To be fair to Ford and have a little fun, I've decided to write a more detailed "review" of the 2005 Mustang I drove on Monday. I drove around Westchester county to several Ford dealers to see about test driving a new Mustang. With no luck I returned home for lunch and checked the Internet trying to locate a dealer that would allow me to actually drive a Mustang.
I found David Ford in Blauvelt New York, Rockland county just over the Tappan Zee Bridge. I called them and spoke to a sales manager who told me they had 10 or so V-6 Mustangs if I wanted to drive one come on over. About 30 minutes later I pulled up to the dealership. This dealership recently changed hands, and is under new management as well as ownership, and is undergoing renovations as well. I met a salesman, who I sat with and talked to for a few minutes and for the first time that day, met a salesman who knew what I was talking about when I asked about the Pony package for 06.
He went and got a plate and then brought me out to the lot, where a 2005 Mustang Deluxe Coupe in redfire with the parchment interior in cloth. This particular car was a "program" car, more than likely a returned rental, with about 14,000 miles on the odometer. I got in the driver's seat and told the salesman I would not "beat up" on his car, to which he replied "Do what you have to, so you get a feel for it." So I backed out of the spot and headed for the main road. Once to the curb, I punched the accelerator and the car took off with a nice squeal from the rear tires. The V-6 and auto tranny felt powerful and confident, no hunting for the right gear, and a nice rumble for a 6. I followed his directions towards a nice twisty backroad and got a feel for the handling. Not bad for a base car, better than I remember my old Mustang. The power was comparable too. My 91 Mustang LX 5.0 Notchback Coupe, had the 225 hp V-8 a T-5 manual trans and the 3.08 rear axle ratio. This Mustang has the 210 hp V-6 a 5 speed auto and 3.31 rear axle ratio. Once back on the main road, I was able to open it up again and before returning to the dealer's lot, had the car up to 80 without any problem from car or salesman.
Once we pulled back onto the lot, it was time to walk around and kick the tires. The major complaint is the quality, or lack of, with the cloth interior. The Cloth felt wrong, cheap. Not what I expected from a car costing $20,000, that's for sure. And remember I just spent a couple of weeks test driving economy cars with my better half. The plastics on the interior seemed well enough and the seats were comfortable and supportive. I liked the stereo and A/C controls. The rear C-pilar causes a minor obstruction when backing out of a spot, but I've seen worse.
I liked the split fold rear seat and trunk space is something I'm not used to in a Mustang.
Overall quality seemed very good, even for a used rental car.
I will probably buy from a dealer near my house, but for people that are looking David Ford seems like an excelent dealer. Visit their webiste to check them out. They have a large selection (huge) of new and used Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles including "program" cars.
Now the Mustang I am buying will be a Pony package, which will have the GT "inspired" suspension and the T-5 manual trans, so I'm expecting even better handling and performance, more on par with my 91 Mustang.
I can't wait to get it, I love the new Pony package, it completes the look of the new Mustang perfectly.
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