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Now I'm going to fix the Civic up a little and "deal with it" for the next 12-18 months at which time, if all goes well, we'll replace it with a shiny new GT convertible. I'm not sure I'll be able to wait that long though.
The Mustang has always been my favorite cars but things like marriage, a new house, and a wife who thinks I'll kill myself in one has prevented me from buying one thus far. Well, she finally agreed that it's time and we decided to wait until initial demand dies down to buy one. So it'll be a late '05 or early '06 for me.
Question:
The Pittsburgh auto show (obviously not a big one) is held around Valentine's day every year. Last year they had a pre-production F-150 XL on display for folks to see. Anyone know if '05 Mustangs will be on tour after the NAIAS? I know we can't sit in them yet, but it would be nice to see one in person. Even a V6 copy would make me happy.
Thanks,
- Ray
Who really needs to see this car 'in the metal' . . .
The Camaro/Firebird would return, and how cool would it be to see a Chrysler Barracuda again? Esp. since you know the up-level version would have the Hemi...
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I know its an ego blow, but it makes you wonder whether or not licensing the Nissan 3.5L VQ series wouldn't have been a smarter play. It's been in the Pathfinder since 2001, and makes between 240 and 292 in various guises.
Ford would never do something stupid like jbhogen's suggestion. I prefer my Ford products have actual Ford gas engines in them, thanks. The new Ford 3.5 sounds like it will be just as good as the Nissan anyway, so why bother? Leave ideas like that to GM who dropped Honda's 3.5L V6 and tranny into their Saturn Vue SUV.
"The new Ford 3.5 sounds like it will be just as good as the Nissan anyway, so why bother?" Exactly my point, because you could have brought the "advanced" capabilities of the Duratec 35 to market and to your customers 5 years earlier.
"Leave ideas like that to GM who dropped Honda's 3.5L V6 and tranny into their Saturn Vue SUV." I wonder how much trouble they'll have from that drivetrain....
I drive the Mazdafied version of the Duratec 30, it's a great engine. But I look around the class and see more advanced versions in the Honda (240 hp from 3L), Nissans (Altima 240 hp, Maxima 265), Toyota (230 hp), and Mitsubishi (250 hp), all of which get equivalent or better gas mileage, and it makes me wonder.
Incidentally, thanks for whomping Oklahoma--
You need to remember that your Mazda 3.0 is SMALLER than the engines you mentioned. As they say, "No replacement for displacement" That is why Ford developed the new 3.5. If you want an import V6 then go buy an import.
And take it easy on the Probe! Most people who dis 'em have never driven one. My '93 GT is easily the equal in styling and power of any of the imports and most of the pony cars who get the stupid notion they want to play at the stoplight. I've embarassed many wannabes in the last 10 years I've owned the car. True, no sane person would dream of it replacing the Mustang and whoever shipped it with Shelby stripes towards the last few years of its run should be shot. This car carries the Ford emblem proudly and acquits itself of that responsibility well. It will be a very sad day indeed when I trade it in for my Mustang.
Maybe never.
Initially this engine will go into the Five Hundred, Freestyle, and Montego. Perhaps the LS, if it's still around..
There has been no confirmation from Ford that they intend to put this motor in the Mustang. They clearly view the V6 Mustang as a car for people who are not all that interested in performance, so there's little reason for them to move off the 4.0 V6, so long as it's being produced for other high-volume vehicles such as the Explorer. A 2005 V6 Mustang with a manual transmission ought to do 0-60 in the low 7s anyway, so it's already "fast enough" for its intended market.
Also, the Duratec 35 will be considerably more expensive than the "Cologne" 4.0 V6, which is an issue, since the V6 Mustang is positioned in a very price-sensitive slot in the new car marketplace.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Expectations change with time, but 400 HP is a luxury. Want it? Pay for it with insurance, gas, and purchase cost.
It's a balancing act between generating excitement at the Detroit show and waiting for a later show closer to production that won't have nearly the publicity. If they waited then people would be badmouthing them for not having anything new to show. I think they did exactly the right thing. Patience is a virtue.
I think there are going to be a lot of outrageous deals going around to get all the outgoing model mustangs off dealers lots.
What spec was that?
Sure, they know the new one's coming out...but from a "casual fan" pov, getting a current one now will be 1) cheap, 2) reliable, or at least a known quantity and 3) readily available.
And as I've said before, the current design isn't ugly or anything; I happen to think it's quite an attractive car...
Sure the current ones won't sell like hotcakes, but Ford won't be melting them all down for scrap either...
I bet the current Cobra and Mach 1s sell just fine without discounts. They are unique and rare enough I bet people will still snap one of them up without worrying about waiting till the new ones come out.
I know some people that are buying the current Mustang GT to tide them over for two years. Ford has had some quality issues introducing new models, so they figure they will wait two years and by then a lot of the bugs will be worked out. In the meantime they will have a current GT on a 2 year lease to enjoy and play with. Not really a bad idea if you think about it.
I was commenting earlier about how the "spy" photos of the new stang looked very similar to my 99 GT with some kind of body kit. In real life they don't look very similar at all.
Also I commented earlier about how the first thing I would do is paint the light "buckets" to match the body color. No-can-do. There are no "buckets" as in the concept. Instead the lamp is a self contained unit with a plexiglass lens cover. Too bad, cause inside it has "gills" next to the light just like a '65 but sice it's black you can barely make it out. Maybe the aftermarket will come up with color keyed replacement units sans the plexiglass cover.
Oh yeah, the spokesmouth at the show said pricing on the new Stang would be about $700 more than the current model. He also claims the Fall release date is not set in stone. Says Ford is "playing it safe" with a late target date that could get moved up considerably if circumstances permit.
Thanks,
- Ray
Remembering very cool Recaros in "special edition" (maybe pace car) Mustangs in the late 70s . . .
That's good to hear. MT estimated a base of $26,000 for the GT coupe which is about $2000 more than a base GT coupe (Deluxe trim) right now.
I can stomach $700 a little better than $2000. Especially since I'm going to want a convertible. That version would have been pushing $33,000 if MT was right! At that price point you might as well go the extra $5k and get the SVT when it's available.
These are the people who will buy mustangs. Once the new ones are out they'll have to offer incentives to get rid of them. Until then I think sales will be flat or only down a little. It won't be the disaster that some of you are predicting.
How can GM whip up a whole car in 6 months, when they have no plans at all for a new Camaro!!!!
Most American people are into cars on a superficial level. Look at how packed Auto Shows get and when one gets a new car it's "ooo and ahhh".
Also, what amazes me is some will know all about old cars and tinkering with them. But they have no idea of how the Auto industry works and what is going on. But they will be hugly upset if they actually think the the 2005 is a reproduction of the 68!
And if you think about it, that's kinda been the Mustang's point all these years...affordable performance and sporty style for the masses. Most Mustang buyers in 1964 weren't guys who had been souping up 1950s sedans or making hotrods out of 1940s coupes...
And Tomcat, great point...go on stangnet and see many, many people who have immense technical knowledge, but cannot understand why on earth Ford doesn't offer 400 hp in the Mustang GT... : )
This particular car had a red on black interior. If I am not mistaken, it is the very car pictured in the current Hot Rod Magazine issue. The one with the Burgandy 05 on the cover.
Anyone who can read a newspaper, or even glance at one in a vending machine knows that Ford has a new Mustang. It was on the front page of most of the dailies out here in Southern California,
and shown on the news all day. And anyone who is in the market for a new car will certainly seek opinions of friends and family before purchasing. The moment they let on that they're considering a new Mustang someone is bound to mention there's a re-design out soon. Really, when was the last time anyone here bought a new car without mentioning it to anyone who would listen?
Basicly there are four types of buyers. Econobox buyers who are not likely to purchase a Mustang, Luxo buyers, again not likely, Truck/SUV buyers who probably wouldn't buy any car at any price, and sporty/performance buyers. The first group could not care less about anything but price and cost of ownership, and that's what they research, Luxo barge buyers only care about creature comforts and how many they can get for thier dollar. Truck people will shop for performance but they are'nt looking at cars.
The last group wants a fun vehicle and that means style and performance. These people will look at everything on the market, and consider everthing on the market, even fast trucks, fast luxo-cars, and Pocket Rockets. They'll look to the horizon to make sure the immediate future does not hold something better, funner, or cooler. Realisticly speaking I think it's fair to say that anyone in the market for a vehicle that does not offer a whole lot of utility, such as a Mustang GT, will know whether or not there's a new Mustang just over the horizon. (They'll probably know evry looming performance car in the pipeline)
There ARE people like that, you know.
Seriously, I'd rather wait and have Ford work out the inevitable kinks and thoroughly test a production version of the new Mustang before it gets into the hands of the public. The LAST thing Ford needs is a public relations fiasco if the new Mustang starts to fall apart at the first touch.
Give Ford time to make sure everything fits and works together. Give them time to sort out the suspension calibrations. Give them time to trace down any rattles or squeaks that may pop up. Give them time to properly train their employees on the production line to build the car right.
I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend time driving a new car rather than taking it back to the dealership to fix annoying problems that shouldn't have happened in the first place.
Patience, people, patience.
FYI, the 40th anniversary would be in April, 2004 ----April 17th I think? I know, because as a 14 year old kid I wanted one then too!
Knowing what I know now, I still would have my doubts about a year one car...Flint Rock or Dearborn! I was bitten in '79 by the Mustang/Capri and again in '84 by a Toyota!
I love the way the new ones look, but I'm gonna stick with my 2000 convert for a bit.