Personally, if you like the styling, then do it. Otherwise, there's really nothing better about the S197 generation unless you subscribe to the "real Mustangs ride like crap and toss your head from side to side thanks to the SRA" school of thinking that a lot of guys do.

I love the styling of my car but I like the styling of the S550 a lot too. But, like I've said in countless other S197 vs. S550 debate threads, I just don't get people who seem to want Ford to continue to retro style the Mustang in perpetuity. All the best style of the '65-'70 cars has already been ripped off and there's nothing in the '71 to '93 generations worth copying today. The design had to be modernized for the car to continue selling well and appeal globally, which is critical to the Mustang continuing to get investment. Remember, at this point, it's Ford's only RWD car platform, it's the only vehicle they make that really needs to still have a V8 since the F-Series is so EcoBoost/Diesel heavy, not to mention things like the Voodoo GT350 motor.

 

Very good post/insight.

 

I definitely agree with your 2006 and grampa's "68" comparison for sure, as the 67-68 fastback models were my favorite body style.. As for the 2009 re-fresh ? I believe you meant to say 2010 re-fresh lol. As there were no changes for the 2009 models..

 

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That's pretty awesome Patrick!

 

Personally I wouldn't do it, but that's purely because I never warmed up to the S550, and I still think they are hideous.

If you're ok with the looks then i don't see why not. Your S197 served you well for the last 7 years. Sooner or later you can use a new one.

 

The S550 wants to be a sports car now and it has the price to go along with it. When I price out a new Mustang the way I would equip it, it's within spitting distance of a BMW M240i X-drive convertible and the Mercedes AMG C-43. I know those are down on horsepower compared to the Mustang but horsepower is not the only component of a car. I find the S550 an uncomfortable place to be despite all the gadgets and techno-wizardry that's been incorporated into the interior. All I'm saying is that the Mustang is playing a new game than the S197 played. You owe it to yourself to look at the other players at this level of the game for similar money.

I would likely go with a Challenger 392 Shaker Scat Pack for almost exactly the same money as a loaded Mustang GT coupe. At least up here, the Mustang's new price point puts it in range of a wide variety of competitive makes and models.

 

Lots of great input here, guys.

I don't disagree with those of you talking sentimentally about these cars...but I've been down that road twice now and it only leads to some suffering (for me) in the end. My first car (in the mid 1990s) was a '73 Dodge Dart Sport to which I had become so attached that I held onto it at great pain and expense for ~15 years while it sat under a cover, un-driven, waiting for a fresh motor and a transmission rebuild. Well, I invested thousands and did all that over the past few years and now I have a running/drivable old V8 coupe that is worth more to me than it is to anyone on the planet...and I'll have to accommodate it with every future life-plan that I make.

I also had a 1997 Miata that I bought almost new, drove for a quarter million miles through many important phases of my life and felt awful as the rockers and fenders started rusting out from salt exposure. I finally sold it off a few years back and I've missed that car every day since.

As much as I adore this 2011 GT (and I really do), I can't afford to let it become another family member. There are too many cars to experience in this world and too few years of driving to keep the same ones around for decades!

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do but sentimentality won't be the thing that keeps this blue S197 in my garage forever. So far it has earned its place by being an excellent driving, fast, fun machine. Once it turns out to be notably outclassed by new machinery, I need to reevaluate.

 

I'd get a new S550, but I like the fact that me '13 is paid for. It's still in great shape and fun to drive. My long term goal is to drive it for another 5-6 years and replace it with a 911 convertible.

 

Why on earth would you volunteer for such a down-grade?

 

Let's just say I have a soft spot for horizontally-opposed, rear-engine cars

 

Now that is a story to hang on to! It will be tough to let that one go. Love it! Patrick is a believer. Just like him I will hang on to mine for a long frickn time.

I have always thought that if you love your car why are you thinking of replacing it? Must not love it as much as you think. Kind of like that girl friend that you say you love, but you just keep checking out the hotter babes. Just go get the new one and let it be done.

 

Looking forward to my next Mustang purchase, it will have the following:
Glass Roof.
At least 663 hp.......................Ford, I'm waiting !!!
.

 

If this truly is the case, then modding your current Mustang would be nothing but a waste of money. Even in reasonably modded form, it's already outclassed (Badley in some cases) by quite a few cars in its relative price point. Come to think of it, with the exception of the GT350, so is a stock S550...


As others (And you) have stated, buy what you like, enjoy it and when bored with it, move on. You can't keep them all and there are too many good and fun cars out there to play with these days!

 

Good luck Mike. I notice you post a lot of these threads with inquiries.

My 2 cents, keep your current, save up, then buy another one - don't get rid of current. That's what I'm doing and will continue to do.

 

If there's a sentimental attachment involved ? then by all means, keep it.. If not, then move onto to whatever you think the latest and greatest may happen to be if that's your primary concern

 

Do you see the Dodge Challenger competing on a global scale or the Chevy Camaro ? No, you don't.. The bottom line is, the original concept of the Mustang was intended as a 4 passenger sporty car built for the masses to be affordable.. Unfortunately Ford has moved away from it's original concept formula and has since transformed the Mustang from an affordable sporty car built for the masses into more towards an upscale European sports coupe in order to compete with higher upscale priced sport coupes such as Bmw, Audi and Porsche.. All Ford seems to be concerned about is turning more of a profit and less about the customer, let alone towards what the purpose of the Mustang was originally intended for in the first place

 

Go over on MustangG6 and check out the new customers.

 

Noticed how few 2-door coupes or sports cars are even sold these days? The Mustang had to evolve to survive, as its continued to do for almost 53 years now.

 

You mean snobs, don't you ?

And yet the imports such as Toyota, Nissan, Honda and VW still offer them, as they know there's still a demand for 2 door sport coupes.. Perhaps if Ford, GM and FCA bothered to follow suit, they just might have much better sales numbers to show for their efforts..

At any rate, Challenger and Camaro seem to be doing just fine without evolving into some upscale European sports coupe.. As for evolving, I didn't have an issue until Ford evolved the Mustang into an upscale luxury sports coupe for which it's original purpose was never intended for to begin with.. That's my point !