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GET OVER IT. THE MUSTANG GT 500 WILL NOT HAVE IRS!!!!!!!


Now can we please move on!

 

Well there are two that come darn close.

Dodge Charger SRT-8
425hp, seats four comfortably, has IRS.
$35k

How about the GTO?
400 hp, seats four, has IRS.
$25k after incentives.

And before you start going off on how ugly the cars are, the point is it can be done (and for even less money).

It also shows that no one feature of a car will make it sell. It needs a complete package. I am just hope Ford is not concentrating too much on the hp/tq numbers and the Shelby name and not the complete package. I have faith, but only time will tell.

As a side note, any car that someone would buy instead of a Mustang is indeed competition. This includes Z's, Evo's, STi's, G35's, Vettes, etc. Yes, each one goes about it's business in a different way, but attacts a similar buyer. Ever wonder why there is no "direct" competition for the Mustang? Ever think that might because there aren't enough buyers to support the niche?

I think the Mustang treads a very tight line on the performance/value/practicality/comfort/quality scales. If it tips too much one way (like the Cameros giving up comfort/practicality for hp), it might change the whole scenario.

 

Well, respectfully, I must disagree here. I understand the Mustang's place in history - and I understand its heritage and get what you're saying.

But this also isn't 1964 anymore. And back then, the Mustang's features were much more comparable to other cars of its era.

Times have changed and the Stang has fallen behind the times. We didn't have the Japanese onslaught to deal with in the 1960s. Consumers now want a certain measure of refinement in their cars - witness how many economy cars are now providing near-luxury features as standard equipment.

Building a car that only caters to one traditional, core demographic group is dangerous when you're being assaulted globally and need to build market share outside that group to help ensure growth and survival.

 

wowowowo....

25K for the GTO? Exageration? If this were true I would go out and buy one in a snap?


Where have you seen it for 25k?

 

PRECISELY!

 

...but seriously where do u get a GTO for 25K?


I really want to know!

 

Yet, as many have said, the Mustang that is being complained about so venemently is a complete.......... out of the park.......... rousing smash hit. Ford is building as much as they possibly can, and it still isn't enough.

If that is failure............ then failure feels pretty good.

BTW, some economy cars still use a beam axle. For those not in the know, that is the FWD equivelant of a solid axle.

That said, some here are talking like Ford is using SRA's across the board. This is the only car they make that has one. This structure of failure at FMC.......... that some surmise.......... is BS. Their new products are doing well, and are meeting, and in some cases exceeding their projected sales. They are getting great reviews FROM THE PEOPLE THAT COUNT............ not the media.............. not us enthusiasts............ but by the people who buy them. Why is this a bad thing??? From reading general message boards, the Fusion is shaping up to be a major hit also.

You asked why Ford would have the audacity to use a solid axle in this day and age............... and I'll give you the answer. Because they can.

Some of you would do yourself alot of good, by perusing sites for other manufacturers. Viper owners are excited about the GT500. Even some Vette owners are (and I find them to be some of the most arrogant out there.......... Ferrari owners are very nice in comparison). Heck, some Ferrari people are thinking about picking up one for a daily driver.

If this is the lack of respect over antiquated technology, that you are talking about............ then another smash hit is in the making. There have been some on those boards who have complained about the lack of an IRS............ then they have been solidly smacked down by others calling it the bargain of the century.

Looking around can really open your eyes as to how other enthusiasts look at things.

 

max2000jp- I'm diggin' your custom title!

 

And that's exactly the problem to which I'm referring - being out of touch with the marketplace.

Is the Mustang a smash hit now? You bet, there's no denying that.

But will it be a smash hit in another two years, as the platform begins to age, as sales fall off, and as other manufacurers begin to offer higher horsepower vehicles that begin to intrude on the Mustang's turf?

One hit does not a company make.

 

dude, check all the local GM dealers. i've seen em go for $24K

i wanted that so bad....

 

You can find them, but it will be an LS1 version.

 

Personally, I wouldn't say the the Cobra is the bargain of the century. Hands down the best bang for the buck car will be the C6 Z06. It's not going to be a just a fast straight line car, but it will mop up on expensive exotics at your local road course. The technology used in the car is pretty amazing, considering the projected price.

I also would say that Ferrari isn't concerned with the Mustang. Owners of Ferraris are a different breed. Lastly, I love how everyone is going nuts about a car that doesn't have firm specs yet. The Cobra could weigh nearly 4000 lbs for all I know. One thing that's for certain though is the SRA.

What I think it all boils down to is that the IRS guys want the total package. We want something that will break the sterotype in the car world. If you visit non Mustang forums, people will constantly rag on how the Mustang is a poor handling car. Yes an SRA works, is it the best possible suspension setup, heck no. I am all for the latest and greatest automotive technology, as long as it doesn't take away from the actual driving experience. SMG transmissions shift faster, but I still prefer rowing the gears myself. The SRA debate boils down to cost, or to take it further profits. Ford will use an inferior suspension in order to maximize their bottom line.

 

That may be a bit of a stretch, from all indications it is going to sticker north of $70k. I agree though, it is going to be one heck of a sports car. This car shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as a GT500, they are not competitors.

 

I think the point is that some people are looking at what they get; the technology/features/ammenities, etc. They don't artificially think like marketing people and differentiate between the minutiae of a muscle car, pony car and sports car -- they think what they want to balance handling, performance, prestige/look, features, milage, and so on. So ignore how car executives categorize cars, and think like a driver/buyer.

Almost all other cars have better suspension and more amenities (lighter weight, better milage, and so on). The Mustang offers big motor and a cheap price (with some nice retro cachet). The Mustang will appeal to people DESPITE its shortcomings -- but that's the point. Many of us don't think Ford should have made it an either/or decision. To offer the options that competitors had, might have raised the price point a few percent at most -- especially if they were only options. In fact, that would have probably increased their ability to upsell and make more. Some decisions were more fundamental like the suspension; but others could put in more advanced suspensions in cars a fraction that price/weight. So I have a tough time buying the argument that Ford is somehow that inferior in design to every other auto-maker. They just made a choice based on nostalgia, or planned obsolescence (so they can offer an improved version later). But they still made it a choice that customers have to / should think about. Some of us would have rathered that Ford blew away the competition on many dimensions instead of just one or two.

 

Oh.... I knew there was a catch. I want the LS2.


Any chance I can get that under 30?

 

Right now, GM is offering $1,000 rebate on them. I bet with a little negotiation you might be able to get one for under $30K.

 

I still disagree that the Mustang GT has any real competitiors. I need a backseat since children are involved, so that tosses out quite a few, I need it to be in right price range. The only other car that met my criteria is the RX-8. We did go and look at one and there is no way I could buy it, I think you have to be 5'6" to be comfortable in the front seat and it gets worse in the back. So that left me with only one car to consider.

 

Car and Driver had the audacity.

 

Which post did I not comprehend?

<!--QuoteBegin-Robert@May 16, 2005, 1:17 PM
I WOULD go that far, and most financial experts are. Ford is hemorrhaging money while Toyota enjoys record sales. Ford stock has been reduced to junk bond status while Lexus expands its market share.

Yes, the Mustang accounts for less than 5% of Ford sales, but you're missing the whole PR element here. The Mustang is their one hit; their 'halo' car for the masses. Start messing with that and doing the old 'bait & switch' (which Ford is notorious for) with the Shelby, and all you do is reinforce what the pundits and an increasing percentage of the public believe: that imports are better quality overall - and offer a better ownership experience - than domestics.

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Maybe you can explain this one to me, does it not say that what is or is not offered on the GT500 affects Ford's overall sales?

 

Honestly, go drive a 350Z and you will immediately be able to tell that C&D's opinion is false. The Z is a much better handling machine. Skidpad numbers tell very little about how a car handles. The slalom number is what counts and further more track times.