The Mustang Phenomenon
The success of the Mustang has surprised a lot of people, including Ford. The entire 2005 production is essentially
spoken for, and dealers are being told to start selling 2006s for those who want to order one. Clearly demand is
strongest for the GT model, which represents an excellent retro performance value. If you can get one, there are no
cars on the market that offer that combination of style and power for around $25,000.
There are some interesting highlights here. First the Mustang is outselling a lot of other cars on the market,
including the popular Chrysler 300. It is also outselling 13 entire brands, including Mercedes-Benz, Saturn, Scion and
Subaru. Demand for the new car has propped up the market for the previous generation cars as dealers try to fill their
lots with some kind of substitute in the absence of the 2005 model. Kelley Blue Book states that values of the 2003 and
2004 Mustangs have increased as much as $1000 at auction. Time will tell whether this demand will stay strong, but
right now it is a success for Ford.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Joel A 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I'd be curious to know the demographics of who's buying these cars.
Reply
Jeff Gilleran 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Hard to argue with Fords success of the past.
The Mustang was a huge hit in 1964 1/2 through 1970.
Building a modern Mustang that carries much of the "style" from the very same successful era of the 1960s timeless designs has made the market ripe for one hell of an explosion of sales that no other domestic car has compared to.
Im very impressed with Ford on this one.
Not everyone can build a car that rekindles the demand for a car 40 years later.
It shares the best pieces and shapes of the 1960s and puts them together into one very impressive package.
Im generally an Import customer, and Ill tell you, If I had the cash, Id be in line to get my own GT.
Way to go Ford!
Reply
Scott 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I have the cash and will not be buying a GT because the interior is TOO retro for me. If only there was a checkbox for "modern interior" I'd be sold. Apparently this doesn't bother most people.
Reply
Sonic_Extreme 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I am 29 and if I was single I would be driving a GT also. But come 07 I will be adding another car to the family and my wife already said that the Mustang Gt is at the top of the list. Or a fully loaded 300c. But i rather go GT stang. I also live in the L.A area and some of the aftermarket parts I see on some of the GT's on the street make even Elenor jelous. And I love how Elenor looks.
Reply
JayP 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I was pre-retro with an '01 Bullitt. Low, loud, brutal. I loved that car but a 100 mile commute killed the car (actually, ARMCO at 50mph on the tollroad killed it).
After becoming a dad and living with a coupe, I went with more doors. Most of the '05 Mustangs I see are older drivers, no kids in tote.
If the Charger proves popular, maybe there is some merit in creating a sedan from the Mustang chassis, live-axle and all. Falcon.
Reply
Robert 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I knew Mustangs are selling very well, but never considered it would appreciate the value of older Mustangs. This is phenomenal for Ford, the 05 has become so cool to have its extending to other Mustangs, though I doubt to the 500.
The article mentioned the last car to have an upward price pull on its replacement is the BMW 7-series, but for the opposite reason. The Bimmer is so ugly aficionados snapped up the unsold older models and as an E23 owner I wholeheartedly agree. However, I believe I heard the New Beetle and Mini Cooper had the same effect as the Mustang at their launch, but on much older models. Does anyone know if this is true?
Reply
lee 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
> there are no cars on the market that offer that combination of style and power for around $25,000.
I'm sick of hearing that. The 350Z starts at $26,800...
Nostalgia rules, I guess.
Reply
Charles Mitchell 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
For those of us who reached driving age in the dreadful '70s or the awful 80's, this new Mustang makes us wonder: Why did American car makers leave behind good designs like this one in the first place? We endured 20 or 30 years of garbage just to arrive at...what?...at the same thing that should have been continued and perfected all along (the way the Europeans have always done.) This car simply proves the sadness of American automotive management, under which we suffered, and because of which we changed to foreign cars long ago. Sorry, Ford: it's too little too late. You won't get me.
Reply
Sonic_Extreme 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
The 350z will never be a mustang to america. As good looking and nice platform the 350 is the sales speek for themselves. Under 15k sold a year and mustangs sell how many?
http://www.nissannews.com/corporate/news/2004/20040803092612.shtml
Reply
Steve 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I'm torn. I love the 64 1/2 to 70 Mustangs and would love to have a new GT. However, I have two kids in car/booster seats and I'm not sure my golf clubs can fit in the trunk. The kids can be hauled around in mom's Passat Wagon, but I doubt mom will let me take her car every time I want to play golf. Besides, that would cut down on the fun!
My need for something more practical may force me into a Charger. Although, I really, really, really want a new Mustang.
Ugh.
Reply
Charles Mitchell 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
One more point: SOLID REAR AXLE. This takes nostalgia to a new level. If the trend continues, pretty soon we'll see restaurants popping up where we can eat raw meat in caves.
Reply
Not A. Slob 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
solid rear axle... isn't that the reason America's police forces use the crown vic?
for tactical driving (e.g. pursuit, hard acceleration and cornering)nothing reliably puts torque to the ground like a limited slip on a live rear axle.
Reply
Pex 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Just take your clubs to your dealer, Steve. I'm sure they'd let you test fit. :)
Reply
Charles Mitchell 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
...uhh...except a limited slip on an independent suspension, as on, oh, say every car at Le Mans, F-1, Indianapolis, Cart, American Le Mans, sports car racing, etc. (Not to mention every Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, ad infinitum.) Police use the Crown Vic for the same reason CAB DRIVERS do: it is cheap and nearly indestructable. Anything but a smooth road can and does drive it nuts. The driver (and passengers) just have to hold on and deal with it. It cannot and does not win races! Compared to most other cars, it is like a front-loading musket compared to a rifle...crude but effective in the right hands.
Reply
Dude 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
A live axle has its place. It's cheaper than an IRS. It's good for drag racing and it can carry a heavier load than an IRS. Ford has decided to put money into the engine and design and save it in other areas. It is, of course, a trade off.
Live axles, however, not better for cornering. The police use them because that's what Ford offers, they're cheap (and cheap to fix) and they're durable.
Reply
Charles Mitchell 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Dude's got it right.
Reply
Joseph Willemssen 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I don't know about you all, but I test drove the Mustang GT and was disappointed. Looks great, but that's about it.
Unfortunately Americans are going through a period of clinging to sentiments about a past which probably never existed, so they're drawn to things that get them closer to that.
Once this new generation of Mustangs floods the roads, people will tire them and move on to the next fad.
Reply
JayP 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
The Mustang has held it's own vs the IRS cars in the Grand Am Cup. :P
Reply
Brad Barnett 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
The solid rear axle 2005 Mustangs are killing the IRS-equipped competition in Grand-Am Cup racing. It handles and rides just fine.
Reply
KT 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
"It cannot and does not win races!"
Uh. wrong...see below (they've won 2 GrandAm Cup races this year):
"With less than one day's experience behind the wheel of his new Ford Racing Mustang GT race car, car owner and driver Tom Nastasi, with co-driver Ian James, claims victory in the opening race of the 2005 Grand-Am Cup season at Daytona International Speedway.
Ford Racing Mustang GT race cars finish 1-2 in Grand-Am Cup 200 at Daytona International Speedway."
Reply