Java2011Mustang

Very persuasive argument. I agree. Folks want to buy a Mustang that looks like a Mustang. That look was defined in the early years, evolving up to the 1970 model, IMO. After that, the Mustang went all kinds of different directions for the most part.

The 2005 retro (as have the current Camaro and Charger retro designs) proves folks want good, modern interpretations of the original car. American buyers want it that way and, I believe, so does the rest of the world.

Again, great comment!

VALCAD

Thank you, sir.

r1rider98

IT'S UGLY.

sinisterbullitt

Batstang lol. Kinda looks like an Audi and well a batmobile mixed. Its not bad but I'd definitely be looking into some new tires straight from the dealership

bob

Have you seen Mustang sales lately?

Well everybody except Ford abandoned the market thinking everybody wanted Mitsu EVOs and Sube WRXs, IIRC Ford even thought there was a only a market of 80 or 90k cars a year when the S197 was on the drawing board. GM had after all killed its pony car in 2002 and well Chrysler in 1974. The Modern GTO also had other problems like a winter release on the east coast and greedy dealers slapping large ADMs on the new cars so its styling was't the sole issue.

You can make a modern car but as J Mays has said, it needs DNA, it needs to be unmistakably Mustang. While guys on a Mustang site might not agree with it, the Camaro struck the right balance between retro and modern as evidenced by its current sales leadership in the pony car segment.

I find this comment interesting, alot of people clamor for a smaller Mustang, but if you shrink the car up, something has got to give. if people want the Mustang to retain its current styling then your gonna have to pinch interior space and maybe even reduce back seat space to just a package shelf. Keep space for four people and your gonna have to place them in a more upright position raising the the roof on the green house and then your back into the 94-04 styling.

Enator

Is this Camaro or Mustang lol

VALCAD

Sorry to disagree Bob, but the GTO's main problem was that it looked like a Cavalier on roids. It has no "presence" on the road. To use a phrase you quoted from J Mays, it had no GTO DNA (nostalgia). And I think we can all agree that the 3 US car makers were phoning it in all through the 80s and 90s. So the decisions that were made that led to the kit-car styling of the 90s-early 2000s Mustang as well as GM's decision to end the Firebird and Camaro were all mistakes. People had little choice but to look at Subbys and Evos.

And greedy dealers is NOT why GTO sales sucked. When the S-197s hit the dealerships, the dealers were as scummy as ever. When I went to look, the only way they would let me test drive was after I signed the purchase agreement. And let's not forget the ADM on the GT500s. Re-donk-u-lous. Yet it did not hurt sales. Winter release? Really? So is that why the Chevy SSR tanked too? A winter release? Your arguement for the GTO fail is not a good one.

The resurgence of collector cars and muscle cars has helped fuel the nostalgia craze and finally enough guys are old enough and have enough money to buy the cars they lusted after when they were kids. Ford's timing and execution of the S-197 was brilliant. It got the young guys to love Mustangs too. If they had hoisted an updated Probe on the market because it is modern and Euro, guess what sales would have looked like. GTO? perhaps?

Camaro sales are great, but that is good for Mustang as well, because healthy competition is always welcome. Keep the rivalry alive and that will keep the pony car wars going for a long time. Dodge is still around because of trucks, Challengers and the gov'ment.

I'll tell ya why I think Mustang sales have been weak. It's that darn BOSS. When I tick all the boxes on the Mustang I want on the configurator, it is staring $43 grand dead in the mug. I may as well get the BOSS. But I want the glass roof, and the tech package, and the heated leather seats...AHHHAHHHH I'll wait a while and see which one I want in a few weeks. Or, maybe they will come out with the Mach 1 - BOSS engine with all the luxuries The longer I wait to buy, the better the Mustang gets. Am I wrong?

Not to mention the world is on fire and there are lots of people out of work, or worried about their jobs. So sales might be hurt a little by that. Plus the threat of higher gas prices and war in the middle east and yada yada yada. Or, it could be the winter release - when the new order banks open up for new model year cars. Could be.

FordBlueHeart

Don't forget that its been roughly ten years since you could buy a camaro and this time, there is no Pontiac version to siphon off sales.

snaggeltooth

why does it have to take a huge step ...... I think make the front nose and air dam a little less flat and more aero ... look at a 66-67 .. not much change but you can tell the difference ...

bob

The GTO certainly had alot to live up to, but its lack of GTOness was only part of the problem.

GTOs were still getting ADMs into thier last year of production.

GTO right, that actually seems to be a GM thing, I remember more than a few Camaro guys talking about the same thing when the F5 rolled out.

Yeah they were crazy, and they sold because people could make some sort of value connection for whatever reason (Shelby name, only 500hp+ pony car on the market, yadda, yadda, yadda)

You can blame the GTOs failure solely on its jelly bean styling, but it was a combination of factors that lead to poor sales. Now its lack of DNA is most likely chief among them, I will concede that, but sales would have been better if GM could have somehow held the line on pricing - the 2005 Mustang was a better deal with performance easily nipping on the heels or equaling the jelly goat with the LS1 and who generally buys a sporty car in the dead of winter when snow is on the ground... just say'n

Its also worth noting that the jelly goat had a limited lifespan like the Ford GT(40) due to crash regs which brings up another GTO quirk that potentially had some effect on sales. The gas tank was moved into the trunk and a firewall was placed in between sucking up valuable trunk space. this was was done to placate the then current mandates without having to heavily modify the chassis.