I personally have ruled out buying a Mustang even as I look at other cars in its class, because of the cheap-looking interior. If it cost $1000 more but didn't have that issue, I would still be considering it.

I dunno, I think just about everything in the price range has about the same interior quality. And I'm not convinced there are any other cars in its class (GT.)

Other than that, I think you nailed it on quality/reliability, Wombat. Shoot me a PM if you might still consider a Mustang and want some opinion.

I may be speaking loosely when I refer to other cars in the Mustang's class. I'm thinking in terms of, for instance, the Nissan 350Z. I take it you have one? The V8? How do you like it?

I don't consider the 350 in the same class as the Mustang, it's at least $7K more expensive, it is a 2 seat roadster and it handles better than a Mustang. HP numbers are equivalent for the respective weights of the cars, but the torque of the Mustang gives it an edge from the line or from a roll.

I've been driving Mustangs for 25 years, and the new Mustang is incredible, and I'm not even talking about the power. It's a beautiful car, but you know that. It's fairly routine to get out of the car and have someone (member of the opposite sex) approach me to tell me how nice it looks. When I test drove it, I couldn't believe I was actually driving an american car, much less a Mustang. The Tremec 3650 is flawless, and the ride is super-tight. I don't mean american car tight, I mean german car tight. And although I mentioned that the 350 will outhandle it, it's really just a matter of mass. You should test drive one, seriously.

A few other tidbits... The front suspension is straight off the new Jaguar. The advertised 300 HP is intentionally low, it's really about 320 (Ford got baked in a lawsuit over the numbers on the 1999 Cobra, and they are more careful these days.) Nowhere on the car (other than inside the doorsill) can you find badging that says "Mustang" or "Ford," it would be superfluous... everyone knows exactly what it is...