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2005-2009 Ford Mustang GT: The Best Value Going In Pre-Owned Performance
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Talk Dirt Road-y To Me: '05-09 Mustang GT Cuts a Classic Shape
(Photo Courtesy of Author)
The motoring press has been awash in praise and accolades this year for the most recent ponycar releases from Chevrolet, Dodge, and Ford – and rightfully so.
The Chevrolet Camaro SS has been received to great fanfare since first gracing every magazine cover on the planet three years ago, and offering the most bang for the buck out there: 422hp and 111mph in the quarter mile for under $30,000.
Dodge’s Challenger R/T offers styling that is drop dead gorgeous by any estimation, although it embodies the cute-in-the-face/big-in-the-waist moniker, courtesy of its near 4200lbs curb weight. Still with 375hp on tap from the 5.7L Hemi, mid 13’s @ 106mph in the quarter-mile can be expected with the slickest shifting manual of this trio.
That brings us to the 2010 Ford Mustang GT. New angrier sheetmetal coupled with a glitzy and refined interior not since seen in a musclecar, packs essentially the same engine it has since the S197 redesign debuted in 2005. At 315hp, the carry-over Bullitt-edition engine from 2008-09 is a scrappy competitor, as it has to move less heft with the 3500lbs Mustang GT, but as speeds increase, it’s lack of cubes and ponies begin to become readily apparent.
If the Camaro SS and its 6.2L LS3 is the .44 Magnum of musclecars, consider the Mustang GT as the 9mm of the bunch.
That being said, even with the adoption of factory-installed 3.73 gears, a fantastic Track-Pak that transforms the solid axle Mustang into the Slalom Samurai, its price tag can inflate rather quickly to over $35,000.
That is a lot of money for 315hp no matter how you slice it, or how soft the interior pieces may feel.
So what is a die-hard Blue Oval partisan to do? Simple – canvass your local pre-owned car lot, Craig’s List, or AutoTrader.com for a used 2005-2009 Mustang GT.
How You Gonna Say That My Rims Ain’t Clean? (Photo Courtesy of Author)
One thing the Ford Mustang has never hurt for over the years has been a rabid aftermarket support system – even as the car has traditionally been on the low end of the horsepower totem pole. For a substantial difference in monetary commitment, you can have new car performance without the penalty of a new car payment and insurance might bring. Considering the state of the economy, more and more people are choosing this route – if by necessity rather than choice. This coupled with the opportunity to bond and become intimately familiar with their machine through some hands-on tinkering, is a time-honored right of passage for a gear head of any era.
For instance, after performing a cursory examination of candidates from a 200-mile radius from my home in Western Michigan, I set some very reasonable parameters for my search: $18,000 and under, with less than 60,000 miles. This returned 50 vehicles, with 10 checking in below $16,000. This includes both automatic and manual transmission models – the performance penalty that once existed for selecting a slushbox is no more, what with the 5-speed automatic transmission now available for the GT.
Most magazine tests of the day found a stock 4.6L 3-valve 300hp V-8 to be good for 13.80s @ 103mph. Stout performance by stock Mustang standards, however the prospect of getting waxed by a Pontiac GTO – or a clapped out seven year old LS1 powered Z28 or TransAm was a distinct possibility. This is not to say that all was lost; a restrictive stock air intake system, overly conservative engine tuning, and an electronic throttle mechanism that seemed to communicate the input of the driver’s foot via snail mail, left a lot of room for improvement from the aftermarket.
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If Only Patton Were Standing In Front of It, Saluting. (Photo Courtesy of Author)
Installation of a hand-held tuner – the most popular being the SCT X-Calibrator series or Diablosport Power Programmer, and any number of cold air kits (which are comprised mainly of a larger intake tubing, mass airflow housing, and an open element air filter) could be reliably expected to increase output by 25hp. A number Mustang on-line tuning houses and speed shops across the country typically squeeze out a few more horsepower to the rear wheels, while dramatically improving drivability and fuel economy to boot.
More power, better gas mileage, and throttle response. What’s not to love?
A search of any number of Mustang forums (and having witnessed it myself firsthand), has shown this combination that can be had new from $550-$650, and drop up to a half a second from the ¼-mile performance. It is not uncommon to find tuner and air intake equipped 05-09 Mustang GTs to be running quarter-mile times of 13.40s at over 105mph with no other modifications.
Even more oomph can be had through the addition of a Ford Racing 4.10 gear set ($400-$500 installed) – recommended for the elevated 6500rpm redline and resulting power band of the high-winding modular V8, a set of underdrive pulleys ($200) to reduce parasitic drag from the engine accessories and improve fuel economy, as well as adding a pair of mufflers that offer the soundtrack of your choosing ($300), and you have a car that will be capable of high 12’s in the quarter-mile – just as the new Camaro SS is capable of, for nearly half the price.
Ever Wondered What 35 Horsepower Looked Like? (Photo Courtesy of Author)
While the “miles an hour” may not be there due to the lack of displacement and horsepower, have no fear – a number of supercharger packages are available as well for these cars – the same ones that come as factory tuner packages from manufacturers such as Saleen and Roush – that can be tuned to rival the performance of the new $50,000 Shelby GT500. While these might set you back $6000, it is still a far cry from the half-a-hundy that a new snake will cost the average mortal; or the guy that is wringing his hands over possibly losing his job.
If it is handling you place at a premium over smoky burnouts and tearing up the drag strip, handling packs from Ford Racing, Steeda, or Roush can be purchased for $1000-1500. These parts and pieces can be installed incrementally by the owner as funds allowed or g’s needed.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The S197 Mustang which has been with us since 2005 is perhaps the best platform yet for Ford fans to build upon what was already a formidable package as delivered from Flat Rock. The 2005-09 model features the same basic platform of the current restyled model, with arguably cleaner and more attractive styling as well. The death-and-taxes consistency and durability of a Ford modular V8 when combined with the time honored hot rodding tradition of gaining mechanical know-how and a sense of pride from tweaking on your own car, is something that is hard to put a price on.
Though from the best I can tell, appears to be about half as much as the cost of a new car.
Have a thing for NASCAR stockcars as well as musclecars? Check out Vito Pugliese’s weekly column Wednesdays, at www.frontstretch.com for the latest news, insight, and commentary on America's hottest sport.
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