Quote:
Originally Posted by eaglem
To be honest I just got this nagging desire to change over without researching the Mustang GT and when gets a Bee in their Bonnet it's hard to resist but once I started to research and found some Cons with the Mustang I started to rethink the situation. For instance, because of the width of the doors on the Mustang I wouldn't be able to open the door fully once in the garage and there's no way I could talk the other half into leaving her car out in the weather just so I can open the doors on my car. Also, I don't like the idea of not having a spare tyre and worse still, to have to pay out an extra $750 to have one. These are just some of the things I needed to weigh up. Admittedly the Mustang is a very nice looking car with all the fruit added but that fruit cost a lot extra. And to the end point, would it drive any better than what I already have. Don't get me wrong, I do have the money to buy one but I don't have the excess money to extend the garage to a 3 car garage as well.  |
The $750 for the spare is unexpected but in the grand scheme of things its not that bad. You just need to factor that in when working out final changeover difference.
In terms of Garage space there is a possible solution. I keep the mustang in a double garage with my Landcruiser.
Drive your mustang in forwards with the left side as close to the wall as possible, then reverse your wife's car in the other spot with left side close to the wall as possible. (or vise versa).
This ensures both drivers doors are in the middle, and you have maximum space in the middle of the garage.
I do this at home and have enough room to fully swing the door open on either car.
Its really only a problem if you are short and have the seat forward, then you need to open the door fully to get in and out. I'm fairly tall (187cm --its all in the legs) so have the seat most of the way back. Don't need to open the door as far to get in/out. I can see it being difficult if you do need the seat forward.
Not sure if it drives "better" than what you have, it is certainly different, and it comes down to preference. To me XR8 feels old and heavy in design. Whereas Mustang "feels" sporty, lighter and better composed. Again you will really only know the difference if you test drive a Mustang. The exhaust sound in the Mustang is superb.. Stock Xr8 can't even hope to compete. Not sure what the GT sounds like. Assume its similar to XR8.
If you can work around the issues you see as negative, take it for a drive. I can't recall ever researching a new car and getting to the test drive and then not buying it. I've bought over 22 new cars in the last 23 years
thats not including the used ones. (what can i say, i get bored easily and its cheaper than changing wives
) One thing i've always found... as long as the new car meets your expected requirements, the new car is always going to be better than old car. That's not saying the falcon is bad - its a great car, but progress has left it behind.
I would ignore the posts about what is common on the road. You only need to worry about what YOU like to drive. Who cares what everyone else is driving. But yes, no one complained they were common when Falcon was Australia's no 1 selling car and there were 3 on every corner...
I had a few people comment to me when i ordered my Mustang -"oh they're everywhere now, they are no big deal" Well, i don't give half a seconds thought into what other people are driving. I bought the Mustang for Me. I appreciate other nice cars that are well kept and looked after (like your GT), but at the end of the day it plays 0 significance on my buying decision and like wise it shouldn't affect yours.