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Ford Mustang (2005 and Newer)

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Comments

  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    GT coupe with Deluxe pkg starts at $24,185. Mach1 starts at $29,760.

    $25,000 would be a bargain because the '05 GT will offer similar if not better performance than the current Mach1.

    Better check those sources again. Word around other Mustang forums and in the mags is that the next gen will be about $700 more for all trims. That means the GT will base at a little under $25,000. The V6 coupe will definitely be priced under $20k to start.

    Someone mentioned that they might be considering a V6 body style with a V8 engine like the old LX 5.0. I could see that possibly starting slightly under $20k if it's true.
  • lackofdavelackofdave Member Posts: 37
    well one source was from this site. the other from a different but reliable web publication. And both said the honchos of Ford said that figure as part of their speech in detroit. and both admitted jaws dropped. Granted like I said that would be a stripped GT. I'm sure leather alone will be $1000 option. Spoiler etc, who knows how they'll add it all up.
  • lackofdavelackofdave Member Posts: 37
    oh and V6 they said starting at $16K.
  • snakerbillsnakerbill Member Posts: 272
    A few thoughts: Do the Aussies build good cars? Why is this thing so heavy? It seems to be too big. How long will GM import them? If GM makes a new GTO in this country, will the imports become orphans? It costs too much. Limited production only jacks the price up for consumers. The Corvette is probably a better buy, they can be had for just a little more than the price of the GTO. One can get discounts on the Corvette, and they only weigh 3300 pounds, and are much smaller in overall length. I would rather have the Corvette than the GTO by a country mile, and for the money, I would rather have the Mustang GT.
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    snakerbill,
    My sentiments exactly. Unless you need the back bench of course. Can't get that in a Vette.

    I do need it right now so I think I'll stick with the Mustang. ;)

    lackofdave,
    "oh and V6 they said starting at $16K."

    Now that I haven't heard or read yet. If that's true Ford is dropping the price of a base V6 by about $2000. I find it pretty hard to believe that they can do that, but on the other hand I really hope they do!
  • lackofdavelackofdave Member Posts: 37
    well if you figure the avg discount/rebate on any ford these days is $2-$4K or 0% financing if they offer no discount the sticker price might sound better, but in realty you're paying the same. I've read recently they're trying to scale back the rebates a bit and I'm sure the Mustang will be one they won't need to offer one on.
    Plus it's at the forefront of this whole "year of the car" mr. ford is promoting. if their most popular car doesn't post huge sales #s it might hit them in the pocket. who knows.
  • john_324john_324 Member Posts: 974
    The Aussies build VERY good cars. Domestic Ford and GM could learn a thing or two from their Aussie subsidiaries. The fit and finish alone is miles above what we see here, and powerful rwd car models are numerous down under, not the rarities they are here.

    But I do wonder if this first GTO will be sorta like a slightly more successful new Thunderbird...a niche, pretty high-priced (in its segment) car that sells to a certain small crowd, but not enough to make it profitable?
  • lackofdavelackofdave Member Posts: 37
    well I think the GTO is something Pontiac buyers will like. So those without a new Trans Am have a muscle car thats still from pontiac.

    a lot of it is brand loyalty.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    The only thing Pontiac about the GTO is the nose and the name.

    I heard the same comment about offering a 300 hp car for under $20K. Great move IMO.

    Offer IRS as an option on the GT and add the higher HP models and I bet they can't make them fast enough.
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,370
    GTO's have never been small. It was introduced on the LeMans chassis the year the GM B-Body cars graduated from Compacts to Intermediates, 1964.

    None has ever been compact.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • snakerbillsnakerbill Member Posts: 272
    The first GTO I ever drove was built on the Tempest platform, that was a "compact" at the time. I see no reason for a four place coupe to exceed l90 inches in length, and weight a max of 3500 pounds, even that is too much IMHO. Smaller, lighter cars are more fun to drive, but I am not talking Honda Civic front wheel drive type cars. The Mustang is right on the cusp of being acceptable in size and performance for the money, and, the 05 Mustang should be about the best thing available for the gear head driver. If the quality is there it will be l964 all over again.
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,370
    Perhaps you're unfamiliar with the poor finish and quality of most 1964 offerings, Mustangs included. While they wouldn't leave a trail of trim and loose parts they were distinctly downscale compared to the larger offerings by Detroit. The same would be true of Goats to a lesser degree.

    Trust me, it'll be better than '64.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • lackofdavelackofdave Member Posts: 37
    Don't know if anyone's mentioned it or not but it seems like Ford has ruined an otherwise pleasant interior with those bulky stereo speaker covers on the front doors of the 05. What is with that? Hopefully a savvy aftermarket company will come up with a smooth, round brushed aluminum replacement. They're seriously ugly and look to come out almost an inch fromt he door itself!
  • odmanodman Member Posts: 309
    The 1974 GTO, the final year of the old run, was a sorry excuse of a car based on the compact Pontiac Ventura, a twin of the Chevrolet Nova.
  • mariner7mariner7 Member Posts: 509
    Here's an article on the new Tang's chief engineer, a Vietnamese born guy:

    http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosinsider/0401/16/a01-35456.htm
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    from what I read, those are actually subswoofers. I think the regular speakers are hidden more in the door and I (going off memory here, not sure) that tweeters are mounted on the dash or higher up on the door frame.
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    "Two Audiophile systems are available in the Mustang, one with 500 watts of peak power and another with 1000 watts. On cars equipped with either system, each door has its own subwoofer in a ported enclosure. This allows the door-mounted woofers to produce more "thump" than if they were housed in the bare door. The 1000-watt version adds a mounted, ported enclosure in the trunk that includes two more subwoofers.

    Both systems include an in-dash six-CD changer that has the capability to play discs with MP3 computer files. This allows customers to play as many as 200 compressed music files from one disc, making the Mustang’s six-disc changer capable of becoming its own jukebox with more than 1,200 songs, or 60 hours of music.

    In the trunk, the subwoofer enclosure for the 1000-watt system takes up significantly less space than in the last Mustang. Computer-aided engineering enabled developers to keep its interior volume the same (to produce the same bass) while taking up less usable space in the trunk."
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    "I thought Ford said that the Mustang would be the only RWD car under 20k, meaning the V6 version."

    I heard the same thing but we can still hope that the V8 will be offered in a sub-$20k trim can't we?
  • lackofdavelackofdave Member Posts: 37
    Ahhh they're subwoofers ok. Still. Quite ugly.
  • jae5jae5 Member Posts: 1,206
    Does anyone know why Ford isn't offering a six-speed with the GT? Will one be offered and if so, will it be just for hi-po Mustangs like the Mach 1 or Cobra? Also, will the auto versions have five detents (OD-D-3-2-1), or will they again do the OD-D-1 setup like on the 4-spd autos?

    Can't really tell from the picture of the interior showing the auto shift lever. But the manual shifter looks to be a short-throw-style but has a HUGE chrome ball on it. The ten-spoke Shelby-style wheels with the spinners look decent.
  • john_324john_324 Member Posts: 974
    I think I like the wheels with the spinners...more of a Corvette thing maybe, but it looks good to me. Besides, since the Mustang's dual-cockpit design was inspired by the 'Vette, there's a reasonable precedent...
  • jae5jae5 Member Posts: 1,206
    John_324,

    I kind of like them also. It kind of looks like the caps from the Magnum 500 with the spinners attach to them. I think it gives the ten-spoke Shelbys an added touch. May be tough to keep clean, but can't a small price to pay for a decent wheel.
  • scarletstangscarletstang Member Posts: 24
    The new GTO looks nearly like the Grand Prix and Grand Am's -- a little too much if you ask me. I don't see how anyone that admired the old tigers could ever buy a goat that is Australian. What a joke. Give me an old tri-power and I'll run ya. hee hee
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,370
    if that old Tri-power doesn't perform as well as the LS1 equipped Goat. A lot of the numbers published for those old Goats were based on tricked up examples, like the legendary '64 with a 421 that Car and Driver passed of as a "massaged" 389 Tripe.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • john_324john_324 Member Posts: 974
    Australian muscle cars are no joke.

    Actually, the Aussies have stayed true to the muscle car ethos more than we have. We're just seeing a resurgance of them here, but down under they never went away. Holden has a bunch of high performance, rwd cars...would that Pontiac could say that.

    And yes, they had them back in the 1960s and 1970s as well. Those cars in Mad Max are all Australian models...
  • snakerbillsnakerbill Member Posts: 272
    My reference to 1964 was to do with the number of cars sold, and not the reliability or assembly quality. The quality of all new cars has improved from that era and I would not want to repeat the problems of that time.
  • crispiegeecrispiegee Member Posts: 90
    I just got back from the Detroit Auto Show, and I can tell you that photos do not do the GTO justice. It is absolutely stunning in person.

    If it was just a new GM offering with no name on it, you wouldn't hear any cries of, "This isn't a REAL GTO!" The quality and finish are spot on, and the seats coddle you. And if you wonder why it's so heavy, the doors sound like the closing of a bank vault. I think GM has a world class high performance coupe, regardless of what you name it.

    Scarlett says, "Who would by a GTO that is Australian?" How jingoistic can you be?

    The excellent looking Ford Five-Hundred seems to take its design cues from the Australian Ford Falcon (although the Falcon comes with up to a 5.4 liter s/c V8). The lesson here? The Aussies are building cars the way we SHOULD be here: Great looking, lots of power and MANUAL transmissions.

    P.S. The '05 Mustang GT, by the way, is AMAZING to see in person. It made the '04 Mach 1 that was sitting next to it look like a shipping crate.
  • jae5jae5 Member Posts: 1,206
    crispiegee,

    GM enthusiasts, and Ford as well, have been asking for the Aussie cars for years, especially the Holden units. Most wanted the Monaro to be the F-body replacement, particularly the Camaro. Also we wanted the Commodore to be the Impala SS before Chevy brought it out at SEMA in 93, the ute to be an El Camino and most recently, though they aren't going to do it, the Monaro with a 427 c.i. LS1. Also agree on the point that if the vehicle was called something else, you wouldn't hear half as many complaints. Plus it could be that many are tired of GM nameplate engineering cars, taking great names and just sticking them on anything to try to increase sales such as changing the 2dr Lumina to Monte Carlo, 4dr Lumina to Impala, the late 90s Malibu/Cutlass, the zigging Catera/Opel.

    But I do think Lutz is being given way too much credit for this move. Though he does deserve some credit for tapping their Holden resources, it's not like he made this miraculous discovery no one knew about.

    Anyway, back on topic. What about the Mustang's interior? Big improve in the ergonomics or what? More concrete pricing info?
  • crispiegeecrispiegee Member Posts: 90
    I didn't see a Mustang that I could sit in, but the convention center was so bloody crowded, that it fatigued me.

    The silver & white Mustang GT had its driver's door wide open, and by appearances, the interior looks very livable. Snug, but very nice. Like the Pontiac, the 'Stang is just SO much nicer in person. I just gawked at it and said, "They're really going to build this thing." I can't wait to sit in one or take a test drive.

    And yes, I'm still torn between the GTO and the Mustang... I will make my decision in about 9 months.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    I saw the GTO last year (don't think it's changed much) and personally I think the exterior looks like a Pontiac Sunfire. Bland and boring. I haven't heard anyone else call it 'stunning'. Well made - probably. Great powertrain. But a looker it's not.

    And the Ford 500 wasn't inspired by the Ford Falcon. The designer came from Audi and that car has Audi written all over it. And that's not a bad thing, especially with the interior.
  • crispiegeecrispiegee Member Posts: 90
    Yes, the Five-Hundred has "Audi" written all over it. I didn't realize it was an ex-Audi guy who penned it. It's a leap ahead for Ford, in terms of design, even if it's not original.

    I believe that if the GTO was a BMW or an Audi, people would say it's a great looking coupe. Instead, people have strong opinions because it's made by Pontiac and it uses a "legendary" name.

    I'm a lot more unbiased than many pro-Ford or pro-Pontiac people, though.

    The Mustang DID make the greatest visual impression on me, though it's hard for me to shake the bad impressions I have from the Fox platform. I know the new one will be much better, but the question for me remains, "Is it good enough?"
  • snakerbillsnakerbill Member Posts: 272
    I just cannot believe that Ford had the good taste to remove all of those fake scoops and even make the idiot rear wing a delete option. They even got the standard 17 inch wheels right, with the 55 series tires, makeing this car a hiway car that will be comfortable for long distance travel.The interior with the color coordinated seats and silver trim looks like a car that costs a lot more than the mid twenties price that has been suggested. Hooray for Ford. I cant hardly wait for mine.
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    Did J. Mays design the Five-Hundred too?

    He did work at Audi/VW and was responsible for the new Beetle, and Audi TT among others.

    So far he's done the T-Bird, '05 Mustang, and I can't remember the rest, for Ford.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Yep.
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    Thanks Allen. I know he "penned" the Futura too but I wasn't sure about the F-H.

    FWIW he also had a large hand in designing the Shelby Cobra concept.

    I for one think Ford's new line of cars is quite attractive (Save a couple like the Freestyle and Freestar) and can attribute them to my sudden change in new car plans. It'll be an '05 or '06 Mustang GT convertible for me. But the really great thing about all this is that if something drastic happens to our finances while I wait, I can either opt for the ample Mustang V6 or switch to one of the upcoming sedans and still have a great car!

    I like where this is all going and I can't wait until they all hit the showrooms so I can pick and choose (if need be)! :)
  • carjimcarjim Member Posts: 155
    Looks like assembly starts on September 7 according to another site. If the date holds (and we know how many false starts Ford has had on other launches) when would they arrive at the stores?
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    I believe the word from Ford at the car show was sometime in early October.
  • kroliphkroliph Member Posts: 75
    I am still surprised at how good the 2005 mustang looks. Yes, I know, the GT does not have IRS. But 300 HP for around $22,000 is pretty good in my book. I'm excited about the 2005 GT and am willing the say that Ford has finally got my attention.
  • hut234hut234 Member Posts: 1
    I stopped by the dealer here in South Carolina this morning and was told to expect the new Mustangs in June. Maybe he was just being hopeful but it sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

    We plan on trading in the wife's 02 Accord for a Mustang, and have never bought a car/truck that has been completely rebuilt from the ground up like this. What's everyones thoughts on new cars and new "bugs". Is it best to wait a year or 2?
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Your dealer has no clue. They never do. It won't even be built until September.

    First year models are not nearly as much of a risk as they used to be. There will probably be a few minor problems that may be annoying but you have to weigh that against not driving the car for a year. I bought a 2000 Lincoln LS 6 months after they came out. I had minor problems but I expected that going in and the joy of driving and ownership far outweighed the problems.

    The other thing in your favor is how much publicity the new Mustang will be getting. Ford will go out of it's way to avoid or quickly fix any initial problems. More so than any other car I imagine.
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    "Ford will go out of it's way to avoid or quickly fix any initial problems. More so than any other car I imagine."

    I think the F-150 takes precedence but then again, it's not a car.

    They will definitely be going out of their way to ensure a smooth launch though. There's no doubt about that.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    I agree it's more important but by the time the Mustang comes out this fall the F150 will be out almost a year so they should be able to focus (no pun intended) on the mustang.
  • fdthirdfdthird Member Posts: 352
    I still have my doubts. Been stung twice and would be very reticent to go for a first year car again.
  • chuckb111chuckb111 Member Posts: 1
    Last info I got from Ford was that the 2005 will be in showrooms in mid-DECEMBER!!! Not before. We'll see, definately worth the wait!!
  • snakerbillsnakerbill Member Posts: 272
    Remember that the 05 Mustang will be built in the Mazda plant in Flat Rock, and should not have as many problems as first year cars built in Dearborn, and take a look at the quality of the Mazda cars being built in the Flat Rock facility; I would not be afraid of the new Stang's initial production quality, and would certainly not want to wait another year or two, to get my GT.
  • ksuwildcat001ksuwildcat001 Member Posts: 97
    The Flat Rock plant also produced the Mercury Cougar that had several issues the first year to year and a half. The later Cougars were excellent, but the first ones were as bad as the first year of the Focus.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Speaking from experience (2000 Lincoln LS) most of the first year problems are either engineering defects or supplier part problems and are not directly related to the factory or assembly process.
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    Has anyone been to a smaller auto show where they had an '05 Mustang on display? Pittsburgh's is coming up in a couple of weeks and I'm dying to know if Ford is sending them around to the smaller markets too.
  • crispiegeecrispiegee Member Posts: 90
    "Remember that the 05 Mustang will be built in the Mazda plant in Flat Rock, and should not have as many problems as first year cars built in Dearborn..."

    Well THAT'S a huge leap of faith.

    (I hope the initial quality is there, of course. I'm just pointing out that, once again, Snaker makes pronouncements with no supporting evidence...)
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    The Mazda6 is built at Flat Rock as well and it has been exhibiting minor first year flaws. Mostly just typical little annoyances, reported by Edmunds members, but there was an issue with the paint around the door sashes at one point late last year.

    Mazda claimed to have used a "soapy" substance to apply the weather stripping on the Mazda6 doors. According to them the "soap" had a bad reaction with the paint and "stains" (which looks a lot like rust when you see the pictures) began to appear.

    Only a 3-4 month batch of '03's were claimed to be affected and the problem has since been resolved. Mazda did issue a TSB to get rid of the stains.

    You may or may not have heard of the Mazda6 "staining" issue. But if something like that happens to the Mustang you can bet it'll be front page news. Ford really can't afford for that to happen and I'm willing to bet they'll be extra careful with this one. You might see some little problems early on and maybe even a recall or two in the first year. But don't expect anything catastrophic.
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