Howdy from the Great White North. Received my '05 vert last Thursday and have already put on 2000kms (a full report elsewhere).
I also looked at the 350Z and I looked at a Porsche Boxster. Took the Z for a drive and it was a nice ride but it was about $10,000 more than I paid for my 'stang; there's also the issue of the Z having only 2 seats.
You are correct in that the seat does not return to a memorized position - that is a bit of a pain but it only taskes a few seconds to overcome that.
As for it being a "family" car, I believe it does that job just fine. I have 2 daughters, average sized, aged 10 and 13, and they both fit well in the back. Like Mickey said earlier in this thread, my kids want to ride in the Mustang over our other vehicle (an F150). Both girls claim they are comfortable in the back and front seat. I actually did the "kid" test prior to ordering and I recommend you do the same.
At the auto show here in Edmonton I cornered a couple of the onlookers and got them to sit in the front while I checked out the back of a vert. I am 5'11" and 225lbs, still fairly fit after over 25 years in the Army but starting to notice my torso shape go from "triangle" to "oval" (If I paint my body blue, do you thing Ford will rent me as an advertisement? LOL). I had a guy about my size sit in the front passenger seat and adjust 'till he was comfortable. In a nutshell, I fit well in the back seat behind the front passenger, with the top down, and I believe I could go all day in that position. I stress that the top was down. I also tried getting in the back of a coupe and I couldn't do it as there was not enough headroom.
I highly recommend the car. Yes, it will be more common than some of the others you are considering but then again, it will probably be less expensive. As well, with the exception of the Charger, you other choices will reflect a completely different image - i.e., American Muscle Car versus foriegn refinement - something to consider.
Finally, I recommend you do the kid test. Take them to your local dealer to see personally how they fit!!
Cheers
I also looked at the 350Z and I looked at a Porsche Boxster. Took the Z for a drive and it was a nice ride but it was about $10,000 more than I paid for my 'stang; there's also the issue of the Z having only 2 seats.
You are correct in that the seat does not return to a memorized position - that is a bit of a pain but it only taskes a few seconds to overcome that.
As for it being a "family" car, I believe it does that job just fine. I have 2 daughters, average sized, aged 10 and 13, and they both fit well in the back. Like Mickey said earlier in this thread, my kids want to ride in the Mustang over our other vehicle (an F150). Both girls claim they are comfortable in the back and front seat. I actually did the "kid" test prior to ordering and I recommend you do the same.
At the auto show here in Edmonton I cornered a couple of the onlookers and got them to sit in the front while I checked out the back of a vert. I am 5'11" and 225lbs, still fairly fit after over 25 years in the Army but starting to notice my torso shape go from "triangle" to "oval" (If I paint my body blue, do you thing Ford will rent me as an advertisement? LOL). I had a guy about my size sit in the front passenger seat and adjust 'till he was comfortable. In a nutshell, I fit well in the back seat behind the front passenger, with the top down, and I believe I could go all day in that position. I stress that the top was down. I also tried getting in the back of a coupe and I couldn't do it as there was not enough headroom.
I highly recommend the car. Yes, it will be more common than some of the others you are considering but then again, it will probably be less expensive. As well, with the exception of the Charger, you other choices will reflect a completely different image - i.e., American Muscle Car versus foriegn refinement - something to consider.
Finally, I recommend you do the kid test. Take them to your local dealer to see personally how they fit!!
Cheers