03gt04mach1

I agree, the Mustang. Just on looks alone.

Ricardo

Mustangs are not impractical.
My 5 year old wears leg braces and sits in a child seat behind my tall wife and we go to the store and fill the trunk with groceries.
Winter? Blizzacks in stock size...I was in Alaska for a few years and this works just fine as long as you drive normal.

As for WRX and "AWD superiority", unless your one of those 1% of people who actually take corners at idiot speeds, then who cares if the Stang cant turn on a dime.
Also I know a few WRX drivers...they say they like to convert to all RWD for drag racing or they really break stuff.
Dropping clutch with DRs and AWD? Yeah go ahead and watch the Stang leave you as you crawl to a stop with broken axles.

WRX sounds goofy-exactly like my '97 Dodge Neon with a misfiring cylinder, Mustang at WOT sounds like sex.

Mustang -3
WRX-0

stealth_GT

Get an older 05-06 WRX STi and then you can compare it to a Mustang. Sure, they're not super fast and only make about 255whp stock, but they can be made pretty fast with a little amount of money, or very fast for a little more

The WRX's are decent if you plan on going lower boost, but STi or no Subby imo..

808muscle

Waiting till spring and banking the cash is a smart idea. To already own a home at 25 is a huge accomplishment but you gotta plan for the worst and be prepared if the sh*t does hit the fan.....and it sometimes does in life. Saving money and not spending it is hard for many people but let me tell you its the smart long term thing to do. Many of my friends called me a cheap bastard since I was a kid. Well now in my mid 40s I'm financially set because I was that cheap bastard. Dont stretch it dude......be smart.

r00st

Thanks for all of the input! I think I am going for the mustang. I realized that subarus do not really discount that much (maybe 500). Being that I might get x plan (or at least good discounts/invoice pricing) on the mustang the payment is really only 10-30 a month different.

Knowing that this will be my only brand new car for quite some time I am half tempted to wait for the next mustang redesign. I would hate to be in the position that the recent '10 owners were when the 5.0 '11 dropped. I am assuming the 5.0 will not change but the body will for the '13 change (I think that is the suspected new redesign?)

Does anyone think this new redesign will be released in '12 as a '13 model ,or in '13 as a '14 model?

As far as the STI, to me its not worth the difference. I have not checked the '11's but I know the 09 wrx is actually faster to 60 than the STI (because of the extra shift on the 5 speed). Sure the brembo's and 6 speed are nice, but beyond that there is not much I need (at least not for the 8k dollar premium over the base wrx!)

One thing that would concern me is launching an AWD car..would not feel comfortable launching on AWD knowing the half shafts or tranny might grenade on an aggressive launch is scary. I have not heard of too many 5.0 owners afraid to launch their car due to driveline issues (at least in stock form)

r0cky00

I've owned a 2003 Mustang V6, a 2004 Subaru WRX Sti and now a 2011 Mustang GT. I liked how the Subaru handled but it is probably a bit too stiff for most. The power in those cars is pretty great also. At 300 HP/TQ and AWD they can get up and go.

The new Mustang GT has it beat with torque and power though, and it's a great daily driver too, very comfortable for a sports car (which is why I want to swap out the springs with something a bit lower/stiffer).

Either one you will appreciate. I had the same debate... should I get a Subaru, that I will drive 24/7 365 days a year, or have a winter car and drive the Mustang in the Summer.... I know I would have been happy either way, but the Mustang won't dissappoint!

99gtstang

Very valid point here. I am not one to save money, but always something to think about. I bought my first home at 23 and had one car payment around $300 and I was super nervous about that. (Wife’s car, she’s always had the nice cars.) 6 Years later - I have two payments and wishing I would have started saving back then. Don't get me wrong, I have a 401K, but that's for when I'm really old.

Generally your payment should not exceed 10% of your gross income. I like to base everything on net income; you can't go to the grocery store and buy groceries with gross income. Safe DTI is 36% or less… Yes, this is all irrelevant if something catastrophic happens, but they’re some figures to take into consideration.

Oh yea, Mustang FTMFW.

Got my first one at 22 and still have one at 29. First one was 5K second 19.5k and third 32K. I finally graduated to one that makes me feel warm and fuzzy, but it took me 7 years.

jthorn9

All I'm gonna say is I've been in a modified WRSX (an old buddies car) and I really wasn't impressed. Sure it was quick, but honestly, nothing special. My 5.0 was supercharged at the time and it would beat that thing hands down. WRSX took me off the line, but only for a split second, just couldn't keep up with the raw power of a 5.0 coupled with an 11 PSI Kenne Bell

moosestang

Umm, yeah, what he said. My wife and I have no kids and we keep a lot of cash in the bank. It's easy to save money when you have two incomes and no kids. The mustang is going to cost way more in insurance and fuel costs, so factor that into the equation.

Be careful trying to use someone elses xplan. My dealer wanted a paycheck stub to prove I was eligible for it and it states this on the fordpartners.com website, so I was prepared. You must work for a company that has a deal with Ford. Not all dealers care about it, but mine did.

Diabolical!

Um, only $400 extra cash a month and you want to buy another vehicle? Do yourself a favor, start a ROTH IRA.