Fond of a ford? Somebody slap me

[92FstBKDriver]

Hey guys,

Just watched a car and driver review of the new 05 mustang. (an american car with a sophisticated suspension) looks like they did well internally in pretty much all aspects. im impressed. And i think it looks sooo damn good, i love the retro feel.. almost as sexy as my s13 .

What u guys think?

Car and driver tv giving the car 2 much credit?

Or are we 240 guys gonna be the bigger men and tip our hats..

all in all Nissan>Ford

[240SX_S13]

mustang r nottin but sound sometimes. they jux sound big

[ILikeMy240sx]

They do look nice w/ the retro look...

Some mustangs just sound loud some are actually nice... but this 2005 might actually be something... who knows. But ford is a ..... ford....

[Ubernoober]

don't be hatin.

The 2005 will probably be the best mustang ever. This coming from someone who has owned almost every generation of 'stang (except the pinto-stang, though that boy had a rockin front suspension). Redisigned chassis, solid engine, reworked suspension. I think the biggest mistake they made was increasing its already portly wieght another 200 lbs. For gods sake, my '70 mach I only wieghs in at 3200. The 2005 will tip the scales at nearly 3600. Blech.

[cory2081]

I LOVE the '05, there are so many little things that can be done to make that car even sexier. It may be a little heavier, big deal, it has 40 more horses to carry that weight. I read that an automatic '05 GT runs 13.6 @99.9mph in the 1/4 and 0-60 in 5.1. That's faster than an '04 Mach 1!!!!! If those numbers are accurate, which, most of the time the numbers for the Stang are conservative when coming from a Mag, the '05 is indeed a quick car. I had a '99 GT with a pair of Hooker maximum flow mufflers, UD pulleys, and a drop in K&N. The car went [email protected] in the 1/8 on stock tires, 90 degree day, and i drove the car an hour to the strip and pulled straight into the staging lanes. The only reason there are mustangs that are slow is b/c people either cant drive them, or, they just dont know what they are doing.

[mrflip69]

The only reason there are mustangs that are slow is b/c people either cant drive them, or, they just dont know what they are doing.

How bout the fact that there are grossly underpowered V6 models?

05 does look good though... any info on the price? I think they were planning on upping it quite significantly, which should deter much of the Mustang Ricer crowd

[w1ngzer0]

the only ford i want is a focus. The only reason i want a focus is for rally reasons nothing else.

I get carcraft magazine and i don't like it for the domestics. I like it for the in depth insite on "how to build a motor" or "how to repaint your car" or "how to repair your uniframe" unlike Sport compact car and import tuner and the rest of the garbage it doesn't show you anything but a giant PICTURE show

[cdiesel12]

i love it

[Shazoo]

yeh, but those rally foci in the WRC are fwd..turboed..built by a european company called cosworth..chances are the 4wd cosworth won't be avail in the US

[H.D.HUMPERDINK]

The focus in the wrc is awd and there has been talk about bring the turbo version to the U.S. along with the ford Falcon.

[cory2081]

The price is pretty much the same. There are however, more options, so you can run the price up a little higher before with that. the base model GT is like $24k MSRP or something. Most people that preordered got a premium packaged GT for about $27K (and that's an automatic!!). So, the price is basically the same Not bad for a 300hp car that can run well into the 13's stock.

[book-ends]

I really like the look but I'll pass on the dinosaur OHV motor and solid rear axle. What happened to building cars for this decade?

[BadMojo]

The focus in the wrc is awd and there has been talk about bring the turbo version to the U.S. along with the ford Falcon.

Well, we won't be seeing the new Focus (the one that the rest of the world gets) any time soon. Ford has decided that the current Focus platform is more cost effective for the US Market, so we'll be seeing the current Focus for a few more years, at least.

I *do* really like the styling of the Focus ZX3. It would look even better with some Focus RS bits, but they tend to be a bit expensive.

I'm planning on getting a slightly used '04 ZX3 with the 2.3L Duratec engine. I figure I can find a really basic, no frills (AC is the only option I'd want) black or blue ZX3 and then doing some mild mods to it.

Cosworth (!) is now offering staged mods for the Duratec (kinda like the Mopar packages for the SRT-4) that will get it up to 200bhp by stage 2 for about $2200 MSRP. The numbers for the third and final stage are supposed to be released for SEMA. I believe Cosworth is also working on a catback exhaust.

In addition, the suspension from the SVT Focus bolts up to the ZX3 and is surprisingly cheap. Other body parts and wheels from the SVTF and the Focus RS fit as well.

Barring reliability issues, I think it will make a nice daily driver. Assuming 20% driveline loss from a FWD car, that's about 180hp to the wheels, and the 2.3L Duratec makes much more torque than the Zetec used in the SVT Focus.

The Focus depreciates pretty quickly (good for buyers like me, bad for people who want to sell their car in the near future). The only downsides would be a) no LSD b) probably some torque steer and c) rear drum brakes (booooooo!).

Project Cheap Ford will allow me to work on getting a turbo on my 240SX next year (hopefully).

My last Blue Oval experience was awful, but for some reason the ZX3 Focus + Cosworth is attractive to me. Maybe I secretly think I'm Markko Martin.

[gibbo80]

are these euro focuses really that nice? I live in germany and the only cars i see tearing up the streets are audis. I havnt seen any focuses yet.

[Doomed2Walk]

Focus RS is a BEAST.

[BadMojo]

Focus RS is a BEAST.

Well, not really. It's got more balls than an SVT Focus, that's for sure. I suppose you could say it's as close as you can get to a WRC Focus without spending half a million dollars.

The RS is the higher performance model of Focus in Europe, over the ST which is kind of like our former SVTF.

The RS is still FWD but has a Garrett GT25 turbocharger, more aggressive stance, fender flares and a much nicer interior.

It's got about 210bhp and 230 lb ft of torque, not exactly a beast considering it's a 2800lb car. From what I've read of test drives, it doesn't have a lot of top end power.

Supposedly, the Cosworth Stage 3 kit for the Duratec 2.3L is supposed to be making 100hp per liter, NA.

So, for me at least, the Focus RS is a good source for US buyers who want a nicer interior, bigger wheels and some cool exterior bits. The whole turbo thing is cool too.

[[Zero-S]]

I thought the RS was AWD turbo...

[nismofly]

I really like the look but I'll pass on the dinosaur OHV motor and solid rear axle.

Just saw on Motorweek that they are developing an irs with all the goods limited slip everything and all the ford guys are looking forward to it because the car will supposedly handle so well. cant wait for SVT to do a cobra version

[MinisterofDOOM]

First off, I think the new mustang is the first good looking mustang since 1964.Secondly, I think 300 hp out of a OHV V8 is pretty pathetic.Thirdly, I hate ford due to too many very bad experiences with too many bad fords in the past.Fourth: I'm pretty sure that it's going to end up with huge wings and crap body kits and fart cans even though it's technically not a tuner just because of its low price. That's what keeps Corvette and Viper and the NSX safe: no one has 45k or 100k to waste on a car and then ruin it.And finally: Ford hasn't done anything right for decades. The even managed to botch up the GT (though it's still an amazing car...it should have been more so). I don't expect this mustang to be as good as they claim it is. Just remember this: of the mustang that is fading out to be replaced by this 05 model, 80% of it is 25 years old!!!! only the bodywork, interior, and some of the parts in the powertrain (parts...not anything too significant). And the platform sucked in the 70's when it was introduced. So anything, ANYTHING, is an improvement over something that was 100% suckage.

[BadMojo]

And finally: Ford hasn't done anything right for decades. The even managed to botch up the GT (though it's still an amazing car...it should have been more so).

What's wrong with the GT? Everything I've read and seen concerning the Ford GT has shown that it outperforms much more expensive European exotics.

[Xopher]

I've been reading the forums for a long time now and infact only more recently after i bought my 1st car around mid august, originally i wanted to go with a second Gen RX-7 but once i found this silver 240 i couldn't pass it up. That aside i find my self wanting a GTR?!?!

http://www.supercars.net/cars/....html

how weird is that?

[Ubernoober]

I'll pass on the dinosaur OHV motor

Umm, what planet are you on? Its an OHC (or DOHC for the Cobra) just like the imports. If you are referring to pushrods being old, then you need to take a serious look at the Chevy LS6. Pushrod, yes. Decrepid, no. It is a technological tour de force. Pushrod engines deliver great power in a tiny package and as such will always have a place in cars. There are more 800+HP pushrod production engines than OHC.As for the live axle... it isn't the greatest, but the '05 setup is far superior to the previous generation. And since '01 ALL Cobras have had IRS. The live axle is there for ease of installation and predictable performance. Don't forget that most Mustangs are purchased by women and "style" oriented drivers. Not by performance enthusiasts. Thats what the 400HP Cobras will be for.I still hate that they made it heavier. Even Nissan realised the Skyline was getting portly and did what they could to lighten it for the R34.

[cory2081]

Oh boy, seems that some of you are not all that familiar with Mustangs. Yeah, it is an OHV engine.....just like everything else except for maybe a lawnmower. It's OHC, single OHC 3 valves per cylinder. The previous 4.6 was only 2 valves per cylinder. Ford made this change b/c it is more cost effective since the exact same head, cams, and valves can and will be used on the 5.4 in the trucks, they just have a different cam timing profile for more low end torque, and it makes more HP. The Cobra has had IRS since 1999, '01 was just the last year of the N/A Cobra before they came out with the supercharged '03.

As far as people claiming that Fords have problems and this and that, all cars have problems. I owned a 1999 Mustang GT, bought it right off the showroom, 1 of the first people in the upstate to own one. I drove it for 118,000 miles and only had 2 things go wrong with the car and they were very minor. I will own an '05 Mustang GT, I am sure that it is a great car. Ford sells alot of Mustangs, so, you know they want to make sure that the new car lives up to everyone's expectations. The new Mustang IS fast, this I am sure of. THe reason they didn't use the IRS is because many many people drag race these cars. Ford went to the public, the race tracks and asked what people wanted. So, they went with the solid axle. You can always upgrade to an IRS, kits are available from Ford Racing products

[hamsturbation]

this just in: solid axle cars CAN handle!havcing the solid axle in the mustang is perfect. its light, cheap, and most people who buy mustangs wanted them in fords focus groups

is there something bad about making 300hp from a 281cid motor that passes emissions, and will last forever ??

[PantherRacer]

Ford sells a mod over there so you can RWD your focus, maybe THAT will whet some of your appetites lol. The Rally Focuses are both FWD though. I watch as much rallies as I can lol. So one of you disloyal nissan enthusiasts can get the mustang rear axle do some fabrication and come up with a awd focus

hey...what if nissan sold a mod that let's you FWD your 240 LOLOLOL like that'd happen. we could have an AWD S13/S14 and no-one would want the Skyline anymore lol

[cory2081]

i agree, hamsturbation, 300HP from a 281ci engine is good. people always complain "well, the S2000 makes 240 from a 2.0" yeah, at like 9K rpm with like 100ft lbs of torque....lol. Mustangs are great cars, parts are CHEAP, they are easy to work on, get good gas mileage, and sound sooooo good.

[VCthuglife]

i'm sporry but when i saw pics of the special edition 05 mustang GTR i almost made a mess, lol



those new mustangs are the only affordable american muscle car i am interested in right now

[BadMojo]

"well, the S2000 makes 240 from a 2.0" yeah, at like 9K rpm with like 100ft lbs of torque....lol. Mustangs are great cars, parts are CHEAP, they are easy to work on, get good gas mileage, and sound sooooo good.

LOL. To be fair, Honda did improve the low end power on S2000, but I do think the new Mustang is an awesome bargain. With the suspension and power upgrades on the future SVT Mustang, that thing will truly kick ***.

Hey, the Mustang GT will no longer be a chick car and a target of endless mockery. Even if the new Mustang is a bit errr... big-boned, 300hp is quite respectable.

Oh, BTW as to the Ford Focus and rally. There are currently *zero* 2WD cars in the WRC. The Ford Focus WRC is AWD, just like the Impreza, Xsara, Peugeot 306, etc. Even Hyundai's car was AWD.

[PantherRacer]

I guess you have not heard Group 5. who said WRC is the only Rally there is? SCCA beeyotch! I mean, the focus comes 2WD why not enter a 2WD focus in a rally and see how it does? it's all love, but I know the 2WD focuses are rallying...yep

that mustang looks good. but a nicely done sentra could hand it it's derriere...couldn't it?

[BadMojo]

I guess you have not heard Group 5. who said WRC is the only Rally there is? SCCA beeyotch! I mean, the focus comes 2WD why not enter a 2WD focus in a rally and see how it does? it's all love, but I know the 2WD focuses are rallying...yep

I've indeed heard of Group 5, SCCA Pro-Rally, Club Rally, etc. I just thought we were talking about WRC re: the Focus. Somebody, at some point thought the RS was AWD.

Anyway, as for the Mustang, I've got a big article to read on it in Motortrend. Looks pretty in-dept.

When *do* these cars hit the lots anyway?