well, I finally did it - rented the GT-H. I thought I was getting the convertible, since that is what is pictured on the site, but if you actually look at the text I was renting the coupe. Here are a few notes if you're thinking about it:
1. You have to fly in to an airport. For me, that was Oakland to Ontario, California for $36 each way on Southwest. I flew in first thing and flew out on the latest flight. Total of about $90 roundtrip.
2. Most of the rental locations say 100 miles/day, but Ontario (between Pasadena and Bakersfield) was unlimited - hence, why I chose it. That and the cheap Southwest flight above. I have Tues-Weds. off, so took it out on Weds.
3. Most of the writeups on renting one tell you how to turn the Traction Control (TCS) off. Mine came to me with the TCS button operational, so I could turn it off and on at will. I wonder if they changed this policy, lost the retainer on the button, or what. Mine came with 13k miles so maybe somebody lost the TCS button? Anyway, I didn't say anything and returned it with the TCS button operational, of course, but with TCS on.
4. Total cost for my trip (not counting gas) - $135 with all taxes, etc., for the rental, $90 for the plane flight - $225 total. That was with AAA discount and I got 1/8 of a free flight from Southwest. I have their credit card so that helps too to get free flights.
Riding impressions:
-Acceleration was OK off the line - hard to get the rear to break loose - and decent midrange but really picked up at higher RPM, say above 4k. Manually shifting the automatic was a bit clunky. If you are in Drive it gets very confused when you floor it, going down through the gears one by one. Exhaust note doesn't sound as good as my Magnaflowed '70 302, but it is nice when you really get on it at a high RPM. Could be louder.
-Freeway merges were insanely easy. You get to 80mph in no time. Freeway passing was similarly effortless if you downshift. But that's not why I rented it.
-Mt. Baldy drive - this is a mountain route that takes you from Ontario to Glendora and you can get to the top of Baldy if you want to, but that's just a gravelly goat trail. The really nice part of the drive is from the Baldy summit route to Glendora. Although I did go to the top of Baldy and thought about doing donuts at the summit, but my GF would have none of it. Started to, though, and it was insanely easy. 
-Handling: top notch for a Mustang. Which is to say: best handling car I've driven. I mean, this thing really takes corners well. Shelby did a great job on these, and I have heard of them winning slaloms rented straight from Hertz. I was very impressed at how it transitioned from left to right. Suspension is a bit harsh on bumpy roads, but that's what you want. It took these mountain switchbacks like a pro, especially on the double-yellow-less road described above. It is easy to control, only gets into a bit of oversteer if you really get on the accelerator mid-turn. I was impressed time and again by the grip I had mid-turn. This is a hard car to upset.
-Braking: similarly excellent, predictable. I started to warm up and glaze the pads toward the end of my mountain run, so I dragged the brakes a bit once they cooled down to scrape of the squeak-squeak-squeak of any glaze or warping that had built up. I always had a little more brake than I needed. My Baer 13" should be just as powerful as these, but power brakes make a BIG difference in initial effort. I'm upgrading to a power booster.
I was a little bummed to not get a convertible, but I should have read the fine print and I had no choice once I was down there - they didn't have a 'vert. The GF and I had a great time, going to Pasadena, LA, seeing some of the Craftsman houses around Pasadena, and generally driving like fools. I give this a Give it a try if you're looking for a great day trip, and use Ontario, California, for unlimited miles. Or if you're feeling brave, :Track: but if you ruin the brakes you gots ta pay, as at least one renter has.
1. You have to fly in to an airport. For me, that was Oakland to Ontario, California for $36 each way on Southwest. I flew in first thing and flew out on the latest flight. Total of about $90 roundtrip.
2. Most of the rental locations say 100 miles/day, but Ontario (between Pasadena and Bakersfield) was unlimited - hence, why I chose it. That and the cheap Southwest flight above. I have Tues-Weds. off, so took it out on Weds.
3. Most of the writeups on renting one tell you how to turn the Traction Control (TCS) off. Mine came to me with the TCS button operational, so I could turn it off and on at will. I wonder if they changed this policy, lost the retainer on the button, or what. Mine came with 13k miles so maybe somebody lost the TCS button? Anyway, I didn't say anything and returned it with the TCS button operational, of course, but with TCS on.
4. Total cost for my trip (not counting gas) - $135 with all taxes, etc., for the rental, $90 for the plane flight - $225 total. That was with AAA discount and I got 1/8 of a free flight from Southwest. I have their credit card so that helps too to get free flights.
Riding impressions:
-Acceleration was OK off the line - hard to get the rear to break loose - and decent midrange but really picked up at higher RPM, say above 4k. Manually shifting the automatic was a bit clunky. If you are in Drive it gets very confused when you floor it, going down through the gears one by one. Exhaust note doesn't sound as good as my Magnaflowed '70 302, but it is nice when you really get on it at a high RPM. Could be louder.
-Freeway merges were insanely easy. You get to 80mph in no time. Freeway passing was similarly effortless if you downshift. But that's not why I rented it.
-Mt. Baldy drive - this is a mountain route that takes you from Ontario to Glendora and you can get to the top of Baldy if you want to, but that's just a gravelly goat trail. The really nice part of the drive is from the Baldy summit route to Glendora. Although I did go to the top of Baldy and thought about doing donuts at the summit, but my GF would have none of it.
Started to, though, and it was insanely easy. -Handling: top notch for a Mustang. Which is to say: best handling car I've driven. I mean, this thing really takes corners well. Shelby did a great job on these, and I have heard of them winning slaloms rented straight from Hertz. I was very impressed at how it transitioned from left to right. Suspension is a bit harsh on bumpy roads, but that's what you want. It took these mountain switchbacks like a pro, especially on the double-yellow-less road described above. It is easy to control, only gets into a bit of oversteer if you really get on the accelerator mid-turn. I was impressed time and again by the grip I had mid-turn. This is a hard car to upset.
-Braking: similarly excellent, predictable. I started to warm up and glaze the pads toward the end of my mountain run, so I dragged the brakes a bit once they cooled down to scrape of the squeak-squeak-squeak of any glaze or warping that had built up. I always had a little more brake than I needed. My Baer 13" should be just as powerful as these, but power brakes make a BIG difference in initial effort. I'm upgrading to a power booster.
I was a little bummed to not get a convertible, but I should have read the fine print and I had no choice once I was down there - they didn't have a 'vert. The GF and I had a great time, going to Pasadena, LA, seeing some of the Craftsman houses around Pasadena, and generally driving like fools. I give this a
Give it a try if you're looking for a great day trip, and use Ontario, California, for unlimited miles. Or if you're feeling brave, :Track: but if you ruin the brakes you gots ta pay, as at least one renter has.
$44k is pretty good deal in these parts, especially if you find out the car came from a good rental site.
