Been lurkikng here for the past 1.5 months... really enjoy the atmosphere... best Mustang forum I've found so far.
Anyway, I have always been a GM guy... Pontiac specifically. Never was a huge Chevy fan, but haved owned 10 different Firebirds and/or Trans Ams in my day... 70s/80s/90s models. Anyway, when Pontiac (GM really) killed the Firebird after 2002 I was holding out for an eventual re-introduction. When the new Camaro concept came out I was really hopeful that a Firebird would follow in a couple years if the Chevy succeeded. Well, needless to say GM went and killed Pontiac and dashed my hopes forever of a renewed Firebird (SOBs!!!)
As I said, I've never been a Chevy fan and in fact don't really care that much for the new Camaro... never did. So after GM axed Pontiac for good I decided to take my obviously misguided loyalty to GM and look elsewhere... and decided to give the Mustang a real look at (the 05s & up have held my interest since their introduction... it was obvious even back then to a non-Ford-guy that Ford "got it very, very right" with the S197s).
Anyway, I have NEVER in my life owned a Ford product. But I can honestly say I will soon, especially after my experience tonight. I was driving home from work and happened to drive by a Ford dealership and noticed about 5 or 6 2005-09 Mustangs sitting in their lot... so I decided to swing in real quick and see if any were GTs. I was just going to do a real quick recon since I am not actually in the market to buy just yet, but I didn't even make it onto the lot for 20 seconds before some hungry salesman jumps me. I tell him I am just looking to see if any of these are GTs and sure enough a nice dark blue 08 GT is the first in the row. I walk up to it with the salesman in tow and peer in the window and sure enough... a 5spd... and with black leather t'boot. Salesman produces the key (how did he get it so fast?) and hands it to me and says, "Start her up!" I hestitate because I really have no intetion of buying the car... I am really just looking and dreaming at this point. Well... key in hand... what choice do I have so I fire the muther up! Wow! Awesome sound. Best V8 I've heard since the 97 WS6 T/A I used to won... in fact... dare I say... even better (and my T/A had a nice Borla cat-back). Anyway, as I am sitting there just enjoying the moment the salesman says, "Let's take her for a ride!" Again, because I really have no intention of buying I decline, but he insists and before I know it I am in the passenger seat as he pulls out of the dealership and hammers it... balls to the wall! What a rush... I haven't been in a performance car in a few years now and brother was he making this GT perform! Shortly thereafter I'm in the driver's seat giving it the same treatment at his urgings and I AM LOVING IT! WOW!!! Really, you Mustang guys are holding out on the rest of us... what a car this is! Dang!!!!!!!! I've sat in some earlier Mustangs (but never ridden in one) and never really liked the way they "felt"... but these S197s fit me like a glove. I loved the driving position and the shifter fell to hand perfectly and shifted with bolt-action precision. The clutch was higher effort than I expected, but not unpleasantly so... in fact, I rather liked it... it felt... solid. And looking out over that long hood (this one happened to have the factory faux hood scoop too) was a real pleasure. I love long hoods!!!
Needless to say the performance was fantastic... heck the whole car was just fantastic... really felt like it was carved from a single piece of steel. They say the 10s are even sturdier... I can't hardly imagine!
Anyway... I am smitten! Consider me a Mustang convert... I must have one of these cars!!! Now to just convince the wife the absolute NECESSITY of owning one!!!!!!!
Anyway, I have always been a GM guy... Pontiac specifically. Never was a huge Chevy fan, but haved owned 10 different Firebirds and/or Trans Ams in my day... 70s/80s/90s models. Anyway, when Pontiac (GM really) killed the Firebird after 2002 I was holding out for an eventual re-introduction. When the new Camaro concept came out I was really hopeful that a Firebird would follow in a couple years if the Chevy succeeded. Well, needless to say GM went and killed Pontiac and dashed my hopes forever of a renewed Firebird (SOBs!!!)
As I said, I've never been a Chevy fan and in fact don't really care that much for the new Camaro... never did. So after GM axed Pontiac for good I decided to take my obviously misguided loyalty to GM and look elsewhere... and decided to give the Mustang a real look at (the 05s & up have held my interest since their introduction... it was obvious even back then to a non-Ford-guy that Ford "got it very, very right" with the S197s).
Anyway, I have NEVER in my life owned a Ford product. But I can honestly say I will soon, especially after my experience tonight. I was driving home from work and happened to drive by a Ford dealership and noticed about 5 or 6 2005-09 Mustangs sitting in their lot... so I decided to swing in real quick and see if any were GTs. I was just going to do a real quick recon since I am not actually in the market to buy just yet, but I didn't even make it onto the lot for 20 seconds before some hungry salesman jumps me. I tell him I am just looking to see if any of these are GTs and sure enough a nice dark blue 08 GT is the first in the row. I walk up to it with the salesman in tow and peer in the window and sure enough... a 5spd... and with black leather t'boot. Salesman produces the key (how did he get it so fast?) and hands it to me and says, "Start her up!" I hestitate because I really have no intetion of buying the car... I am really just looking and dreaming at this point. Well... key in hand... what choice do I have so I fire the muther up! Wow! Awesome sound. Best V8 I've heard since the 97 WS6 T/A I used to won... in fact... dare I say... even better (and my T/A had a nice Borla cat-back). Anyway, as I am sitting there just enjoying the moment the salesman says, "Let's take her for a ride!" Again, because I really have no intention of buying I decline, but he insists and before I know it I am in the passenger seat as he pulls out of the dealership and hammers it... balls to the wall! What a rush... I haven't been in a performance car in a few years now and brother was he making this GT perform! Shortly thereafter I'm in the driver's seat giving it the same treatment at his urgings and I AM LOVING IT! WOW!!! Really, you Mustang guys are holding out on the rest of us... what a car this is! Dang!!!!!!!! I've sat in some earlier Mustangs (but never ridden in one) and never really liked the way they "felt"... but these S197s fit me like a glove. I loved the driving position and the shifter fell to hand perfectly and shifted with bolt-action precision. The clutch was higher effort than I expected, but not unpleasantly so... in fact, I rather liked it... it felt... solid. And looking out over that long hood (this one happened to have the factory faux hood scoop too) was a real pleasure. I love long hoods!!!
Needless to say the performance was fantastic... heck the whole car was just fantastic... really felt like it was carved from a single piece of steel. They say the 10s are even sturdier... I can't hardly imagine!
Anyway... I am smitten! Consider me a Mustang convert... I must have one of these cars!!! Now to just convince the wife the absolute NECESSITY of owning one!!!!!!!