Well, coming from a GM product, you'll find that Ford is simply an upgrade from so it's a win for you, lol.
Although GM seems to have gotten better lately, it's not enough to equal Ford by any means yet.

It might also be useful to know that the S197 is scoring good result in crash test and I believe that the convertible is still the best in its class.

As far as rattles, you're looking at purchasing an affordable car... just saying.
My 06 is pretty much rattle free and trouble free at 65K miles.
Nothing that annoys me while driving it really.

 

I have a 2000 gt that I beat the crap out of and spray 175 shot of nitrous in it on weekends and hit er with 75/100 on the street. I have replaced the clutch and I have 120k on er. The motor is original and still starts first turn. I was a chev guy until I drove a mustang. I am still a chev guy but these cars are something else

 

I have an 06 GT and a 98 Crown Vic. I never had a problem , just regular maintenance and the car never died on me. I drive extremely aggressive; however, i look after my car on a regular basis. I had a ford for a long time and only had a few foreign brands. I am a pretty big guy and I find Ford is better suited for me given my size. As long as you dont let everyone around the block take your car on a joy ride, lend it to your wife, or miss the maintenance, you should be fine.

PS; Oh yeah, make sure you pray that your car is not made on a long weekend Friday. ie "Lemon" lol

 

Mine has 60,000 miles on it. Daily driver. I got a set of Blizzard* snow tires on it, so I can survive the Ohio winters

The paint sucks. Two years ago, I had the lower/inner lip of the trunk and hood repainted. The paint was bubbling and peeling away. Today, same problem with both areas. Paint is bubbling and peeling again. My quess it will be fixed free of charge...since they repainted it just a few years ago.

Other than that, its still a solid car and I would buy a new GT tomorrow if I had to. (I'm currently trying to talk myself into NOT trading mine in for a new one.)

 

Can't go wrong with Ford these days.. check Consumer reports, Ford reliability blows away GM & especially Chrysler. I have an '08 Stang Vert and seems solid as heck. But lets not compare a Mustang to a BMW, I have an '06 330ci BMW & that puppy is sweet as can be and rock solid build quality. But at the time, cost ~ $12-15k more than an avg Mustang GT Premium.

 

I too have been a GM guy my entire life. I have had a couple of Fords over the years with a '69 Mustang being my first car. It was a beater but I loved it and beat the crap out of it and it took it. The one complaint I have with my '06 is it seems the paint on it, at least my Mustang, chips waaaay too easy. It only has 13,000 miles on it and is just a weekend car and has never been driven in the rain or snow. It seems everytime I wash it I find a new chip. I just bought a Langka kit to attempt to repair some of the chips. They are all small and most people wouldn't ever notice them but I do. Otherwise I love the car and will most likely keep it for a very long time. The Camaros are junk as far as I am concerned and like I said, I am a GM guy. No rattles and still is very solid.

 

Last year, consumer surveys showed that Ford was rated in the top 10 car companies. Ford has definitely stepped up its game as far as quality goes.

My own car only has 8K miles on it, and it is damn reliable. I even run a performance tune it in every day, and as far as fit and finish goes, even with much more power placing stress on the whole car, absolutely no issues whatsoever.

The only complaint I have, and I could be making a mountain out of a mole hill, is I do occasionally get some rough shifts out of my transmission. I have the manual 6speed.
But of course, you can also get a 6speed automatic for just a bit less than $1000 more. And there are guys who have run tuned and modded cars with the 6R80 tranny and totally ripped up the track with 11sec runs, and even a few 10s here and there. It is a very stout tranny for an automatic.

 

Drove a '98 v6 to 130K miles. Only issue that started coming up was the suspension started to make odd noises. My '06 GT ran really well no rattles to speak of other then an occasional one from the dash trim piece. Would fix that just pressing it back down to the dash. I am sure it could be corrected with some extra adhesive. The charging system is this car's biggest flaw. The Alternator went out on me a few months before I bought my new one. My buddies '06 V6 had a charging problem as well. Alternator was replaced and he is now having issues with his electrics. We are still trying to figure that one out.

The 2011 is nothing short of impressive for a Mustang. I have only had mine for 6 months and no issues at all, not even tiny one's like rattling. The only thing I have noticed is that when I crank the sound up the trim piece in the door that goes around the window switches rattles. I figure I just need to pull those up and throw some cushion in there. The Premium interior is the best interior I have ever seen in any Mustang. Fit and finish was really good. Paint was actually pretty good for a mass produced car. No orange peeling or bubbling anywhere on my Kona Blue paint.

The only thing I could possibly see wearing is the exterior door handle. Since it is a painted door handle it could chip from use. This happened on my '06 but only on the inside of the door handle so standing back from the car you would never know. 2011 idle is a little rougher then my '06 but I don't mind being reminded that the car is running.

I certainly think that if you have any interest you should consider it tops on your list for a car at this price.