Too bad all this talk about a "great" Bullitt edition is hypothetical, eh?

Meanwhile, I keep getting complimented on my "lowly" GT.

Ahhhhh, the burdens we must bear.

 

SHOWOFF!!!

 

 

Here's why Ford should build a Mustang SE with 400hp - 400hp is the new 300hp. Not only because the traditional Pony car competition on the horizon will debut with 350+/400hp V8 engines, but the next wave of import performance-oriented vehicles (Z, G37, WRX/STi, Lancer Evolution)will get at least 300hp or more - and they won't be V8's.

 

they have been that way for a while. and they all cost more than the 300hp mustang gt. the 5.7 hemi that is making 340/350 has the same performance as a mustang gt due to the increased weight of the vehicle. and still the mustang gt cost less(msrp prices) than those cars from d/c.

no i dont plan on purchasing a bullitt, or a mustang gt, or a shelby any time soon. i had a 03 mach 1 but sold it to buy my first house. next purchase/s will be more land/real estate and a new or slightly used truck. after that, i will save up and buy the toy when i have the cash to do so!


if you dont care about the waranty, the best bang for buck of all these cars is the mustang gt with the kb. 450rwhp for under 35k!

 

It may be a 340hp hemi in those cars but a 300hp GT will blow the doors off of them. So Ford already is winning this horsepower war. So at this point in time there is no need to stuff 400hp into a stang.

I think a lot of you are not looking at the bigger picture. The hp wars "were" heating up. But I think the next few years is going to see the end of it. Soaring gas prices, higher emission standards, increased prices for high hp vehicles, etc. is going to take it's toll on high hp cars.
Sure there will be GT500's, etc. but these are limited run speciality cars.
Which is completely different than a high production run 400hp.

You want 400hp- go stick a blower or SC in your GT.

 

You guys would argue with yourselves if there was no one else to argue with.
You're the one slamming down on Ford for not making a 400hp stang or not putting 400hp into the Bullitt. Thus you are the one who is making the GT seem to be "lowly".

WHO ever said the GT was lowly?
I've got an 05 GT and it is a blast to drive!
I still get stares and compliments on the street and in parking lots.
My car is Redfire with red leather interior- it really stands out!
In all honesty I don't think a DHG Bullitt would be as eye catching as my Redfire GT.
Most people don't even know the car has 300hp- they just love the look of it.
Those of us on these boards are actually out of touch with the needs, wants and desires of the average person. The average person HAS no clue what kind of HP is in their car or anyone else's car.
They buy a car based on it's looks, on it's price and on fuel economy.
HP ratings aren't even on their list of what they are looking for.

 

Here's another aspect that many of you overlook- Do you really think Ford is all that worried or concerned about the Challenger?
It's Dodge (DC) that is worried about that car!!
The car is already so expensive that they cannot make a v6 model to compete with the v6 mustang. They just can't sell it that cheaply. So they aren't going to make a v6 Challenger. That's a huge loss for Dodge (DC) and a huge win for Ford (without having to do a single thing).

ONLY 33,000 Challengers are going to be built. Good luck finding one, and if you do good luck paying MSRP!
Ford sold 160,000 mustangs in 05- so again there will be no comparison sales wise.
There will be many hungry customers turned away at the Dodge dealerships. People that have held off buying for over a year. They won't be able to wait until 09. So they will go down the street to Ford and see a car lot filled with GT500's, GT500KR's, Shelby GT's, Bullitt's, GT/CS's, GT's and V6's. A wide range of HP needs, and a wide range of sticker prices.
All shiney and new!
So think about it....do you think Ford is worried or eagerly looking forward to 08?

 

The Challenger project is a lot different then the Mustang & Camaro. The Challenger never sold a lot of V6's. A V6 wasn't even offered in its last two years of production.
Chrysler is playing it smart & safe. The Challenger is being produced at the same facility as the 300, Charger, Magnum, and using the same platform and whatever Hemi they decide to put in it. Rumors say SRT8 425HP.

Yes, Ford is worried about both the Camaro and the Challenger. That is why we are seeing a facelift, new dash/interior on the 2009/2010 Mustang. Plus, a bunch of new engines - 5.8L, 6.2L etc. in 2011 or 2012. Rumors say the 2012 Mustang will be the next re-design. Ford has never done a complete re-design of the Mustang that early.

As I said before, the window of opportunity to produce high H.P. V8 engines in automobiles is closing. It would be nice to see Ford boost the Mustang GT up to 325-350 HP, Produce a couple SE's(Mach1, Boss) before Uncle Sam limits them to just 4 Bangers & V6's.

 

It's called 3-dimensional thinking. Ya see, we can love Mustangs, and critique them, all at the same time. And notice I placed lowly in quotation marks above, thus signifying the obvious irony of criticizing it despite our love for it.

All quite true.

 

I absolutely agree. Rising worries over peak oil and environmental concerns - along with EPA mandates and rising gas prices - will all soon conspire to bring an end to this muscle car renaissance.

I suspect the next generation of Mustang in 2010 will be the last one to offer 375+ HP. Challenger and Camaro will likely only see a single production run, too - unless alternative modes of power are exploited.

 

the challenger will probably get the new 6.4 hemi n/a 500hp engine for thier top car. hell the srt8 jeep will be getting this engine and the amg 7 speed auto for 09 as well. but my point is that this 09 challenger with the 6.4 in it will be more than 45k msrp before adms! they will have lesser engines but none that can compete with the mustang in terms of cost. i did not even mention the 4000+ lbs of weight those cars are carrying.

we should all know that the improved horsepower mustang gt is coming. but i strongly suspect like always the mustang will have less horsepower, less weight, and cost less than the competitors for model years 2010 and beyond.

yea right, good luck to ford on that? ford will not be able to develope a brand new chasis for the mustang by 2012 and only 2 years after the reskin. my quess would be the 2010 will have the new body and irs suspension. and 2015 before we get a brand new mustang!

 

The Camaro & Challengers will be nice cars, and they will sell well for a year or two, but they more or less missed the boat.

You gotta wonder if Ford is going to scrap the idea of dropping a new 5.8L in the next Mustang. They could continue to milk the 4.6L & 5.4L and continue to put all their R&D into V6's like they have been doing lately.

 

If the Challenger comes with 425hp or more, I too expect it to be $40k or above. That is right on par with the other SRT8's(SRT8 Charger msrp $38,695) But, if they offer a 340hp Challenger, I expect it to be under $35k. As I said before several pages ago. Chrysler has already proven they can produce and sell cars in that price & hp range.

As for the future of the Mustang, I am just repeating the strong 2012 rumor that is all over this forum and many others. Yes, 2015 sounds more realistic.

 

ford will not survive if they scrap the boss motors. the f150 is already underpowered, and has been since the new 04 have come out. toyota, gm, dodge, and nissan full size trucks all have bigger engines with more power! the boss motors will be in the '09 f150's, and should be in the '10 mustangs.

 

I thought they were using the Twin Turbo v-6 on the f150?

 

FWIW, Chevy Camaros had more horsepower than mustangs from 1988-2002, yet they never outsold them.
So I not too concerned that the mustang sales are going to get hurt based on this fact alone. It will be more because there are alternatives from other manufactures available. Just like in 1967 when the camaro was 1st introduced.

 

No question about it. The Redfire GT with the red leather interior absolutely fulfills all your needs.
Having a BULLITT and not being noticed... imagine that!

 

Got the wife a Murano, $500 over invoice with 0.8% interest.

Have not decided what to do to replace my 01 Mustang GT, it's a garage queen with only 31K on it. Will look again in July - Aug depending on what the year end incentives are.

 

Hey. I resemble that remark!