Hello, all.

As a Ford devotee and present Flex, MKS, and Transit Connect owner, I've decided that adding Mustang during 2010 is going to happen, especially given all the terrific developments for the 2011 model year and that choosing Mustang no longer requires making an obvious compromise for the sake of devotion to a particular brand or model.

I've followed Mustang for quite a while and am relatively well-versed in the current product for a non-owner. As the decision time draws near and I begin to choose among all of the available combinations and possibilities, I really need to enlist the help and collective knowledge and experience of actual owners and would appreciate any helpful guidance.

I'm fortunate in that my decision is not limited by price; and my budget can stretch to accommodate the Shelby Convertible. What I need to ensure is that I'm making the best vehicle choice for myself and am a firm believer that "bigger" or "more" is not necessarily "better". (If it were, it'd be a matter of just ticking all the boxes and saying, "Order it!') I also understand that Mustang, as a product range, can result in a variety of very different outcomes which, despite being vastly different, can be equally ideal depending upon the purpose it's intended to serve. I would intend to keep this vehicle for a very long time; and given that CAFE standards aren't all that far off, I'd like my 2010/2011 vehicle to still be enjoyable in 2020/2021.

The many refinements to come, not the least of which include the 100hp boost and other nominal improvements, make 2011 so much more attractive. However, because of the size of the remaining 2010 inventory and the incentives Ford has begun lavishing upon them, a 2010 V6 may not be terribly awe inspiring, but it becomes one hell of a value. To the other extreme, despite being a less-than-ideal daily driver, the Shelby GT is a simply intoxicating brute force weapon that seems to be going from terrific to even-better.

The 2010 GT also becomes a reasonable proposition from the perspective that it will essentially deliver 2011 V6-ish performance wrapped in a much nicer set of available options. The fact that Ford has made vastly-different yet entirely plausible choices among both model years with such radically different performance specifications is a testament to Ford's marketing folks getting their act together.

Although I intend to store the vehicle during winter months, I would otherwise like it to be a comfortable daily driver and weekend getaway vehicle that makes leaving behind work week much easier and my wife could also enjoy (occasionally). In the same breath, performance and handling aren't altogether unimportant either, so as I begin to weight certain considerations like transmission type versus power trade-off and limited axle ratios, body type versus rigidity and handling and Shelby prowess versus general comfort and practicality, the many "paper" choices become very real.

I'm also certainly more than willing to invest to create the best possible outcome like supercharging and retrofitting the GT with the Power Upgrade Kit as a compromised alternative to the Shelby's power, adding the Handling Pack to the convertible rather than defaulting to a coupe or glass roof or any of the many other combinations of base vehicles and OEM performance-enhancing accessories that might help me strike the best balance of performance, comfort, and practicality. About the only "absolutes" I have are that I will be buying a Mustang and anything intended to be stuck-on to the car for the purpose of looking like it's meant to be doing something it doesn't actually do won't be allowed within 50 feet.

With the understanding that hands-on analysis of the 2011 vehicles is pretty-much limited to the anecdotal reports of a handful of reviewers granted access to preproduction vehicles and I may have to base some presumptions based upon the 2010 vehicles, I'd like to begin by asking for input about the following specific items and would greatly appreciate any useful advice or insight.

• How much rigidity is lost with for the sake of the convertible?
  
• How much additional rigidity does the Handling Pack deliver for both the coupe and convertible (and would a Handling Pack-equipped convertible handle reasonably as well as a factory GT coupe?)
  
• How much does the Handling Pack impact overall ride comfort?
  
• How much of a noticeable performance benefit do the higher axle ratios deliver versus the standard ratio?
  
• How much of a practical power/performance compromise does an automatic transmission impose (beyond the basic ability to manually control gear selection)?
  
• Can the Power Upgrade package be fitted to vehicles with automatic transmissions? Does the additional power and torque it delivers make an appreciable difference throughout a significant span of the RPM range?
  

These are but a handful of the dozens of issues I will need to reconcile over the next few weeks, but they will at least give me some reasonable presumptions upon which I can begin to consider other matters further.

Thanks in advance to all who may have helpful insight to share.

 

Welcome to the MF!!!