Overview:
This week I drove the 2004 Ford Mustang GT 40th Anniversary Edition. One of the first things that hit me was a vision of the Steve Martin movie where he was cavorting with a very young woman and he exclaims, “I’m young again”. This Mustang will make you feel “young” again.
You can almost smell the rubber burning from your youthful days at the drags and the roar of engines that have what it takes. The sights and sounds of the 1950’s and 1960’s muscle cars are embodied in this car, and that is likely to be the profile of those most interested in buying one. “Those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end…” as the song goes.
And to those who think the world will change drastically in the transportation industry like Star Wars hover craft, etc., I have news for you – all those reading this will be dead long before cars, as we know them today, are seen only in museums. For even if the technology was available, the changes in infrastructure to support a new technology would take another life time to implement.
General Info:
Parts – US
Assembly – United States
Class: – Coupe
Cars: – Crown Victoria, Escape, E-series Van and wagon, Excursion, Expedition, Explorer and sport trac, F150, F250, F350, Focus and wagon, Freestar, GT, Mustang, Ranger, Taurus and wagon and T-Bird.
Handling & Performance:
I just love the sound emanating from the exhaust system. They made it robust and reminiscent of the “Good old Days”, whatever those were. Surely those days weren’t a time for ease of owning and operating the cars of the day. Before fuel injection and electronic ignition starting and keeping your car running was anything but easy. If we insist on calling them “Muscle Cars” we must also admit they were all brawn and no brains. Today’s cars are much smarter. I suspect the kids of today are too.
With 260 horsepower and a 5-speed manual shift you can hardly be expected to restrain yourself. The Highway Patrol must watch out for these “bad boys”. They have to be easy tickets to fill their quotas. Oh, that’s right, they don’t have quotas!
Styling:
It is Steve McQueen unique with the same exciting look and feel of the image made famous in the movie Bullitt. The design touches such as the hood air scoop and the hole punched aluminum pedals and footrest are reminders that you are in a high performance automobile.
Fit and Finish:
Very good
Conveniences:
Enough, especially when you don’t expect much fluff from a Nostalgia coupe. Some may consider the Mach 1000-watt sound system a convenience, or even a necessity to the boom box enthusiasts but the speakers and power amps literally take up most of the trunk. My golf clubs occupied the entire rear seat.
Cost:
Competitive.
Consumer Recommendation:
If you’re in the market for a bit of nostalgia and 40 years of history for this affordable sports car, you’ve gotta love this Mustang. Now that Camaro is no longer, Mustang is the only real game in town. Considering price and features the closest to the Mustang in my view is the Chrysler Sebring. But this 40th anniversary edition really stands alone.
The Competition:
Ford Mustang GT $18-39,000, Chevrolet Corvette $44-52,000, Chrysler Sebring $19-31,000, Volvo C70 $40-42,000, Nissan 350Z $26-36,000, Saab 9-3 $26-43,000, Hyundai Tiburon $17-18,000, Infiniti G35 $28-32,000, Toyota Celica $17-24,000, Acura RSX $20-23,000, BMW Z4 $34-41,000, Volkswagen New Beetle $16-25,000, Honda S2000 $32,800, Porsche Boxster $43-60,000, Mitsubishi Eclipse $18-29,000, Toyota MR2 Spyder $25,410.
Good News:
Extremely fun to drive like it was on rails when you go around a corner, wonderful sounding exhaust to announce the powerful 260 hp V8.
Bad News:
Limited space in the trunk and rear seat. Difficult to keep it under the speed limit, so it’s easy to get into trouble.
4.6 liter 260 hp V8 engine, 5-speed manual transmission, 17” alloy wheels, rear spoiler, fog lights, stainless steel dual exhaust, dual power mirrors, air conditioning, Mach sound system with 6 in dash CD player, leather seats, 6-way power driver seat, console, leather wrapped tilt steering wheel, cruise control, power locks and windows, power 4-wheel disc brakes, traction control, power steering, dual air bags and remote keyless entry.
Gas Stats:
17 City and 25 Highway MPG.
Pricing:
MSRP $27,960.
