Hi everyone. I've been lurking for about 9-10 months, and finally decided to join. I think my current car (Nissan 240sx se) was totalled in a hit and run this past week, so I'm one huge step closer to a Mustang GT purchase. I have a great dealer/owner, so I'll get the car ordered at invoice. I had a few questions for people who have had the car for 8 months or more. While I know that some of these questions have been thrown out here before, I'm more interested in actual real life experiences over the past year from owners. Keep in mind that I'm not the kinda guy that is going to be adding mods and all that stuff.

1) There was a thread that mentions the driver's side leather wrinkling after a few months, so I wondered along the same lines how the cloth has held up for those with the deluxe model?

2) As far as the Active Alarm, I'd prefer not to deal with a aftermarket alarm, but just how good is the one Ford offers? My Nissan is/was a 1995 and the factory alarm has been decent, but it has ALWAYS had trouble with false alarms for no reason. I don't even lock my doors anymore because its a pain to get up 4-5 times a night with your horn honking and lights flashing. Just looking for any input here.

3) I pretty much plan on the shaker 500, but the radio is the one thing that I could see me getting installed aftermarket. Are you guys basically happy with the shaker 500 and does anyone have the base am/fm cd system in the deluxe? If so, how is that working out?

This is all I can think of at the moment. I appreciate all the info I get off the site, this place is the only thing that keeps me going some days.


BTW: DAN- your car is so freaking awsome, exactly what I want. From the pics you posted a few days back, it almost looks Candy Apple Red or something. Did the Zaino coats make that difference? All I can say is WOW.

Also Adernalin, if I was gonna mod, then you car would have to be the blueprint. It's just freakin beautiful.

• Leather wrinkles. That's just the way it is. Personally, I've always thought that to be one of the more endearing features of leather. Think about it this way: Would Indiana Jones's jacket have been as cool if it looked like it just came off of the hanger at the store?

• I think the alarm works nicely, and I've only found it to be really sensitive when the windows are down.

• I have the Shaker 500, and am really happy with it. I'm not a major audiophile, but the 500 bumps enough for me. 500 watts ain't pocket change. ;)

Ditto with what Blake said except for the leather, as I have cloth.

The cloth seats are holding up very well after these last 9 months..they still look brand new.. :nice: Dito on the rest..

I've not had my car for 8 months or more, but it's my daily driver and have some good insight on the things you mentioned.

I'm sure my leather will wrinkle (I have less than 1K miles on the car) but I'm with Blake, that's what I like about it.

The active alarm is good, too. Motion sensors inside do a good job when the windows are rolled down (!).

I love my Shaker 500. It is very loud and the fidelity is great. I love the six-disc and MP3 capability.

Mostly, I just love going real fast and painting rubber at most every intersection.

Congrats on your impending '06 purchase. You're going to LOVE it!

I have about seven months on my GT, and it is my daily driver with nearly 11,000 miles on it. I love everything about the car except for the squeaky brakes.

-Like the others have said, the leather wrinkles in a very attractive and comfortable way.

-I dont have the alarm, so no comment

-The Shaker 500 is plenty good. I am a musician and have heard better car audio, but the Shaker 500 is good enough that I am not going to replace it with an after market system.

-If you need to buy OEM parts or cool upgrades from a Ford dealer after you get your GT, definitely contact kcstang. There is a link to how to contact him on the "sticky's" section of this forum. He provides incredible service and great prices.

Enjoy your new ride!

Best wishes,
Stuart

I would say go with the leather if you want. Its comfy, looks good is easy to clean with the only downfall its gets very hot and cold. (not that big a deal IMO)

Alarm I cant comment on.

Shaker 500, personally I have had heard quite a few problems with peoples disks skipping etc. I opted to get the factory system and spend my 500+ dollars on a solid aftermarket system. For the money you can probably find something that performs and sounds better.

I appreciate all the responses. This input really helps more than you can imagine.

I'm kinda thinking at this point of either going with the deluxe and adding a aftermarket stereo OR getting the premium and just being done with it. I've had cloth in most of my vehicles over the years ('78 Camaro, '79 Z-28 and the '95 Nissan 240sx se). The only exception was a '85 BMW 325e that had leather, and I really liked the leather in that car.

Also, besides the shaker 500 and leather, are there any difference in quality issues between the deluxe and premium? I can't imagine that there would be, but figured I'll ask while I have someone's attention.

Everytime I think about the cloth vs leather, I can't help thinking back to a post on here waaaaay back that someone brought up that the cloth retains a portion of the smell of farts you let, and over time it builds up. That is in no way a factor in my choice, but it always makes me chuckle just the same.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you are considering to get the V6 Pony Package, you must get the premium.

As a former detailer, I can also tell you that leather will still look servicable after 6 or 7 years, sometimes it even looks better then new (ie. the indiana jones comment above) cloth just degrades over time. Given the lost cost of leather interiors these days it is a no brainer to me.

It's when I see cloth in a convertible that I cringe. Yes, it gets hotter in the sun, but that is a personal comfort issue. If you EVER leave a cloth seat vert with the top down overnight you will learn the power of dew. A few dew soakings of a cloth internior is enough to give you that permanent musty smell that just never quite goes away; and probably a little mold too.

oh, EBRAND, re. your comment on the cd-mps capability - I can't seem to get this question answered and I want to make discs for my car before delivery.

How does the shaker read the disks? can it understand folders? Does it sort them by filename? id tag? order they are burned on the disk? any help is appreciated.

J, visit the timeline section. You can download the owners manual as a PDF file, or read it online. In the audio section it details the folder structure the Shaker likes. You can read the full owners manual before you ever set foot in the car.

Ain't the internet great? :-D

Ain't TheMustangSource.com awesome? :-D

you are asking me to end my unbroken streak of not reading the owners manual for ANYTHING electronic that I have ever owned. :shock: I just don't really think I can do that, I mean, I, I just can't. :crying:

BTW, what do I have to do to get nanners for my car - should be at the dealer on Friday, picking up on saturday. :-D