- Jul 3, 2003
- 74,542
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I was picking up my car but they were washing it when I arrived so I strolled up to the new car lot to look at the new Altima, nice car BTW, too bad it has a CVT instead of an automatic. I'll have to drive one of the manual tranny versions one of these days.
Anyway, I noticed two new Mustang GTs parked nearby so I asked if either of them were sticks and one of them was (a dark grey 2006 GT with black leather interior, 5 spoke polished 18" wheels about 3k on the odometer) so I go over and get in the drivers seat and the sales guy says go ahead and start it up. So naturally, being a car nut, I did. Sounded nice and throaty so I asked him if I could take it for a drive. I gave him my license and phone number, he made a quick copy of it and gave it back to me and we were off.
A couple things I noticed right away was how big the car feels inside. You sit kind of low in it and outward vision isn't the best. It's not bad but it isn't great either.
Fun car but the drivetrain feels like there is a bit of slack in it. Kind of clunky if you don't shift smoothly. Pedal placement is good and the brakes feel pretty good too for a car this size. I know what this thing weighs, hell, my 2k3 Maxima is lighter, but in all fairness it didn't feel as heavy as it is in driving it.
The engine has loads of torque and is quite a bit of fun to drive. Clutch take up is light but you can easily feel when it starts to engage. Shifts are fairly short and precise, which is a real plus and something I hated about the old Mustangs (first upgrade any SN95 owner should do is drop in a short throw shifter).
The engine pulls strong in the first 4 gears (never got into 5th) and the car really leaps forward when you get up past 4k in the revs. If you want to really get on it you'd better be well above 3k in the revs or it will bog the engine...I quickly remembered this from having owned two of them in the past but I had forgotten it. Still, the engine feels kind of raw and has a bit of vibration that I'm not used to in the Japanese cars I've been driving for the past 6 years...god, has it been that long since I've driven a Mustang GT? I guess it has.
The car also handles well. I've read quite a bit about this car and how Ford developed it to drive hard around a track yet still be comfortable and capable of driving home after a day at the track without wearing out the tires and brakes. I think this car could be pushed hard quite a bit and still be very maintenance friendly. It felt perfectly happy at full song or just cruising along at 3k in 2nd or 3rd gear in traffic.
Of course, it couldn't be all praise right? On to the things I didn't like...the interior, it seemed cheap to me, the dash vents were particularly cheesy and the hard plastic of the dash and door panels, while better than most GM vehicles I've driven, felt cheap compared to Japanese and German cars. The seats are comfortable but lack lateral support. I think Ford's idea was to go retro, obviously, but a car that performs as this one does needs some decent sport seats.
Oh, this car had the Shaker stereo system but I never bothered to even turn it on...who could with that wonderful exhaust note reverberating around the cabin!
The exterior is a really nice execution of retro design though, I think Ford really hit the nail on the head with this car. It's a design that marries the best of the old with the best of the new. Driving this car made me miss my old Mustangs yet reminded me of some of the things I didn't care for at the same time. Still, the new Mustangs are great cars...the best yet and they look awesome IMO.
Note to Ford: Improve the interior and put in some better seats and you'll have a winner...oh wait, you already have a winner. Think of this as an enthusiast's heartfelt request then.
BTW-This particular dealership was asking $30k for this car. I think you could get a new one for less than that...which is pretty much what I told the saleman after my test drive.
Anyway, I noticed two new Mustang GTs parked nearby so I asked if either of them were sticks and one of them was (a dark grey 2006 GT with black leather interior, 5 spoke polished 18" wheels about 3k on the odometer) so I go over and get in the drivers seat and the sales guy says go ahead and start it up. So naturally, being a car nut, I did. Sounded nice and throaty so I asked him if I could take it for a drive. I gave him my license and phone number, he made a quick copy of it and gave it back to me and we were off.
A couple things I noticed right away was how big the car feels inside. You sit kind of low in it and outward vision isn't the best. It's not bad but it isn't great either.
Fun car but the drivetrain feels like there is a bit of slack in it. Kind of clunky if you don't shift smoothly. Pedal placement is good and the brakes feel pretty good too for a car this size. I know what this thing weighs, hell, my 2k3 Maxima is lighter, but in all fairness it didn't feel as heavy as it is in driving it.
The engine has loads of torque and is quite a bit of fun to drive. Clutch take up is light but you can easily feel when it starts to engage. Shifts are fairly short and precise, which is a real plus and something I hated about the old Mustangs (first upgrade any SN95 owner should do is drop in a short throw shifter).
The engine pulls strong in the first 4 gears (never got into 5th) and the car really leaps forward when you get up past 4k in the revs. If you want to really get on it you'd better be well above 3k in the revs or it will bog the engine...I quickly remembered this from having owned two of them in the past but I had forgotten it. Still, the engine feels kind of raw and has a bit of vibration that I'm not used to in the Japanese cars I've been driving for the past 6 years...god, has it been that long since I've driven a Mustang GT? I guess it has.
The car also handles well. I've read quite a bit about this car and how Ford developed it to drive hard around a track yet still be comfortable and capable of driving home after a day at the track without wearing out the tires and brakes. I think this car could be pushed hard quite a bit and still be very maintenance friendly. It felt perfectly happy at full song or just cruising along at 3k in 2nd or 3rd gear in traffic.
Of course, it couldn't be all praise right? On to the things I didn't like...the interior, it seemed cheap to me, the dash vents were particularly cheesy and the hard plastic of the dash and door panels, while better than most GM vehicles I've driven, felt cheap compared to Japanese and German cars. The seats are comfortable but lack lateral support. I think Ford's idea was to go retro, obviously, but a car that performs as this one does needs some decent sport seats.
Oh, this car had the Shaker stereo system but I never bothered to even turn it on...who could with that wonderful exhaust note reverberating around the cabin!
The exterior is a really nice execution of retro design though, I think Ford really hit the nail on the head with this car. It's a design that marries the best of the old with the best of the new. Driving this car made me miss my old Mustangs yet reminded me of some of the things I didn't care for at the same time. Still, the new Mustangs are great cars...the best yet and they look awesome IMO.
Note to Ford: Improve the interior and put in some better seats and you'll have a winner...oh wait, you already have a winner. Think of this as an enthusiast's heartfelt request then.
BTW-This particular dealership was asking $30k for this car. I think you could get a new one for less than that...which is pretty much what I told the saleman after my test drive.