But none of them are more fun to drive!

 

and some of them cost 40k+! my point was that there are no performance cars for less than 30k anymore. and i have heard more than one compare the mustang gt to the g35 in regards to fit and finish.

also one needs to remember the new full size heavy duty trucks cost 50k today!

 

 

If you're referring to the F150, for example, remember that it includes stuff not even offered in the Mustang, like heated side mirrors.

So it's no wonder it costs so much more.

 

the ford superduty's, gm heavyduty's, and dodge 3/4+ ton trucks.

 

I discussed the topic of inflation on another topic. I don't think the $1k or more per year, is justified.
I may of underestimated the high cost of additional new options, on a $30k 2007 Mustang GT Premium, but Ford has downsized significantly, and Fords Suppliers are ones getting hit the most from rising materials. Ford is constantly going to their suppliers and asking(demanding) for price reductions.

Ford along with GM & Chrysler get want they want, or they threaten to take their business elsewhere - like China.
The Big 3 are selling an enormous amount of cars with less people and fewer factory's. That's less Health Insurance benefits, less Workers Comp, less Utilities etc,
Plus, they get a huge Tax break!

Although the market share for the Big 3 has been reduced over the years, they should be making a profit based on the factors I gave above.

 

Jeez....overeact why dotcha?? I would think NO MUSTANG GT would be the worst thing to happen to a Ford and Mustang loyalist(heh). There's a reason they're called "SPECIAL" editions you know,if everyone tom,**** or harry could afford one,what's the point??
I also don't see a shortage of GT500 or SGT owners on the web,soooooo somebody is buying them,people with real jobs CAN afford them and not everyone is paying 30K+ over sticker,i think this is just a case of sour grapes. You can still buy a 300HP GT for under 30K and that is a incredible bargain,so i don't see how Ford is hurting anyone with these LIMITED editions of a very affordable car.
Also,don't bring up VALUE when talking about these cars,nobody NEEDS a GT500,this is about WANT......WANT does not have VALUE,if you want VALUE,go buy a Kia or a V6 Mustang.

 

The Nissan Z starts at about $28,000.

 

My friend paid $10k over, on his GT500. All the GT500's I see in N.E. Ohio are going between $52k-$62k.
If you can find me a Dealer that will sell me a GT500 for $42k plus Z-Plan, I'll buy it!

The cheapest GT500 that was sold in my area, was sold to one of the richest guys in the area. He buys a ton of vehicles from the local Ford Dealer, and the Dealership sold the GT500 to him for $44k. He paid cash!

"People with real jobs CAN afford them" you said. Is that so? I know a lot people with real jobs that can't or refuse to overpay. Do you have a "Real" job?
"Also, don't bring up VALUE" you said. Why in the world not? Do you like to overpay for stuff? I don't!
Did you ever hear the saying "A FOOL AND HIS MONEY IS SOON PARTED"?

"sour grapes" you said. Need I remind you that in 2004 Ford offered a 390hp SVT Cobra for $35k. Now that was great performance and value. And I regret not buying one.

 

Yeah,and i refuse to believe that you could get a 390HP Cobra for anything near sticker price when they came out in '03,in fact,i seem to remember the same internet whining when the terminator came out,about how out of reach it is for the common man...blah,blah,blah
Good value???? Value? that last Cobra was hardly a value when compared to a 3-series,G35,RX8,350Z,year old C5,you name it.......35-40K for a 25 year old car with a horrible interior??? Good value,we all don't live a quarter mile from everywhere,it was hardly a good value. I love Mustangs,i miss my Mustang,but once you get over 30K dollars,you have to really LOVE mustangs because it starts suffering in comparsion with other 30K+ cars. It's about WANT,not VALUE. I WANT a GT500,is it a good value over a 335i,no it is not,that's not saying i would or wouldn't buy a 335i over the Shelby,but VALUE has no merit in this conversation about a 500HP car.
The people that want Shelbys are getting Shelbys for the most part..........it's sour grapes on your and others parts.

 

if you believe its justified or not has no relevence. inflation is an equation for money. this means that your dollar will have less value tommorow than it does today!

regardless of ford's cost to build a car the value of currancy will fluctuate up or down. this means that ford's cost to build each unit may go down and yet the msrp price of the vehicle can still go up!
also the opposite is true. inflation can rise and fords cost can go up and yet due to other circumstances(such as cheaper competition) the msrp price can go down.

my mistake. the 350z starts at 28.5k. there are few performance cars below $28,500. is that better? the mustang gt is still $2k less expensive!

 

i am glad you brought up that qoute. a wealthy financial consultant states that one should not purchase any new car before they have a net worth of 1 million dollars or more. why? because those who dont have that kind of money can not afford the depreciation(loss of money) that a new car brings.

35k for 390hp and yet 4 years later they are selling for 25k and less. throwing a 50 dollar bill out the window every week for 4 years will accomplish the exact same thing! talk about a foolish buy on your so called great performance value!

 

well the 03 cobras could be had with 3k rebates on them once the 04's came out. $32k was a pretty great buy.

 

Unfortunately, the 2005-2007 Mustang GT's will follow the same path as those built before them. Its just the natural evolution of the automobile Industry.

But, I suspect we will be seeing the current GT's value plummeting as soon as the new face-lift and rumored additional H.P. - 2009/2010 Mustang GT arrives.

 

If you loved your "25 year old car with a horrible interior" why did you get rid of it?

All I want is a new 350-400hp Mustang for $35k or less. If GM and lowly Chrysler can offer automobiles in that H.P. range, then so can Ford Motor Company.

 

Sounds simple and reasonable enough.

To help you understand why the message is going over the top of some heads I figured I'd provide the missing link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia

 

Which "wealthy financial consultant" would that be...exactly?

Whoever he is, he very clearly doesn't live in the real world. If he did, he'd understand that such a statement - were it implemented by the vast majority of the buying public (otherwise known as the middle class) - would lead to the collapse of our North American economy, because the vast majority of North Americans not only do NOT have a net worth of $1M, but most are mortgaged to the hilt.

Imagine if all of them suddenly stopped buying new cars.

This is precisely why we have a thing called "credit." It's also why our whole society is built up on credit. Not that that's a good thing for the individual, mind you...

 

that is the lie the creditors want you to believe. if people would stop buying things they can not afford, they would actually have cash to pay for things they want out right! now thats a novel idea. 1k a month for 20 years equalls 1 million dollars cash!
the only thing that would collapse would be the billions that banks are making off broke people. in fact henry ford built his business from cash customers. people did not use credit 100 years ago and yet the economy was fine. or booming as some people would say!

dave ramsey is his name. was making 250k a year off of credit while owning 4 million in real estate during the mid 80's. with one slight turn in the economy he went broke because of the money he borrowed. since that time a little over 20 years he has built life again including his million dollar company without borrowing a dime! yea mr ramsey and the people that work for him certainly see the awful economy that he has created free of credit!

 

Well, it's not quite that simple. First of all, people want things - perhaps even needs things - now...like a house, for example. It may be an appreciating asset, but you're still buying it on time.

Or let's say you have $50K. Sure, you could use it to buy a car outright. Or you could invest that money at 6%, get a loan for the car at 0%, and make payments on the vehicle while your invested money increases in value.

Banks lose lots of money on defaulted loans, too - though insurance usually covers that. Sure, they're in business to make money. What do you expect? If you go to the bank to secure a loan, is it their fault for lending you the money, or your fault for borrowing it?

Yeah, and that was during a pre-Depression, protectionist economy. The world has changed.

The point is that you're making blanket statements, and you have to take things on a case-by-case basis.

Few people have the equity to afford the luxury of buying things outright for cash. They have to build that equity, and sometimes you even have to borrow money to make money. Donald Trump didn't get to where he is today by waiting until he had the cash to start new ventures.

Now, on the other hand, too many people buy frivolous things on credit, in order to "keep up with the Joneses." That's bad, and you won't get any argument from me that credit under these circumstances is the bane of our capitalistic existence.

Unfortunately, it's also now one of its mainstays. It isn't just consumers who are mortgaged to the hilt - your U.S. economy has an $800B trade deficit right now, with most of that debt held by China. And that's the REAL 800 pound gorilla in the room that you're neglecting to mention.

 

Where does Mr. Ramsey suggest that the number of used cars need to supply the market come from if people stop buying new cars? Less demand for new cars = more demand for used cars and used car prices skyrocket. Then a good low mileage used car ends up costing just sightly less than a new car.

Supply and demand is a beast that demands to be fed, it's appetite always seems to consume the supply of money available.

Mr. Ramsey's scheme only works as long as the majority of people don't use it.