When I was 18, I took my first road trip from Salt Lake City to Denver, away from my parents, with one of my friends. We decided to rent a car, rather then drive our little 4 cylinder econo-sedans (both were questionable to make it to denver and back). The year was 1994, and the car, a brand new 1994 Ford Mustang V6 LX, red, with 100 miles on it. I had never before paid any attention to the Mustang, but after this road trip, the Mustang would become my want, my desire, and my passion. I never thought I would fight so much with a friend over something like who would drive a rental car, but this car definately was worth fighting over. You see, back in 1993 they re-designed the body style on the Mustang. And, so, when we rented this car, they were not a dime a dozen like they are now, and the car turned many heads. In fact, even the valet guys at the hotel seemed to fight over who would park our rental car. All this over a V6 Mustang no less, not even a GT!! Did I mention my friend got a speeding ticket in Wyoming? Did I mention that I opened her up and had her up to 135 on the I-80? :) :)

It wouldn't be until October of 2001 before I had the financial means to purchase a Mustang, but when I did - I went all out. I purchased a brand new 2001 Ford Mustang GT Convertable, Red, with all the "Premium" options, including leather seats, Mach 460 sound, 17" alloy wheels, and a 5 speed transmission. Out the door, the car was $28,800 - plus tax, I ended up financing the bad boy for $653 a month. Now you may think that's a lot of money to pay, but when you think about financing a $30,000 car for 5 years, you're going to find it costs a LOT of money, versus leasing the same car. So, if you can't afford 650 a month for a GT Convertable, I recommend one of two things: a) buy a used one with under 30,000 miles on it -- you'll save about $8-10,000 dollars doing so (my car depreciated $8,000 in the first year!!!) --- or b) lease it - you can lease these for around $400 a month if you can find special incentives or deals at your local Ford Dealer.

On to the car... This car is a dream to drive. Every day I hop into the car, pull out of my garage, and drop the top down, and cruise to work. It's ALWAYS a pleasure to drive this car. It puts a smile on my face, and I feel very happy about making that car payment every month. The car always gets a lot of looks, I mean what's there not to love about the looks on a GT convertable?? When the light turns red, and I floor it, the car takes off like a rocket, and I love being pushed back into my seat. And yes, if you are angry at someone and you want to make a statement, I highly recommend turning the traction control off, and burning a little bit of rubber! It does very well at that!

How about cornering ? Well, you know those ramps on the freeway that have 25mph speed limit signs on them? There's a reason for that. The DOT determines the average "safe" speed that you will be able to maintain control of your vehicle around the corner of that on/off ramp, and they put a sign up. Well, let's just say I frequently find myself going 50-60mph around those 25mph turns, and guess what? The mustang sticks to the road like glue, and it feels safe, and secure. You get a huge rush of blood to your head from the excitement of feeling the gravity, and the accelleration around the corner. By the way, don't try corners this fast unless you are an experienced driver who is COMFORTABLE with your car and know its abilities and its limits!

Handling? Well, let's just say this isn't your grandpa's Lincoln. The Mustang has a sport tuned suspension on it. As a result, when you go over bumps you are going to feel them! Don't buy the mustang if you want a smooth bump-free ride. In fact, the Mustang has a very rough ride. Not only is it bumpy over the bumps, but at higher speeds, I have noticed a vibration that doesn't seem to go away, even when I get my tires rotated and balanced! Maybe that's just the factory Goodyear tires (which I might add totally suck - I now have 28,000 miles and there is very little tread left on the tires), and hopefully when I put some new ones on it, the car will ride a little smoother.

Safety? This car is one of very few cars in its class to receive a 5 star frontal crash rating. I know firsthand, I was a passenger in a 2001 Mustang Bullitt GT hard top, in an 80mph colission on the freeway, and I walked out of the car with only a few scratches, and didn't even have to go to the hospital! The driver also survived, but he had to spend a few nights in jail. :( The car, on the other hand, did not survive, and was totaled.

Audio system? I got the premium option, so the Mach 460 sound system with 6 disc in dash CD changer is standard in this car. I love my Mach 460 sound, the bass is tight, the highs are crisp and clear, and even driving 80 on the freeway with the top down you can still hear the stereo just fine. The in dash CD changer is convenient, no more pulling over to change CD's, or fumbling under the seat to find the CD eject button. However, I have some huge complaints about the audio system. First of all, the speakers are cheaply installed, and vibrate excessively from the bass. Sometimes even with bass almost all the way off, the speakers still vibrate, which is very annoying and cheasy sounding! Secondly, I have had my in dash deck replaced once, and it already needs to be replaced again. You see, the CD changer has a problem ejecting CD's, and they get stuck. If you get this car, NEVER stick a CD with a paper label into the CD changer, it has a problem ejecting those, but even regular CD's can sometimes be a problem, especially those with raised artwork on the CD.

Comfort? Well, let's just say this car is meant for driver, and passenger in the front seat. If you are going to be transporting more people around, look elsewhere! This car is not comfortable to ride around in the back seat, I know I've tried it personally! Also, another annoying thing. The leather seats in the front are real leather, but the back seat is just fake vinyl! That really annoyed me to pay extra for the leather, and only get it in the front seats!!! The leather seats in the front, however, are comfortable, and adequite for long trips. As many car magazines have stated, the seating position is awkward, and requires a lot of adjustment to find the perfect position. The driver seat has a LOT of adjustments, as it is a full 6 way power seat with electronic lumbar support. Once you find that perfect adjustment, the seat is great! Oh, by the way, did I mention you MUST get the leather seats? I've driven Mustangs with the cloth seats and the fake vinyl ones in the rental cars, and they are EXTREMELY uncomfortable, so if you're going to buy this car, splurge and get the leather! I have had some problems with my seat, as I will describe under reliability.

Features? The mustang pretty much comes "loaded" especially if you get the premium model. However, the Mustang is a dated car, and is lacking some of the newer comfort and convenience features that cars today come standard with. For example, the leather seats are not heated (my friends 18,000 VW bug has heated leather seats). The climate control is manual, not electronic-automatic, as found on the Acura 3.2CL Type S($24,000). The mirror is not "auto-dimming" as found on some newer cars. The car has pretty much the basics you will need though - power windows, power door locks, remote keyless entry, cruise control, power driver/passenger mirrors, remote trunk release, locking glove box, 6 way power driver seat, 6 disc in dash cd changer, 6 speaker 460 watt sound system, and if you get the convertable, the top is fully electronic/automatic. Another cool thing, and this is on all Ford cars and trucks, is the active anti-theft system. Each Ford comes with a electronic key that has a computer chip in it. The car will only start with that key in the ignition! This means that your car can not be stolen, unless someone knows your key code and has another key made at the Ford dealership! The bad side is if you need to copy the key, it has to be done at Ford, and costs a lot to do!

Reliability? I have to admit, I am a little bit disapointed in this car. The engine and the transmision are SOLID, as expected from any Ford vehicle (FORDS ROCK!!). However, the car has a lot of annoying little squeeks and rattles. If you don't like squeeks and rattles, DO NOT GET THE CONVERTABLE. There is nothing they can do to fix squeeks and rattles. I've had my car in the shop 3 times now to fix squeeks and rattles coming from the windows, and they just can't fix it. 2 times, they had my car for almost 2 weeks trying to figure out how to fix the problems. My seat also has an ANNOYING squeek coming from the coil springs in the seat (kinda like a squeaky mattress). Every time I go around a corner, the seat squeaks. When I sit in it, it squeaks. I have taken it in for this 3 times, and my local Ford dealer's service department (North County Ford) absolutely SUCKS!!! They keep greasing the track that the seat is on, and won't listen to me when I tell them it's coming from INSIDE the seat. Hopefully, eventually, I can get them to replace my seat before the warranty is up, the squeak is very loud and annoying. Also, the power lumbar on my seat has failed, and no longer works, the button to increase or decrease the firmness does nothing. As stated in the audio section of my review, the cd changer has been replaced once, and now needs replacement again due to not ejecting discs. My oil pressure guage also went out intermittently - they quickly fixed that with a replacement sensor. So, I've had some minor problems, which has been a huge annoyance. I'm about to try taking my car to another Ford dealer to see if they can do a better job fixing my problems. Like I said though, Mechanically, the car is solid, and that's what is most important to me.

Overall, the car is a dream to drive, and I love every minute of this car. I wouldn't trade it for anything else, even with the little problems I've had! I hope to get many more years of service (i've had the car for about 18 months now) out of my pony!! Oh, and about that high car payment, I went to e-loan.com and refinanced it, so I'm down to $469 a month -- MUCH BETTER!!

UPDATE:

I put new tires on the car, as the factory ones were about worn out at 31,000 miles. I went with the Yokohama AVS ES-100 tires.. They were 653 installed w/ 4 replacement certificates at Discount Tire. I went with a little bigger ones, as they didn't have 245's in stock, so i went with the 255. The Yokohamas are a DREAM to ride with. Interior noise on the freeway has dropped at least 40% in the Mustang!!!!!!!!!!!! And the tires stick to the road like glue. I highly recommend you replace your factory tires with these Yokohamas to allieviate some of my complaints addressed in this review.

Another update:

I traded the car into the Ford Dealer for a 2003 Ford Escape. I am now regretting it, as I really miss my mustang, but I gotta big dog to haul to the beach, which I got about a year after I bought my stang, and I am starting my own business, so I need something that I can haul stuff around in, the Mustang just wouldn't cut it.. I'll miss my baby.. It's been a fun ride..

Make sure if you buy a mustang that you a) buy a used one to avoid the depreciation, and b) if it's your only form of transportation, make sure you won't have future needs such as hauling stuff around, or having kids, animals, etc, cuz the Mustang is not meant for that kinda stuff...

I guess I must be getting old!!





Amount Paid (US$): 28800
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: GT Premium Convertable