I think one problem is I live in the south. Seems like there are more muscle car heads around here, maybe I'm wrong. It's probably because we can drive them 12 months out of the year (most of the time anyway).
I'm finding some 04 models around $18.5 with under 20k miles, so that's not too bad I would say. What do you guys think?
I'm leaning heavily towards the 04 GT at the moment because it's all I can afford and I'd really like to get back into a GT asap. In a dream world I could get the 06 GT. I just don't have the job for $500+ payments a month. I could maybe swing $450 but to me that's still just too high.
Sub $400 is much much better! I can get an 06 V6 for that too, but I'm hesitating over the power loss I'd have to deal with plus the sound just isn't as good (my opinion) as the 04,05 or 06 GT.
Again, get an '04 GT. You should be able to talk them down some and get it for less than $18k. I like the new V-6s but IMHO you will regret not getting a V-8.
I have a V6 and I love it. I loved it stock, loved it modded, and love it with a turbo. It now performs and sounds exactly like I want it to (although I may up the boost next year) for a price I could live with. I have a manual, and it was fun to drive stock, but I drove crap cars before that, so the 210 HP was a step up for me, which is why I modded slowly to get used to the extra power. Now I have a turbo and I am loving the power and "throw you back in your seat" feel.
A GT will give you that feeling immediately. I think that if you are going to keep this car for 6 years that you should go with the base (Deluxe) GT and then upgrade the interior and the like as money allows? You can buy leather seats, an IUP, a nicer stereo, bigger wheels and all that jazz down the road. And a base GT sells for about the price of a loaded V6 (around 25K). You could then spend the next 6 years making it exactly how you want.
Again, get an '04 GT. You should be able to talk them down some and get it for less than $18k. I like the new V-6s but IMHO you will regret not getting a V-8.
Both valid arguments. I am already used to a GT, so I would want the power now. Getting a deluxe is a great idea, then modding it however over a 6 year (or more) period. I really want to keep what I'm getting if at all possible for a long time and have it be my fun car when I can afford to drive something else for a DD. Until then the Stang will be my DD.
We'll see how good an 04 GT I find. If I find exactly what I want, I might go with that. Otherwise I might see about finding a GT Deluxe 05 or 06 that's used somewhere. So far those aren't going cheap because they are hot and I'll probably have to wait on that one for a while. Could be worth it though!