Seen what must have been a car dealer(since thier not out yet) driving it down the road, and it looks pretty damn nice..Umm..Might trade my 8 for it..

(since thier not out yet)
They went on sale around 2 weeks ago.

i wouldn't trade the 8 for it but...so far from what i've seen it's pretty nice...most of the one's at the dealerships are pre-orders....there were 38,000 of them!!!...haven't driven one yet...but would still never own it...well..the wife could...i love my 8...

oh, the website says Nov. 1

Seen what must have been a car dealer(since thier not out yet) driving it down the road, and it looks pretty damn nice..Umm..Might trade my 8 for it..

Ford brought one to my school for our career fair a month or so ago, and I seriously thought it was an old 196x Mustang when I first caught a glimpse of the front. I really like the way that it looks for now, but I'm not sure how much I'll like it 5 years down the road when you see them everywhere. Can't argue with the bang-for-your-buck that a new GT has, though...

i saw it on a Ford lot, and I gotta tell ya, it looked a little "bleh". It was a yellow one, and somehow the car looks a little unfinished...I DEFINITELY wouldn't trade my 8 for one.

Holy shit thiscar is inexpensive! You can get a base 2005 GT (thats 300 horsepower/320 torque) for less than even a base 2005 AUTOMATIC Rx8.

From the photos, the '05 mustang looks really good. If the pre-press numbers are right and the v8 GT begins in the 28k range, then this is a darn good bang for the buck. It seems strange though that Ford has two sports cars that sticker in the sub 30k market (the RX8 and Musstang GT) while GM appears to be ignoring the market.

Before the flames begin, look at the Ford Company site (http://www.ford.com/en/vehicles/vehicleShowroom/2DoorCoupes/default.htm) which clearly shows the mustang and rx-8 in the sports coupe section.

This is a repost; nobody ever bothered to try a search. I'm going to ask to get these threads merged or something.

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=40733

Oh yeah. I left a 2005 Mustang commercial in my "Bored" thread. :)

I was so looking forward to seeing this car at the LA autoshow. When I first saw the pictures I thought it looked stunning. I was completely underwhelmed when I saw the car at the autoshow. Up close it looks good, but not great, and the interior is typical Ford/Mustang....cheap. I had a 2001 GT Convertible, and the interior quality looks very similar to that. The seats are still the same flat Mustang seat. Disappointing.

I took a look at one last night
at a OC dealer
it was a black GT with red interior and already sold

28k plus 5k mark up right now

it looks bad ass

even though they look diferent i would rather get a preowned svt cobra then those the cobras interior is nicer and its alot faster but i would never trade in an rx8 for a mustang

a total re-design but still a solid rear axel.....not acceptable.

a total re-design but still a solid rear axel.....not acceptable.

Actually, I think the GT gets an independant rear, but the base model is solid... which I agree is unacceptable in this day and age.

No the GT still has solid--the Cobra will have independent

No the GT still has solid--the Cobra will have independent
My bad... I swore I read that in one of the mags. That is really stupid... why only give good handling to the Cobra again??

My bad... I swore I read that in one of the mags. That is really stupid... why only give good handling to the Cobra again??

The GT will handle decently enough even with the solid rear axle (decently enough meaning markedly better than the old GT) that it isn't much of a loss from a quick and cheap IRS setup. Remember, price is a factor with this car, and the solid rear is apparently the only set up that's both cheap enough to let Ford sell the V6 Mustang at a healthy profit for only $20k and strong enough to withstand the torque of the GT. Add to that the fact that a solid rear is a better drag racing setup and the Mustang is largely a drag racing car, and it's no suprise that the new Mustang V6 and GT get solid rears. It all has to do with the demographics....

Yeah--basically it was cost cutting 1st--the fact that it is a good setup for drag is a sellable point.

well,
I'm not a fan of mustangs
but seeing this car in person made me a BIG fan

Same here--I have a friend that has a v6(!) Mustang and says he wouldn't buy another one for anything--reliability was horrid.

My bad... I swore I read that in one of the mags. That is really stupid... why only give good handling to the Cobra again??

A solid rear axle does not mean that it will inherently have bad handling. Someone on another forum pointed out that this year a camero won SCCA Solo2 beating out an EVO. Just goes to show that a solid rear can do a pretty good job with the right suspension.

My wife and I went to the Ford dealership this last weekend to get some maintenance done on her truck. As soon as I pulled into the lot with my 8, I noticed a couple of the guys staring over at my car. As we were leaving there was one guy just standing there staring over at my car, and another one FOLLOWED me out to the car and started asking questions! Then the guy that was staring walked up. I ended up popping the hood so they could look at the engine.

Got a couple more comments from other guys when we picked her truck up. It was SOOOO cool! I love my 8! :)

A solid rear axle does not mean that it will inherently have bad handling. Someone on another forum pointed out that this year a camero won SCCA Solo2 beating out an EVO. Just goes to show that a solid rear can do a pretty good job with the right suspension.

I wonder how many potholes and railroad tracks were on that course?
I wonder how much unsprung weight is in the back 400 lbs? is that double the unsprung weight in the back of the RX-8.

I find it ironic that ford has a relatively good independent rear suspension on the explorer and expedition, that according to ford cut unsprung weight in half, while their 'pony' car has some lame antiquated solid axle. Is there really $5000 more content in a GT vs. base. engine cost, marginal amortized cost among pickups, same transmission(s) exhaust system.
I could see the base car at $20, and the GT @ $22 and that would not be so egregious.

The new GT will have a different engine than the V6 of course, but also a different transmission and rear axle. And probably better brakes, but I'm just guessing on that. So yeah, the $5,000 isn't just the engine.

The solid axle will do fine. It's actually better for drag racing than IRS, and the enthusiasts who are interested in Mustang are generally more interested in drag racing. People who are interested in the utmost in finesse handling are shopping for something else in the first place.

I do wish Ford would have a special edition Mustang GT that offered IRS + a super deluxe interior package (designer Italian baby lambskin upholstery with silk stitching and polished billet titanium accents). It would sell for $32k and no one would buy it, but it would silence all the critics.

I wonder why they went out of their way to design a dash with 125 color choices.

I did see the pre-released TV ads today.

One was nice..guy makes a road course in a corn field similar to "Field of Dreams" and Steve McQueen comes out to drive the car.

I was planning on buying one until I saw the retro dash.

Sorry, don't want an old fashion dash. It's damn near like the 72 I had.

Then I looked at a 2004 used Mustang and realized its the same old thing over the last 30 years. Same interior no changes. It's cheap. Motor, Stereo but nothing else. Not even stero funtion on the steering wheel or outside temp gauge. Then everyone has a Mustang too. But I still like the Cobra.

Then I tested the RX8. Too bad we have a better car but no HP.

I wonder how many potholes and railroad tracks were on that course?
I wonder how much unsprung weight is in the back 400 lbs? is that double the unsprung weight in the back of the RX-8.


The driver of that Camaro doesn't have to worry half as much about wheel hop as one in an IRS RWD car does, which is a good thing performance-wise. Since his car also handles very well, I don't think that it'd be worth it for him to rip out his well tuned suspension and replace it with an independent design just because it's widely thought to be better handling wise. I mean, double wishbone suspensions are thought to be the best in terms of handling, but that doesn't mean that Porsche's can't handle the twisties well. I don't think that it really matters how much unsprung weight there is or what type of suspension a car has if the car gives results. People tend to get so caught up in technical terms and things that look good on paper that they ignore real world results. Tuning means almost everything when it comes to cars.

Take weight distribution, for example. People over here are excited that the RX8 has 50:50 weight distribution and believe (as I do) that it greatly improves the handling dynamics of the car. However, this doesn't mean that the Evo, with its 60:40 f:r weight distribution, must handle poorly because one statistic shows that it isn't "made" to be a good handling car. In fact, the Evo handles at least as well as the RX8 and probably even out does the lighter, better balanced Mazda in that department. This means that that Camaro, even with it's lowly solid rear axle, also out does a stock or even reasonably modded RX8 even though many of its statistics on paper may lead you to believe otherwise. Saying "Well, if you look at this number and this other one over here, you can see that it is really inferior" is like the Honda guys saying "Well, I only have a 2.0L engine, but it puts out 200hp so it's really better than your 400hp 5.7L V8" after they lost a race. You can't possibly argue that a superior machine is actually worse off than your car because of random numbers and terminology that you feel are important. The total package is all that matters, and as everyone knows and this Camaro proves, there's no one best way to make a great machine.

well,
I'm not a fan of mustangs
but seeing this car in person made me a BIG fan

Neither was I until I got to drive the GT on a mock course.. Great car for the $$.. Only problem is it just isn't practical for a DD here in a state where it snows..

:confused:... Pick 2 likes like rice to me:rolleyes:.

Well said PoorCollegeKid

The driver of that Camaro doesn't have to worry half as much about wheel hop as one in an IRS RWD car does, which is a good thing performance-wise. Since his car also handles very well, I don't think that it'd be worth it for him to rip out his well tuned suspension and replace it with an independent design just because it's widely thought to be better handling wise. I mean, double wishbone suspensions are thought to be the best in terms of handling, but that doesn't mean that Porsche's can't handle the twisties well. I don't think that it really matters how much unsprung weight there is or what type of suspension a car has if the car gives results. People tend to get so caught up in technical terms and things that look good on paper that they ignore real world results. Tuning means almost everything when it comes to cars.

Take weight distribution, for example. People over here are excited that the RX8 has 50:50 weight distribution and believe (as I do) that it greatly improves the handling dynamics of the car. However, this doesn't mean that the Evo, with its 60:40 f:r weight distribution, must handle poorly because one statistic shows that it isn't "made" to be a good handling car. In fact, the Evo handles at least as well as the RX8 and probably even out does the lighter, better balanced Mazda in that department. This means that that Camaro, even with it's lowly solid rear axle, also out does a stock or even reasonably modded RX8 even though many of its statistics on paper may lead you to believe otherwise. Saying "Well, if you look at this number and this other one over here, you can see that it is really inferior" is like the Honda guys saying "Well, I only have a 2.0L engine, but it puts out 200hp so it's really better than your 400hp 5.7L V8" after they lost a race. You can't possibly argue that a superior machine is actually worse off than your car because of random numbers and terminology that you feel are important. The total package is all that matters, and as everyone knows and this Camaro proves, there's no one best way to make a great machine.

That is good and all, but I live in the real world. and having a solid axle doesn't automatically negate the possibility of wheel hop.

If Ford really believed that a solid rear axle is the best thing for all that power, then why give the Cobra IRS?

If Ford really believed that a solid rear axle is the best thing for all that power, then why give the Cobra IRS?

The point was not that a solid rear axle is the best solution but that a solid rear axle can have good handling. Good enough to beat one of the best handling cars for 30k in the SCCA solo2 nationals.

While a solid rear axle is not the ideal solution its there to cut the costs and keep the V6 around 20k.

Like PoorCollegeKid said above, look at the car as a whole rather than over analyizing it. Double wishbone may be the most favorable setup but there are many cars that do very well without it.

The point was not that a solid rear axle is the best solution but that a solid rear axle can have good handling. Good enough to beat one of the best handling cars for 30k in the SCCA solo2 nationals.

While a solid rear axle is not the ideal solution its there to cut the costs and keep the V6 around 20k.

Like PoorCollegeKid said above, look at the car as a whole rather than over analyizing it. Double wishbone may be the most favorable setup but there are many cars that do very well without it.

Don't get me wrong. I do like the 05 'stang as a whole... I think it's a huge improvement in many areas. Last year at this time I was considering waiting a year for this, or buying the RX-8... I fell in love with the 8 after the test drive and that was that. I just know from driving previous Mustangs that their handling (stock at least) was very poor compared to a balanced IRS setup (as a disclaimer, I had a fully tuned Miata that I use as a measuring stick, so I even think the stock '8 needs some improvements).

That is good and all, but I live in the real world. and having a solid axle doesn't automatically negate the possibility of wheel hop.

Just like having a solid axle doesn't automatically mean that the car will be overly unbalanced over rough surfaces and won't be able to handle as well as a car with an independent rear suspension. I'm glad that you see my point :)

Oh, and I said that the Camaro driver wouldn't have to worry about wheel hop as much as a driver of an IRS'ed car, not that he wouldn't have to worry about it at all. I don't think that I mentioned that a solid rear axle completely eliminated wheel hop, because this just isn't true as you seem to know. If you can show me where I said that, then I will apologize for my error, but until then please read and comprehend posts before shooting off a quick reply. Think of the bandwidth! :p

If Ford really believed that a solid rear axle is the best thing for all that power, then why give the Cobra IRS?

The Cobra got an IRS set up because the Cobra is meant to be more of a track car than the GT is and also doesn't suffer from the same price limitations. The Cobra is supposed to be Ford's version of the Corvette; that is, a relatively inepensive, great bang-for-your-buck track car with good all around performance. Ford certainly hadn't spend much time tweaking its solid rear axle for optimal handling when they released the '03 Cobra, so they went with a set up that they knew how to tweak and knew how to make perform up to their desired specifications beacuse they knew that not many people would spend $30k-$40k on a pure drag racer. The few people who would spend that much for a drag beast can and (sometimes) do swap out the IRS for a solid rear because of its proven strength and superior launching dynamics.

It is really nice. Now. Wait for a month and count how many you see.

Wow, nice car, looks great and its a Ford so it should be reliable. I cant wait to sell my 8 and buy one.
American cars are better made than Japanese cars.

OK I seen a RED one on the road today and... Well I dont like it at all. It looks like a 65 fast back to me?. Yea it may have a ton of HP but as far as looks go:rolleyes:...

there is a big difference here- it is a 3 link solid axle with a panhard bar, which is WAY better than the old 4 link quadra-bind suspension. it can be nearly as good as an IRS.

i am looking forward to driving the GT. if you took this car and went back in time to 1980, it would be the most super of any super car. even in 1990 it would have been unbelievable.

james

What the heck does that mean! If I took my moms camry back to 1876 I would have been the fastest car around!!!

Seen a few on the road and drove one at one of our dealerships... A GT, drives OK; but the interior is made out of really cheap plastic. Looks like it was built by a toy company, it's actually cheaper than the out going model in terms of quality... I was very disappointed, I have had several GTs in the past including my last a 95...

At first glance, it looked like a mid '90s 240 xs slammed into the back of a classic style mustang. I wasn't that impressed. I'll run by the dealer and drive one and see what it's like.

Wow, nice car, looks great and its a Ford so it should be reliable. I cant wait to sell my 8 and buy one.
American cars are better made than Japanese cars.

LOL, thanks. That made my day!

OK I seen a RED one on the road today and... Well I dont like it at all. It looks like a 65 fast back to me?. Yea it may have a ton of HP but as far as looks go:rolleyes:...

'how bout this..

How about these,

Rouche and Steeda

I think Ford did a better job at trying to stay faithful to its American heritage. When Pontiac brought back the GTO they basically took an Australian design, slapped in a V-8 and called it the revival of an American classic. You have to give the designers a nod for not cheaping out that much.

Though after looking at the interior pics I'd wish that Ford jacked a foreign interior design instead of coming up with that retro monstrosity.

So I've now seen a few of these on the road, and I really can't tell what I think- it's a little bigger and squatter than I thought it would be...I saw one the other day and actually mistook it for a cadillac from the back.

I think Ford did a better job at trying to stay faithful to its American heritage. When Pontiac brought back the GTO they basically took an Australian design, slapped in a V-8 and called it the revival of an American classic...

The Holden Monaro (http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/action/modeloverview?modelid=12001) already had an LS1 inside. Hope that clarifies some things.

I saw a 2005 Mustang at a bank across the street from work, and I saw five for sale at a Ford dealer on the way to Austin. Oh yeah, and Ford had one on display when I attended MAES Symposium in Austin. Pictures don't do this thing justice. It's an awesome car, though I would never own one. I promise you it'll find many a happy home, whether it's a V6 or V8. Personally, I'll focus my chi energy on purchasing a 1984 Porsche 911 Cabriolet. :)