ljj116

I'll try to keep this short and to the point. I've recently been enlightened to the awesomeness that is the Mustang GT Premium. I'm going to be buying a new car within the next few months, and the Mustang GT Premium is my #1 choice as of today. I was hoping you guru's could help me with some basic questions, since I've not explored the mustangs in the past. See the questions below.

Auto vs. Manual - I'd love to have a manual, but I live near DC and the traffic is often terrible. There is nothing worse than feathering a clutch in stop-and-go traffic. Do you think I'm crazy for even considering getting this car in an automatic? How are the auto trans in the mustangs? I'd think with a 5 speed auto, it wouldn't be too bad, other than a bit of shift lag.

Must-Have Options - Other than what is already standard on the GT Premium, is there any option that I simply must-have? Anything that you are kicking yourself for not getting when you got yours?

Stripes - I'm not going to start another "What color stripe should I get" conversation, but I'm looking for clarification on what the factory "racing stripe" option is. Are these the stripes up over the hood straight down the center of the vehicle? Or are these the stripes along the bottom of the door? Or both? Are the stripes over the top only available on the shelby's?

Invoice pricing - I know where I can find what invoice pricing is, but do I stand a chance of getting invoice pricing at a dealer on an '08?

Lease info - I've seen on cars.com that the '08 GT premium is expected to have a 3 year residual of 60% (Amazing!), is ford writing leases using this residual? What residual is ford offering for 3 years 36000 miles? What money factor is associated with that same lease?

Thanks in advance!
Luke

jbs07stang

I would recommend test driving both automatic and manual to help with that decision. I have an auto and I love it. You can see the mods in my sig. With these mods the auto is great.

MexGT

Either manual or atomatic, your #1 MUST HAVE will be a whipple or Kenne Bell

vack75

The Factory Stripe Option does not go all the way to the ground (Full Wrap) It will stop at the top of the trun and edge of the hood. I have an 07 Preimium and the only option I wish I had gotten was a 3.73 gear if I could have, I think in 08 you can get that if you order one, and the Sirius Radio, as all the radio stations where I live suck pretty badly. Also I test drove an automatic in late 06 when they had the 0 percent financing on the mustangs. It ran pretty good, I liked it, but I opted to wait till 07 for a stick. Why? Well just the way I think about muscle cars I guess. Does it suck in Traffic, yeah I guess, but then you realize what your driving and just how great of a car it is, you really don't mind at all.

birdoffire7

I have the manual and test drove the auto version of the GT. Big difference in feel, but I understand about the DC traffic concern. Last time I was through DC with my 'stang I was stuck getting off of the 495 outerloop on to 66 west for an hour and felt like I was dancing in the car with the clutch work. That could get old real quick and was thinking that night if I lived there I may have thought twice about having the manual. If you go auto, get the tune and CAI.

No, I have most of them. I really wanted the Sirius and heated seats (so did the wifey).

The rocker panel stripes, or the stripes along the bottom of the door, are not available on the GT unless something changed last time I checed. The racing stripe goes on the hood and over the top, but IMO many of the aftermarket stripes look much better.

Good luck!

Have no diea. Don't like leasing cars, I always buy.

You're welcome! Welcome to MF! Post some pics when you get your pony.

rmays06

Pricing, go to blue oval forums and get an Xplan pin code before you buy, having that in hand will allow you to get the best price possible.
The lease vs. buy is on you, the residual is great but ask yourself do you plan on modding the car or not?
Don't worry about the whipple or kenne bell Supercharger as mentioned as above until you get comfortable. Its great but enjoy the car stock before you go adding that power.
Test drive the stick/auto, either way its still a mustang.
Oh and luke welcome to the forum and enjoy the Mustang.

Argonaut

Regards what I wish I'd done differently: 1) I wish I would have gotten base rims. I got upgrades and then later ended up buying a set of deep-dish bullits. 2) gears - I paid extra for the 3.55 rear end and then ended up putting in 4.10 gears.
I got the interior upgrade package with shaker 500 w/siriusand am satisfied with that one.

Regards auto vs manual: having suffered thru DC traffic on more than one occasion, wishing I had an automatic...it would be a very tough decision. I would hate to do that daily and then dealing with a manual, man, I might have to go with the auto. It will still rock. You can get an aftermarket tune that changes your shift points also to make it a little more lively.

Hope you get the mustang. There are few other cars that enjoy the aftermarket support and friendly, well organized clubs, forums, get together's, etc. Its a way of life. I live in Harrisburgh by the way, just up the road from you.

Diabolical!

I got a manual, but if I lived in DC, I'd have gotten an auto for sure.
As for options, the fewer the better in my opinion. I actually wish I had gotten a deluxe, as I'm more about performance. If you do get a manual, the 3.55s are a must.
The factory stripes are overpriced and don't look as good as the aftermarket stripes. It's better to get them from a reputable aftermarket source like baltimore street mods.
There's no reason you shouldn't be able to get the car for invoice. Bottom line, if you think the car is worth what you're paying for it, then don't worry about what other people are paying, but for reference, I paid far less than invoice for my '06.
Leasing is for suckas!

Norm Peterson

Perhaps a hard look at the actual percentage of the time that you're unavoidably forced to drive in the worst traffic conditions is in order here. A predictable half mile of stop and go in a ten mile commute where you're rolling along at 10 mph or more the rest of the time isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, though 9.9 milesstop/go out of 10 on a daily basis probably would be for most. Even though I'm as hard-core of a manual tranny driver as you're ever likely to run across (some might use words like 'old' and 'stubborn' instead), I'm not trying to convince you that you must get your car that way (here's a link that you may want to take a look at, though). Only that you step back from the emotional part of this decision and look at the numbers. Since you're obviously new here, might I suggest that you take a peek at the profiles of those who respond. It sometimes gives a little insight/basis to the replies that wasn't necessarily written.

One thing to keep in mind - any car with EFI copes far better with being forced to run at low rpm while in gear/clutch fully engaged than any carbureted car ever could. Never mind an overcammed and overcarb'ed small-block 3500# muscle car with performance on par with the current GT. 2nd gear will pull smoothly from any speed above that at which you should be able to grab 1st without any difficulty, so there's little need to be abusive toward the clutch short of driving in terrain that looks like the San Francisco hills.

My understanding is that the 3.55's are the only factory gear upgrade. 3.73's are factory-available in the Bullitt only. In anything even closely resembling normal street driving, there really isn't much difference between the two, though it will show up in timed competition such as at either the dragstrip or on an autocross course. Given the traffic situation, with a manual tranny you'd want at least the 3.55's, so your choice becomes whether you buy the car that way or dealer-upgrade the 3.31's. But unless you're going to run it at the strip I think the 4.10's may be just a little too short. Only 58 mph is available at 6000 rpm in 2nd.


As far as other options go, consider what your most frequent passenger(s) might either want or enjoy. My wife absolutely enjoys the heated seats that we have in our '01 Maxima. By contrast, she hates the fact that the passenger seat in that car has only 2-way adjustment (and she has also mentioned the cargo net). So the Comfort Package or whatever else gets you those options may be money well spent.. You see, we're also looking at a very short list, headed up by the GT Premium (and competing with. . . not much of anything else at this point).

I've never leased a car or ever considered doing so, so lease-oriented numbers mean nothing to me. If I haven't been reasonably sure up front that we'd still enjoy driving any particular car two or three months after retiring the note we take a step back and keep looking. Been right so far.


Welcome aboard. And enjoy, which ever way you go with the various decisions.


Norm

Margarita Girl

Hi Luke, If you are experienced with a stick, you will find the new Mustang GT very easy to drive. Add a cold air intake and tune and you willidle at around 900 rpms. In stop/go, noneed to give the car gas,just ease off the clutch and she'll roll forward (3.55 gears).A short throw shifter will also add to the fun factor.Happy Days!