I'll agree with you here. I want the 2005, 2006, etc Mustangs to be VERY successful. I want Ford to build 195,000 of them a year and just sell every last one of them. This will make the Mustang profitable which will force the Ford beancounters to give the Mustang product development group more $$ for future improvements and SE models.
But, like you, I don't want 500,000 people standing in line to buy 195,000 cars. That will make it VERY ugly for the real Mustang fans. Putting a positive spin on the Det News article, what those 2 old farts really said was "the 2005 Mustang is not the right car for everyone". And they are correct on that point.
I wouldn't worry about a strong demand. All the mainstream is going to want are V6's and maybe some GT's with the I'm-too-lazy-to-shift transmission. Manual GT's are most likely going to be less in demand.
However, I can see the positions being reversed at first, with a lot of manual GT's being sold because of all the enthusiasts wanting to get ahold of them. Who knows, I'm going to test drive one, and would buy one if it lives up to my expectations (which are going to be quite high).
based on reports coming in, here is my check list.
1. wide turning radius?
2. poor rear visibility?
3. crummy rear seat?
4. bouncy ride on bumpy roads?
5. tires noisey at speed?
6. body too plain?