeing up some money for the purchase. He gave me a number to call, someone that could save me some big bucks on a new Ford. I made the call and yes, he had a good selection of California Specials but told me he could make a great deal on a Roush with Foose wheels with 700 miles on it. Long story short...I went to the dealership and he did beat the deal on the CS by about $500. The Roush was indeed a good deal but I really didn't care for the Roush package and especially the Foose Wheels. I know they're the hot look but I guess I'm old school and like a little less wheel and more rubber.

As I was looking at the Roush, over in the corner of the show room an '07 performance white Shelby GT winked at me. We discussed the price. They were getting in an '08 the next week and he made me a deal I couldn't refuse. For about $4,000 more than the CS I took the Shelby home that night. I'm 62 and that night I drove through downtown Charlotte, cruising. A stretch limo pulled up beside me and a sweet young thing stood up through the sun roof and shouted "hey mister, I love your Shelby". That's been a year and 5 months ago and I've still got that silly grin on my face every time I crank it up I still have the Tundra but unless it's raining or snowing the Tundra stays parked.


Jim

 

My experience dates back to 2000 when I had gotten my license to drive and began working to save to buying the car that I have always wanted. At the time, that car was an Integra GS-R. I had a buddy who had a red Integra that he had slapped a turbo on and I loooved how the car drove, looked, etc...

After I had worked for about a year, I was finally ready to purchase my first car back in November 2001. I went out and drove a few Integras and I had my heart set on a 2001 black GS-R that I had seen at the local Honda dealer. Well, one day when I was on the way back there to finalize numbers with the salesman, my brother went with me and insisted I drive his 1995 GT convertible at the time. It was one of those freak days here in MD in November when the weather was nice to take the top down. So, we dropped the top and headed to Honda.

Needless to say that on the way there I dropped the hammer a few times and was INSTANTLY HOOKED! I called the guy at Honda and told him to forget about the deal hahaha. I then went back home and hopped online to look at Mustangs. At the time I really liked the 99-04 bodystyle but could not afford a brand new GT like I had thought about. So, I went out and bought a brand new V6 that I drove from my junior year of high school all the way until this spring, when I finally got that v8 I had always wanted

There is nothing like a Mustang...I honestly cannot see myself in anything else!

 

Since I was about 10 years old I've always taken care of brothers car friends cars etc & got to drive them, thankfuly it was a very positive FORD expierience for me as the first love was a 65 Mustang 3 speed & if I stalled it once I still had to clean it but no driving for 2 months , it squeeled in every gear ! then a 67 & 68 Falcan the 67 was a stick and did that baby go with a 289, then it was a 67 Galaxie XL ,there were a few Camero's but the Fords always started for me and were the easiest to do any engine work including swaping out an engine. So I'd always wanted a new Mustang then when I had seen a picture of the 2005 style it was Love @ first sight so I sat right here & placed an order on my computer of what I wanted for an 05 GT Mustang, I had the car for about 1.5 years then I seen the 2007 California Special and went in and placed an factory order again. I had wanted a Shelby GT500 @ the time but due to the mark ups and all no way I'd pay over for that especially with the way things were heading, now I'm faced at looking at the 2010 Shelby GT500 Convertable or the next one after that if the changed will be that significant for waiting longer yet, for all the cars I see and have driven out there Not one has come close to the amount of fun & pleasure that I have driving a Mustang S-197. Dollar value is pretty good for the most part. & if it wasn't for TMS web site I most likely would not have had a new Mustang period & for that I am very greatful.

 

Great thread!! And great stories too!! My story starts about 30 years ago when I was a boy & my parents bought a '66 coupe for my brother from a relative. Man that car was hot!! Side-pipes, vintage (now) kidney-bean style mags, & air-shocks jacking up the back! Candy-apple red w/ a black vinyl top & a 3-speed manual!! Somehow, my brother f'ed up the engine 1 nite & wound up swapping motors but never getting it to run again. He sold that car to me for a dollar when I was 12, 5 years later, I got it figured out & drivable again so I could drive it to H.S. Today, my nephew has this car and is slowly restoring it back to stock. As much as I love Mustangs, I've only owned a few, my first fox came 7 years after the '66, my '84.5 that I still have & will get running again this coming summer. I had a '79 h/b that I stuck a 5.0 in, but sold it before I got it running to buy the '66 coupe that I currently have (on-going project as well). This leads me to the '07 GT. I bought her July 29th, 2006 as a belated b-day gift for myself & b/c I had lost my Mother 2 months earlier. I had been working at the Flat Rock assembly plant for just over 2 years and couldn't resist the temptation any longer. Plus, my wife said I needed it, I hadn't smiled in a while! This car is therapy, b/c you can't help being in a good mood driving one!! Btw, the next work day after buying this car, I took her vin# into the plant to find out what I could about her. I actually built my car when it came down the line, plus, no major repairs on her during assembly!! She has been a wonderful car w/ no issues in over 36,000 miles!!

 

My story isn't as interesting as many of the ones I've read on this thread. I've always loved cars, since I had 1,000+ matchbox and hot wheels cars stacked up in my bedroom as a kid.

My dad bought me my first Mustang at age 17 - a '98 V6 and the only automatic Mustang I've ever owned. When I graduated high school, I swapped the V6 for a '94 GT, which I drove through college. Along the way I picked up an '86 notch 5.0. I met Mr. Blue Sky Vert, and converted him to Mustangs from his previous love of Corvettes. We stacked up a couple more Mustangs over the next few years...'01 vert GT, '04 Mach 1, '88 notch 5.0...and now we have a 2007 Alloy GT coupe and my 2007 Vista Blue GT convertible.

Sharing your life with someone that shares your hobbies makes them that much more fun. Modding our cars with friends make up some of the best memories I have! Now we just fight over who gets the next mod

 

My story started 2 days after Thanksgiving of 2006. My Z24 seemed to be giving up the ghost as I was saving up for my Mustang. I went down to a used car lot with 3 grand to find a suitable replacement. Didn't think I was ready to buy the Mustang yet. Well I called my Brother up to get a 2nd opinion on the car I was looking at. So he drives over and asked me how much I was going to put down. He let me have it BIG TIME. "Are you crazy?! S***, for that kind of money, you can go get your Mustang now... That's plenty for a down payment!!!"

Well I talked about it to my then girlfriend at the time and she said, "Let's go down on Sunday when the dealer is closed, that way you can take your time and check out what you want and not be bothered." On Sunday at about 12 noon, we take a ride down to Harr Ford in Worcester and THEY WERE OPEN!! We sat in the car for a few minutes as the dealers gathered up like vultures waiting for their prey to die. I took a deep breath and got out of the car...

I went over to the Mustangs and this really cool dealer followed me over. In a really nice way, I told him that, "I am a Mustang fanatic, know everything there is to know about this car and all I want to is slobber over them , so go get a towel." Well of the 6 GT's I looked at, I narrowed it down to 2 colors: Redfire, my #2 color and Sonic Blue, my #3 color. Every last one of them were Autos! Not a bad thing but I really wanted a standard.

Well I called the dealer over and asked him how much I had to deposit to test drive this "China Doll" because the dealerships were seriously tripping over this car.. I was being sarcastic. He said, "No sir you don't need anything but a valid license, so which one do you want to take for a drive?" I said, "Well, I guess I'll go with the Sonic Blue... It's an Auto and I'm not to crazy about that wing on the trunk either..@ss is high enough as it is..." He says, "Okaaay??" So I tell him I guess I'll settle for testing an auto but I'll be back when you all get more standards. He says "No man, test drive what you want, test drive a stick." I roar back, "What stick?? Ya got six GT's, all autos!" He says,"No sir, we DO have a stick... Way over there..."

Fellas... (and Ladies) There she was, parked in the back corner of the lot surrounded by Fusions, my #1 color with NO wing in all of her Windveil Blue glory!!! I yelled out, "THAT'S IT RIGHT THERE!!
That's the one I want!! The dealer pulled "Misty" (my baby) around and she had 4 miles on the odo. We took her for a ride and She felt RIGHT and STRONG and pulled with authority. I brought her with 11 miles on the odo and said to the dealer, "Let's work."

I secured the car on Sunday with a grand and after work on Monday, dropped another 3 grand on him and worked the finance company. Tuesday evening November 28, 2006 at 6:45 pm, I took home my 2007 Mustang GT. Two years and 35400 plus miles and a couple of mods later, (Tillmanspeed in the house!) she has been flawless, I swear it! And now with the December 2nd purchase of my 99 Subaru Outback,(whom I call "Liz") "Misty" has been put back on weekend warrior status only if the snow has been dried up.

After a week of driving the Subaru, which is a wonderful and fun to drive car in it's own right, I get in the Mustang and she just feels RIGHT and STRONG! But this time, pulls with SERIOUS authority!

 

Great stories all of the ones I've read. I need to come back and read the rest when I have more time.

The moment I saw the concept for the S197 I was completely and utterly hooked. I was completely in the boat at that very moment. At that time, I had a 1997 Cobra Convertable which I was perfectly happy with, but the fact that that Cobra was a COMPLETE cop magnet and I was totally in love with the S197 meant the Cobra was going.

I started my search on the Ford website Forddirect.com. Now, remember way back when in September of 2004 when these babies were just beginning to VERY sparadically appear on dealer lots. IF you were lucky enough to find one, the ADMs were over the top.

To take a quick step back, there was a major push/pull issue on color. I went around and around about what I wanted until I finally settled on the black with the ICAP interior. I just love the combination and still love it to this day. I get a lot of compliments on the car and people will usually go out on the limb and mention the interior.

So I located a car coming into a dealer up in northern central New Jersey and called the dealership. We talked all about the situation including what my car would be worth trade in wise etc. He needed to see the car though so the only way to really get a jist of what I was in for, I had to drive up there. So I went all the way up there only to find out that the *astard was going to charge a $5,000 ADM on the car I wanted and it WAS NOT NEGOTIABLE!! Needless to say I was beyond pissed. I got in my Cobra and drove home.

Later that night I was on AOL and remembered that a buddy of mine had been working at a Ford dealership up in North Jersey. I sent him an IM and we had a nice little phone conversation. Turned out he was no longer selling Ford, he had moved over to Chevy by that time but knew all the right people at his previous job. He told me he could set me up. I wanted to pay sticker (or below) but no higher. So a quick trip to Forddirect.com told me an inventory unit exactly what I wanted was due into their dealership very soon. I told my buddy and he made the call. They agreed to assist (thanks to my friend) and the deal was struck. I gave them my credit card and put $1,000 deposit on the car with a full deal expected once the car arrived. No kidding, like a week later, I got the call. THE CAR IS HERE!! AND YOU BETTER HURRY, WE COULD'VE ALREADY SOLD IT 10 TIMES!!

I jumped in the Cobra and drove up to meet these guys. The only issue I ran into was they gave me $500 less than expected on Cobra because of a "noisy transmission". I told them repeatedly that the noise was from an aftermarket shifter and that the noise coming through the stick was normal but they refused to budge on that. The trans in that car was actually new because the original had failed about a year prior. That made me kind of mad, but looking at the new car just made it melt away. One of their salesmen must've said to me "man, thats a nice car" about 1000x in the hour and a half I was there.

Driving the car home was unreal. There were probably 20 horn blows, 100 stares etc. The fun part is, people still stare and yell when I drive the car. I don't regret any part of the experience at all.

 

All of these stories are great! Keep them coming guys!

 

my story is pretty simple...

There were 2 5spd cars to choose from here in the NW Georgia area, 1 Red & 1 Redfire. The dealership that had the Red one didn't want to make a deal, whereas the dealership with the Redfire one did....so that's why I have the car I do...LOL!!

 

This has got to be one the best threads I've read in awhile. Kuddos to the thread starter!

 

+1

 

I had retired after working for General Electric for almost 33 years. I have owned a lot of cool cars, among others a '69 Z-28, a '78 Trans Am, and 4 Mustangs. I had never factory ordered a new car, so I ordered a 2006 Mustang GT convertible, Screaming Yellow, black top, black leather, 5 speed, 18" Fanblade wheels, and more. I'll never forget recieving the e-mail, "Your car is here". I had made a sizeable withdrawl from my 401-K, so I drove to the dealer, wrote the biggest check I had ever written, and drove my retirement gift to myself home. That is how Mustang Sally and I came to be. 51,000 miles and still happy together.