Nah. I'm just not a huge fan of the SN-95 body style, and the 2008 offers just as much as the 2001 did. If money is an issue, I might just buy a used 2008 sometime down the road.

 

Agreed!
Until the '05 Mustang came out, the last true Mustang (IMO) was 1973. It's probably a bit of an age thing, growing up in the 60's and 70's I relate to those cars better. I can see how guys growing up in the 80's and 90's might prefer the Fox body or the SN-95. If not for the s197 Mustang I'm almost 100% positive I would not own a Mustang.
So this new Bullitt is just one more reason to celebrate the Return of the Legend!

 

On this I could not agree with you more strongly. You're absolutely right, IMO.

I know many SN95 owners who prefer the look of their body styles, but to me, the Mustang ended in '73 and resumed in '05. And I think the new car's success reflects the love of the older, "timeless" body style.

 

Bah!! 1964.5-1973 vs. 1979-2004

Foxes afforded the masses an affordable, fast, easily modded platform that help fuel the comeback of the performance boom! 2005+ Mustangs owe a great deal to those '79-'93 Mustangs. They ('79-'04) are just as much the blood of Mustangs as '64.5-'73.

(Oh and for the II's . . . you guys kept the candle burning. Much love! )

 

Well, then I guess EVERY Mustang owes a debt of gratitude to the previous model year, otherwise it might have died a long time ago.

Still...

 

That's exactly my point. However, the Foxes carried the torch for an exceptional amount of time (be it good or bad.) To say that the Foxes aren't "true" Mustangs is . Now . . . whether or not one 'likes' the Foxes is a matter of choice and that I can respect.

 

Well, they may be "technically" Mustangs or "officially" Mustangs, indeed, but I'm inclined to think that in the great pantheon of Mustang history most covet the '64 to '73 cars (upon which the '05+ styling is based) more than the Fox bodies.

I know for myself that if a classic older Stang goes by - or even an '05+ - I always stop and look. When a Fox goes by, I don't even notice it (unless it's a Terminator), largely because the later Foxes seemed to emulate a sort of "hybridized" Japanese styling ethos.

 

]

Says the man with a 2007 Subaru Impreza

No, if I wanted a 2001 I'd have one. They do do nothing for me.
You buy your choice, I'll buy mine.

 

A Mustang is a Mustang.

I never really liked the big '71 to '73, and a lot of others didn't either, as sales tell.

I thought the '74 would be the end, but it wasn't, people bought them.
the only Mustangs that really got my interest in that 'interim' period were the '03 - '04 Cobra and Mach1, but not enough to buy one.
I really liked the '05. The '08 has come of age with improvements over the '05, to me at least, and the Bullitt has given me reason to buy one.
There is a Mustang for everyone.

 

And THAT is a healthy debate which I will gladly participate, though it would best be discussed over a pint or two and outside of this thread topic!

And I see no emulation of Foxes with Japanese styling, in spirit or otherwise . . . in fact, I think a stronger argument can be made just the opposite.

 

The slow sales for the '71 to '73 model were precipitated largely by the car's increasing size and move towards a "luxury car" focus - as opposed to being a tightly focused sport/muscle car - and anticipation over the fast impending fuel crisis.

I still like those, though. The Eleanor from the original Gone in Sixty Seconds looked great on camera (at least in the beginning )...and the the Mach 1 in Diamonds are Forever still looks sensational to this day in that chase sequence. I'm not sure, but I think that was one of the earliest applications of body-colored front bumpers, too.

 

Me either.

This is a can of worms I didn't mean to open, but I guess I'm just a selective Mustang fan. I'm not looking down my nose at anyone's preferences, but with a few exceptions, I really only like the '67-'70 and '05-'09? Mustangs, though the '65s-'66s are nice too. I know it seems weird for someone calling themselves a "Mustang fan" to dismiss 35 years of Mustangs, but that's just the way it is.

 

We all have our preferences. "Back in the day" I owned two '70 fastbacks and a '67 coupe. The '05 was the first Mustang in thirty years that I "had to have". My all time favorite is the '66 GT-350.

 

I bought a brand new 1979 5.0 Mustang, thought it was quite the hot car after the dog days of the Mustang II, kept it for two years and never looked at new Mustangs again till the current body style hit the streets, always had interest in the 65 to 70's though.

 

1996 Mustang. Now that was a true mustang. Side scoops and 3 verticle tail lights (first time since 1978)
Just stirring the pot.

 

1988 Mustang GT. Now that was a true Mustang. The side scoops on the rocker panels and 24 horizontal tail lights, on each side! (first time since I don't know when). Not trying to stir the pot.



<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

 

ok...I will admit that the 94/98 Mustangs were'nt that bad looking..just today i saw a redfire 99 Cobra, very clean car..nice

 

Yeah, the last generation Terminators looked great. My biggest beef with the SN95 was the quality of the interior.

 

Yes they were bigger and such, but in 1971 the 429 CJ/SCJ and the BOSS 351 were SWEEEEEET ... They fetch high prices nowadays too.

 

Something to think about here, saying the Fox, SN-95 and Mustang II's aren't true Mustangs...at least they were still being made. Ford could have done away with them entirely like GM did with the Camaro/Firebird. Even Nissan dropped the Z car for a while. The Mustang at least has stayed in production all these years and kept the interest alive. So at least there was a Mustang to be had every year for the past 43 years!