ORIGINAL: 2000iav6

Thunder, with all due respect because you know I give it, but DON'T ride in an '05 GT unless you're prepared to throw rocks at your '03. Maybe you won't. I'm just saying be prepped. [sm=boohoo.gif]
I drove, back-to-back, an '04 GT with 200 miles on it and then an '05 GT with 350 miles on it and it was apples and oranges, man. Now, with the mods you have made, yours would probably be faster than an '05, tit for tat. [sm=smiley20.gif] But this '05 was WAAAAAAY faster than the stock '04, had a 6-speed, Shaker 1000 system, etc. [sm=loveeyes.gif] The killer factor was the way the 05 felt. No comparison. The ergonomics of the 05 compared to the 04 made the biggest difference. In our generation, it feels to me like everything is far away: I am 6'1", and I feel like I need to reach for everything - radio, A/C, fan controls yada yada yada, because I need the seat so far back because I'm tall. Not so in the 05. Feels like a cockpit...very snug. The seats are so much more comfortable, lots of leg room, controls are fingertip easy to reach, you feel like you're sitting lower in the car, and the ride is maybe not day and night better, but dawn and noon. To say absolutely NOTHING of the gauge display. Oofdah! The 05's is A LOT better. [sm=trust_me.gif]Steering is more responsive, the handling is better, and the "feel" for the road is much more prevalent. The car lets you know better where you stand with your pavement relations. Now they wanted to deal like a mo fo on the 04, and wouldn't give an inch on the 05. Payments were like $425 on the 04 and close to $600 on the 05 despite havin similar stickers. Makes a difference, but there is no way I would buy the 04 new. I'd wait until I can afford an 05. I would buy a Cobra if I could, though.[sm=tongue.gif]