MRGTX

If you'e shopping for a car now and can't wait for the late '14 release of the S550, you can't go wrong with a '14... they're a known quantity, the motor is superb, the handling is great, etc...just go for it.

Otherwise, how can you make a comparison when nobody (outside of Ford) has even driven an S550 yet? We don't know the power output, we don't know the weight, we don't even know the price yet.

We're all here becase the S197s have been a blast. They're worth the asking price (especially with some cash on the hood these days) but if you're in a position to
"wait and see" you'd be wise to wait it out, IMO.

Krohn

"Boss 302"

Varilux

More precisely, it was said in some media statements that it was an American car going to the world.

"If it sounds as if the Blue Oval fobbed off the Mustang’s development to the same continental team that did the Focus and Fiesta, rest assured this is not the case.... ...Regardless, the Mustang is still the raw, red meat of Midwestern ambition."

Not trying to be combative, but I work in marketing myself and- as the saying goes- "You can't kid a kidder!"

I obviously have no inside info on what goes on at Ford, but I've sat in plenty of planning and project meetings for new product introductions...

Ford needs to reach out to a new demographic (and has already done so with every other model in the line-up). The Baby Boomers were a natural market for the Mustang for decades. However, as they enter their 60s they are either moving to more luxurious cars or trimming the budget as they retire.

Of course, the easiest customer to sell to is the one who is already bought-in to the product, so (in a perfect world) Ford would love to keep as much of the base as they can while wooing the younger consumer. Thus a statement involving raw, red meat.

If Ford doesn't return to retro styling by the next time I'm due for a new car (which they probably won't), I'll be back out of a Mustang and back into a car that was probably built in Germany (if I'm going to drive a European looking car, I'm going with a car built by Europeans ). When I need my retro fix, I can always climb in my '65 (can't get more retro than that).

Ironically, one of my greatest disappointments with the '15 is Ford didn't go more radical. If you were going to ditch retro, then ditch retro and DESIGN something! Simply slapping a Fusion front end on the existing car and tweaking the back a bit is the type of cowardly fence-sitting which represents the polar opposite of what the original Mustang was all about!

Sorry for the rant (which I've made elsewhere). I'm just SO disappointed the '15 turned into such a "paralysis by analysis" type of product. Ford could have stayed retro, or gone modern... instead they punted in an (always in vain) effort to keep everyone happy.

In the end, the S-197 has a definite identity that the S550 simply lacks.

Automatic 5.0

I bought the '14 because I was overdue in buying a new car, was driving a 20 year old Trans Am that I really did not want to stick a bunch of money into to fix her up.

I am glad I did buy the 2014 because I like the style better and a lot of the bugs have been worked out on the '14. I'll be the first to say,"hey, there's a new Mustang" when I see the 2015 but I like the looks of the '14 better.

GrnT

I'm still stuck on the SN95 and the 05-09 S197 models. If I were to buy a 14 it would have to be a GT500 or a supercharged 5.0

CiniZter

13/14GT500 they define the word beast

1 Alibi 2

1. HP..............or lack of. ( 2015 MY line-up )
2. Ford won't market one, ( GT500 ), for the 2015 MY.
.

CiniZter

^ thats sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

kcoTiger

Never liked the SN95 myself (except for a few SE's) but the '05-'09 S197 is the best looking Mustang since '65-'69. Coincidence that it was the same length of time? Who knows and I don't care, but I'm going to be building a NASA/SCCA-qualified car using the '05-'09 body style as a starting point. It's that attractive to me.

TheDivaDanielle

yeah but there were two distinct body looks during that time.

kcoTiger

You mean '65-'69? Yes, there were, but they're still head and shoulders above everything else--both styles. I'd turn one of those into a racer, but my options would be buying an original and gutting it or buying a fabricated body and putting it on top of a current frame/suspension/power train. Both are more expensive than taking an S197 and starting from there.

TheDivaDanielle

totally. My whole life I always liked 65-70 Mustangs, and didn't really care a ton for much beyond them. When the S197 came out, I kinda liked them, but didn't have a huge want for them, especially since they were down on power by 33% compared to the GTO.

But my ex got a 2006, and I slowly fell in love with them. When the body restyle came around, I finally put them in my "I would buy one" category. Then with the '13, it suddenly became a "i have to have that car"

I've always been a GM/Chevrolet person, but a car like this, you just can't pass it up.

devilcaninex

Couldn't afford a 2014 Viper and too impatient to wait for 2015 Mustang.

kcoTiger

Stock, the '05-'09s aren't exactly gorgeous. They're prettier than their predecessors but not stunning, stop-and-catch-your-breath beautiful. But that style takes to modding SO very well, and the SE's (like the Shelby GT's, for instance) were eye candy to me. Still are, and I consider the choice I made to sell my blue/silver striped '08 SGT to be one of the worst mistakes I've ever made. I actually didn't care for the '10-'12s as much, except for the GT500. The front fascia (which they transferred to the entire mustang lineup in '13) was really, really sharp. I think the '13s and '14s are better looking because of it, and they, like the '05-'09s, can look super-good when modded.

The '67-'69 Camaro is and always has been my first love of muscle cars. Many stang lovers consider that sacrilege, but it's true. I've got a little bowtie love in me. Just not for their trucks.

AlsCobra

I've said this before but Seven (Gary's '07) is one of the best looking cars on this site. Yes it has some cosmetic mods but it is a stunning car.

kcoTiger

Yeah. I absolutely agree, and I've only seen a few pictures.

GrnT

it's like art.
In some ways the 2015 S500 reminds me of the SN95 and the s197 combined. There's similarities from each.

Tony Alonso

Working for a company that spends a ton on marketing I understand your sentiment.

I think the "raw, red meat" statement was from the magazine article writer, which I assume was that person's twist on "it's still American"

Love the 1965. As much as people use the term "retro" to describe the '05-'09s or the '10s-'14, I consider the car styling as an interpretation of the '65-'68 model years framed by certain enduring styling cues.

A recent article in Mustang Times described how some of the styling cues we love now were panned by critics back then. Every generation has its view, I suppose. And as much it is said "Fusion front end", I say "some general shapes, but not Fusion". I believe the balancing act between "modern" and "traditional" was an even tighter rope to walk this time. We all have our idea of beauty. Perhaps I am in the age demographic that looks at this as a beautiful melding of modern and traditional.


I don't get that sense. I also think making a lot of people happy is a GOOD things for sales!

I think each of these cars brings a styling language that can be viewed in the context of various generations that gravitate toward them. I think this is the plus and minus of having a car with heritage. I like them both for what they represent at the time of their introduction.

DarrenGT

your '14 is beautiful Alibi.

FromZto5

Pete, what a gorgeous car you have.

But yes, I have my S197 because, well, I love it. S550 well, not so much.