Way back in my college days I had a 1987 Ford Mustang LX. Sporting the 5.0L V8 and 215 HP, it was actually pretty fast back then. I remember having a blast driving the car and the power was perfect for merging into tight fast moving traffic from a standstill, something you encounter quite often on the busy streets in Silicon Valley.
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After I graduated from College in 1999, I traded in the Mustang and bought a used 1997 Ford Explorer Sport 4×4 from the dealer pre-certified lot. I can’t remember why I chose a 4×4 in California, but I did. The vehicle was great and had very few issues in the 9 years I had it, even after driving cross-country three times. However, just last month at the 143,000 mile mark the transfer case went out. I rolled the dice and dropped $1200 to have it rebuilt thinking I could squeeze another couple years out of the car since nothing else was wrong with it. After all, the car had been paid off for 3 years and I liked not having a monthly payment.
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But to my dismay, 1 month after getting the car repaired, the transfer case went out yet again. The mechanic said the repairs were under warranty so I didn’t have to pay for it a second time, but my confidence in the Explorer waned. After fixing it a second time, I wasn’t going to take anymore chances and decided it was time to buy a new car.
Thinking back to that ‘87 Mustang I had in college, I wanted something fast again. So just last week, I bought the 2008 Ford Mustang GT Premium. I added the Comfort and the Interior Sport packages and got the car for just 0.04% under dealer invoice thanks to my employer’s no-haggle partnership with Ford Motor Company.
In my opinion, there is no point in buying a muscle car such as the Mustang and getting the smaller engine, so the 6-cylinder version was out of the question. Even though the 6-cylinder is just as powerful as my 1987 LX 8-cylinder, I wanted more. You’ve got to get the 4.6L V8 to take full advantage of this car and that’s what I got.
The power/torque band on this car is great. It really starts to pull hard when you hit the 3500 to 4000 rpm range. It goes from 0-60 mph in 5 seconds, but oddly doesn’t feel it because of the sport bucket seats. The handling is great. I really like the feel of the steering and the car straightens out smooth and under good control when coming out of a tight turn. The traction control works very well. I tested it on an icy patch and the car was reluctant to spin out of control under normal driving conditions. Granted, had I really tried to spin the car, I probably could have, but why try? If I want to spin the car, I can push a button on the dashboard to turn off the traction control. The car is also surprisingly quiet for an 8-cylinder. When you get on the gas, it gets a bit noisy but you got to love the low rumble of the engine. It sounds great! Perhaps I’m biased having come from an Explorer that handled nothing like this car, but this car is really fun to drive. True, there are other cars out there that give the Mustang a run for its money, like the Subaru WRX, but you will spend about $10K more for that car. Trust me, I looked and test drove one. They are fun too, but they start at about $33K new, unlike my Mustang GT which I got for $24K out the door.
Some have called me crazy for getting the Mustang GT because I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado where it snows (albeit just a little) and gas prices are soon to be at $4 a gallon. I’ll address issue number one first. Colorado Springs averages about 13″ of precipitation a year. We see maybe three good winter storms in which ice is on the road for a total of 10 days out of 365. This amounts to 2.7% icy road days; hardly a reason to buy a 4×4 in this part of Colorado. Conversely, those who have the double cab, extended long bed, duelies with the 8L turbo diesel engines that average about 11 mpg drive on non-icy roads 97.3% of the year. Which sounds crazier? And if the weather is really bad and I have to get somewhere, then I’ll drive the AWD Honda CRV. Second, yes gas prices are going up, no doubt. However, I work at an Air Force base east of the city so my commute is on country/county roads with virtually no stops. The 8-cylinder engine motors along with hardly a strain so my gas mileage is actually way better than my Explorer. I averaged about 16 mpg in the Explorer and 24 mpg in the Mustang GT. I’m actually saving gas compared to my old car. Yes, I could have bought a Honda Accord or a Ford Fusion, but what’s the fun in that?
The only thing I dislike about owning a Mustang, and I remember this from my college days, is that every little sticker-plastered, water-melon launching, lowered rice-burner driven by a member of the “Fast and the Furious” fan club has to prove their worthiness to you. If I happen to be next to one of these people, they have this unbearable urge to beat me to the next stop light or zoom in front of me. Do they not understand the difference between 140 HP @ 150 ft/lb of torque and 325 HP @ 375 ft/lb of torque?? When I get on the gas and motor past them, they usually turn at the next intersection with their tail tucked between their legs like a dog who just had a rolled up newspaper smacked across its ass. The funny thing is, if I put as much money in my car as they put in theirs, I’m looking at 500 HP @ 450 ft/lb of torque.
Anyhow, I love the car and have no complaints as of yet.
January 31st, 2008 by 
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