Maybe you can hold it off a bit longer and get the 2013 refreshed Sonic Blue?

 

I agree with this as well, unless you really are being advised to no longer drive an automatic transmission car. My wife, on the strong advise of her doctor, moved to an automatic version of her MINI Cooper. She drove manuals all of her driving life. It has been a year and a half, and she still has the occasional regret. Her car is not quite as fun for her now. However, her hip pain has been significantly reduced, so she does have that benefit.

The life of a car enthusiast - when the hunt is on, I know I become blurry in the brain

Ditto!

 

PM'd you; but yes, Ford had a price increase dated yesterday (5/16) on '12 Mustangs, Focuses, and Transit Connects.

 

Tony & Ghia -

While I appreciate your sentiment, you might have missed the part where I said my left knee was borderline as-is (had surgery in 1995 to help the badly damaged cartilage), and that this FIVE MONTHS of complete non-use of my leg (due to the fracture) and letting it waste away isn't helping things.

With just the right seat adjustment I could drive my car in light traffic and be OK, but that was it. Some days I was still sore.

So while I could keep my car as-is (and still may), hopefully you understand now better my motivations.

 

No new updates to report. Still working on my wife and considering all options (including more family-friendly options, and keeping my 'vert).

However (and some of you may hate me for this): The more I've deliberated on this, the more I think I prefer Grabber Blue and Kona Blue over Sonic Blue!

You may be thinking:

Here's where I am coming from: Sonic Blue is a little darker than I originally thought (it's VISTA BLUE that I am a bigger fan of), and it does tend toward purple in some light. In short it apears to have the disavantages of Kona Blue (darkish, shows scratches etc), without the sumptuous metallic beauty of Kona Blue.

Grabber Blue, on the other hand, is light colored (important here in the South), with much of the ease-of-care of perf. white, while also being very distinctive in a crowd.

SO - it sounds like i am leaning toward that 2011 GB I mentioned on another dealer's lot. And I guess I am, much to my wife's chagrin. I like the regular headlights just fine, but there's just something about HIDs with Grabber blue and those black RTR wheels....

Over to the family-friendly options, I just today discovered KraftWerks, who makes a very complete supercharger kit for the Honda Fit, boosting output from 119 to 160+ HP. For $3000. I could afford a new Fit Sport Auto/Nav plus that and not have any loan. All cash, all mine. Very tempting.......... but a co-worker of mine said it was like supercharging his weed-eater! LOL

 

If only we could get suby blue for stangs.

 

Having formerly owned an azure blue Mach 1, I think you are

Good luck with your decision process!

 

Grabber Blue looks awesome on the current Mustangs and is what I would choose for a garage queen. I see it as the current generation's signature color, sort of like Hemi Orange on the Dodge Challenger. That written, I already have a brightly colored garage queen and since the Mustang will be a daily driver, I'm going with Performance White. It's the easiest color to maintain, stays cool, and looks good the longest of any color. It also looks very sharp on this generation Mustang.

 

Last June 5th when I bought my '11 GT, gasoline was $2.25/gallon. And now, on the cusp of doing this, gas is darn near $4.00/gallon. So why do I want another GT?

 

Have you considered just keeping your automatic beater AND keeping your '11 Vert as a "garage queen" to enjoy on weekends, etc until you know for sure how your ankle will heal? Might be cheaper, even considering insurance on the beater?

 

Yes, in fact unless something MAJOR goes bad, we plan to keep the Corolla beater as a 3rd/supplemental vehicle. But at 238K it just isn't in the shape to be counted on long-term, and with no tach and a sagging headliner, it's a miserable appliance. But hey it works. My vision was drive it on days of certain precipitation, and drive the Mustang (whichever it is) only on Sunny days. But yes, it's another consideration.

I've decided (& my wife is on board) to put my stock mufflers back on this morning, restore my sound tube, and drive the 'vert up (my wife driving) and look at that '11 GB 6AT coupe today & hopefully test drive it. I think the test drive will tell. We will have our loan info and payoff with us, just in case...

 

Good luck. It sounds like a solid move.

 

It wasn't easy with a convalescing shoulder and no way to stand up easily, but I got the stock mufflers & floor mats swapped back in this morning. It doesn't sound much quieter at idle at all, but those tips look small. As we now know, it's when you open it up that it will be agonizingly quieter than the GT500s.

But as we pulled it out of the garage and I set to work on it, I started to have a change of heart. Reminded me of the scene in "Shrek 2" when Puss-In-Boots is trying to charm Shrek into taking him along, and Shrek says to Donkey, "Just look a' 'im, in those weee li'tle boots." I told my wife, "just look a' 'it. It's irresistable!" We then detailed it to perfection, and it's now ready to take to the dealer...

So I still have all my options and can just as easily drive it back here tonight and park it until August.

 

Sounds good buddy. I'm resorting to looking at used Focii tomorrow. Gas is killing me at my measly $14/hr 30mi a day commute. As is insurance with 2 points. My current Mustang is coming off the insurance and being garaged so it can finally be worked on and restored/finished. I may get an SVT Focus though, so at least it will be fun to drive. We'll see. Hope you feel better!

 

Good luck with that – my co-worker loves his 2010 Focus SES.

So I test drove the 2011 Grabber Blue coupe. The color looked so DEEP in person – I could just DIVE into it! I think my wife liked it a lot too. On the test drive I could feel right away the superior structural & suspension stiffness as compared to my ‘vert. Long story short: This car “felt” right, and I LOVE the color! The point-n-shoot factor was great!

But we didn’t buy it. Am still working thru that (wasn’t my wife), so I’ll leave it at that for now on this public forum. Still, anything can happen.

Interesting factoid: I noticed the back of the key had the “Ford” Logo, same as my key. I would’ve expected a 2011 being sold now to have been built since October and have the Pony on the key in lieu of the Ford logo. Turns out it's a June 2010 Job 1 build! The dealer bought it from a dealer in Michigan. LIVERNOIS, Michigan! Home of Livernois Motorsports and TMS’s very own Shaun “the Stig” – “Stinger1982”. Whose car is also GB and was MOM last July. Coincidence? Seems odd to me the car is still around. Wasn’t nearly as clean as my car, and the interior was scuffed here and there and needed detailing. But it had only 34 miles on it after my 7 mile-or-so test drive, so it's not like it's a Program car. Is it? Hmmm….

 

The SVT Focus is a great car (mine is the lowest number in the registry), but they are NOT great mileage cars if you drive them like they should be. I don't drive it much anymore but if my memory serves, I'm lucky to get 21 MPG mixed city highway; often less.