Keep it civil guys or the thread will be closed.
Again, I will re-state. I'm not saying there are no V6 owners that are enthusiasts. My 90% calculation is not a fact, nor did I state it as such. It is my observation. It's probably higher than that, in my assessment. I am not being a snob. I respect V6 enthusiasts just as I do GT enthusiasts or any others. I'm just making observations which I find to hold true in my personal experiences. I honestly doubt even 1 out of 10 V6 owners are enthusiasts. I'll give you my reasons, but again, these are not facts, just general observations.
1) V6 owners tend to be young. Many under 21 and most under 30. There are several reasons that these owners tend to go with V6's. Insurance, MSRP, and status being most of it. As stated above, a lot of these pups aren't enthusiasts, but rather just like saying they have a Mustang. Perceived fuel economy is part as well. You'll notice I say perceived, because in reality, most V6 owners only see a 2-3MPG savings. After modifications, I see better gas mileage than most stock V6's.
2) As mentioned, go to any car show and count the number of V6's you see. I know around here, I am lucky to see 1 or 2. Same goes with the interweb. Go to any Mustang forum and see how many V6 owners there are. Forums are where the new age enthusiasts hang. Even out of the enthusiasts that hang out on these boards, the great majority are GT trim or higher. And that's a cross section of the enthusiasts, not the general population.
3) The majority of enthusiasts spend the money for the higher trim levels. To these people, anything other than a V8 is not a Mustang. That's not saying they look down upon V6 owners, but they would find it pointless to personally drive a Mustang if it's not a V8. To the owners in this category, buying a V6 Mustang is like buying a house in a bad neighborhood. They'd rather rent an apartment and buy a house in a good neighborhood when they can afford it, than buy a house in a bad neighborhood.
4) GT's and higher just look better. That is of course complete opinion. But the higher trim levels have larger wheels, better leather, more aggressive fascias, color keyed rocker moldings, etc etc etc... While this is an opinion, it is shared by most, and thus the reason many V6 enthusiasts upgrade to the GT and higher fascias. The same reason GT owners upgrade the GT500 fascias.
5) Performance. There's no comparison here. While the S197 V6 is the most powerful V6 ever, so is the GT. 8.8" rear end, 31 spline axles, better suspension, 300HP and 320 ft/lbs torque, larger aftermarket following, and ability to create even more power. The list there keeps going.
People tend to defend their purchase. It doesn't matter what the purchase is. From cell phones, to televisions, to cars, houses, etc... Ask anyone what they think of their cell phones service, and what they think of a competing company, and most will say theirs is the best. Ask a AT&T customer what they think of Verizon and they'll say their garbage (and vice versa). Ask a Spring customer what they think of US Cellular or T-Mobile. Same thing. Tell someone who just bought a Samsung TV that they should have bought a Sharp or that Samsung sucks and see what they say. It's human. So I understand why you feel the need to defend your purchase of a V6. But you were not under attack there was no need to defend yourself. I don't think anyone on these boards that regularly posts is not an enthusiast. You are in the 10 or less percent of V6 owners that are enthusiasts. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Again, I will re-state. I'm not saying there are no V6 owners that are enthusiasts. My 90% calculation is not a fact, nor did I state it as such. It is my observation. It's probably higher than that, in my assessment. I am not being a snob. I respect V6 enthusiasts just as I do GT enthusiasts or any others. I'm just making observations which I find to hold true in my personal experiences. I honestly doubt even 1 out of 10 V6 owners are enthusiasts. I'll give you my reasons, but again, these are not facts, just general observations.
1) V6 owners tend to be young. Many under 21 and most under 30. There are several reasons that these owners tend to go with V6's. Insurance, MSRP, and status being most of it. As stated above, a lot of these pups aren't enthusiasts, but rather just like saying they have a Mustang. Perceived fuel economy is part as well. You'll notice I say perceived, because in reality, most V6 owners only see a 2-3MPG savings. After modifications, I see better gas mileage than most stock V6's.
2) As mentioned, go to any car show and count the number of V6's you see. I know around here, I am lucky to see 1 or 2. Same goes with the interweb. Go to any Mustang forum and see how many V6 owners there are. Forums are where the new age enthusiasts hang. Even out of the enthusiasts that hang out on these boards, the great majority are GT trim or higher. And that's a cross section of the enthusiasts, not the general population.
3) The majority of enthusiasts spend the money for the higher trim levels. To these people, anything other than a V8 is not a Mustang. That's not saying they look down upon V6 owners, but they would find it pointless to personally drive a Mustang if it's not a V8. To the owners in this category, buying a V6 Mustang is like buying a house in a bad neighborhood. They'd rather rent an apartment and buy a house in a good neighborhood when they can afford it, than buy a house in a bad neighborhood.
4) GT's and higher just look better. That is of course complete opinion. But the higher trim levels have larger wheels, better leather, more aggressive fascias, color keyed rocker moldings, etc etc etc... While this is an opinion, it is shared by most, and thus the reason many V6 enthusiasts upgrade to the GT and higher fascias. The same reason GT owners upgrade the GT500 fascias.
5) Performance. There's no comparison here. While the S197 V6 is the most powerful V6 ever, so is the GT. 8.8" rear end, 31 spline axles, better suspension, 300HP and 320 ft/lbs torque, larger aftermarket following, and ability to create even more power. The list there keeps going.
People tend to defend their purchase. It doesn't matter what the purchase is. From cell phones, to televisions, to cars, houses, etc... Ask anyone what they think of their cell phones service, and what they think of a competing company, and most will say theirs is the best. Ask a AT&T customer what they think of Verizon and they'll say their garbage (and vice versa). Ask a Spring customer what they think of US Cellular or T-Mobile. Same thing. Tell someone who just bought a Samsung TV that they should have bought a Sharp or that Samsung sucks and see what they say. It's human. So I understand why you feel the need to defend your purchase of a V6. But you were not under attack there was no need to defend yourself. I don't think anyone on these boards that regularly posts is not an enthusiast. You are in the 10 or less percent of V6 owners that are enthusiasts. And there's nothing wrong with that.
