Ford Mustang (2005 and Newer)

mustangdreamer · July 2005

mschmal...wanted to thank you for the advice about locating a Mustang GT in FLA (message #1263). I jumped on the 'net and started researching dealers in the Orlando and Tampa areas. We found just the car we were looking for at a decent price, contacted the dealer, took care of the deposit and paperwork...the car is ours! I was actually amazed at the Mustang inventory some of those dealerships have down south, especially when they are so hard to find here in Michigan. Anyway, we are heading down there next week to pick up the car, which leads to my next question...

Since the car is brand new with only 48 miles on it and we are driving it back to Michigan, I'm worried about how to "break in" the engine on such a long trip. Will it be a problem? Any and all advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

detailz · July 2005

"Apparently", the dealership just found out about this yesterday and is looking into this matter. I guess what really gets me is why after FOUR months does this happen? Can't Ford figure out a schedule and atleast give out updates....let alone production spots that cannot be filled?

rowlandj · July 2005

Break in requires varying speed of the engine for the first 1,000 or so miles. If you are going to be on the highway for most of that I would suggest that you manually shift the transmission to achieve the differing RPM's. When in stop and go keep the gears lower, without exceeding the maximum recommended RPM"s, and take the car out of high gear once in a while to bring the RPM's up at higher speeds.

JR

graphicguy · July 2005

cheeze....glad to help.

I'm fully recovered. My nose is a little different since the brake, but most say anything was an improvement.

Frankly, I was surprised it took longer than expected to recover from the airbag burns and bruising. That took about a month. Given the choice of slamming into the dash, or worse, through the windshield, I'm not complaining as opposed to some burns and bruises from airbag deployment, I'll take the latter.

But, alls well that ends well.

Don't be a stranger. I haven't wandered over to the RX8 forums for a while. Hope everyone is behaving. Tell Pathstar I said "hello".

akirby · July 2005

Ford is building the cars as fast as possible. Ford gives the dealers production slots based on their allotments, and the dealers put priorities on their orders. So the dealer could have oversold their allotment or they put in new orders with higher priorities after yours or they changed your priority.

The dealers have more control and certainly more information than they lead you to believe. The dealers knew months ago that there were more 05 GT orders than they could fill.

I'd find a new dealer.

akirby · July 2005

"My nose is a little different since the brake...."

Your nose hit the brake pedal? Wow - that must have been some accident!

graphicguy · July 2005

LOL! Guess I should re-read before posting. Should've been "break".....as in a "broken nose".

That would have been horrific if the "brake" pedal caused a "broken" nose, however. :sick:

akirby · July 2005

Sorry - that's just one of my pet peeves. Could be worse - you could have said that your foot accidentally hit the "break peddle". Don't laught too hard - I've seen it!

lateralg · July 2005

While we're on pet peeves:

"RPM's" = Revolutions per minutes.
Same as saying "MPH's"

Revolutions per minute = RPM
Miles per hour = MPH

Right, Allen?

tayl0rd · July 2005

I was just curious to know does the Active Anti-theft system automatically arm and lock the doors if you leave the vehicle for a period of time?

Nope.

akirby · July 2005

Absolutely!

Now lets' not get into the HP vs. Torque thing, ok?

lateralg · July 2005

Fire when ready. I have some new ammo.

graphicguy · July 2005

Just went to the post office. Had a guy follow me after he saw me pull out of the post office. I parked. He parks right next to me. Of course, he wanted to talk about my car. Interestingly, he went two miles out of his way from his office just to get a look at the car, particularly the interior. I had to cut our converstation short since I didn't think I'd get him out of the driver's seat. He was fondling everything a bit more than my Mustang likes strangers to do. :P

detailz · July 2005

The dealer I have been dealing for four months on a new Mustang GT suggested that I re-submit my "order" for a Mustang 2006 GT as the Mustang 2005 GT will not be filled. I still don't get it! ....seems as if the local McDonalds can schedule hamburgers better than this fiasco.
One response from a reader here suggested that I find a new dealer which I may do..............I just don't know or understand! Anyone know what a priority 40 level means???

I have reordered the Mustang GT Coupe in Toungsten with the "Silver" stripe down the middle of the vehicle. Also ordered the 18" Wheels as well......

I hope someone has some answers out there .....any help or ideas???

eagle41 · July 2005

Gang
Stopped by a dealer last week just to check out the mustang. Salesmen told me one may be coming in next week. Received a call(today) and went down to look at the car. (Black GT Deluxe ,No extras$25815.)I tryed to haggle , but got nowhere. I was given an OK trade in value for my car. Book plus maybe $500..Problem is that my jeep is only 2 years old and only has 6800 miles on it.We couldn't complete the deal tonight, but I will be getting a call early tomorrow morning. Should I pull the trigger?

gtogm · July 2005

Not sure on how you say the 2005 Mustang interior is that great? Esp. compared to it's competitors. Didn't immperss me. The GTO's interior uses significantly higher grade materials than the Mustang's and is more upscale and has more comfortable seats which are more supportive and the rear seats are much roomier, while the new Mustang's interior is definitely lowerer grade. You get what you pay for. Even CR called Mustangs interior CHEAP.

It also has a plastic rimmed steering wheel and a plastic shift knob/selector which is terrible, ti's an awkard shape that is nasty to grip. These both looked and felt cheaper than the parts used in the econobox Focus, and were totally out of place on a Mustang. Many hard cheap plastic parts. You definitely need the interior upgrade with extra satin/faux metal rings, but still lags.

gtogm · July 2005

Wait till next yaer this time and you will get the Mustang under MSRP. Wait until 2007 and probalby good rebates ,discounts. If you don't need to be first, you will save $$> As retro wears off, so will the price. The 2005 bugs should be fixed by then as well. I got to laugh at all those people paying MSRP or higher now for a car that will lose 50 to 66% of it's value over the next 5yrs, LOL!

Claires · July 2005

Detailz, you might also want to check with the folks in the Ford Mustang: Prices Paid & Buying Experience discussion to see if they have any ideas.

jacknimble · July 2005

It seems to me that it would be MUCH easier to build and deliver a hamburger to a customer than an automobile. Besides that, I think it is an insult to the employees of McDonalds to compare them to most car dealers.

Sounds like a nice color combo. Good luck.

graphicguy · July 2005

detailz....as has been widely reported, Ford was expecting to sell about 150,000 '05 Mustangs (about 15,000 more than the '04s). Once it became clear that demand was much higher, they upped production to 190,000 '05s. That put a strain on not only the Flat Rock plant, but all the other plants that provide engines, transmissions, and even the suppliers. If they could, I'm certain Ford would have upped production even more. Fact is, they produced as many as they possibly could.

If you go to another dealer, I'd insist on a "priority 10", which is obviously better than priority 40. Fact is, you'd be hard pressed to find another car with the performance, style and build of the Mustang......even at MSRP. Which is one of the reasons it has proved to be a runaway "hit" for Ford.

That tungsten is a nice color. I bet the silver stripe will look great with it.

eagle.....MSRP is the market price for this car. It probably will be for quite some time as even the '06 orders are running very strong.....and they aren't even coming out of the factory yet.

gm.....SIGH!.....I don't quite understand why you insist on coming to this thread. Are/were you in the market for a Mustang and not able to get one?

Unless CR has changed dramatically, they've never been fond of any American iron.

As far as Mustang resale is concerned, I was offered MSRP for my Mustang GT from a Toyota Dealer recently. It's 4 months old with 4K on the odometer. '06 orders are continuing with the stong demand. I'd say resale will be just fine.

I'm glad you like your car. Truth is, the GTO was my 2nd choice if I couldn't have "scored" a Mustang. GTO didn't make the cut with me for numerous reasons, not the least of them being I didn't like it's interior as well as the Mustang's, but this isn't the place to discuss that. We've all beat the pros/cons to death already in the Mustang vs GTO thread already.

I haven't been to that thread in a while, but if you'd like, go on over there and browse through that discussion.

eagle41 · July 2005

Graphicguy
I may have lost the car. I was going back and forth over the phone with the salesman regarding the interest rate I was too get.Over 800 credit score and they were giving me 6% 5 year loan. I thought that was bull !! The GT came in with a power window problem so I couldn't take delivery even if our minds met

I also asked him how many miles were on the car and he said that the battery had been disconnected so he didn't know.The build date he did give me (jun 6).
I got a feeling that maybe someone else came and did the deal, since I haven't talked to the salesman since noon.The dealer would also lose out on this deal because of my trade (03 jeep sport 6800 miles ,mint)They would have made another 2-3 k on the deal. Will see what happens.

detailz · July 2005

Was being a little sarcastic with the comment about hamburgers.....will still hold out and am still counting at 15 weeks plus+.................

graphicguy · July 2005

eagle....probably right....another buyer came in a snatched it up. If your credit score is 800, you should be able to score a rate somewhere in the "4s". I'd just go to eloan.com or your local credit union and have your financing done before you walk into the dealership.

Power window problem? What is that?

It sounds like the dealership wasn't too keen on selling you the car to begin with. It would take all of 2 minutes to hook the battery back up (why did they disconnect it to begin with?) to get the mileage.

I'd find another dealer and order an '06. Dealers should have allotment of '06s. Just make sure to get a priority 10 and at least a copy of the order acknowledgement.

Good luck and keep us posted.

eagle41 · July 2005

The deal went down like this.About 10 days ago I stopped in just to take a look at the stang. A women sales person was outside and we had a chat.She said that they maybe were getting in a GT and took down my number.On friday I get a call from a guy whom said that the women had quit and upon going through her files found my name , etc.He said that a Black GT was in and was I intertested .I told him that I had this jeep(Bla,bla,bla)and wanted top dollar for it. "Bring it in, you have nothing to lose" I told him that I would think about it.I then decided to go down there.We hooked up, the jeep was appraised and he showed me the GT. It was in the back of the lot and the inside door panel was laying in the back seat.
He said that it had just come off the truck and upon ckecking it out they found a defective power window.We went to his "cube " to do the deal. I told him that I was a"edmunds" buff .He went through his stick. Brought another guy to try and close the deal.The whole nine yards!! I kept asking him " what is my rate going to be"."We have to check". "you'll get the best rate we have".
At this point it's beyond closing time and we both decide that he would call me first thing Sat morning. He then did call me and that's when the credit score was given to me and I told him that the 6% rate sucked.I then asked the questions about build date.mileage, and when I could take delivery.He then said to call back in 10 minutes and he would have the answers. I called him back and he said that he had some good news and some bad news. The good news was the car was built on June 6 and the bad news was that he couldn't give the mileage(maybe5) or when the car would be ready.( part on backorder) He immediately said that he was with a customer and he would call me back.(never heard back)The funny thing was that I was just ready to give him the go ahead.I mean right in the next sentence
In Fl dealers are open on Sunday.Should I call? Wait? Call and if indeed the car is gone give them a big piece of my mind?
Thanks !! Steve

eagle41 · July 2005

I forgot to ask you what is a priority 10?
Thanks!!

graphicguy · July 2005

Priority 10 is the highest most dealers give to get your car built in a reasonable time (8-10 weeks).

For example, a dealer can give a car up to a 90 priority (which means you are at the back of a very long line to get your car built.....if it ever gets built).

If you want the Black GT that your dealer already has, I'd be making a ""B-line" over to their store and pull the trigger. You can get an eloan rate via the internet (they in turn can overnight a draft check to your door to give to the dealer) right now. Ask the dealer to match the eloan rate if they want to finance for you.

Don't know if your dealer is open on Sunday or not. I'd call them up and find out.

akirby · July 2005

Why, why, why do people let the dealer do the financing? You can almost always do just as good if not better on your own and then you don't have to worry about negotiating that part of the deal. Or at least have one for comparison and tell them if they can beat it fine, if not don't bother.

eagle41 · July 2005

Just called the dealership. Car is still there but my salesman is not. Went through what had happened with an office manager. He couldn't figure out why the guy didn't call me. There going to have someone give me a call today.
He also said that they have more coming in .
Thanks for you help !!

I looked at the main eloan page and the rate posted was 5.35% .30cents a thousand less. About $6.5 a month diff.

roberta4 · July 2005

My order was placed Feb 22, 2005.....To date still no car! Should I ever expect to see it? Silver GT premium, black convertible, red interior???? Any suggestions from anyone! by the way...vehicle order conformation has me at a 10. :confuse:

akirby · July 2005

Expect it around October as a 2006 model, unless you already have a VIN.

roberta4 · July 2005

Gee thanks!!!! Just what i wanted to hear!

curthandluke · July 2005

Can anyone find how to open the trunk without the remote on the 05 mustang???

graphicguy · July 2005

eagle....I would just go to the dealership as opposed to waiting for them to call you back. That way, you can get all the answers from whoever is on duty at the time....be it your original salesperson or not (since you're not getting anywhere with your current salesperson).

Now that you've got your eloan rate, you can see if the F&I person at the dealership can beat it. But, I agree with akirby. Always have your financing pre-arranged before going into the dealership. At worst, you'll save yourself some hassle and get a good rate. At best, the dealership (sometimes) can actually beat the rate.

roberta....unfortunately, I'm afraid you're going to have to look into an '06. While the priority 10 is good, you also have to find out if the dealer had any allotment left. I'd say they didn't have much in the way of allotment to begin with. Or worse, your car came in a long time ago, and the dealer sold it to someone else.

For example, I ordered on 2/6. Made sure the dealership had allotment and got a good priority number. I took delivery on 3/25.

eagle41 · July 2005

Went back over to dealerhip yesterday(Sun) afternoon. I was there about an hour and all the salesman were with customers. I was there to put down a deposit on the car. Was told that they would do it with this car.(my old salesman would not accept a deposit ) It seems that the car will not be ready till Aug 6th.I went and took a good look at it and driver door works are laying in the back seat. The car was unlocked so I opened it up and a light did come on the dash. Remember not being able to get the odometer reading?(The excuse from old salesman)
I hung out like an hour then just left. I"m starting to wonder if maybe some other force is trying to tell me to stay away from the vehicle.

As aside note they have a yellow GT Prem (1000 shaker,airbag option,one other opt.) for $29+ I'm in Fl .Don't know if I would deal with these people though.

mschmal · July 2005

I just don't understand the American consumer. They all say the hate to negotiate over the price of the car yet now that you can't negotiate on the price of a new ford GM or Chrysler, everyone wants to haggle over their trade in value and their finance rate.

First there are a couple of nuiances to what a dealer can and can't tell you about "the rate". It is against the law for a dealer to quote you an interest rate unless you are doing in house finacncing. What a dealer can do is to submit your application for approval.

Dealers like to quote payments. What most dealers do is quote a payment based on a higher rate than you will qualify for than add as much as $50 to the payment. This extra money is call "leg" or "packing the payment." Then they play stupid if you ask them what the rate is. If a dealership quotes you an exact payment and an exact rate and the payment is "packed" that is FRAUD.

Even after Dealers get an approval they like to put some reserve into what you actually pay. For instance, most banks allow a dealer to add up to 3 percentage points to the finance rate you were actually approved at. The dealer and the bank then split this money which is pure profit.

How do you avoid getting taken advantage of? First, shop around for financing before you go to the dealership, especially if you have a credit union. You can do this on the phone and online. Or, tell the dealer you want to take the finance rate instead of the rebates. On a low finance rate the dealer gets nothing. This forces the dealer to at least try to match the low finance payment without rebates through regular finance with rebates and get some smaller reserve out of the deal. However, if you are putting down a large down payment or its a big rebate, this could actually give you a higher payment.

Finally, always be ready to get up and leave. You have a good argument that the contract isn't final untl you "take delivery" that is, drive off lot in the new car. Never let the dealer intimidate. Never ever go into the finance office totally alone. Take your spouse or your friend. Make sure you coach your friend to "advocate" for you. Have them say things like "Man that rate is high" or "you can get a cheaper warranty online"

ALWAYS read the buyers order in the finance office before you sign. If the dealer quoted you a packed payment and you aggreed, they are going to use that "pack" to incorporate "after sale" items into the deal. They may even tell you they are giving you this free. Make all the number match, not just the payment.

If you are in the market for a new car, and you are here on Edmunds researching, you should take the next step and apply for an auto loan online. Then walk into the dealership with the approval. They will bend over backwards to at least match your online approval.

Simply telling a dealership that "your rate sucks" is much weaker argument than "I can get ?? rate from y credit union or online"

Mark

graphicguy · July 2005

Well....the question is, do you like the yellow color? Are you hell bent on getting an '05? Do you like this dealership?

If your answer is yes to all of the questions, then pick what you want. If you answered no to any of them, go to another dealer and order an '06.

Something doesn't sound right. If you offered to put a deposit down, and the dealership wouldn't take it, something else is at play here. Don't know what it could be, but it just smells funny. If they did accept your deposit for the Black GT, then I would make it part of the deal that all the necceesary work had to be completed before you take delivery. I'm having a hard time getting my arms around the fact that they seem so "blaise" about making a deal on the black unit. Plus, I don't like the fact that they've got it partially taken apart to just get a power window switch. Those switches are used in a whole lot of Ford cars/trucks. Why does it take 3 weeks to get one?

eagle41 · July 2005

Graphic
Thanks again !! I put the yellow thing out there just in case someone on this board wants a"Yellow GT" It not my cup of tee.

With this Black GT it could be the old "if it smell like BLANK it probably is Blank."

About the deposit. I went over there to initially do that yesterday. When no salesman would come up to me inside the dealership(granted they were with customers) I hung around like I said about an hour, then left.
I'm sure by now the salesman I was dealing with has been talked too and given some Blank for not getting back to me on Sat.
Will see what goes down from here.
steve

graphicguy · July 2005

Steve:

Good luck! Let us know if we can help.

eagle41 · July 2005

Mark Thanks for the post !!
It seems as if you have to be covering your *** on the whole buying process. It's a shame that this is the kind of world we live in.

Again , Thanks!!

akirby · July 2005

Don't ever wait for a salesperson - just ask for the sales manager. They're usually not with customers and can talk to you either in person or on the phone. Especially if you know what you want and just need a price or have a question.

And just skip the dealer financing. Factory financing is ok, but letting the dealer find you the best rate is not a good idea. At best they'll make a dozen credit inquiries which can cause you problems later (personal experience - I was turned down for a credit card just because I had too many inquiries caused by a salesman trying to find financing for me). At worst you'll pay a higher rate and/or have hidden costs or end up haggling over it.

Same with your trade-in. Don't even mention trade-in until you have an acceptable price on the new vehicle. Otherwise they'll play games with the trade-in price.

frnkrzzo · July 2005

they were offering you 2-3 thousand below trade in book?. if you ment they would sell it for 2-3 above what they were paying you, youre not looking at it the right way. they can buy vehicles just like yours for book at auction. getting yours for the same amount makes them nothing. i dunno brother, if you were offered 6% at five years from fmcc and book for your trade and you still gave the guy a hard time, i think you deserved what you got. all that edmunds knowlege went a long way didnt it?

graphicguy · July 2005

Actually, 50% depreciation over 5 years is good. That means our Mustangs will be worth about $14-$15K.

It looks like demand for the '06s will remain as strong as it is for the '05s....another good thing regarding resale of the GTs.

My guess is, things will remain strong on the GT until if/when a Bullitt version is released sometime in the '07 MY.

frnkrzzo · July 2005

if you have to ask the question, i guess the v6 would be for you. i'll be looking at your pony package front fascia in my rear view mirrror. but hey, you wont have to wait 6 months for your v6.

frnkrzzo · July 2005

sounds to me like you may need to buy one over the phone from out of state. there are advantages to doing this. i know for a fact you can order a new '06 model at this point however you want it and pay exactly msrp when it arrives. the amount of time it will take will vary from dealer to dealer, depending on their allocation and how many they already have on order. realisticly, the wait should be from 5-7 months. the dealer that told you 2 years was lieing because you cant make any orders for the next year until the summer before. find an honest dealer that has decent allocation and wont rake you over the coals price-wise. order your car. go on with life. in a few months, you'll be ready for some red light drag racing.

eagle41 · July 2005

The trade that they were offering me was Kelly Blue for car in excellent condition.
Not bad, but what hurts was that car only has 6800 miles and I got it May of 03.
I was wrong in that because the mileage is so low that I thought I would get alittle more. Was told (by salesman) that if car had 20k miles on it would make no difference .So my BAD !!
Twice at this dealership ,once by each of my 2 salesman when asked about rates(And they both new that I only was interested in the GT) they mentioned 0,1.9.2.9%. That's why the 6% (fmcc) pissed me off.
As far as my "edmounds knowledge" Go look at post 4109 on the honda pilot board under prices paid. Read on !
I guess sometimes you eat the bear , and sometimes it eats you!!

graphicguy · July 2005

Steve....as you've found out, there is no finance support on the Mustang. Plain and simple, the salespeople did not know their product since 1.9%-2.9% financing have never been offered on the Mustang. But, now that you've got financing set-up through eloan, you can just stick to getting a car.

You have a Liberty, right? Those have never been known to hold value well. KBB trade-in would be the best you could probably hope for.

So. you do have some info you can work with at any other dealer. First, you already know your interest rate. 2nd, you've got an offer on the table for trade-in.

If you can wait awhile, if you join the American Quarter Horse Association, you are entitled to $500 off any Ford product (not sure if that applies to Mustangs, though), but you have to be a member for at least 30-days. Cost is something like $35-$40 to join.

That would put you right at $28K for one that's all loaded up. Drop a few options and you can get in the $26K MSRP range and still have a hellaciously fast, well equipped and comfortable Mustang GT.

So, now that you have some info, try a couple of different dealers and see what kind of deal you can strike....either on that black GT you were originally interested in....or, on an order for an '06.

eagle41 · July 2005

Graphic
My car is a Jeep sport. My wife got it for me 2 Fathers days ago. I must of told her that at some point in my life I wanted to own one.
Thanks
steve

You should also check post 4109 on the Honda pilot site (prices paid). Read on through some of the ensuing posts. To this day no one has gotten the car for what we did!!
I always seem to have some sort of excitement going on !!

akirby · July 2005

The American Quarter Horse Association $500 discount is not valid with A/Z or X plan purchases. I know - I joined just for the discount only to find out I couldn't use it with my X plan pin back in April. I don't think this new "family" plan is excluded but the dealer should know.

FYI - from what I can see it looks like I paid $300-$600 less for my son's Focus back in April on X plan ($2000 rebate plus free automatic tranny - $815 for a total of $2815 off the X plan price) than I would be paying right now on the "family" plan.

tb1019 · July 2005

Hi, folks. I've been lurking here for a while just reading and envying anyone and everyone who is driving a Mustang. I'm currently driving a '97 Pontiac Grand Prix GT sedan. For a car its age, I have low mileage on it (63k) but it has a growing list of nagging problems that will cost me some good money to fix. I have 10 more months of payments left, which is ~$2000 remaining on the balance of the loan. However, I have completely fallen in love with the Mustang. So much that even my co-workers have a hard time not noticing (the GT desktop gives it away, I think). To make matters worse, one of my co-workers just bought her 16 year old daughter a silver V6 one and took me for a ride in it at lunch today. Needless to say, I was giddy.

Here's where I need some guidance and recommendations. I have two options: trade my Pontiac in and get the KBB (~$2000), still upside down in my loan balance, with no money for a down payment; or should I stick out these next 10 months, pay it off and take a year to save for a down payment on what might be then a 2007 or 2008 Mustang? I'm sure the answer is pretty clear, and my mind tells me that the latter option is the smarter one. Maybe I just need some kind of validation of that by people who should know better.

graphicguy · July 2005

tb....if you're looking for some sort of financial validation, we aren't going to be able to give you much on the side of the ledger that gets you into a Mustang.

TMV trade-in on your '97 GP GT is around $3,000. But, that's if everything works correctly and if you can get a dealer to wander towards that figure. As you state, you need to do some repairs.

You can fix it and shine it up inside and out to see if you can get TMV retail of $5,000, but again, as you've probably noticed, Pontiacs aren't exactly in demand, new or used.

You might want to wander over to the Real World Trade-in Values thread over at Smart Shoppers and see what rroyce (Terry) says it's worth, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

So,. now you're faced with how badly you want that Mustang.

Clearly, as you've pointed out, the way to go is to pay off your current car and save up for a nice down payment for a Mustang in a future model year.

You didn't buy your GP new, so you might even look into buying a used Mustang GT in a couple of years, too. But, if current demand is any indication, they will still be strong money, even used.

Good luck.

Ford Mustang (2005 and Newer)

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles