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u mentioned to clean the convertible top with a good carwash solution... do you use any conditioner on your top? to protect it from the sun?
my top started to peel a little.. i dont know if i could bring it somewhere and get it fixed... =(
"California car" really doesn't make any sense if it's a RHD automobile.
we have taken your advice and will not convert the brakes to disc or convert it to RHD. the car was purchased new overseas and shipped into australia at the end of one of dad's tour's. i guess he saw the investment value in it as well. the plasic used to cover the car in transit was neatly folded up in the boot and still displays the shipping notes on it. he never could throw anything away! the original purchase docket was stapled to a mustang brochure we found in his box of special papers in his office.
it seems that dad must have opted for the pony interior.
i think the US$45K price offered reflects the fact that the car comes with it's original rubber and rims. dad put the original tyres and rims in the corner of the shed and used falcon rims and tyres for the 6500 miles it travelled. it also comes with it's original number plates (no longer available). the other attraction might be that it was owned by an aussie music legend.
the price of mustangs in australia is rediculous. to get a fastback in concours condition would be about US$35K and in some aussie states they are dificult to register for road use unless converted to RHD and that costs another US$5K.
once again thanks for the advice. hope to be in the states again next year for your MTV awards.
cheers Noddy. I like that name I might keep it!
I realize you have great sentimental attachment to the car and may not wish to sell, but if that $45K USD offer is real, you are never going to see it again until maybe the year 2050....so think it over! You may be walking away from $30,000 "extra" dollars.
Oh, I see. The car is LHD, so "california car" is probably the usual remark made about cars that came from California, where the climate is generallyl quite benign. It implies that the car isn't rusted. In terms of value, I don't think it means anything but it may re-assure a buyer who worries about cars coming from the US "rust belt".
Besides, it's just a Mustang coupe, it's not a rare car, and it's LHD in a RHD country. What's interesting about it is the low miles and originality, which is good, but not 5 or 6 times market price.
Shoot, you could buy a decent Shelby 350GT for $45K!
I'm telling ya', if he wants to sell he should grab that $45K so fast it would be a blur in the buyer's hands.
(posts deleted as necessary).
thank you
Shifty the Host
The only way for you to really know if it meets your requirements is to drive one.
But the new chassis is reportedly quite good, and light years ahead of the '78 Ford Fairmont chassis that's been used up until now. I'd expect the V6 Mustangs to feel more agile than the GTs though, due to the weight difference (that's how they feel now). Still a live rear axle, so that's not really going to help handling any...
Be a pretty neat trick if Ford were able to save money, provide performance durability *and* decent handling, all at the same time.
Today I took the new 2005 V6 Mustang Coupe for a test drive.... I loved it!
The handling was quite good(not quite as nimble as my RSX, but YEARS ahead of the prior model), and the steering offered up excellent feel and precision. The ride was also surprisngly compliant, and I was very surprised at the lack of wind noise/road noise... Overall, a refined package.
The engine sounded a bit coarse when pushed, but the torque and power was very good... Obviously, the GT is faster, but I feel that one could get the V6 and be very pleased with the power.
The interior was really nice as well, though I didn't particularly care for the plastic material used for the HVAC/Radio controls. The seats had very good lateral support, and I liked the driving position very much.
Overall, an excellent car at an excellent price.
An online inventory search found a car in the color combination I like best (Sonic Blue with Dark Charcoal leather) with all the options...except for the factory-installed alarm system...at another dealer where I previously purchased 2 Tauruses. I took a ride over this morning and found out the car hasn't yet arrived, but is expected any day. In fact, it'll be their first and only 2005 Mustang to come in this month. Sight unseen, I put down a deposit on it! The deal is pending my test drive of the car.
As a loyal customer, the best they could do for me on price is sticker price due to the current supply and demand situation. I asked if they would install an alarm system at no charge. The answer to that was NO, but said they'd take $100 off their regular price and install the alarm for $249.
I realize I'll be paying for the prestige of being one of the first guys in town driving a 2005 Mustang. Does that sound reasonable?
Ford: if you are trying to cut weight, why use particle board for the spare tire cover? Plastic would have been lighter and probably would not mar the rear tail light covers like the particle board is doing to our baby...it may also be cheaper.
I saw my first '05 this weekend...a red GT. Definitely looks even better in person & on the road than in pictures. Front end a homerun, but the profile doesn't really do it for me. Of course, I'm sure I'll grow to love it in time.
Did strike me though how BIG the car is...we're clearly seeing Mustang size-creep like back in the early 1970s.
And classic rock sounds extra good in just about any Mustang...though if you've got a Mustang II, disco is probably the better choice, esp. if yours is a Cobra II with the firesnake on the hood... ;-)
Having said that, I purchased a V6 premium with the upgraded 500 radio system. I like the fit and finish thus far. The local dealerships are marking up the GT by $3000 but not the V6s.
This might be a hit.
In short - if you really want it go for it. If you're not sure wait a year. Either way you're ok.
As for the stick vs. auto - if you don't do a lot of stop and go driving - stuck in traffic - the stick is a lot of fun. If you think you want an automatic, you might want to wait a year and see if they add a SST option which allows you to shift the automatic yourself like the Tbird and Lincoln LS. It's a nice feature but it's not a substitute for a real manual.
I'd say go for the stick...makes it easy to do all the fun pony car stuff like burnouts and chirping tires on upshifts. But if you'll be in a lot of traffic a lot of the time, I dunno...if the clutch is anything like the current one, it'll be a pain.
I for one will be anxiously awaiting it. Supposed to be very well done, and the McQueen/Bullitt ethos was part of the reason I bought my '02.
Also, in 2003 there was a short-run Mustang ad that featured Bill Ford talking about how he loves mustangs with clips from Bullitt playing in the background. Good stuff!
Dealer here in Leesburg VA has 3 on the lot, though they've never been one to deal, so I won't be buying from them.
They have a GT with a sticker of $29k. It had the $900+ auto tran option (I can't believe someone would want an auto in a GT!) and that 1000 watt stereo (no thanks, I'd rather hear the engine).
Thought $625 was high for a freight charge - geez it's only coming from 4 or 5 states away!
I've been a Chevy person my whole life, so you know Ford has a hit when it grabs the attention of the other side.
What's the latest on that valve problem on the V-8? Was that a real problem, or were they stalling to get rid of the 04's?
Ford was actually worried at some point that it was going to run out of '04s and not be able to meet demand before the '05 hit the lots. I don't think that happened, but hard to tell. I could see stocks of GTs running low, but every dealer around me seems to have V6 Mustangs available still...
University Ford had just received their first two Mustangs, a silver 6-cylinder (sold and gone already) and a red GT. Immediately, I was pleased that the front bumper is much less noticeable in real life than it has been in the photos. The next item that struck me is that the door fit was the most perfect fit of any car I've ever seen or owned (I've owned American, Japanese, and European): less than 2 mm around the entire circumference of the door. Other body panels were just as tight-fitting as the doors. The doors had a great, solid-feeling
slam--something I always test! Great window tint, too. The charcoal and red interior looked really good, and the seats enveloped me well. I have just accumulated $25000 to enhance the off-road capabilities of my '66 Ford Bronco, so I didn't dare ask for a test drive--leadeth me not into temptation, etc.--you know the drill...For those with the bucks, this car will be worth plenty thirty years from now if properly maintained, and it'll be a fun thirty years in the meantime! I look forward to seeing what Carroll Shelby and SVT do to this one--plus Steve Saleen, Kenny Brown, Jack Roush, Sean Hyland, etc. I've heard that moving the front wheels forward in the chassis makes even the 6.8 V-10 an easy fit, which would be a nice option with the right cylinder heads and sleeves. I think this Mustang has been done better than right! Thanks for the chance to speak in the forum!
How was the wheelwell gap between the tire and the fender? From what I've seen, it's "normal".
I ask this for as anyone with a current (SN95) Mustang knows, the SN95 has a quite odd-once-you-notice-it "off-road" look to it due to a pretty big gap (like 5-6 inches)...you need lowering springs just to make the car sit at a reasonable height for a musclecar. It's unknown why it was this way (some speculate it was related to assembly-line clearances), but it looks like the '05 had dealt with the problem...that would be very cool.
First, pictures do NOT do this car justice. From my impressions of the photos, I thought the car looked rather 'plain'. Boy, was I wrong. In person, the car has a great amount of prescence. Very clean design but with a lot of character.
Second, to my eye the car looked much more substantial (bigger) than the old model. I was not a bit surprised by the commment from the salesdude that the wheelbase had been stretched 6".
Third, I expected more interior room (particularly in the rear) given the hype regarding the stretched wheelbase. I'd never attempted to enter the rear-seats of the 94-04 cars, but if the '05 represents some sort of an improvement, then the old cars must have been essentially 2-seaters unless the rear passengers were double amputees. Maybe it was an illusion; I'll be going to a different dealership in a few days when they get a red car in so I'll actually try to sit in the back.
Fourth, I was not able to check out the trunk. Was told the only way to access the trunk was with a key or key fob? No interior trunk release? Huh? My '93 had a trunk release button in the glove box. Do the outgoing models have an interior trunk release?
Final impressions: I love the look of the car, and the view from the driver's seat. Ford got the look of the first generation right. In a car of this nature, everything else is secondary. This thing would look GREAT in the driveway next to my '66 GT fastback.
Unfortunately, as a father with 2 kids, I've GOT to able to (at least OCCASIONALLY) haul more than just me and the Mrs. I had really, really hoped for more rear-seat room. I've already got 1 toy; I can't afford a second. Where did all the room from the 6" wheelbase stretch go? Into the engine compartment?
As far as the current model, yep the backseats are pretty much uninhabitable. I think one small adult can fit back there if he/she sits sideways... :-(
And the outgoing model does indeed have a glove-compartment mounted trunk release (the classic yellow button). At least my '02 does. Ford has been slowly de-contenting the current model over the last few years. For instance, traction control was standard in my GT...now it's an option.
I checked out the glove box after the salesman said there was no inside trunk release: no yellow button. And no trunk release lever at the rear. I hope the salesman was wrong when he said the only way into the trunk was with a key (hey, just like in 1965!)
BTW - traction control IS standard on both the deluxe and premium GT. It is only optional on the V6 models.
I would hope there would be improvement in rear seat room... you're right, only a circus performer could comfortably travel in the back seat of my '04.