I'll be a first-time Mustang owner any day now. Muscle cars didn't figure prominently in my younger years, but I did drive a red 1968 Mustang convertible pedal car when I was little, haha. My Mom drove a white Mustang during the early '80's (a gelding IMHO). After I graduated from college, I drove a '90 Toyota Corolla, a '93 Mazda MX-6, and a '99 Toyota Camry. For a couple of years, the new car itch has been building, but I hadn't found a car that felt like "IT."

We found ourselves in an unexpected financial situation this spring, and after paying off the house, my spouse ordered a 2010 Camaro 2SS/RS in mid March. The explanation was 1) childhood memories of a brother-in-law's Camaro, 2) spouse's company now supplies steel for several Camaro parts, and 3) it's our patriotic duty to buy American Muscle to stimulate the economy.

Two weeks later, the spouse turned to me one afternoon and said, "You really need to test drive a new Mustang GT!" So I did. It was my first time in a manual transmission in 11 years; surprising how it comes back to you when you slide behind the wheel. What can I say? I found "IT." Another week of online research, and I went in to my local dealer and ordered a 2011 in early April. Simultaneously, I started driving the XXXX out of my pedestrian white Camry. The car doesn't know WHAT to think... nor do my coworkers. If they are this freaked out by the tame maneuvers I can execute in the Camry, it's a sure bet they will WET THEMSELVES if they ride in the Mustang. Maybe I should put a towel over the passenger seat...

 

I'm 50 and this is my first Mustang - it's an 07 GT Premium Convertible 5 speed. I've always liked the Mustang; my wife and 4 kids "cornered" me on a Saturday morning just before my 50th birthday and staged a "Mustang intervention". It went like this; "Dad, you're a car guy and you're driving the wrong car! (A Ford Focus for the daily 75 mile round trip commute). Now go out and find that Mustang Convertible that you've been talking about". The local Ford Dealer had the car, Certified Pre-Owned, with less than 12,000 miles on it. I couldn't be happier - GREAT car, good price, unbelievable warranty, and a dealer who's treated me exceptionally well for years with other Fords in the family (Leo Kaytes Ford in Warwick, NY!).

 

Well, I'm 43 and I've always loved cars

My first, the 70 Impala, could burnout that one wheel forever

Next, at 17 my built 72 Chevelle SS (454) put down some nice 1/4 mile runs.

Dark car years through college at U of M in Ann Arbor (manual V6 Citation, Horizon, some Korean/pontiac crap, geo prizm).

Had a Volvo sportwagon, Passat wagon, and finally decided to by a fun car to try HPDEs and got a Mazda RX-8. The exercise of finding speed on the road course was a revelation-I was hooked

Then-VW R32



Got a little more serious and tried my hand at Time Attack :




Had some fun with a Mini


Another VW R32



And I finally found my way to Ford's wonderful new Mustang GT




No track pics for my "Black Beauty"..........YET

 

Almost makes me want to adopt two little girl sisters AGAIN!!!!!

 

Great stuff! You too, Johannes!

 

I guess I technically am.

I'm 20, just got a new 2010 GT 5 speed manual on Monday in candy apple red with 3.73 rear axel package. I got the car because mustangs are awsome.

 

39 years old
My 2006 GT is my first Mustang
Have owned 4 hondas, 1 RSX type S, and a VW GOLF GTI VR6

I had no choice but to step up to a Mustang GT as my core group of friends all have Mustangs including 1 lucky friend who has a 67 fastback(his Mom bought it new in 67 and he rebuilt it in 99...very cool), a 2007 Shelby, and a Boss. I guess I got tired of my friends making fun of my imports ( NEVER nodded any of them Thank god ) and I had to step up to the plate. Best decision I ever made and it has made me a Mustang guy for life

 

I'm 32 and a first Mustang owner. My first ride in one was in High school on an old & busted Mustang II in faded green that belonged to one of my friends. Hated that back seat with a passion. But it had something cool to it, so I did some research and began reading magazines and fell in love with the SN95 Mustangs. It took me 16 years, but I finally got one. I love it and it will not be the last one I'll have. If all goes well, in a few years I'll buy a new one, the next gen more specifically. And I went ballistic when the 5.0L designation returned

 

Bunch of neat stories!
My family was a Pontiac family and my sister had a cool LeMans. But in HS (grad 74) I spent a lot of fun time in my Buddies 2+2 289. It was cool!


But then the gas crunch hit and Mustangs stopped looking like Mustangs, and I went in a different direction with backpacking, mountains, 4x4's, and horses. Although I got the sports car bug along the way and kept a '74 Jensen-Healey/Lotus roadster in the shed and running for 15 yrs for summer thrill drives on two lane twisties. That introduced me to high revvin', multi-valve OHC, SRA adrenalin thrills!!


But hard times hit, the JH had to go in 92 , and I was barely able to hang on to the ranch and feed horses.

Then came the S197's - a true Mustang again! (no offense to other models) They had really grabbed my eye but I never thought I'd actually buy one.

So on 11.13.07 I'm logging on marketwatch.com over coffee like everyday, and I see a link and the name "Steve McQueen" for the LA car show that started on 11.06.07. (I didn't even know they had made an 01 Bullitt.)

Now I remember the movie Bullitt, and his other movies like Great Escape, but I became an SMQ disciple with one of my favorite movies still, "On Any Sunday" about motorcycles.

I click the link, see the Bullitt , go to the Ford Bullitt site where you could rev the engine (wish they hadn't removed that), and I was hooked! And it was "Pontiac Green" like my families cars growin' up! LOL

So over the next few weeks I'm doin' my creative financing thang, and although I didn't have it all figured out yet, on 12.6.07 I'm at a Dealer an hour away custom ordering my own 40th Anniversary Steve McQueen Bullitt movie Mustang with a down pmt on a credit card!

I mean I've got no business ordering a new anything much less a $30k+ Bullitt Mustang! Especially for a car I can't drive for 5 mos of the year!! If anything I should be upgradin' my 250k mile F150 4x. But it was/is the mezmerization factor! Saw a picture and had to have one. Pure and simple! Didn't need to drive one first because I trusted Ford products, just had to get me one.

Even when it was delivered, I pounded out the paperwork that took forever with the blockhead salesman before I had driven it - before I had ever driven any Mustang in my life. Finally it was mine with just 7 miles on the odometer - my first Mustang @ 51 with my birthday in a few weeks - and I drove away. Unfortunately there was so much snow at my ranch in the mountains that winter that I had to rent a storage garage for the next 90 days down in the valley. So I'd drive my 4x4 down so I could take my new car for a drive until late spring.

If you would have called me the morning of Nov 6, 2007 just 1 hour before I fired the computer up and logged onto marketwatch.com, and told me that just 90 days later I'd be driving a new car off the lot, I would have told you you're crazy! New car my butt! I'm so broke I can't pay attention! But driving a new, custom SMQ Bullitt Mustang??? Heck, I would have called the cops on you for your drug induced stupor. LOL

Yet there it is... #901 out of about 6500... out in the... well hang on - - - - - - - - OK I'm back. Had to touch it! Yup it's parked in my garage! Not dreamin'!

 

Great story! I totally identified with a lot of it!

 

Nice story Charlie