This marks my first post to the forum.
I’ve always loved Mustangs. My first car, at the penny-saving age of 16, was a lovely candy apple red ‘68 coupe with black vinyl top and inline 6. It broke down every other weekend, wasn’t very fast, but it sure turned heads everywhere it went. The love goes far deeper since my father (born in 1921...old fart he was!) flew P-51 Mustangs in WWII. To give you some perspective, I’m 31 as I write.
I was present for my father’s last, beautiful breath on December 28th, 2004. My mother passed away 2 months and 3 days before him after a 4 month struggle with cancer. Two weeks before my dad went into the hospital, he and I were talking about reliving the old days and getting a ‘65 Mustang convertible and going on a roadtrip. He was ready to go down to a local classic car dealer and see what they had that day, but unfortunately I had clients in the afternoon. He knew he wasn’t going to be long on this earth and wanted to pass along the convertible to me. We never made it to the dealer and he went into the hospital shortly after that. After nearly 2 weeks, they put him into Hospice and we brought him home Christmas eve... it was the finest present I could have ever received.
In homage to his initial gesture, I brought home my 2005 redfire Mustang V6 5-speed automatic coupe with dark charcoal interior, premium and sport appearance packages on January 28th, exactly one month after my father’s passing.
Trading in my father’s Chevy Prizm, I bought the car with cash. I could have had the V8... a wee part of me still does. But, my days of speeding tickets are long behind and I could not think of any situation where I’d really need to go 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds..haha! I’ve found the performance of the V6 to be more than spirited, even exhilarating at times, the handling well-balanced, the steering responsive, the sound especially throaty and muscular for a V6 and boy, oh boy... she is a beauty to behold! I find myself strolling by the garage door and taking a peek, just like I did with my old ‘68. I have not felt the same inspiration with any other year of Mustang, since the 64 1/2 - 68. In my heart, these were the only Mustangs on the planet, until now. The 2005 brings back the same cool nostalgia for me. Must do the same for others too... she gets excited looks everywhere!
Here are a couple thoughts on the experience.
Buying the car: I’m a computer geek, I do my research. I knew exactly how much the car was worth, the blue-book value of my trade-in... everything. The salesguy new it. After going back and forth, he brought me into the general manager. He offered something silly, trying to mark up the car an absurd amount. After his wild arm waving tactics, I finally said, thank you and walked out with a smile. After I got home, the salesguy called me, offering me $200 over my last bid. I told him I’d be there the next day. I might have gone up another grand or two. I got it $1000 over my first offer and am very pleased with the sale.
The Shaker 500: I have the same problem as many of you. Occasional skipping (burned or store-bought cd’s), skipping over the ends of songs and every now and then reading a “bad disc” followed by ejection. I’ll have the dealer check it out at my 5000 mile service. Though, I’m really waiting for a recall, instead of a replacement of a poor model.
Throttle hesitation: This was noticeable, but not a real problem. It still drove great. Then, at 700 miles, I got an oil change at Oil Can Henry’s putting in Castrol Syntec Blend. I’m not sure what happened... if the adaptive system finally caught up with me or what, but pulling away from that shop was like driving a new vehicle. Step lightly on the gas and it goes with authority! Shift response is wonderfully improved. I thought it was nice before... now it feels fantastic!
First ding: Valentine’s day outside the restaurant. I should have followed my intuition and moved the car. As my wife and I were walking away, an older white Toyota with a small child in the passenger front seat pulled up. When we came out, the Toyota was gone and there was the ding: Front, driver-side fender about 3/4” from the door, little white spot smack dab in the center.
I talked to my body shop. My family has worked with these pros for years. 15 years ago they kept the ‘68 for 2 weeks and put on 9 coats of paint for the price of the standard 4. Good guys... absolute perfectionists. Worst case... around $750. The ding was so close to the door that they’d have to remove the stripe and paint the door too, to get the proper color match. Then they gave me the number for a fellow that runs a business called Press-a-Dent. He came out to the house that afternoon and in 15-20 minutes had the dent out. He could of worked on it more, but there was too much danger of cracking. It’s not perfect, you can still see the tiniest of ripples if your really scrutinize, but it’s to my satisfaction. He even found a small ding on the driver’s-side door, near the window, that was there when I bought it and only really subconsciously noticed. Got that out no problem. 75 bucks!
These forums have been inspiring, and I’m planning on doing a few mods, when available. Though, I’m going to be careful, making sure they don’t void the warranty. I’ve ordered a K&N drop-in air filter and am eagerly awaiting the new axle-back exhaust from Magnaflow. Pulleys, cold air intake and an SCT Xcalibrator may also be in future plans. Better mileage along with a few extra horsepower would be nifty. I’m not trying to race V8’s... just make those trips over the passes to the coast a bit more fun.
It is with overwhelming gratitude and pride to own this vehicle, to sit in it and feel the love-filled support and spirit of my parents. I feel like it is a big “thank you” for caring for them during their last months of life. Mom... Dad... thank you, my friends... blessings and love...
A couple rainy day pics off my low-res camera-phone at my website... I’ll get better pics soon.
http://www.transcendingtouch.com/gallery.html
Just thought I’d share...
p.s. I saw my first GT the other day. Torch red and mud streaked... still so nice! I’ve only seen half-a dozen or so other V6’s driving around. Several satin silver or mineral gray, one torch red (spoiler, but no stripe or fog lights... had to be a V6), one screaming yellow and a sonic blue last night. This is in Portland, Oregon.
2005 V6 Mustang - a few thoughts on the experience... 
right below you 
