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Ford Mustang (2004 and earlier)

2124 messages,  Last post on Aug 24, 2010 at 1:12 PM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Mustang, Coupe

Messages Page 145 of 213

#1434 of 2124 Re: resale [qbrozen] by grega

Dec 16, 2004 (1:33 pm)

Replying to: qbrozen (Dec 16, 2004 11:09 am)
disagree!
 
There is a glut of 2004 (and prior) mustangs on dealer and rental lots because they have poor build quality, lack refinement, Fox-platform, and Ford had to fill the (fixed) plant to make money so they built too many of a car most people didn't want to buy (retail).
 
Enter the 2005 Mustang, all new platform, refined fit-n-finish, 300-HP engine, value priced and built in a flexible plant. You will get far better residual value because you wont see a glut of these on rental lots. (Note: Ford Five Hundred has 50% residual value in 3-years, just like Toyota & Honda because of flexible mfg - build to demand)
 
By the way, Mustangs are flying off dealer lots in less than 1-days turn-around time, the fastest in the auto industry!

#1435 of 2124 qbrozen by graphicguy

Dec 16, 2004 (1:35 pm)

I agree with you. It's no reflection on the Mustang, per se. But, you can bet that there will be tons of Mustangs on the Ford lots when Ford gets the production lines in full gear.
 
I wonder how all those Thuderbird buyers who paid $10K over MSRP are feeling about right now?

#1436 of 2124 by baggs32

Dec 16, 2004 (2:10 pm)

I wonder how all those Thuderbird buyers who paid $10K over MSRP are feeling about right now?
 
Is that "Thud"erbird as in how the residuals have hit the floor with a big "thud" over the past year or so?
 
I know, no pun intended.

#1437 of 2124 baggs32 by graphicguy

Dec 17, 2004 (9:17 am)

LOL!
 
I think '05 is the last year for the 'Bird. That's a shame considering it was based othe the very good Jag/Lincoln platform. I drove one from a Hertz rental, and it wasn't a bad car. It wasn't a great car, either. Headroom was atrocious and it felt "loosy-goosy" on the road. A little more development time on the suspension and a sticker that was $7K less and they might have had a "hit" on their hands.
 
My guess is within the next 2 months, as production ramps up, you'll have plenty of Mustangs, in every color and configuration on dealer's lots. I would think that Ford will have to get into the "rebate" game with them in a few months, too. They've got a "hit" with the new Mustang and they'll be cranking them out as fast as they can with the typical overproduction that has been the hallmark of U.S. manufacturers.
 
This isn't a "limited production" car. The Mustang is a "volume" model.
 
As mentioned before, my sister is a Ford employee. She said Ford wants production to exceed demand of Mustangs to make up for the "duds" in their line-up. Ford has to keep the production plants "churning" to make a profit this year. With SUV sales tailing off, they have to produce what's hot to get in the black.
 
Look for $1,000-$2,000 rebates on the Mustang in short order if you're willing to wait.
 
I've already seen new Mustangs on Hertz's rental lots.

#1438 of 2124 No Rentals by mschmal

Dec 17, 2004 (2:12 pm)

Don't forget, Ford has backed off big time from the Fleet/Rental Market of which the Mustang was a mainstay. It was the rentals that really killed the residuals.
 
Suppoedly the factory is at full steam but there are some comodities limitations. You can only order the interior upgrade package on a GT for them moment.
 
Also to get the side air bags you must take the red leather interior.
 
My dealership has yet to have more than one 05 on the lot at a time or keep one for more than a week. Every one is paying sticker and X-Plan is not offered.
 
FMCC is giving the V6 a residual of 50% after 3 years and a little more fot the GT
 
Mark

#1439 of 2124 mschmal by graphicguy

Dec 17, 2004 (2:40 pm)

I can only offer anecdotal evidence, but I was at the Hertz rental facility at the Miami airport on Wednesday picking up my rental Taurus. I'd say they had 10 new Mustangs waiting to be picked up by customers.
 
So, from just one data point, I'd say they are going to flood the Hertz lots with them.
 
That said, I didn't see one GT rental. They were all V6 models.
 
More anecdotal evidence....at least in southern OH, there are two Ford dealerships within 10 miles of me. Both have at least 4-6 new Mustangs in front of their new car lot for sale all week..I've not looked at them closely, so I don't know if they're V6 or GT models.
 
Again, that's not to say the new Mustang is a bad product, just that Ford is going to be producing these in high numbers, including selling to fleet and rental companies.

#1440 of 2124 by john_324

Dec 17, 2004 (4:12 pm)

Hertz (Ford) hasn't rented V8 Mustangs since the days of the Shelby GT-350H unfortunately. They're all V6 autos these days. But they're still fun, since (as PJ ORourke pointed out) the best handling cars around are rental cars: you can take turns harder, accelerate with more abandon, shift into reverse at a higher rate of speed, etc. than in any car you might own... ; )

#1441 of 2124 by bottgers

Dec 17, 2004 (8:09 pm)

I like the retro looks of the '05 'Stang, and I have to say Ford got almost everything right with this car......except the engine. I know I'll probably take some flack for saying this, but I've never been a supporter of the 4.6 engine. Ford did a good job of getting as much from this engine as possible, but I believe to make the Mustang a true muscle car would require a version of the 5.8 (351 ci) engine.
 
When GM was still producing their LS-1 powered F-bodies, the one advantage these cars always had over the Mustangs was torque. The LS-1 was, and still is a torque monster. Personally, I think they were more fun to drive because of this. Ford could solve this problem by installing the 5.8 in the 'Stang. That's all I'll say about the new 'Stang, and you can go ahead and tell me what's wrong with my opinion.

#1442 of 2124 Re: resale [grega] by qbrozen

Dec 17, 2004 (8:27 pm)

Replying to: grega (Dec 16, 2004 1:33 pm)
By the way, Mustangs are flying off dealer lots in less than 1-days turn-around time, the fastest in the auto industry!
fastest in the auto industry? interesting perspective. I guess you could say that since you can't get much faster than "less than 1 day," but it shares that spot with every new hot car of the moment that has been produced in all of automotive history. Rest assured, like I and others have said here, once Ford satisfies all those folks pounding down the dealership doors right now, sales will cool and inventory will start piling up.
 
Ford Five Hundred has 50% residual value in 3-years, just like Toyota & Honda
You mean to say the Ford 500 has a PROJECTED residual value of 50%. We'll see what really happens, but i just may keel over from shock if the car is really worth half its MSRP 3 years from now.

#1443 of 2124 qbrozen by graphicguy

Dec 18, 2004 (1:19 pm)

Yeah....I'd like to see any 500 owner get 50% of its original new value 36 months from now. From my perspective, I think the 500 will do little, if at all better than the Taurus it replaces in the resale dept.
 
I don't think anyone who is buying the Mustang now should have any illusions as to its worth down the used road. The people who bought the first GTOs, the first PT Crusiers, the first Mini Coopers (although, those are holding their value pretty well) and paid MSRP or above should be surprised by their value (or lack thereof) in 3,4 or 5 years from the date of their purchase.
 
I can walk right into any Chrysler store right now and buy a PT Cruiser for about $14K-$15K. Those that bought them for 2X that price (and some did), paid for the privilege to have the first ones on their block. They didn't buy hefty resale, though.
 
The new Mustang is in that same category. Matter of fact, there is also some evidence that production has already caught up with demand if seeing them pile up on dealers lots, as I have, is any indication.
 
Still, that does not make the new Mustang a bad car, by any stretch.

Messages Page 145 of 213

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