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

"Tell that to the "adults" I have to commute with every day. Many of them have high powered V-6 or V-8 cars so they can weave in and out of heavy traffic at 80-90 mph every day which is soooo much safer than street racing."

Anyone "weaving in and out of traffic at 80-90mph" better be driving anything but a Mustang. Slalom and cornering are definitely NOT Mustang's strong points. Not long ago I had to make a trip across our city, halfway back and up the north route to my office and my time was extremely limited. I own a Mustang with 6,000 miles on it and a Grand Am quad 4 with 80,000 miles. I took the Grand Am. I WAS weaving in and out of traffic at speeds of 90-110mph. Being lighter, more agile and having a far better weight balance, the Grand Am is a far better choice for that kind of driving. If I want to go fast in a straight line the Mustang is good. If there are curves or weaving through traffic, the Grand Am has it hands down.

"Gas mileage is literally only a few mpg difference as stated in both MT and C&D so there is no real advantage to having a V-6 unless you can't afford to insure one... which is another reason you won't see kids driving V-8 Mustangs. Their insurance premium would match their car payment every month."

Parents in our rather upscale neighborhood generally insist that their kids drive truck-based SUV's for safety reasons. A few mavericks DO allow their kids to drive cars, and virtually all of them choose Mustangs. These people don't care about costs. In spite of this, the kids in our neighborhood almost always choose the V-6 Mustang. I only know of ONE V-8. Most younger people today are far more environmentally conscious than their parents. They're more into computers than burn-outs.

We have a Vette and a Viper in our family and I can attest to high MPG possible with both. My son drove his from Atlantic City to Florida and got in the mid twenties in a 2002 RT/10 6 speed. I have an LS1 that can also do the same once you are on the flat interstate and take it easy. I do not believe in street racing, but at times do selected bursts up to posted limits and also enjoy driving in remote valleys.

The law is the law, but at times you feel you have greater stability, far superior handling and braking than much of what is out on the road. Driving a high center of gravity truck or SUV feels more dangerous at times. When I drive the interstate I feel like I am nearly standing still. An advanced sports cars especially with great tire to road contact, Brembo brake upgrades, great steering and suspension is far safer in my opinion than many cars that are barely roadworthy adhering to the limit or not. But you break the law, you pay the price. It's nice in itself just to own and enjoy what you have.

"But no one is interested in power anymore... keep telling yourself that."

The last three 4-cylinder compacts I've owned (one from Ford, one from GM and one from Chrysler) would all easily exceed 130 mph. None of them were rated at over 160 horsepower. The only time I've ever seen any car exceeding 120mph on a public highway was on a rural stretch of Texas interstate when I was passed by a Buick Grand National going so fast the wind blast rocked my car. I was doing 115 at the time. Need I say he had several THP cars in hot pursuit.

Just where are these magical highways where people are driving 130+mph on crowded freeways on their way to work?? Sounds like a fun place.

"Just where are these magical highways where people are driving 130+mph on crowded freeways on their way to work?? Sounds like a fun place."

Yeah, it's fun watching people crash into innocent drivers because they are going way too fast and can't handle driving responsibly. I have seen so many needless crashes by idiots going way too fast for their own good (or anyone else's) just to get to a place they really don't want to be... (work!!). Anyone who thinks that is a "fun place" needs to give up their license immediately and take the bus!

"Slalom and cornering are definitely NOT Mustang's strong points."

Hmmm. You should read the new C&D article on the 2010 Mustang vs. Camaro and Challenger. 0.92 on the skidpad with struts and a live axle rearend!! I know even the old 5.0's were into the mid .08g's which is respectable and tight. Even a WRX is only around.82g's.

Oh, and they got an observed 17 mpg in the article, but the photo of the car sliding sideways smoking the tires may have just contributed to that low mpg number!!! Don't jump on that one as a true mpg figure okay?? It is rated at 24 mpg highway still.

Not sure why people are so anti-Mustang when it comes to handling. I always loved the handling capabilities in the twisties with all of my Mustangs. They stayed nice and flat in corners and never got out of control unless you pushed it too far, which is just lack of ability and experience I guess. Besides, taking off to 60 at 4.9 seconds (the 2010 STOCK) will leave you so far behind in most cars I can afford to slow down a bit if necessary to take the turns and you'll still be way behind. Of course, with that kind of grip who needs to slow down!! Too bad the V-6 Mustang that so many people are in love with would get wasted on any twisty road or course. Funny how the infamous 4 cylinder I keep hearing about hasn't been implemented yet. Oh, but it'll likely be a turbo anyhow so it'll get about the same 24 mpg highway AND have less hp and torque AND take super unleaded, like all turbo engines do these days, unlike the current V-8 which runs on 87 octane (as per the article). Both the Challenger and the Camaro were listed as needing 91 octane... I would still opt for the V-8 even after 110 posts arguing against it. Sorry...

The Mustang was made most famous by the Boss, Shelby, Mach 1 and now GT names... Did any of these models have less than a V-8 in them? To those who say they wouldn't survive without the V-6 it is quite the other way around. If they stopped making the high performance models the whole line would have ceased to exist decades ago. You don't see any Probes coming off the assembly line do you? Even if the Probe had been the new Mustang as it was supposed to, it would have been discontinued and we'd be back to the old rear driver with a V-8. They only sell more 6 cylinder models because of insurance and cost.

I see about 50% female drivers in the V-6 cars too. Women aren't usually interested in the high performance cars as much...(usually, not always!!) I hardly ever see a woman driving a GT. Many people do just want the looks for sure.

I just will never see the point of getting this car with a V-6 when there are so many better V-6 cars out there. Even the new Camaro with the V-6 is a way better choice, but don't kid yourself in thinking that it'll keep up with the new Mustang. 4.9 to 60....the Camaro SS with 426 hp did it in 4.8 with 111 more hp. The V-6 will be lucky to get down to the mid 6's.

People who are so disorganized that they leave late for every occasion and have to make up for it by driving like a lunatic don't really have any excuse. There are times when speed is called for. On two occasions I've had to get to a hospital very quickly. In one case I covered 14 miles in 8 minutes. I was driving a 6-cylinder compact. The real-world performance differential between cars is really not that much. I seriously doubt that I could have covered that distance to the hospital any quicker in a Shelby 500. Road and traffic conditions always put a limit on speed, no matter what you're driving.

"The last three 4-cylinder compacts I've owned (one from Ford, one from GM and one from Chrysler) would all easily exceed 130 mph. None of them were rated at over 160 horsepower. The only time I've ever seen any car exceeding 120mph on a public highway was on a rural stretch of Texas interstate when I was passed by a Buick Grand National going so fast the wind blast rocked my car. I was doing 115 at the time. Need I say he had several THP cars in hot pursuit."

So what's your point?

11:49 has a point; we race on our big screen at home... and then take nice actual rides after work and weekends having fun and nothing to prove. When you have a significant investment, why thrash it on the street.

I enjoy having significant power on tap, great handling, suspension, braking and having the top down.

Sometimes being in a fishbowl brings out the biggest idiots in their stock vehicles. Motorcyclists even more so especially the Hayabusa crowd. It's a great feeling having a car that you worked very hard for and is a reality. I think the police have a lot of respect for this viewpoint and they like mine. Seeing an idiot revving a stock Jeep Cherokee at a light for example is unfortunately a common occurrence next to mine.

My favorite time is dawn on weekends to go out and avoid everyone. I mostly drive a SUV to work all week in no great hurry to get to work or even get home. Drive fast on TV and cruise on the street, it's more fun.

"I just will never see the point of getting this car with a V-6 when there are so many better V-6 cars out there."

Maybe it's because a huge number of us want Mustangs that ride better, get much better mileage and have way lower insurance rates. That, not to mention the $7,000 to $10,000 less in initial purchase costs. Not everyone is a speed fanatic. Some of us actually drive our cars in a NORMAL manner.

As for "better V-6s" if you're referring to Japanese cars, my grandmother might like a Camry or Accord. I DON'T.

"Maybe it's because a huge number of us want Mustangs that ride better, get much better mileage and have way lower insurance rates. That, not to mention the $7,000 to $10,000 less in initial purchase costs. Not everyone is a speed fanatic. Some of us actually drive our cars in a NORMAL manner.

As for "better V-6s" if you're referring to Japanese cars, my grandmother might like a Camry or Accord. I DON'T."

First, the GT Mustang rides better than the V-6 if you want to have any handling ability, plus the mileage difference is minuscule compared to the performance difference as proven by C&D and MT countless times. They get an observed 15 mpg in the GT and 19 mpg in the V-6, and you can bet they were driving the GT a lot harder than the V-6 as the fun factor is quite a bit higher in the GT.

I am not actually a speed fanatic either, but having the whole package of performance in a Mustang is what interests me. I don't street race or drive like a maniac, which is why I can get in the mid 20's with a V-8 for mileage.

My insurance isn't way higher with the GT either, probably due to my driving record, which is impeccable.

Lastly, why does everyone think you are talking about a Camry or an Accord when you say there are better cars out there? I was actually thinking the Camaro V-6, the Hyundai Genesis coupe,... okay and maybe the Accord V-6 Coupe with a manual tranny as well, but that is no granny car!! Not thinking of the Camry sedan though... I am talking better sport coupes... There are better V-6 options with nicer smoother powertrains than the old Explorer V-6 in the Mustang.

"Lastly, why does everyone think you are talking about a Camry or an Accord when you say there are better cars out there? I was actually thinking the Camaro V-6, the Hyundai Genesis coupe,... okay and maybe the Accord V-6 Coupe with a manual tranny as well, but that is no granny car!! Not thinking of the Camry sedan though... I am talking better sport coupes... There are better V-6 options with nicer smoother powertrains than the old Explorer V-6 in the Mustang."

Why do V-8 Mustang owners get so touchy and hostile when someone exercises their right to buy what they want??

The point is this: A car that has as rich a heritage as the Mustang GT, Camaro Z28 (SS), Firebird Trans Am, requires the performance that only a V8 could could provide. Any base pony car is for people who are wannabe's. The V8 engine made these cars what they are today. Not the V6. Don't get me wrong, a V6 in any other car is fine, just not in a car that is supposed to be high performance. A word to all V6 pony car owners, don't compare your car to my Mustang GT or any other legitimately equipped V8 performance car. You are comparing red apples to green apples. They are both apples, but the similarities end there. The same can be said about the Mustang GT vs Mustang V6, Camaro SS vs base Camaro, and Firebird Trans Am vs Firebird V6!

Anyone factor the low resale of the V6 when you sell - I would say a convertible would hold value either way for a Mustang however,

"First, the GT Mustang rides better than the V-6 if you want to have any handling ability"

This statement contradicts the laws of physics. You CAN'T have a "better ride" with a harsher suspension. That is a physical impossibility.