Help! Talk me into keeping the Mustang

It turns out my Mustang is so 'effin hot my wife decided to have sex with me one day because I just waxed it and I ended up getting her pregnant.....



Anyhow....Now that I have another kid on the way owning two two doors is posing a problem. I also drive 80 miles to work EACH WAY. I usually swap cars with the wife and take the much more economical SVTF but come time for Junior V 1.2 to be born she's going to need the bigger car. Mustang rear seats are little more than leather clad bad jokes, so something needs to change.

I LOVE the Mustang, but would parting ways with one be so bad? These cars are all over the damn place, and Ford will keep churning them out, so if I take a few years off am I really losing out?

I found a nice replacement, and the Mustang is easier to get out of ( almost a wash ), so it's the ideal candidate, but how do I leave my beloved?

The replacement is a Mazdaspeed 6. 278 HP, AWD, 4 doors, loaded to the hilt and really fun to drive. It won't smoke the 'stang ( yet, hehe ) but it won't have me feeling like I just sold my soul for a Kia either.....

But my ponycar side is telling me to keep it.....

What do you think?

It isn't so much the hassle of having a car seat in the back for MY sake, its my wife's, whom already has a real back problem, and she would probably spend most of the time with the newer car or the SVTF, which leaves me to driving the Mustang 160 miles a day and then having to rely on that Focus if the poop hits the fan. My other child is now 11 and already has issues fitting into the back of the Mustang leaving the Mustang the car least used. What fun is that?

I sold my turbo Miata to get the Mustang because ( aside from my love of Mustangs ) I needed back seats. Now, I need a 4 door family car that gets decent mileage yet still a blast to drive.

I do have a couple months I guess, but there are other things to consider...

First off, the insurance is MUCH lower, so costs will go down. The car is nearly new with about 31,000 less miles, meaning a nearly full warranty. I've always been partial to 4 door sports sedans ( big time SHO fan, actually ), so getting into one makes sense.

And you're right, Stan. Mustangs are a way of life...One that doesn't end even if you have to put off having one for a while.

This '05 is my 6th, and it sure won't be my last.....

stanmckinney said:

At least consider the Fusion. It is highly rated, reasonably priced and if I didn't love Mustangs so much, I would buy one. You can also get more for the money than a Mustang, expect perhaps for performance. $29,000 would buy you all wheel drive and everything you can get on a Fusion. At least it's a Ford.

Click to expand...

You do know that Ford controls 35% of Mazda and considers Mazda to be a part of the Ford family, right?

The Fusion is a re-bodied Mazda 6.....

Now if the Fusion came with 270+ all-wheel driven turbocharged horsepower I'd be in one too....

But for now I guess I'll have to settle for their Asian counterpart....

The insurance drops approx $240 over 6 months going to the MS6 versus the Mustang. I simply won't consider a Dodge unless it has SRT-8 somewhere on it, and 16 mpg is just not going to cut it when I drive 160 miles per day.

If I do this, I'll be giving up a fully-loaded '05 GT Auto with 34K mi for a fully-loaded '06 6 speed manual with 3,500 miles, Nav is the only option it doesn't have, but it does have full white with black leather, Bose system, Xenons, Advance-Key ( doesn't use a key per se, just this little credit card-looking thing that allows the car to start when the 'key' is near ), moon roof, automatic climate control, heated seats, etc.

It also runs a 14 flat and gets to 60 in 5.4 seconds on the stock 17 psi. Imagine what I could do with just a couple minor tweaks....

All for 22 grand.

Some answers to some questions...

I can't get out of the SVTF because we're too flipped in it right now. Besides, I actually love that little thing.

I'm less than a grand flipped in the Mustang.

Now, my current situation calls for me having to drive a lot for work. That may change one day, but for now this is how it is. I usually take the SVTF to work since I'll average about 29 mpg. The wife will not be able ( nor does she want to ) take the Mustang after the baby's born. I've thought about a third car but I don't want to take on the extra expense when I have a child coming, so whatever I do must either replace the Mustang or do nothing at all.

'get a better paying job' doesn't just happen....besides, I've got a great gig right now aside from the drive.

My more rational side it telling me that getting something more practical makes sense for many reasons, and thank you dawgz, your point is exactly how I feel. My thinking was to get this 4 door now and get out of the SVTF a few years from now for another Pony. Aren't the '09's coming with more power?

In the 17 years I've been driving I've owned well over 25 cars. The longest I've ever kept one is about a year and a half. I owned my last SHO for longer but it was a third car itself.


And another thought....I could always do this and buy a little fox a couple years down the line....


Now, the MS6 is a great car. I had a Mazdaspeed Miata before the Mustang and LOVED it. I'm a big Mazda fan for many reasons, and I've taken the MS6 through its paces. The thing can perform alright. I wouldn't go for an RX-8 because they get worse mileage than a Mustang does, even with that little 1.3 liter!! Yes, they can flippin' handle though. And I did see that Top Gear episode where they didn't like the MPS because of the way it looked even though it was keeping up with the RX8 and 350Z on the track....

STi? More money, more to insure ( than even the Mustang ). I also don't like having a wing the size of Texas bolted to the trunk of my car either.

Most importantly here, doing this LOWERS my expense when it comes to cars.


I know this is a sacrifice of sorts, but is it a worthwhile sacrifice?