2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT Barrett-Jackson from North America - Comments

"This site is getting a little scary. Now global warming is a "hoax" (100% of the world's scientists would beg to differ) and V-8 Mustangs get 27mpg while street racing with 4:11 rear gearing. I'm waiting for Alice to step out of the looking glass any minute."

Okay you need to read carefully BEFORE posting. No one said anything about getting 27 mpg with 4.11 gears while street racing. Highway cruising with 3.08's yes... 27 mpg is easily doable. That's all that is being claimed here.

The global warming comment is pretty out there for sure... I'll give you that.

"People on this site have stated their V-8's average 27mpg while street racing with 4:11 gears."

AGAIN you need to read comments before commenting! NO ONE said they were street racing with a Mustang that had a 4.11 rear end all while getting 27 mpg. NO ONE! Everyone who has claimed in the mid 20's for mpg on a Mustang stated that this was achieved by highway cruising and NONE of them listed a 4.11 rear end in the car.

"1:32 is perplexing. Why buy a sports car when you could be happy driving a 3 cylinder Geo perhaps?"

I bought a Mustang (my 7th) because I like the styling. I don't race, and usually am stuck behind people who drive like snails and can't use the potential of a 3-cylinder Geo even. Some people are not into buying huge engines (at least not in our more gas-costly times) but still prefer the styling.

The V-6 Mustang is the exact same car in every respect to the V-8 except for the engine and a less harsh suspension. Mine actually looks better than most GT's because of customizing touches I added with the money I saved over the purchase price of the V-8. I get far more positive comments on my V-6 than I ever did on any of my previous V-8's because of the appearance.

I could NOT be "happy" driving a Geo because it isn't styled like a sports car. Why is it so hard for people to get it when someone says "I like the styling, I don't race". I would absolutely LOVE a Mustang with the great I-4 engine out of the Fusion (which I also own) and the soft suspension of a Buick Lucerne. I no longer care for performance I can't use, insurance and gas prices I can't afford and tickets I don't need. I DO care about styling, which is why I bought my 7th Mustang. Why is that such a hard thing to understand??

"And where do you shop for Mustangs? $15K difference from the Camaro? Hmmm, the Camaro starts at $22K so that would mean, at your dealer, the cheapest V-8 powered Mustang was $37K??? I don't think they'd sell too many of them if that were the case, and on Ford's website the GT starts at $27,995."

Ford's website is very atypical on pricing. I visited 3 Ford lots with my wife (who is also a car enthusiast) and the cheapest list price on any Mustang GT on any of the lots was $34,000+. Most dealers order the most expensive, fully loaded premium models in my area. A GT with the plexiglass roof was listed at over $36,000. The base V-6 listed at just over $21,700 (including transportation). The figures vary in different regions due to varying cost factors involved in shipping and inventory costs. Ford's website doesn't include some of those costs.

I come from a family of car enthusiasts and we have either owned or still own a huge variety of vehicles. My late brother's family owns a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, 1955 Pontiac, 1967 Dodge Charger R/T and a 2009 Charger V-6 (they like Chrysler's obviously). Another brother owns a Dodge Viper, a Land Rover and a Hummer H2 (needless to say, he doesn't share my ecological views). A sister's family owns a Porsche Boxster, an E-class Mercedes, a Nissan Xterra, a Shelby Cobra (with a BLASPHEMOUS small-block CHEVY engine, God forbid) and two Trailblazers. We've had experience with the C-class Mercedes and 5-series BMW's, but realized it made a lot more sense to use the same amount of money and buy a Mustang, a Fusion, a two-week Mediterranean cruise and have money left over.

I don't shed any tears over not driving a car with power I can't use that costs 10 grand more. If you have to have a V-8 engine, then you have my blessings. I just don't understand all the insults and hostility because I exercised my free choice to own a car that better suits MY needs. It's not like I'm a domestic-hating import fanatic screaming "Toyotas are better".

Funny how every time I see a Mustang driving wildly and way too fast it is a V-6 car. Virtually every time I see a GT on the road it is going at or close to the speed limit and not being driven by an obnoxious "boy racer". Seems many V-6 people have so much to prove that they drive like maniacs so they feel like they have a fast car while the V-8 people don't care to prove anything on public roads, because they already know who has the faster and more competent car.

Guess what though... all that 85 - 90 mph racing around gets you about 17 mpg in your V-6 while the guy with the GT is getting around 24 mpg going the speed limit (and not doing magazine tests!!). Just goes to prove GT guys aren't all about the power... it is about the complete package.

It is the V-6 guys that need to slow down and show restraint! Besides, what "boy racer" can afford a GT when their insurance would be more than their car payment every month.

"Ford's website is very atypical on pricing. I visited 3 Ford lots with my wife (who is also a car enthusiast) and the cheapest list price on any Mustang GT on any of the lots was $34,000+. Most dealers order the most expensive, fully loaded premium models in my area. A GT with the plexiglass roof was listed at over $36,000. The base V-6 listed at just over $21,700 (including transportation). The figures vary in different regions due to varying cost factors involved in shipping and inventory costs. Ford's website doesn't include some of those costs."

You can still order a car any way you want to get it as long as it falls within the package guidelines from the factory. Just because you can't find a $28K base GT at your local dealer doesn't mean it is impossible to get. If more people ordered cars with only what they need, then dealers wouldn't add so much extra to the price with options that are ridiculous as their in stock overloaded cars would sit and rot.

I would order my GT as base as can be with a manual tranny as that is all I need. I have seen dealers do this on just about every car line though as they make most of their profits on the huge markup of add-ons. I am sure the majority of V-6 Mustangs come with extra stuff on them, therefore driving their prices up to ridiculous levels too. You even admit to adding stuff to yours after the fact, making it cost more in the end. Nothing wrong with that for sure, but I would opt for the car just as it sits as it came from the factory. I am not about the flash as much as I am about the all around performance.

For $28K you get a heck of a value in the GT. You just have to be willing to do a little searching for one... or waiting for one if you order it. Any good dealer will either locate one for you or order one without penalizing you for it by charging you sticker. If they try that, move on to another dealer.

"Why is it so hard for people to get it when someone says "I like the styling, I don't race". I would absolutely LOVE a Mustang with the great I-4 engine out of the Fusion (which I also own) and the soft suspension of a Buick Lucerne. I no longer care for performance I can't use, insurance and gas prices I can't afford and tickets I don't need. I DO care about styling, which is why I bought my 7th Mustang. Why is that such a hard thing to understand??"

It isn't that it is hard to understand your likes of more styling, less performance but you came on here claiming that every Mustang V-8 gets 11-15 mpg and there are so many of us that have as much or more experience than you do with Mustangs and we got nearly twice that. It is what it is.

I know how to figure mileage as it is basic math, and I know what I was getting as does everyone else I knew with 5.0 Mustangs back in the day. Believe me, that was the biggest attraction to owning these cars to me at the time.

I believe you as well, as I am sure there is a great variation in mileage as per driving habits (even if you think you drive gingerly) and proper maintenance to keep a car running optimally.

Then you start quoting magazines, which are a really poor source for mileage figures. I think you know this is an obvious fact. Then when V-6 mileage figures are brought up based on magazine tests, you completely ignore the fact that the difference is only a few mpg between the V-6 and V-8 as far as C&D is concerned. Your opinions and likes are your own, but you aren't going to avoid an argument or an attack if you pick and choose certain facts and/ or comments in order to make your argument look stronger.

Good example is the street racing with 4.11 gears getting 27 mpg. No where did anyone say those three things together here, yet you have repeatedly used that as some basis for discrediting everyone who has gotten into the mid 20's for mileage.

Look, just go drive the heck out of your V-6 and enjoy it as I am sure you will. This really isn't going anywhere and is a waste of energy. You are right, we are all Mustang lovers and should just leave it at that.

"Guess what though... all that 85 - 90 mph racing around gets you about 17 mpg in your V-6 while the guy with the GT is getting around 24 mpg going the speed limit (and not doing magazine tests!!). Just goes to prove GT guys aren't all about the power... it is about the complete package."

I doubt that even a political campaign can offer the incredibly bizarre range of contradictions I see on this thread. First, we are told that people pay thousands more for all the performance of the V-8. Then we are told people buying the V-8 drive like they had a Prius and only the V-6 drivers ever actually use any of their car's potential.

What I THINK I'm hearing is that people who buy the V-8 buy it for some reason OTHER than power, while V-6 drivers actually DO use their cars potential occasionally. Seems like the V-6 drivers are not only saving a bundle, but actually USING what they buy. What is the point in getting "the whole package" if you never use it?

"For $28K you get a heck of a value in the GT. You just have to be willing to do a little searching for one... or waiting for one if you order it. Any good dealer will either locate one for you or order one without penalizing you for it by charging you sticker. If they try that, move on to another dealer."

This is very true, and especially at the beginning of a new model year. I've seen 2008 and 2009 GT's advertised over the past two years (new) for as little as $24,999. That's a very good price. But for now no one around here has any basic GT's. They will, and you can, as you pointed out, order one, although dealers here will not discount ordered GTs.

"Funny how every time I see a Mustang driving wildly and way too fast it is a V-6 car."

My 35 year old neighbor confessed the same thing to me, and I noticed it in his driving too. When he got a really fast car instead of just a fairly fast car, that is when he started driving slower. He said he felt like he wasn't trying to prove something anymore.

"What is the point in getting "the whole package" if you never use it?"

Trust me, it isn't that I never use it... but in day to day driving I really don't feel there is anything to prove by blowing everyone away at every light and driving 90 on the highway weaving in and out of traffic, cutting everyone off. That is so BMW!!

I really enjoy the whole package, meaning the V-8 rumble, the effortless power which doesn't just equate to racing around, and the better handling. There is much more than speed involved here for me. I feel for the $6K investment difference in price that comes with much more than just a V-8 engine and the sacrifice of a few mpg, it is worth it to have the GT. If I felt like money was an issue, then I probably wouldn't be looking at sports cars at all.

Mine only gets used on weekends in nice weather anyhow, which to me is what these cars are meant for. That is my opinion though, so I am not condemning anyone who drives one year round! Trying to avoid yet another needless argument here!!

"They will, and you can, as you pointed out, order one, although dealers here will not discount ordered GTs."

I know they would rather sell you one off the lot, but if you deal hard enough on the car they should discount it even if they have to order it. If you feel pushed into buying something you don't want or need, then move on to another dealer. It would be worth driving even 200-300 miles to get the car you want and save thousands. I wouldn't try that hard for just any car, but on a Mustang I would be pretty specific as to what I wanted or didn't want on the car.

I have a 2008 Shelby GT (#1001 of 2100) and can't complain at all.

The stripes bubble just a bit around the hood scoop, but it's hardly noticeable-no big thing.

The rear suspension does make a little squeaky noise when going over a speed bump or running over small animals, but it's because there is some special racing stuff under there that they added to the suspension, so it's all good. You can't really drive it too fast in the city anyway because the suspension is pretty hard, and the streets here in Milwaukee are pretty crappy. It actually makes my man-boobs shake and I didn't even know I had man-boobs until I drove it.

Gas mileage? WTF it's a Shelby Mustang WHOGAF? But to set the record straight it gets 26.5 cruising on the highway. I tried the Challenger SRT-8 first and loved it. But less than one block test driving the Shelby and I was ready to buy. The Shelby is noisier, more of a snarling beast, while the Challenger is quite civilized - it even has a usable back seat. I like the live rear axle as well.. sure an independent unit tracks better, but how else are you going to get that white knuckled feeling that makes you feel so alive because you are so close to death?

As for $50,000 for one, maybe for the Barrett-Jackson ( only 100 of those) edition this gentleman has, but I paid $36,000 this past December. A year prior it would've been about $45,000 - timing is everything.

As for global warming.. bah, humbug it's a belief system more that anything and I don't believe. I still had to use the furnace up until June this summer, and on July 4th it was so cool I needed a sweatshirt. Not to mention the 99" of frikin snow I had to shove this winter. So fasten your seatbelts everyone and go for a ride!

Okay, I just test drove the 2010 Mustang GT, and let me say that I would never even bother with the V-6. This was a premium GT with leather interior and aluminum trim. The only thing I didn't care for was the 19" wheel package. So I talked to the salesman and he said he'd get me into the car for invoice minus the $1K rebate they have going. $28,300 for a premium GT... and guess what, if I order the car the price is the same!! Definitely worth it as the drive was amazing.

What surprised me was the ride quality. It was so smooth and held its own around a rough choppy loop onto the highway at high speed. Hard to believe it is a live axle under there for sure. It wasn't at all harsh either and never bone jarring as I have read on here, and it was miles and miles ahead of the old 5.0's that I have had. It was also so easy to drive. The 5-speed is silky smooth and the 3.73 rear end upgrade was a welcome addition.

This is also the first time I have driven a muscle car that sounded better with the windows up then down due to the pipe funneling sound through the firewall. I thought it was a cheesy gimmick when I read about it, but it really works well and produces quite a nice tone. Try that with the truck based V-6!!

What really got me was the cheapo interior on the V-6 they had. If you want to spend $6K or so less and get an interior on par with the Focus, then go for it. I am going for the premium package GT. Too good to pass up for a second rate V-6.

"What really got me was the cheapo interior on the V-6 they had. If you want to spend $6K or so less and get an interior on par with the Focus, then go for it. I am going for the premium package GT. Too good to pass up for a second rate V-6."

I don't know where you drove a V-6 Mustang with a "cheapo" interior. The interior of the V-6 is EXACTLY the same interior as the GT. Both come in leather and both have dress-up options available, but the cars use the exact same interiors, seats and door panels. People think they get "special" stuff with the V-8's because it seems they should for the extra 10 grand. In truth they are the exact same car except for the engine. Even the suspension on the Pony upgrade is the same as the GT. If you choose to pay 10 grand more for 1 second faster 0-60 times, that's fine, but don't pretend it's a different car. It's just a different engine. Everything else is the same. I've owned 6's and 8's. Everything on them is interchangeable.

"I don't know where you drove a V-6 Mustang with a "cheapo" interior. The interior of the V-6 is EXACTLY the same interior as the GT. Both come in leather and both have dress-up options available, but the cars use the exact same interiors, seats and door panels. People think they get "special" stuff with the V-8's because it seems they should for the extra 10 grand. In truth they are the exact same car except for the engine. Even the suspension on the Pony upgrade is the same as the GT. If you choose to pay 10 grand more for 1 second faster 0-60 times, that's fine, but don't pretend it's a different car. It's just a different engine. Everything else is the same. I've owned 6's and 8's. Everything on them is interchangeable."

In no way is the suspension the same on the base Mustang. There is no upgrade on Ford's site to get any improved suspension on any V-6 car, and the guy I worked with on mine, who orders the cars, said the V-6 is basically as it is power and handling wise. Yes, you can get bigger wheels and tires with the Pony package, but that is about it.

Yes, you can get the premium interior on the V-6 car, but you'll also have to add the Pony package to come close to the Premium GT standard features. This brings the price to within $6K of the GT premium... not the $10K you are arguing.

Plus, I was quoted invoice minus the $1K rebate to get to $28,300, so the V-6 would even be closer as the invoice on that car is not going to be as much lower as in the GT. Figure in the $5K range of difference between them when all is said and done. But even $6K is worth it to get into that car as it is a killer deal over anything else in its class, like the problem plagued Camaro or the pricier, slower, poorer handling Challenger.

In the sports car world, $6K is nothing when the car outperforms cars that cost $10K or even $20K more than it does. If you are budget minded and can't afford the difference, then why are you looking at a Mustang anyway?

Don't even talk about mileage either. The rating for the GT 5-speed is EXACTLY the same as the V-6 AT (which most people buy)... why bother with a 5-speed when there is nothing to use it for... Oh, and the 6.5 second 0-60 time you'll get with your 5-speed V-6 is more than 1.5 seconds slower than the GT's 4.9... again a misquoted figure.