JonW

My dealer says he is getting his last SGT soon. The car has not been built yet, but he thinks it will be soon. How long does it take to go thru the process at SAI then get shipped to the dealer after the car has been built? When will the '09s start getting built? I'm wondering if I should wait for an '09.

Five Oh Brian

2009 Mustang production hasn't been given a date yet - at least no date has been communicated to us dealers yet. Ford issues a model year changeover report at the beginning of each calendar year for us dealers which shows when this year's production ends, next year's production starts, and dates to get final orders in for all Ford products. We'll likely get this report within the next 30 days.

If I had to guess on 2009 Mustang production, I'd say it'll start in mid summer this year (perhaps July or August versus June as it's been), due to the possible delays that will accompany the mild restyle of the 2009 Mustang.

As far as SGT's or GT500's, there has been no official word that either car will be produced as a 2009 yet, FYI.

JonW

Amy B put a post up on one of the Shelby forums that SGT production would continue "well into the next body style". What is changing for 2009? I thought 2010 was the restyle.

crazyhorse

One thing is the glass roof option. If there is anything else, I have not heard of it.

Five Oh Brian

More horsepower is in store for the base Mustang GT for 2009 (I've heard numbers ranging from 315hp to 350hp, depending on who you ask).

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is a minor refresh for 2009 models for front and rear ends of the current car, with major sheetmetal changes by 2012.

But, hey, what do I know? I work at a Ford dealership, so we're always the last to know what's happening at Ford!

JonW

And that's really unfortunate. And not just a Ford thing, either. It's true with all manufacturers. I have a friend who works at a Honda store. Honda has a website for journalists. But when he tried to get a password, he was denied. So they give info to the press, but not to the people who are on the front lines selling their products.

And the public blames the salesperson for being an idiot, but most of the time it's not the salesperson's fault. He can only quote what is officially released from the manufacturer.

1 COBRA

Perhaps adding phrases such as I don't know or I'll try to find out would be beneficial. The reputation of idiocy has been earned the old fashion way.

Five Oh Brian

There's plenty I don't know, hence the reason I scour Mustang forums to learn what Ford will not tell us in the frontlines in a timely fashion. I am not a salesman where I work (management), but I am the store's Mustang guru. This means every salesman grabs me when a customer starts asking Mustang questions. When I don't have a factual answer, I am happy to explain that I do not know the answer, but that I'll research it for them. I'd rather admit to not knowing something than to ever be caught making $#!+ up. I encourage my sales staff to follow the same mantra.

JonW

At my place of employment (and I'm over 100 employees), "I don't know, but I'll find out" is an acceptable answer. "I don't know" is not. And making something up is definintely not and will quickly incur my wrath.