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

"My current 4.0 is faster than my previous 5.0 and gets twice the mileage.'

Soo... your car gets 30 MPG City and up to 56 MPG highway? That is twice the fuel mileage of the Old 5.0. All those people that jumped on the hybrid car bandwagon sure got fooled, but you hit the jackpot!... Not.

"I prefer 25 mpg to 11, and love paying 40% less on my insurance."

11 MPG? Soo, your previous car was a 1977 Ford F-350 Crew Cab 4 x 4 with a 460 V8? 25 MPG highway with a V6 is pretty rotten by today's standards, my 2008 Mustang GT usually does that and a little more.

"Maybe some day I'll be magically transported to the land of 30 mpg GT's (with 4:11 gearing) that do 0-60 in 3 seconds."

I don't see this posted anywhere. I'm too busy watching pigs flying, The Blizzards in Honolulu and the Sun dancing in the sky to notice V6 Mustangs getting twice the fuel economy of the V8.

Let's put this in very SIMPLE terms, EVERY single Mustang V6 owner wants EVERYONE to think their car is a Mustang GT by adding a "dual" exhaust, by saying it sounds similar to a GT, has the same suspension, tire, shocks. Well guess what?! The GT has a monster engine with over 300 HP. I am not an engineer but would figure that for a car to handle that horsepower, the suspension, brakes, transmission, tires, etc, would have to be different! Every single Mustang V6 owner constantly has to make themselves feel better about their choice of car by saying the above. A Mustang is NOT a Mustang unless it has a V8 in it! When people envision or dream about driving a Mustang or how fast it is, they are picturing a Mustang GT, NOT a Mustang with a V6 in it.

A Mustang with a V6 is a Mustang missing 1/3 of it's engine.

I as an owner of a Mustang GT would not even look at your Mustang V6. Do us with a GT a favour, do not compare your V6 to a GT. The V6 Mustang is for people who want people to think they have a fast car. Mustang V6 WOW! A V6 with 200 HP is suitable for any car, but NOT in a Mustang or Camaro/Firebird!

"A Mustang with a V6 is a Mustang missing 1/3 of it's engine."

Actually doing the math correctly a V6 is missing 1/4 of its engine if you go by number of cylinders. It is, however, missing almost 1/3 of the V8 horsepower, and the very minor improvement in fuel economy doesn't make up for it.

The whole V6 or V8 argument hear is pretty sad. For the size of the Mustang, a V6 is quite capable, is a V8 nice? Sure, but personally, I'd take either and be happy. I'm not all about spinning the tires and roaring the engine. Control is more important to me than huge amounts of horsepower. More horsepower doesn't automatically mean better, look at cars like the Honda S2000, and the Mazda Miata. They're best sellers, and neither one has a V8. I'd take one of those before I ever took a Mustang.

"More horsepower doesn't automatically mean better, look at cars like the Honda S2000, and the Mazda Miata. They're best sellers, and neither one has a V8. I'd take one of those before I ever took a Mustang."

These two cars should not even be compared with a Mustang as they are an entirely different type of car in that they are small roadsters. Plus, the S2000 has the highest normally aspirated horsepower ever found in a 2.0 liter engine at 240, so if you aren't into high horsepower, why would you be looking at that car either?

"These two cars should not even be compared with a Mustang as they are an entirely different type of car in that they are small roadsters. Plus, the S2000 has the highest normally aspirated horsepower ever found in a 2.0 liter engine at 240, so if you aren't into high horsepower, why would you be looking at that car either?"

Horsepower is great when you have a decent car behind it. Mustangs just aren't my thing. They're overpowered, poor handling junk. I want a car that can take a turn at 50 MPH without spinning out of control. American's are all about power, more and more of it. Ever notice that every Porsche sold is faster than any Mustang and it has a significantly smaller engine? That's because foreign car companies know about something called engineering.

After seeing the attitude of so many fellow Mustang owners on this thread, I tendered my resignation to the two Mustang clubs I belong to. If this kind of thinking is what owning a Mustang is all about, I'll look at a Camaro.

I took my car to my Ford dealer's today for a required warranty service. While there I looked at the used car lot. There were three 2009 GT's. The CHEAPEST was $28,299. I then walked into the showroom where there was a 2009 V-6 5-speed offered for $15,999 brand new, never licensed. That's $12,300 more for a USED GT than a NEW V-6. With less than $300 in modifications the V-6 comes within 1 second of the GT's 0-60 time. That means paying $12,000 MORE will get you a USED car that is only ONE SECOND faster 0-60 than a NEW car that is identical except for the engine (and a smoother ride). I then left and attended a business luncheon where I recounted this story. Everyone agreed it's no wonder our economy is in a mess. If paying $12,000 more for a used car to get ONE SECOND faster 0-60 times is regarded as logical business dealing, we'd all love to approach you with a sales presentation on our new housing development in the Sahara desert.

My C5 Vette cost $5000 more when new for the convertible option vs. the coupe. Years ago it cost the same.

I got a kick out of my sons Viper comment. He said if he ever needed a new hood, the parts alone are $19000. It would be insured, but it's an interesting observation.

He used to have Mustang GT's, a coupe and a convertible, while in school. Probably the greatest used car performance bargain for a teen. Neither were stock for long and easy to upgrade. I was pretty impressed what great cars they are. Plenty of performance parts, great club support for anyone.

My cousin collects early 70 Mopars Challenger RT's and a Cuda. He was smart to hang onto his first cars that he has had since the late 70's. It's pretty cool sharing all our family experiences today. We all have different, but share the same passion. None of us like clones or the sixes other than maybe a Grand National. But I hate its interior and 80 MPH speedo.

I have had true Super Sports since the 60's and wish I could have parked them all. I have owned some daily driver new cars; pretty disposable and not real memorable. It's great to have a nice sports car to enjoy.

My only last comment on the V6 is when you climb hills or are being passed, is you may really wish you had at least bought a used V8. It's worth waiting to get one. Maybe a convertible may soften the lack of it... but it's not "the car". I think the car enthusiasts know what I am indicating with that comment.

"Horsepower is great when you have a decent car behind Mustangs just aren't my thing. They're overpowered, poor handling junk. I want a car that can take a turn at 50 MPH without spinning out of control. American's are all about power, more and more of it. Ever notice that every Porsche sold is faster than any Mustang and it has a significantly smaller engine? That's because foreign car companies know about something called engineering."

I agree that American car enthusiasts DO tend to be "all about power" with little or no regard for much of anything else. And I also agree that Mustangs are horrible for anything but straight line fast takeoffs and making lots of tire smoke. If this is your thing, that is great. The V-6 Mustangs offer better handling due to a better front/rear weight distribution, but even they tend to break away in corners too easily.

The best handling Mustang I have driven was a 1976 2.3 litre 4-cylinder. The balance was excellent and it cornered pretty well. The V-8's are too tail-light and spin out too easily. If I am in a real hurry to get somewhere that requires weaving in and out of traffic or taking fast corners, I leave my Mustang at home and drive my front-drive compact. What I lose in straight-line acceleration I more than make up in agility and cornering ability. Mustangs are all about looking cool (which is why I drive one) and making a lot of noise. They are far from practical, and should never be your primary means of transportation.

As for Porsche, they just plain cost too much. Members of my family drive a 911 turbo and a Boxster, but they do it strictly for ego and not performance. Few people buy Porsches for real driving. They buy them to impress people.

As for domestic makers not being engineering savvy, I disagree. Ford currently builds some of the best cars in the world, and virtually nothing can touch the Corvette for performance in a sports car. Reviewers give it the edge over Ferrari. True, Mustang is not one of Ford's better built cars, though they are reliable. The Mustang is basically a "cult" car that has an almost unexplainable appeal. For me it is the looks. For some it may be lots of tire smoke. It is a good car, but yes, the Miata or S2000 will outperform it going and coming. I drive my friend's Miata a lot. My Mustang can't come close to matching its agile handling because of the better balance and control the Miata offers.

I found the Porsche comment being too expensive used not necessary true. Sure new I tested a 930 Turbo Carrera a while back for 25K and it had 16k in engine mods and lowered. I passed because of oil leaks and high maintenance. It was not a forgiving car in corners; you could wrap it up if you lowered your guard. You won't race it off a line more a 30 MPH rolling start to spare the drivetrain. I would rather have a C5 6 or 7 Corvette or this Mustang for driving with less breakage and issues.

"My only last comment on the V6 is when you climb hills or are being passed, is you may really wish you had at least bought a used V8. It's worth waiting to get one."

Obviously the commenter is so used to more powerful cars that anything else seems "underpowered". This is an ailment that magazine reviewers seem to be afflicted with as well. If a vehicle won't do sub-5 second 0-60 times it is written off as "underpowered".

Any car sold in the U.S. today provides more than ample power for hill climbing, passing and merging. Even the lowly Chevy Aveo will merge onto a typical freeway ramp at nearly 75mph. I test drive a ton of cars, and I can tell you they really differ little in terms of practical, every day use needs. One or two seconds difference in 0-60 times is virtually unnoticeable to the average driver.

The arguments pertaining to V-6 Mustangs is especially irrelevant. The new 4.0 is for all purposes and intents near identical to the performance of the last generation V-8's. Hill climbing and passing is certainly NOT an issue for a 4.0 V-6 Mustang, and merging onto a freeway at 100mph is easily accomplished on most fairly straight ramps. That's 40 mph over the legal limit in most places.

It's sad that owners of V-6 Mustangs are not welcome in Mustang clubs or organizations. All Mustangs are great cars with a noble heritage. It's too bad that such an attitude of exclusivity and arrogance tends to pervade the overall Mustang community. I used to enjoy attending Mustang shows. After seeing the attitude expressed by owners on this site I think I'll stick to classic shows. They seem to have a more supportive and congenial attitude toward other car enthusiasts.

"Horsepower is great when you have a decent car behind it. Mustangs just aren't my thing. They're overpowered, poor handling junk. I want a car that can take a turn at 50 MPH without spinning out of control. American's are all about power, more and more of it. Ever notice that every Porsche sold is faster than any Mustang and it has a significantly smaller engine? That's because foreign car companies know about something called engineering."

Ever notice that every Porsche sold is two to five times the cost of any Mustang? Put another $30K into the design of the Mustang and it will stay right with your Porsche. You are talking apples and oranges here, and the two cars are from totally different worlds. The Mustang also is pretty amazing in the handling department considering the live axle it rides on (especially the new 2010).

As far as spinning out of control... were you on ice or really rain soaked pavement when you spun out at 50? I used to take my old 5.0's around freeway entrance loops faster than that without even moving out of the seat. They stayed nice and flat and were very easy to handle at speed. Yes you can kick the rear end out easily on them if you really wanted to, but that was part of the fun. The 2010 is simply the best Mustang ever and handles amazingly well, even on less than smooth pavement in sharp corners.

On the power thing... The Mustang GT is only 315 HP and it gets the car to 60 in under 5 seconds. That isn't a lot of power these days, but it is a ton of performance. Plus, what does your Porsche get for mileage? My Mustang easily gets into the mid 20's on the highway. Porsches usually are in the 15-18 mpg range. Talk about poor engineering!! You stated the engine is smaller so why can't they make one that gets even close to the mileage that a Mustang V-8 gets?

"If I am in a real hurry to get somewhere that requires weaving in and out of traffic or taking fast corners, I leave my Mustang at home and drive my front-drive compact"

Okay, this line made me laugh! I have never been on the way out of the house thinking "Geez I better take this car over that one so I can slide around corners better without crashing it!" If you are weaving in and out of traffic and taking corners too fast for a Mustang to handle just to get somewhere, that in itself is a problem and maybe you should just stay home with your Mustang so the rest of us can be safer!!

On a serious note... why do people have this illusion that Mustangs handle so poorly? They have always been more than exceptional in that department at least back to the 5.0 era. Yes, there are cars that are much better, like Porsches or Vipers, but for the price range, the all around performance of a Mustang is very impressive.

As far as "spinning out"; learn how to control your right foot a little more and you can easily avoid having the rear end kick out and still keep up with the best of them. I never lost the rear end on any of my Mustangs when cornering or taking off hard (unless I wanted to of course).

The 2010 is now in the .9 g range on the skidpad, which is amazing for a live axle car, and it feels it when you drive it.