dkersten

I like the gears, but I made the mistake of getting the Motive gears from Brenspeed. They are not very good quality and already a little noisy.. Not excessive, just not that quiet.. I did get on them a couple times before breaking them in very well, so its partially my fault, but at the same time I have read so many people having noise with the Motive brand gears.. if I were to do it again I would do Ford Racing.. I don't question the mechanic at all, I trust his work 100%. Next spring I might just replace the guts with a better differential anyway, so no big deal..

Orion_240

Does anyone find it strange that so many people are so concerned about the price of the car!
Like they are so afraid of getting ripped off! They want the absolute low Blue Book price when buying.

But then they go and throw $5,000+ in mods on the Mustang!

dkersten

I don't find it strange at all.. its human nature. It is very ironic though. What I find strange is that someone on the east coast gets a good deal, tells people on the west coast or midwest about it and the people in those other areas expect the same deal, and are not happy if they don't get it. It's like someone walks into Costco, sees a TV they like for a price, then goes to the high end electronics store where they service their customers very well, and expect the same price. Its not always the product alone that you are paying for. Half the time, the lower price will cost you more in the end.
The biggest irony of your statement is that the $5,000 in mods have little to no resale value to most consumers. In the used car business, the extras just help sell the car, they don't add dollar value. A dealer will give you the same OR LESS for your modded car than for a bone stock one. You throw your money away when customizing a vehicle. Anybody that has restored an old car can tell you that if you want a classic car buy one that is already restored.. If you pay $20k for a classic resto-mod mustang then the previous owner probably put $30k into it. Furthermore if that is a classic "fully restored all numbers match perfect example of how it came from the factory" it is probably worth more than the resto-mod. It usually gets worse the newer the car.

9million

Of course! Winter is the best time to buy a Stang. Moreover, the 2010 GT specs will be out & most people will be dumping their S197's. Everyones gonna want the 5.0! You may have to wait a little longer to let the new specs soak into everyone.

JimsGT

Wow,2008 GT prices are not that cheap near me, check 'em out:

http://www.fetteford.com/mustang/index.cfm

illin

Sorry...this is contrary to retail prices as of today. I wanted to look just to see if something had changed in the last month....but it hasnt.

Carmax has 20 2006 GT's loaded (leather ABS etc) for less than $19K...NOT $22K. Our two closest branches had 6 or 7 locally...the rest they will ship to you for $3-400. We almost went with them...but found the Pony I wanted locally and went new as the new deals were killer too.

New 08 GTs loaded were $23K +/- a grand depending on options. I decided to go new as I will be keeping this vehicle forever and I wanted to know where every mile came from.

As for buying cheap vs. service...well that is the great thing about the US. We have a choice. I personally know what I want to buy and do not need to be sold anything. Generally, I know 10x about the subject at hand compare with the "salesman". Carmax is our Costco/Sam's for cars...and they provide a great service. Zero bull...you walk in and walk out with a car in 30 minutes. I dont ask them questions...and they dont charge me extra. I have bought both new and used cars from them and highly recommend them to all.

Some like service...and they can pay a premium for that.

On topic, my wife wanted to test the Mustang. The salesman made it a point to point out the ABS (as if we have lived in a cave since 1984). He proceeded to tell her how special "optical" sensors evaluated the road conditions and adjusted braking performance to suit conditions. Even my wife knew he was making stuff up as he went along.

He also didn't know that the car had a 4.0. When he found out it was a 4.0, he informed me it was a brand new motor developed especially for the Mustang. It started to get fun to just ask him questions and let him stumble...

I was buying the car...this was just entertainment for the drive. He sealed the story by telling us his fondest memory was riding in his grandpa's 1961 Mustang...more smiles all around.

Why does that tool need $500-700 of my money?

I honestly believe that informed and financially sound buyers have good options and can get cars at a dramatically lower cost. Trading or financing a car through a dealer puts one at a significant disadvantage...significant may be an understatement. Ironically, dealers dont like to deal with "cash" buyers anymore as there is little money to be made. Dealers make money of B credit and below buyers that are upside down on trades...that is their cash cow. Folks that are payment shopping are the creme de le creme!

All that being said, I finally took my old mans advice and broke the debt cycle and actually own my cars (and life) now. Once you break the cycle once, you are out and never have to get back in. Saving a bit each month is easy and when it comes time to buy...walk in, write a check and drive home. Maybe he knew more than I gave him credit for afterall.

It also makes one lest apt to care what the car value is if it is paid off. Who cares?

I said this before...but it is worth repeating. Debt is the Man stepping on your neck and squeezing the life out of you.

To the OP...find you a couple cars you really like..and then find those cars on Carmax with the same options. See if you can get the price to within $3-500...if you can, you are getting a good deal. Rock on and enjoy your ride!

red454

Illin - you speak with much wisdom - avoid debt. You can't do yourself (or your family) a bigger favor.

My 05 was my first and only new car. Saved my dollars and paid cash. I got the bug and had to have it, and ended up (long boring story) paying about 3K more than I should have. But that was my fault.

I have no plans on selling it, so as Illin said, I could care less what it is worth. And after seeing all the extra insurance cost, taxes, depreciation, etc., I doubt I will ever buy a new car again. But I had to do it just once. Now having said all that, I don't regret it either as I get a tremendous amount of pleasure from the car and will for years to come. Not sure how to put a price on that...

Have fun and live with your means. But don't go into debt for a toy.

Riptide

I'm paying mine off as fast as I can. I absolutely hate car payments. Haven't had one in 10 years until now.

05Retro

The one thing you might want to consider is when looking for a used Mustang ones that have body side mouldings were most likely in a rental fleet. You don't know how many different people drove it and probably at least half of them beat the sh_t out of it. Also as Illin said most salesman today don't know anything about the cars they are selling.