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Ford Mustang (2005) vs. 2005 Pontiac GTO

2056 messages,  Last post on May 27, 2009 at 5:34 PM

You are in the Ford Mustang Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Mustang, Pontiac GTO, Coupe, Convertible

Messages Page 37 of 206

#356 of 2056 Re: gunit [rorr] by gunit

Apr 27, 2005 (11:07 am)

Replying to: rorr (Apr 27, 2005 8:32 am)
Yes and No, CLK55 is TWICE the price of GTO. GTO is NOT twice the price or that much more $$ then comparable equipped Mustang. $5k dif to avg buyer, maybe less
 
    So for me the GTO with my GM employee discount, $1k rebate, Gm credit card points etc and $1k internet pricing was not much more then a loaded Mustang V8 which goes for about $28k to $29k. Pretty close in price. So to me the GTO was the better buy. Too bad I don't have a Ford discount.
 
If you can still find or get one you can get a 2004 Leftover 350hp GTO for $25k or less. I have heard as low as $23k. So in reality the GTO could be considered the better buy. At least to me. All the Ford dealers by me are getting MSRP or higher on the GT's.

#357 of 2056 Re: kind of says it all...... [gunit] by cmnott

Apr 27, 2005 (11:49 am)

Replying to: gunit (Apr 27, 2005 10:59 am)
Not enough to matter in this discussion.

#358 of 2056 cmnott, reliability for 2005 Mustang? by gunit

Apr 27, 2005 (12:18 pm)

Sounds like there is a lot of reliability problems with the NEW 2005 Mustang or at least the early ones from what I saw on the Ford Mustang 2005 Problems and Solutions boards..... WAY MORE then GTO. I don't see many on GTO here on edmunds. Then again I would NEVER buy a first year car anyway new. I have done that and learned the hard way. 1995 Aurora V8 and 1997 GTP.
 
Some excerpts.......detracting from what is supposed to be a cool car. I'm advising others to wait before purchasing a 'stang until all the kinks are worked out. In my case, it looks like I've got awhile to go before the pony runs like I know it can!.....
 
.....I think WE ALL need to ask Ford to extend our warranties since WE ALL have so many problems!! If Ford don't we will be in deep caca!!.....
 
.... The Service Manager said according to a Ford Rep he spoke with, the clunk we hear when shifting from P to R is characteristic between the transmission & the driveshaft....
 
Numerous CD player, rear axle, GAS TANK problems, dash rattles, brakes etc. Many other ones I'm sure there are Mustangs that are fine too, but this sounds like alot of issues.
 
As they say, you get what you pay for.

#359 of 2056 gumit by rorr

Apr 27, 2005 (12:48 pm)

You have to remember, the GTO has been around for a few years as the Manaro in Australia so all the kinks certainly SHOULD be worked out on the GTO. Also, a lot more Mustangs have been sold here than GTO's (I thinked we've discussed that to death), so I'm not surprised that one would see more posts about quality issues.

#360 of 2056 It's all a matter of preferance by brushbandit

Apr 27, 2005 (3:24 pm)

Replying to: rorr (Apr 27, 2005 8:02 am)
To me, when it comes to American V-8 RWD musclecars, the straight line performance is what matters most. I want 1/4 mile, stoplight to stoplight, power. That's what muscle cars have always been about and will always be about. Don't get me wrong, I want a car that handles well and stops well and the GTO does both. Maybe I'm old school but I put an emphasis on American, cam in block, V-8 muscle. To me the GTO is the winner hands down. The GTO stealth looks are icing on the cake. I'm 43 and would feel a little rediculous in the Mustang GT. I get enough mid life crisis comments from the GTO.

#361 of 2056 Re: cmnott, reliability for 2005 Mustang? [gunit] by brushbandit

Apr 27, 2005 (3:55 pm)

Replying to: gunit (Apr 27, 2005 12:18 pm)
I agree, I was just checking it out. Alot of unhappy campers over in the Mustang problem thread. Looks like their might be trouble in paradise. Graphic Guy Is posting around over there trying to put the fires out. Does the Mustang GT come with a fire pumper option?

#362 of 2056 this & that..... by graphicguy

Apr 28, 2005 (6:06 am)

Sounds like the debate is raging on.
 
True....I do use trade rag numbers to get a general idea of what any car will do before I buy it. In this instance, I looked at all the majors....Edmunds, R&T, MT & C&D. All of them had the '05 GTO about 1/10th of a sec quicker than the Mustang GT in 0-60. All of them had the '05 GTO 2/10ths quicker in the 1/4 ('04 GTOs were all a little slower than the Mustang GT). That's insignificant. Even though the '05 GTO had 100HP more than the Mustang GT, that didn't translate into any significant advantage over the Mustang GT primiarily because the GTO weighs more. I do think some of the lack of performance difference stems from the shifter in the GTO being less precise than the Mustang's, too.
 
I decided to drive the GTO (twice, one '04 and one '05). My "seat of the pants" told me what the numbers bear out....there was no noticeable difference in accleration. Someone suggested I look at some track results (which can be all over the map because of driver experience). Didn't see any clear cut differences there either. So, I called it a draw.
 
That's high praise for both cars because they are both very fast.
 
The real differences came when comparing steering, clutch, shifter, etc comparisons. That's where the Mustang pulled ahead. The GTO just felt "heavy" in all my drives compared to the Mustang. IIRC, someone actually said that the GTO felt like it was wearing an "auto condom" when compared to the Mustang. I concur.
 
They are both coupes. As such, the back seat will be hard to get in and out of in either. I opted for the much more useable trunk of the Mustang over that of the little one in the GTO.
 
Styling, interior, etc are all going to be subjective. Clearly, the marketplace has spoken on what the public likes. Based on the fact that GM has had a problem selling 16K (down from 18K originally slated) '04s and the fact that '05s are being rebated to sell a reduced production number (12K) tells me the GTO isn't the success that GM had hoped for. I heard someone actually say that the GTO was "sales proof". Future of the model is, at best, dicey. Mustang was slated to sell 150K units. It's popularity caused Ford to up production to 190K units (of which almost 50K will be Mustang GTs). The marketplace decides what is a success and what isn't. Clearly, the Mustang has been an overwhelming success. The GTO is in sales purgatory. History won't remember it kindly, IMHO.
 
Pricing has been a bone of contention. When I ordered mine, the price differential was about $4,800 in favor of the Mustang. Since the Mustang has only gained in popularity, it's clear that they bring MSRP. My MSRP was $28K (not what I bought it for). GTO's, with no employee plan are selling for $31.8 with the rebate (according to Edmunds in my zip code). That's still a $3,800 difference in the Mustang's favor. Unfortunately, you can't even get an '05 Mustang GT right now as they are pretty much sold out (with a few around here and there).
 
While mine has been one of the best new car purchases from a quality perspective that I've ever made, I've seen some minor issues with other's cars that were built early on. Apparently, some of the early builds had slow filling issues when refueling. Ford issued a TSB for those. Someone had some kind of sound in their automatic tranny car when shifting. Dealer will have to diagnose it as I don't have an automatic tranny. Some people had an issue with their stereo skipping tracks when playing burned CDs. Ford is replacing those with an updated CD player. That's all that I'm aware of. As said, mine was built in March and have none of those issues. I'm just trying to help other Mustang enthusiasts. None of that would be what I'd consider putting out any fires.
 
Considering GM being....well....GM.....let's not take some minor early issues with the Mustang and make them out to be something more than they are.

#363 of 2056 GTO Issues by midwesttrader

Apr 28, 2005 (6:59 am)

If you check on other forums you'll find out the GTO has its own problems. Some might argue more problems than the Mustang based on far fewer sales proportionally. For example:
 
- Paint (thin, blotches, mismatched panels)
- Interior & Exterior Trim (peeling, bubbling, mismatched 5.7 & 6.0 badges)
- Fit & Finish (rubbing exterior panels, rattling seats, power window issues)
 
The three above are the kiss of death on a $30K + vehicle IMO.
 
- Electronics (issues that seem to go way beyond a weak/dead battery)
- Premature Clutch Failures
- Tranny Whine
- Leaking Freeze Plugs
 
And maybe my favorite of all, the front tires rubbing on the strut towers causing premature wear/replacement. Seems Pontiac increased the width of the tires by 10mm for export but didn't adjust the front suspension accordingly. LOL

#364 of 2056 Re: issues [atvdragger] by sputterguy

Apr 28, 2005 (7:15 am)

Replying to: atvdragger (Apr 24, 2005 5:40 am)
You're right also. The Mustang and GTO are in different markets. Not that they don't compete. Especially out on the street. The GTO is about somewhat upscale performance. The Mustang is never considered upscale. This year the Mustang was seriously upgraded and for that you guys should be thankful. At least now you have a little class with your performance.

#365 of 2056 Re: JD PWR lists GTO as Most appealing Sporty car [graphicguy] by sputterguy

Apr 28, 2005 (7:26 am)

Replying to: graphicguy (Apr 24, 2005 10:45 am)
If only that were true out here in the Bay Area. There only only a couple per dealer and they are moving. I know, I've been checking periodically and there is new stock every time. And the only incentive is that $1K. I even got a GM card in case that incentive comes around again but it's not happening.

Messages Page 37 of 206

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