Car and Driver Review- 05 Stang vs. 05 GTO

[new22003]

Well said, what's with all these trolls lately anyways?

Not enough GTO's were sold for them to talk to their own kind so they have to come here.

 

[TomServo92]

Not enough GTO's were sold for them to talk to their own kind so they have to come here.

I find it very interesting that all these people with "superior" cars feel the need to come to a Mustang forum and talk about them. Why do you suppose that is?

 

[TomServo92]

Just because that particular dealership was a schmuck and ordered to many cars has nothing to do with the overall production for the entire year. Of course I didn't know any one dealer that could order that many at one time. I know my local dealer has one for test drives and orders as needed the exact car the buyer wants. I drove by my local Ford dealer today and saw 10 six cylinder 05 Stangs lined up by the street and a car carrier unloading more. I soon will be overrun by "all show-no go" stangs. I would rather see more GTs in my area. They are more fun to play with

I just did an inventory search for GTOs (out of curiousity) and found 25 within a 100 mile radius of where I live. You can't blame it on winter because I live on the Texas gulf coast. I'd say the GTO is "all show-no go" since they SHOW up on dealer lots and don't ever seem to GO.

Just yanking your chain Doc. You're one of the cool GTO owners we have around here.

 

[Jon Do]

"Talk about putting a spin on things. So now we call lack of sales "exclusivity" and mundane styling "stealth"?"

Do you think everyone wants to drive a car that sells 150K a year? In 5 years, everyone on the block will have the new Mustang. Some people want to be seen as individuals and have cars that nobody else drives.

When I'm considering the RX-8, vs. Mustang, vs. GTO, I like the "niche" factor of the other two cars. The RX-8 has a rotary engine. The GTO is the only Australian-made car sold in this country. Both cars sell fairly low volume--the RX-8 has projected sales of 1/5th the Mustang's every year, and the GTO sells half that.

On the other hand, take the Mustang... In 5 years, the Mustang will be filling up high-school parking lots... That is what the cheap price, huge performance and flashy styling get you. The GTO on the other hand "blends in" on the outside, but impresses on the inside with its luxury. The RX-8 is just so unique it stands out too. The Mustang is the Mustang.. Everybody knows about it, everybody has one, and that is why you guys like it. I ain't trying to say that you guys are wrong, but not everybody wants that... That's what pisses me off about this place... It's like people can't understand why anybody would want anything other than a Mustang.... I know this is a Mustang enthusiast forum, but if you bring up the GTO or Subaru Legacy on the RX-8 forum, those cars will get props. People here on the other hand don't just bitch about other cars--they bitch about the superiority of different versions of the Mustang... You Mustang-lovers sure are war-like people.

And you guys gotta understand that not everyone wants to be seen in a sports car. Some people would rather "blend in".

 

[TomServo92]

"Talk about putting a spin on things. So now we call lack of sales "exclusivity" and mundane styling "stealth"?"

Do you think everyone wants to drive a car that sells 150K a year? In 5 years, everyone on the block will have the new Mustang. Some people want to be seen as individuals and have cars that nobody else drives.

When I'm considering the RX-8, vs. Mustang, vs. GTO, I like the "niche" factor of the other two cars. The RX-8 has a rotary engine. The GTO is the only Australian-made car sold in this country. Both cars sell fairly low volume--the RX-8 has projected sales of 1/5th the Mustang's every year, and the GTO sells half that.

On the other hand, take the Mustang... In 5 years, the Mustang will be filling up high-school parking lots... That is what the cheap price, huge performance and flashy styling get you. The GTO on the other hand "blends in" on the outside, but impresses on the inside with its luxury. The RX-8 is just so unique it stands out too. The Mustang is the Mustang.. Everybody knows about it, everybody has one, and that is why you guys like it. I ain't trying to say that you guys are wrong, but not everybody wants that... That's what pisses me off about this place... It's like people can't understand why anybody would want anything other than a Mustang.... I know this is a Mustang enthusiast forum, but if you bring up the GTO or Subaru Legacy on the RX-8 forum, those cars will get props. People here on the other hand don't just bitch about other cars--they bitch about the superiority of different versions of the Mustang... You Mustang-lovers sure are war-like people.

And you guys gotta understand that not everyone wants to be seen in a sports car. Some people would rather "blend in".

I fully understand that some people want a more understated or exclusive car. What does that have to do lackluster sales of the GTO?

 

[Jon Do]

Here is another point about the GTO... The way it is selling is a good thing. Well, at least for me as a person who is interested in buying the GTO... Because that means it will have huge depreciation... In 2-3 years, the 2005s might be $18K used...

 

[Jon Do]

"What does that have to do lackluster sales of the GTO?"

Why would I, as a consumer, care about the lack-luster sales of the GTO? That means that it gets offered with discounts, so from my perspective it becomes a better value...

Now to be fair, the HUGE sales goal of the 2005 Mustang can be viewed as a good thing too... Because that means by the end of 2005, to sell 150K units, there will be fat rebates. Probably at least $1,500... (Even the RX-8 had a $1,500 rebate and it had sales projections of 1/5th the Mustang's.)

Whatever you guys say now, you are still in that phase where your car is new and unique, so you still get attention. When it is on every corner, it won't get that same attention. The guy in the RX-8 will have to wait five years to lose the exlusitivity that you guys will in one year.. The guy in the GTO will always have exlusivity, because the GTO is a limited production vehicle. You guys, on the other hand, obviously don't care about exclusivity (Maybe you think the Mods are the thing that makes your individual cars "exlusive") but not everyone wants a car that you can see on every corner. 150K... That's like 40-50% the sales of a Honda Accord...

 

[TomServo92]

"What does that have to do lackluster sales of the GTO?"

Why would I, as a consumer, care about the lack-luster sales of the GTO? That means that it gets offered with discounts, so from my perspective it becomes a better value...

Now to be fair, the HUGE sales goal of the 2005 Mustang can be viewed as a good thing too... Because that means by the end of 2005, to sell 150K units, there will be fat rebates. Probably at least $1,500... (Even the RX-8 had a $1,500 rebate and it had sales projections of 1/5th the Mustang's.)

Whatever you guys say now, you are still in that phase where your car is new and unique, so you still get attention. When it is on every corner, it won't get that same attention. The guy in the RX-8 will have to wait five years to lose the exlusitivity that you guys will in one year.. The guy in the GTO will always have exlusivity, because the GTO is a limited production vehicle. You guys, on the other hand, obviously don't care about exclusivity (Maybe you think the Mods are the thing that makes your individual cars "exlusive") but not everyone wants a car that you can see on every corner. 150K... That's like 40-50% the sales of a Honda Accord...

I suppose it would depend on how long you plan on keeping the car. As a consumer, I assume you wouldn't want to walk into an auto parts store eight years down the road, needing a part for your car only to find out it isn't something that is normally stocked because there were so few of them actually sold. Trust me on this one. I've been in that boat and it gets old having to wait on parts to arrive while your car sits in the driveway. If you plan on getting rid of the car within 3-5 years then no problem.

BTW, exclusivity isn't something I'm concerned about. I buy a car because it fits my needs and is fun to drive. I don't really care if I see everywhere as long it's what I want in a car.

 

[mk2001c]

Why would I, as a consumer, care about the lack-luster sales of the GTO? That means that it gets offered with discounts, so from my perspective it becomes a better value. QUOTE]

???? What about the poor guys who already own GTOs? Their cars are depreciating faster than you can say "upside down car loan". The fact that a car is depreciating rapidly and has massive rebates attached to means the car is in trouble. Even though they try and make it appear somewhat scientific, I think the C&D rating scale is subjective. The gotta have it factor lets them rank order whatever car they like better. However, I think the styling and value factors were not weighted nearly enough. The GTO is significantly more expensive (MSRP) than the Stang, and although styling is up to personal tastes, it has a big impact on sales and appeal in the sports coupe segment. Take that article with a grain of salt and enjoy your GTO. But don't try and come into a Mustang forum and convince anyone the goat won that comparison.

 

[Jon Do]

I think the whole point is that a rating system doesn't tell you which car they like better. That is why they shouldn't use the rating system to rank cars. I can perfectly understand why the chose the Mustang over the GTO... I just don't think they should add a huge "gotta have it" factor that basically destroys the whole purpose of the rating system in the first place...

And you Mustang guys that bought your car in the first year will see huge depreciation too... By the end of the second year, it will be a $21K car that you guys paid $25K for... The bottom line is that anybody who buys a car when it is just released will take a huge depreciation hit.

 

[JonJon]

i see lackluster sales as:

1) a poor product
2) a product with problems
3) over priced

 

[terraform]

The Car and Driver review was baised toward the mustang. Ford put so much time into that mustang there is no way there going to let C&D bash it. The article says nothing about the extreme power advantage of the gto, and instead of doing so they devot a whole paragraph on how the mustang's 1000watt shaker system is better than the 200watt gto stereo. Whenever they did put the gto ahead in a remark it took 2 or 3 times of reading to realize that they were regarding the gto as better. They didn't even mention how much more luxurious the interior is in the gto and the fact that the gto's back seat highly accomodates 2 decent sized adults(very unlike the mustang's). The only thing that the had the right to complain was the styling and the shifter feel....which i do believe the mustang has the edge over the gto on these. There was very little talk about the performance .....look at these numbers posted:

Mustang GTO
0-60: 5.1 4.8
0-100: 13.0 11.7
0-130: 25.6 19.6
1/4mile: 13.8@103 13.3@107
top gear:
30-50 9.8(5th gear) 9.6(6th gear)
50-70 9.6(5th gear) 9.2(6th gear)

Now to me those are numbers that belong to almost two different categories ....as the speed increases the gto just flat out smokes it. The gto beats it in top gear even though the mustang's top gear is 5th and the gto is 6th. Put the gto in 5th and watch those times shrink quick.
Look at the "Subjective/Objective RESULTS" of the test. The part that decides the winner.

The Mustang and the GTO "tied" in the "vehicle" section (77 to 77)
Putting ridiculous ratings like rear back seat comfort 4 to 5 and rear space 3 to 5. It should be more like 4 to 8 and 3 to 8, since the goat has far more room. Change those numbers and erase the "gotta- have - it - factor"(25 to 18) which is more like "How i think it looks factor," and the goat wins in total points 186 to 198.....a landslide. And just for arguments sake ...keep the "gotta-have-it-factor" and the goat should still win 211 to 216.(includes the powertrain, chassis, gotta-have-it-factor and fun-to-drive)

The GTO beat the mustang in chassis and powertrain (43 to 46) and (44 to 46), and fun to drive (22 to 23).


Clearly the GTO should have been the winner!!!
211 to 216 (at least)

And you know what the funniest thing about this article is? They never mention that, even when you win in a GTO, the Mustang is still far more likely to get you laid.

 

[i4power]

i see lackluster sales as:

1) a poor product
2) a product with problems
3) over priced

Agreed. Here is what I think:

1) A Poor Product: mainly looks. I think it's a nice looking car, but like everyone else says, it doesn't stand out. I read in Motor Trend, however, that the interior is nearly BMW-quality.

2) A Product With Problems. Haven't heard of any major recalls.

3) Over priced: Just a little. The base price is, what...$33k?

 

[426H]

The GTO looks like an old mazda 626 or some other family-ricer. It has a sweet engine tho.

 

[mystein]

"...Whatever you guys say now, you are still in that phase where your car is new and unique, so you still get attention. When it is on every corner, it won't get that same attention...

You guys, on the other hand, obviously don't care about exclusivity (Maybe you think the Mods are the thing that makes your individual cars "exlusive") but not everyone wants a car that you can see on every corner...

I'm sure someone applied similar logic in attempting to explain why Harley-Davidson motorcycles wouldn't remain popular and a large volume seller .

 

[RandyB]

I really couldn't care less about how many other people own the car I have as long as it's the car I want. Every one of my neighbors could have the same car in the same color, and it wouldn't bother me. Mine would be better, of course...

 

[Emil]

Yawn.

'05 Mustangs are awesome
'05 GTO's are ok

 

[GTS_300_Coupe]

Everybody seems to dislike the GTO for being plain jane well how come its not the same for something like a BMW M5?
Both cars are wolves in sheeps clothing but the GTO gets picked on cause its "supposed to look like a muscle car". Absolute rubbish!
All you people are so easily brainwashed by shiny flashy things.
I guess thats why Need for Speed underground sold so many copies. Because theres too many brain dead people out there who are attracted to stuff that hits you straight in the face.

The GTO looks great the way it is. I love its clean and simple face and there was no need to throw stupid bonnet scoops on it. Its because of all these morons out there who want big shiny wheels and huge exhausts and racing wings.
Whoever thinks the GTO looks similar to a Mazda or Nissan or anything else needs to be drowned.

It doesnt matter if the GTO never outsells the Mustang because its more expensive and not as big a family household name. Besides, most Mustangs sold will be the dirty V6 versions.

 

[Emil]

I see a black "goat" on the road going to work occasionally, I'll change my rating from ok to actually pretty nice, it does look pretty good. With 400hp it is a car to be dealt with too but I just prefer a mustang. To each his own as long as it's .

 

[ToplessStang]

i dont see however how Ford could put a 300hp car on the market when they knew a 400hp GTO was coming at the same time. Not to mention the GTO engine is far more advanced than the mustang. It is a 6.0liter with 400 hp and the mustangs is a 4.6liter with 300hp

Let's not forget how a 260HP Mustang shut down production of 300+hp Camaro's and T/A's. I don't think Ford is to worried about the power advantage of the GTO .