ORIGINAL: 69boss429

You have got me curious !
What are these contests about?
I don't think its fair to say only classic Mustangs have class and originality going for them. And by all other measures the classic Mustangswere the 64 1/2 to 1973 model years.
MustangII's are all by their lonesome ,as are the next body changes of the Fox,etc,etc.
They all have the Mustang name in common ,and all have their good and bad points.Owners tend to identify with others that have the same style or model year.
Personally,I like them all,but have neither the garage space or the funds for an extensive collection of Mustangs.I'm just happy I was able to purchase the one I have when it was new because I could not afford to buya Boss 429today.
Mine is my one and only ride of the month every month of the year,year after year!
Anybody going to Fords at Carlisle this year?

ORIGINAL: NorCalTroy

I didn't mean to imply that only classic Mustangs have class or are original. Sorry about that. I agree that any Mustang is still a Mustang (and that is a good thing). Like you, if I had the money, time and garage space, I would own several, both new and old, both stock and modified. They each have their pros and cons. When I am driving my Mach 1, I usually wave to, or acknowledge, just about all Mustangs that I see. However, I get more of a response from other classics then I do any other style.

I think Mustang owners tend to identify with people that have the same style or model year for the same reason people tend to identify with other people that have similar hobbies, careers, locations, churches, kids, etc. The more that people have in common, the more that they usually have to talk about, which gives them actual reasons to be together. I suppose that is the same reason that this forum has different categories for the different years/styles of Mustangs. An owner of a brand new 2007 Mustang wouldn't go to the classic section to ask a question about a warranty issue and a classic owner wouldn't go to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Mustang section to ask a question about points in the distributor.

It wouldn't be fair to put a 4x4 Jeep in a contest against a Lamborghini Murcielago in either a rock climbing contest or a fastest speed contest, yet they are both vehicles and are capable of the same very basic functions. I think the restrictions of each ROTM contest lets people capitalize on the pros of each different style. As far as what people think of the different styles all grouped together... we get to find that out in December for the Ride of the Year!

ORIGINAL: Soaring

Troy, you are relatively new here. A few years ago we had all years running for the same ROTM. At one time there were more classics than from any other year. All the bitching ensued, so Pat decided to break it up into certain months for certain year models.