Mustang Loyalty
 

What's your next car going to be? Do people already have a car in mind, and if so, is a Mustang on the list of cantidates. The only reason I ask is because the Mustang doesn't really seriously make the cut on my list anymore, even though I plan on keeping my Explorer as a second vehicle.

The 2003-2004 Mach 1 or possibly a pre SC Cobra are the only cars I would consider with the Blue Oval right now. I had such bad luck with my '02 GT that I'm simply not able to consider another newer GT. The 2003-2004 Cobra's are very expensive, still commanding $25k+ from dealers in many cases. The Mach 1, while relatively inexpensive from private sellers seems to be the target of a ridiculous markup by dealers.

Also, the new Mustang's seem to be rather... well... expensive to be honest. Booking at over $25k brand new, they're closing in on territory occupied by cars with somewhat less straight line performance, but arguably much better quality and comfort.

My critera... Blue, the car absolutely has to be blue. No exceptions. Decent fuel economy, reliable (or at least free from major reliability issues), under $15k, would prefer low mileage 30k or less, fun to drive, manual transmission. A lot for a little? Perhaps, though most things are flexible. No Honda or Toyota products. I need the car to have some sort of soul for cripes sake. No GM or Chrysler products either (remember that reliability issue I brought up?)

The fox body 5.0GT would be on my shopping list, but this is the kind of stuff you deal with

Ebay GT

The fender is rusted, the quarter panel is likely rusted through, the hatch is rusted (probably toast), the interior is stained, and the front seat lumbar looks to be broken, it's not emissions legal (no cats), the whole engine bay is dirty, the AC doesn't work, the owner doesn't know what gears are in it (thinks 3.73s.....) the brakes are shot, the tires look bad, the paint is peeled from the bumper covers, the tint is shot, the paint is mismatched/faded and the buy it now is $4k. It says 82k miles... unlikely, but I suppose possible. Anyway, it's a piece of shit.

So what am I truly left with that fits into my categories (the fox is just a love thing)

Audi A4
BMW 3 Series
Ford Mustang Cobra 99, 01 possibly 98 Atlantic Blue
Ford Mustang Mach 1
Hyundai Tiburon 03+
Jaguar XK8 (yes yes, I know meets like 0 critera.. but can't help myself)
Mazda3
Mazda6
Mercury Cougar 99-02 (yes they have a lot of "little" issues)
Subaru 2.5RS
Volkswagen Jetta
Volvo S40

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

When I buy a car, my criteria will be the following...

-<$30k
-NEW! I don't care about how much value I lose when I drive it off the lot...it's gonna be brand spanking new.
-fun factor (manual tranny, decent power)
-practicality (space, comfort, gas mileage, reliability, FWD or AWD only)
-styling (nothing girly)
-No GM, Chrysler, or Toyota

I would like to have a new Mustang GT, but I would never buy one because it wouldn't be practical for me. Cars that I've found so far that meet or come close to meeting my criteria are...

Audi A4
BMW 325i Sedan
Mercury Milan
Volkswagen Passat
Infiniti G35 Sedan
Acura TSX
Subaru Legacy

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

The new Subaru Legacy GT seems to have the potential of being a very neat car, and the new Impreza is a HUGE step up in styling from the freakishly ugly previous gen.

If you're going A4, I seriously recommend staying away from the 1.8 4 cylinder as it has a horrific reputation for failure. In regard to economy, the TDI Passat and Jetta get insane fuel economy, like 45-50mpg on the freeway, and they have a lot more power than what you might expect.

I know what you're saying about having a brand new car. It's exciting and it makes the car more special when you're the original owner. I'm just not up for the big payments these days, lol.

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May I suggest another motorcycle? I think you should drive the Explorer in bad weather and jump on a bike for the nice weather... just my opinion. May I suggest a Harley Davidson? I've ridden some nice bikes but when I got on a Harley my whole perception changed. I think you would really enjoy riding a Harley. I rented one and had to have one, I love it.

As far as the new mustangs, I haven't really taken to them. I've seen some nice ones but none that I really want to own, personally. I like my 04 Mach much better, but then I loved the look of the 99s when they came out. I thought about selling my Mach and told a guy at work I would take no less than $20k for it, its black and I just turned 12k miles on it. I was going to put it up for sale when I got home from vacation but... I just got home a few hours ago and opened the garage and..... I don't know if I really want to sell it. The checkboard floor reflecting off the black paint looks just too smooth. The car is absolutely beautiful. Whats it worth Kell? I know if I advertise it for $20k firm it will sell but....

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

I already have 2 motorcycles, and one of which I'm going to let my little sister ride (FZR 600). I'm not all that interested in the Harleys. I'm more than comfortable on my YZF 600, and the bikes I have I picked up for cheap. Hard to find a nice Harley for a good deal these days.

It's seriously tough to say, but I think you might have a hard time getting $20k for it. Private party wise, I've seen quite a few going for a lot cheaper than that. This is the time of year to put it out there and feel for bites though.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

I wasn't really interested in Harley's either, remember I was riding a 98 VFR. I rented a Dyna Wide Glide when I went to Phoenix and I got home and couldn't ride the Honda anymore, seemed odd. Don't write off Harley before you spend a couple days in the saddle. I wish I had gotten one 15yrs ago.

Hmm.. where have you been seeing the Machs so inexpensive? The cheapest one I've seen is this one http://adcache.collectorcartraderonl...4/82776824.htm
and its an 03 with 121k miles. Mine has 12,200 miles and is an 04, I really don't think I'd have it for long if I advertised it for $20k firm. I figured you'd have a strong grip on the price of one as its one of only 2 mustangs you'd consider. Where have you seen private sellers selling them?

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I'll keep buying these 35th anniversary edition Mustangs...I'll probably die in one of those things.

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Last Autumn on Ebay they were selling for $14-15k regularly.

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I lova all cars. My last one was a 98 Formula (full bolt on ).I now own two Mustangs, my 03 Cobra and a 85 lx conv.(V6). My next car will probably be a C5 Z06.

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I would like to say that I would buy a new mustang if it was financially feasible, but, I have yet to drive one. I have driven a 98 BMW 323IS, and it was about the best driving experience I have ever had. It wasnt fast, quick, but, not fast. But, it was the smoothest car I have ever had the pleasure of putting my hind end in, and the least interior noise of any. I would only think they they have improved on quality, and not taken a step backwards. that being said, I would love to have a new BMW. Preferably a 5 series, but, a 3 series would suffice, as long as it was on the upper end of the 3 series.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

I've never bought a new car... I just never saw the value in it.

As far as the Harleys... wait a couple years, the factories are cranking out 400k+ bikes a year, and boomers (Harley's biggest constituency) are trading in bikes for hips. The pricing at the dealerships are now around the MSRP, as they can no longer get premium pricing... So my take is that in 5 years or so, used Harleys will depreciate substantially, and provide additional pricing pressures on new bikes. In the past, Harleys were in short supply, and used bikes were even capturing a premium to new bikes MSRPs... That is not the case anymore.

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I am trying to compile all of the cars I thought were cool over the years.

In the last year and a half I bought.

95' AWD turbo talon
90' 300xz

Next on my list is a Grand national or an SVO mustang.

I also have my 1990 coupe and a 1997 Z71 Tahoe.

Hell I would buy something else but I am running out of parking space.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

I LOVE my 06 GT. This is the first full mustang I've owned. I've always loved the 289's and have had a couple of the engines laying around (okay, 4) over the years with the intention of stabbing them into various projects (my Jeep, a cobra replicar...etc...) but never did anything much with them. By the time I built the motor, I could never afford the project, and so always sold the motors.

Anyway, as much as I love my GT, my other main ride is hard to top - 1999 Dodge Dakota 5.9 R/T CC. There's a lot of interior comfy reasons I like a lot of Dodges. My point, I'm almost wishing I'd held onto my downpayment money for my GT a few more years, because the Dodge Challenger concept looks like a killer. If they put it into production with the 425HP 6.1 Hemi that they're dropping in the SRT's, then I will have been premature in realizing my dream of driving a hot ride right off the show room floor.

The technology invested in the Mustang is what sold me on it...
but that Challenger looks like it's carrying a lot of balls...

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

I love all mustangs and always will. I have enough money to buy a 05 Gt but it just isn't practical right now with two small kids. I am a big ford fan. I like to have mainly fords. I would buy a mercury, linclon, land rover, mazda, astin martin (yeah right I wish) because they are ford products also.

I have to find something with 4 doors that I like. I saw that the fusion and the mazda 6 where pretty close to the same so I looked at those. The mazdaspeed 6 is 270HP AWD so where the hell is the fusion version. I sure would like to see that. The only negative thing was it runs on 93 really hard to find in CA. So it looks like an f-250 crew cab 4x4 desiel to me. I love them big ford trucks too.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

I don't know how much i like the new '05+ mustangs but anything based off of fox body is my favorite. I'll always own or work toward owning a mustang whether it's newer or an older car. I don't believe i'll ever own a "new" or a few years new mustang because of the cost and more importantly the depreciation. I plan on driving my cobra daily until it becomes unreliable or it physically falls apart on itself (may be awhile since i just hit 78,000). I love driving my cobra, it's everything i ever wanted in a daily driver - the only thing i see knocking this thing off the road is engine failure since the DOHC engines are ridiculously expensive.

Anyway, i have loyalty towards mustangs whether or not they are reliable because i love their peculiarities and styling.

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You should have jumped on that.. a car less than 2 yrs old with only about 12-13k made in 2 years that's priced 50% lower than new? You should have bought it. I've never seen one price that low, the ones I've seen were in the mid 20s. I wouldn't take less than $20k for mine.

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Right now, an F250 with 6.0 diesel is very appealling to me. I figure that truck/motor would last a very long time and would tow whatever boat or trailer I decided to buy. My Avalanche tows my new toyhauler ok but an F250 would be better.

As far as cars I'd like to have; 68 Cougar, 87 Grand National, C5 vette, 2004 Cobra vert, 89-90 XR7 with 5 speed.. Hmm.. not a foreign car on the list.. well, maybe a Toyota Supra turbo model. Ahh.. 500sl would have to be on that list. Any of these cars would have to be black in color.

Never really liked BMWs but I saw an ad on tv that said they would do all the maintenance for the first 4 yrs, I can see where that would be appealling. Nothing but payments and insurance, nice.

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20/20 Hindsight. The truth be told, I live in Minnesota so I probably wouldn't have put more than a few miles on it so far. Add in the auto loan, and the insane amount more that I'd have to spend on insurance, and I'm not necessarily all that enthusiastic even now about making such a purchase.

There's a 2004 with 13,500 miles for under $16k with 5 hrs remaining on ebay right now. Reserve isn't met, and the car will probably jump quite a bit yet. Still, they were a dime a dozen last Autumn, and I saw dozens selling or not meeting reserve for around 15k.

Looks like springtime has brought an increase in price.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Well, I just bought my "next" car and it's an 06 Mustang GT. After driving the Contour for 2 years, I realized how much I missed having a Mustang. Although I haven't got to drive the 06 much yet (I'm working out of town right now), I love it so far. I loved my old fox and there will always be something about those that I love, but the 06 is light years ahead of the fox in terms of build quality and "refinement". Granted, it's not an Acura or Infiniti, but Ford is really making great strides with their latest line up.

And yes, the price tag can get just a touch out of range on the GT's, but I got mine on X plan and don't regret it at all. This summer I'll probably start throwing some basic modifcations at it, which should only make me smile more :D

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

What color did you get?
I went with RedFire... Love it! :)

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

I went with black, although I almost ordered the Redfire. I'll attach a couple shots here.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Unit, the insurance is high on this Mach. If I had known the insurance would be this high I wouldn't have bought it. I had to call the insurance man and make sure he had the right car and my right age on the policy. He said it was a high risk high theft car. My Cobra vert didn't cost this much to insure and my Avalanche cost almost exactly half to insure, it's unreal. Still, I'd rather have this car than a 93 cobra.

Heth, congrats on the new car. Very Nice! Its the right color too:D Are those the stock wheels?

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i know i can go out side right now and my mustang will start and drive.

it has not been started for two weeks.

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Actually, if I could get my hands on a 1998 Lamborghini Diablo I would. It would'nt sit in the garage though, I'd drive it until it fell apart like wet cheese. I think people confuse themselves when they buy those things and treat them like real estate...Its a C-A-R!!!

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What kind of problems did u have with your 02?

I used to have a mazda, it was cheap, fun to drive and reliable. I would recommend one.

I stay away from mustangs now because I only want the GT or better, and I dont like to pay an insurance premium for that.

I just bought a full size truck. v8 power, 330 HP, 380 ft. lbs. of tq, (nissan underates them at 305). all thje practicality you could want (get the extended cab or crew cab) and cheap insurance. Only negative is it sucks down gas pretty bad.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Power window unit failure
Random no-start (no starter engagement unless I slapped the shifter hard left to right while in neutral)
Random chugging and smoking at start up
Mach 460 6-disc failure
3rd gear syncro failure at 17k

That's what comes to mind off the top of my head.

Yeah, I'm looking at the 01ish Pathfinder right now.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Pathfinder is solid. The Titan has had considerable problems, some chalked up to being a all new model, and doesnt compare to the build quality of other nissans.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

I've owned several brands of cars. But have only bought Fords since the mid 90's and honestly have had no real problems like other people with Fords...and I've bought 3 of them brand new.

After looking at the 05 GT's engine compartment, I can honestly say that it looks like it would be an easy car to work on, and that is something that I haven't said since Ford quit making the fox bodies.

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Ive owned 5 fords, all used, and never had problems with any of them outside of normal wear and tear. I dont understand how fords gets such a bad reputation to begin with?

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Depends completely on the vehicle and drivetrain you choose. Ford has some SERIOUS quality control issues on a lot of their vehicles/options.

3.8L V-6 head gasket problem, 5.4L was taking out crankshafts, 3.4L V-8 was blowing up left and right because of camshaft failures (so badly that a class action lawsuit has been filed), the A4LD and AOD automatic transmissions were spotty, the 4.6L plastic intake manifold issues, it goes on and on and on.

If you get the right vehicles i.e. 5.0L Mustang, you might not notice so many problems, but all it takes is a few high profile issues, and public opinion is formed.

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EVERY manufacture has had "issues" and can be picked apart by targeting every problem they have had.

I think it has more to do with american car bashing in general. Most people who hate fords never even owned one. Reminds me of the guys I used to work with who LOVED chevys, yet none of them owned one? I found that interesting.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

My parents had there sorted past with Ford and Chevy..Thing is 30 or 40 years ago economy cars were more high-maintanance than they are today, and a little complaint about "my torque converter blew on me" goes a long way...eventually it turns into "Stay away from the Ford Windstar, their torque converters stink"..I don't know, maybe. But if you ask me cars were a lot safer years ago because they did'nt entice the driver to speed and drive recklessly. I can't stand seeing Chevy make Impala's with 300 horsepower engines and transmissions that BURST into gear with a breath of the accelerator. Just like the Allstate commercial, you can make a car as safe as possible by thinking of every kind of accident but bad drivers are BAD DRIVERS. I saw one of those new Nissan Maximas' on the way home from work today and of course this KID rockets past me thinking I'll be impressed and nearly slams into a car down the road that was DOING the speed limit. I really think that car companies should either stop supercharging economy cars or raise the price so not too many people can afford them...

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Sure, every automaker has issues, but the numbers don't lie. If you question whether or not Ford is as good as the Asian manufacturers, I suggest you visit

www.consumerreview.com

All consumers, random comments about their vehicles and other products. I can tell you right now, the number of times that I see major repair problems occur is far higher on the domestics.

I had my head in the sand for a long time, but knowing a few people, including family members that with foreign cars sure opened my eyes. The whole "I haven't done anything other than scheduled maintanence and my car has 150k on it" quote isn't uncommon. My Mustang 5.0s have been good to me (the 02 was a piece of shit), but I could never lay claim to 150k with no part replacement. The water pumps went out at 100k and 130k between the two of them, transmissions failed, air pumps seized, etc. Now, I knew the transmissions were weak from the factory, and I didn't expect to get 200k on them, but that doesn't make it okay for many average consumers. They DO expect to get 200k on that transmission.

If you don't want to see it, like I didn't want to see it, you can continue to find ways to believe that the big 3 put out class leading quality vehicles.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Wow, u totally took my comments out of context. Lol....are you imagining things in your head?

I never once said the big 3 were as good as the asians, so why u putting words in my mouth is something i would like to know?

I said they all have had problems, and to say ford had "blah, blah, blah......" wrong with it is stupid, because the same could be done for any manufacture.

Ive personally have had Fords with 110K miles withut any problems at all. And I think they make a better product than GM and Chrysler, and I am surprised to see the amount of Ford bashing that i do because I have had good luck with them.

Try reading more carefluuy and not putting words into peoples mouths.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

it is surprising to see all the ford and mustang bashing for that matter on a mustang website. my f-150 has over 150k and i have never had a replacement part. My dad has had many fords go well into the 250k range. I have had very good luck with them. Sure maybe the so-called asian cars (most of them being built in america not sure they can be called asian cars anymore) are built better, but i could care less. There will always be a big ford truck (which asian manufactures can't even come close) in my driveway and a mustang in the garage until the day I die.

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The good thing is modular engine and transmission swaps for these Mustangs are easy these days..No more remanufactured crate engines that you need to rebuild the car around. And the build-up from the engine block is pretty straight foward, as is the way the drivetrain, suspension and steering are set up..The parts and tools are so readily available that you could keep rebuilding the car year after year and still wind up getting a big chunk back when you sell it. The Acura 3.2 TL for example would be different, these engines are like pods with minds of their own..I dont think I could ever again own a car that I could not even attempt to maintain myself...And I never see people leasing performance Mustangs.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

what in the hell are u talking about? Engines, computers, nuts, bolts, detroit, asia, its all the same.

So you can tear down a 4.6 ford with your eyes closed but your afraid to touch an acura 3.2? Doesnt make a whole lot of sense.

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I'll use small words this time...Foreign economy cars are easier to maintain...I'm sorry, take-care-of than a lot of foreign builds..Engine and drivetrain-wise anyway.
I don't know why I even replied to that.

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Sorry about that, Mach. Sometimes people are a little hard to read over the internet. To clairify, Ford's got a bad quality reputation because they are not as good as the Asian auto manufacturers, which is in all honesty, probably a glass half-empty view on things. I would say that Ford builds mostly good cars, but when you're comparing them to exceptionally built cars, you tend to overlook the strides that the domestics have made in terms of quality overall. It doesn't help that the Asian manufacturers have pretty much nailed quality issues down (there will always be some) but they are now targetting European cars for engineering and driving experience. Moving targets are hard to catch :) If I took stuff out of context, it was unintentional.

69fastback, I'm not really Ford bashing as I am Ford worrying. I like the domestics, and I'm a patriot in my belief that nobody does it better than what we can do in the US. It may be false logic, but a little pride never killed anybody, unless you're talking about the 7 deadly sins, lol. Anwyay, I think it's important for customers of the big 3 to make sure their manufacturer of choice knows what's on the consumers mind so they can build the car we want.

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Unit 5302 I totaly agree with your last statement. There is defenitly some worrying to do. Some changes need to be made or the big 3 will be Toyota, Honda and Hyundia or something along those lines. I am just one of those guys that will always bleed ford blue and hope they will be around for a long time.

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FORD ONLY IN MY BOOK!!

Ive tried other cars honda civic, toyota camry, chysler products(cj5-7, spirit, pontiac sunterd, chevy cavalier, bmw 318i, vw jetta, and I'll kill myself before I would even think buying anything but FORD.

The best running and long lastng car I've had Is 89' GR. MARQUIS I got 429,978 miles out of it and still had the original drivetrain in it. Never had any problems other than normal maintaince issues.

Hell I got 215K out of my 87' stang lx 5.0 before I totalled it. (big tree at 110 mph)

I have had at least 6 mustangs since Ive been driving

The #1 car if I had to money (150k +) ford GT and drive until it died.
74-78 mustang II cobra w/600+hp I will eventually get and been looking for.
If you are looking for a minivan buy a FREESTAR we got 74k no problem what so ever. Paid for extended warranty and never got to use it-waste of money.

FORD ONLY HERE

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Yes, they do have better build quality over all, but they have more problems than you might think.

Take the new Titan for example, its rated very poorly in quliaty studies and has had many problems. Nissan brought in 200 engineers to the new plant in Mississippi because they qaulity was terrible, They have improved, but still have issues.

I would find it hard to say the Ford F-150 isnt a superior truck to the Nissan. The Nissan does have a lot going for it, but over all quality might still go to ford on this one.

I dont think the diffeences are as great as you make them out to be. Yes, the imports have the edge, but domestics are decent overall, well, unless its a GM....lol.

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Hey mach 1

Isnt the titan sort of based off the f150 (new one of course) they sort of look the same in out pretty much but the engine I know is different. With me if I had to choose of honda or nissan I would go Nissan. My Mom started with a datsun 240 in the 70's and went to the 300zx tt and now has the g35 coupe. My opinion is that ford is #1 but if I couldnt have it I would probably take nissan over all other cars out there. Especially GM junk!!!!!!!

ross

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Well, they are similar in size, but not based off one or the other. The F-150 is the big dog on the block, and what all the other full size truck makers are gunning for to take a piece of the huge sales volume of these vehicles.

The Titan has a better engine/transmission, but has rear end differential failures and some other issues that nissan is trying to improve on, like the brakes. It had bad brakes the first year and a half of production, but they eventually fixed the problem. Took longer than some would have liked.

Theres nothing wrong with Hondas, they will probably edge out Nissan and most others in overall quality and reliability, but they are boring, ugly and no fun to drive.

Pick your poisen....

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Now which one boring, ugly and no fun Nissan or honda

Because when I sold Nissan's it was smoking the tires off the maxs, alts 3.5 version, spec-v 6spds just to have fun the maxs and alts I could burn them through 2nd and spec-v burn through 2nd and chip 3rd and 4th.

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I'm always amused when lack of traction is confused with good performance.

Rev

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I meant the honda was boring and ugly. Nissan has a more appealing, sporty design and better performace than the honda for the most part.

And yes, being able to smoke the tires on a stock car these days does mean it had good performance

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Wasn't really meaning to respond to the "boring/ugly" assessment. I was thinking more about the smoking the tires through 1st, 2nd, chirping 3rd, 4th comment. A car would be lucky to run 15's with that kind of tire spin from what I've seen over the years.

Rev

Re: Mustang Loyalty
 

Its all relevant. If a new car that runs 15's can break the tires loose, its not bad compared to the majority of 18 second grocery getters.

I dont think he was comparing them to 12-13 second cars with aftermarket mods.

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Truckworld is a different story. The Toyota Tundra is an F-150 copied as much as possible while avoiding lawsuits (like the one Ford filed after Toyota announced their plans to name their truck the T-150).

The foreign guys do seem to have quality issues in the trucks for some reason. I suppose it might be a size/weight thing. Look at all the trouble Subaru had with the SVX after producing a lot of solid smaller cars. The SVX's transmission just couldn't deal with the heat produced from the bigger engine, heavier weight and taller gearing.