I agree with this 100%

 

ALL cars depreciate. Have you tried looking for a clean '94-'95 that you can call your own? Definitely more than you think...

 

Never thought the car strayed from its roots - even in Mustang II guise.

If anything, S197 will be remembered as the generation where Ford decided to not only continue it's affordable sports coupe at a time when even the biggest car maker the world - the one with the MOST economics of scale couldn't justify a $20,000 sporty coupe...

but the time when Ford took the car to the world stage - live axle and truck V8/transmission and all. And really kept fighting.

 

I think history (read:collectibility) will be kind to the 2005 GTO because despite its poor design it had great power. Power is what drives collectibility in pony/muscle cars.
As for the sn95 cars, I think they'll do okay as will the pre-2011 s197 cars but I expect a lot of interest in the 2011-2014 gt cars. They are important cars because of the massive increase in hp regardless of anything else. Plus the production numbers are so low with maybe 80k cars/year with less than half of them being v-8s that they have to appreciate in value. I think dramatically although that's not why I bought one. A 412 or 420hp car is going to look amazing when CAFE standards kick in over the next ten years. The horsepower party is almost over.

 

I agree, I see today's gen, and the next gen (camaro, mustang, challenger/barracuda) that will go down in history as the next great american horsepower boom since the 60s. After that turbo/supercharged 4/6 cylinder cars will start showing up,and replace some of the V8s.
I hope Im wrong, but however the next gen cars look like, with newer, smaller, lighter platforms, with current/updated, or new engines, they will be power houses even better then what we all have at this time.

 

Call me sentimental, but I think the S197 took the already great-looking SN95 and made it even cooler. Both in looks and performance. That mid-cycle-refresh is one of the most significant in Mustang history. The entire car was improved. And, I really love the look of the car, from just about every angle. IMO, it is a great modern interpretation of my favorite body-style Mustangs...1967-1969 fastbacks. If others feel the same way as me, the car will remain popular for a very long time.

 

+1, for '11 and '12. not so much feelin the '13 facelift

 

I bought a CGM '06 GTO new and owned it for 4 years. It was a great car and with the addition of a few of the SAP parts looked pretty good!

I bought my '13 GT because I wanted one of the retro cars before the '15 re-do. That and I feel the design has been perfected with the '13 - '14 cars. I think the staying power will be good, it's a great platform, with good looks, power and handling. And, with all the after market support you can make the car whatever you want, it's a true hobbyist/enthusiast car.

 

What was poor about the GTO's design?

That car was a nearly perfect example of a modern-day pony/muscle car performance coupe, ruined here in the US by the stupid insistence of GM trying to tie it back to their cars of the past, to which it had no relation.

History will be kind to the 2004-2006 GTO because it was/is an awesome vehicle, that sold few units due to corporate ineptitude. It will never be recognized by those interested in original/classic GTOs (understandably), but it is a cult car on its own merits.

 

Of the S197 vehicles, I think the 2012/2013 cars will be the most sought after, with the Boss 302, 5.0 GT, and the GT500 being available in their "best" forms for 2013. Also, the 08-09 Bullitt will be a car that people still desire to have.

 

Car sold like hotcakes everywhere but here. It was universally loved everywhere but here. Even Top Gear fell in love with it.
Problem is that everywhere else they also had much more aggressive look. bumpers, wheels, spoilers, taillights, etc. All the esthetics that sell a car of its type.

US import took away all the penache and deleted all the aggressive in leiu of a snorting nostril hood. They left the car with a stupid bumper, low model taillights, took away the cool binnacle gauges and shift light. They basically made it fend on its own, with the only merits left being all the awesome that hid under the boring sheetmetal.

What a pedigree. PBR calipers lifted from the Corvette, unbeatable Tremec T56 with the M12 close ratio Z06 gearing, a Dana 44 pumpkin turned independant rear, and the new LS2. A combination of more liters, Z06 heads, and the mild Z06 cam. Chassis was comfortable, but not stiff. No wheel gap, and interior was light years ahead of what was currently in the American GM cars. A GM car that wasnt the Vette that could clip 180? Better chassis bits and rear that was even in the CTS-V of the time.

People think it was canceled, or undersold, but reality was that it was always a three year planned car here, because it had already been in production in Australia for years, and they had a replacement lined up. For a while the plant they were built at had to more than double the workforce.

I still chuckle that the successful Camaro (as well as the G8/Caprice) are all built on the evolution of the same chassis, yet uninformed folks call the GTO a failure. As evidenced by the Camaro, had they not dumbed down the cars look, the American view of the 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO would look much different.



The chassis was great, the hardware world class, and it went for 90k or better for the HSV offerings in AUD.

 

This can be viewed different individually. Personally, I had an 05 and was in the 05-09 section for years. When I sold my 05 in 2011 I basically focused more of my attention on the 10-14 section and 15-next generation section being as I am debating on purchasing a 13-14 GT or waiting to see what the 15 is all about. Sad but true, yes yours will become the same.. I loved my 05 almost to death , but am now focusing on the future..

 

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Ummm...the 2011 is identical to the 2012. The 2013-2014 had changes. So I think you mixed there...

 

Ummm....no. Ford added a few things for '12, and the powertrain changes were already present, though there were incremental changes to the MT82. For '13, they did the minor front/rear refresh, added more features across the line, and still offered the Boss. These two years (I think) will be the ones that people gravitate to, depending on your preference for the aesthetics.

 

There will be some fanatics for the S197's, like there are for all models over the years. I may or may not keep mine for some time, it all depends on the new improvements coming next year.

I honestly can't think of a nicer looking mustang than a 13/14 gt500. I love the classics, but the gt500 is one mean and powerful car...

 

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Almost impossible to tell a 2011 from a 2012. FoMoCo added lighted vanity mirrors, adjustable steering settings, and adjustable headrests towards the end of 2012, and that's about it, sir. I'm talking about the GT and the V6, the volume cars. If you're talking about the first year of the Boss, well, that goes without saying...that is very special.

 

Ummm, the Shelby's depreciate just as fast, and just as much. It's a little less noticeable because they cost so much more than a "normal" Mustang.

Hell, Fox-body cars are going for the same money. The name "Mustang" automatically adds a premium to the cost of the car.

 

I owned a couple of Fox cars (an 88 GT and an 89 5.0 Coupe), and I really liked them. The Coupe was faster than the GT because it weighed less. I wouldn't mind having another one. I also wouldn't mind having a new edge S95.

However, I much prefer the 2010-2014 S197. The Fox cars and S95's look nothing like a Mustang to me, and none of the renderings for the 2015 look like a Mustang. I guess we'll see by August.

 

The S197 will go down as one of the best all time cars period, price not with standing. Increadible car that almost anyone can buy. The V6 is none to shabby either!

 

Just my opinion on a car I’ve never seen nor driven….The S197 is the last “traditional” muscle car you will see out of the Ford camp thanks in part to the exclusion of the solid rear axle in the next generation. This will inevitably create a rift between the log vs IRS people in matters of opinion. I decided to grab the 2014 GT because it’s the “last of the last” in terms of how I define muscle cars. The value of these cars may appreciate as a result, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

In my mind, the smaller dimensions and reengineered suspension in the forthcoming model place that Mustang in the ranks among Audi, BMW, and Merc. Not bad company, but if I wanted a V8 with a fully independent suspension all around, I’d opt for the German Scheisser. I don’t look at the M3 and think muscle car. On paper the performance specs compare to the S197, but it’s not a muscle car – and this is how I’m going to perceive the S550.

Will the 2015 Mustang wow me? You bet. But I’ll let the guys with the hair triggers and itchy forefingers jump on the grenade and beta test for FMC wile I enjoy mine. After the S550 has a few updates/revisions under its belt, I may move over, but it’s highly unlikely.