Originally Posted by WillSol

The 2006 Mustang GT was my next toy.

I pulled up to the lot and start searching for one I wanted. They all seem to be automatics now which really annoys me. I finally had the salesman find me one that was a stick but it was RED. I love the color dont get me wrong but Im not going to pay higher insurance or have the cops on me anymore than I have to. So ignoring the color I looked it over and did the usualy pop the trunk and kick the tires deal I always do. My impressions are as follows.
Wow Ford is reaching so far back in time its gotta hurt. I do like it though. It's about time they treated the Muscle Car Stang like it should be. The hood is long and impossing the car is low and lean. I liked the smoothness of it. And I appreciated the resemblance to the older 60/70s models. The only thing I didnt like was the back end. I was disappointed there. I like how they have leaned the car down from the bulky previous yrs from what was it 97 on when it was rounded anymore. The model I looked at came with the high end shaker audio system which never disappoints but never over achieves either.
It also had the neat and nifty (i say this cause I dont see it as a major selling point) color change dash. Which is sorta cool, but ehh not that special. Sitting it I did like the difference from the previous Gen. You actually feel more at one with the vehicle. The seating postion is excellent and not as high they have moved the gear shift within range of actaully being able to naturaly rest with your hand on the stick. It is a dramatic improvement to me. The throws were also much better and seemed shorter. The shifter also wasnt in the way of the stereo like previous yrs either. The steering wheel was blinged out as well as the dash. I like it but I dont think its as pratical if you get the convertible since the sun is likely to reflect off all that bling while your driving and reak havic on your eyes. Once situated I appreciated the seats and how comfortable they felt. They could of hugged more but I think the designers wanted this car to appeal to everyone including the FAT ASSES so they left it a little loose. Strapped in and ready to go I fired up the beast and loved the low tones I was welcomed with. Nothing beats American Muscle. I drove slowly out of the lot since I didnt want them thinking I was going to break there new car and took it around town before heading back out to highway 70. It cruises nice but you can tell its a soled rear end in the rear. To me though thats great for launching which is more important than my rear passengers butts. Speaking of which it was pretty cramped in the back but no worse than the Eclipse. The trunk was bigger than I expected to and the design of it opens well to putting in luggage I think. Back to the drive though.
After a little tooling around town I found an empty church parking lot and took the Traction control off. I had alot of fun burning out and sliding it around a little but one of the people that worked at the chruch came out. After a small discussion and agreeance that the car is nice but maybe I should play with it somewhere else I decided it best to leave. I went back out and ventrued to the highway. Traffic was a little heavy so I couldnt make a complete stop but was able to go from about 20mph up to a 100 damn fast and was pushed deep into my seat. I thouroughly enjoyed it and used the passing lane a few times. Every grear accelerates well and there is a growl that builds up with the revs perfectly. After my bit of fun I took it back to the dealer and moved on.

Overall though I love the flashback looks except for its ass and really enjoyed the changes in the interior. For it not being the beloved 5.0 it is still a great motor and 300hp is nothing to laugh at nor is its stock quarter mile times. It is a very quick car that can give you loads of thrills anytime you stomp the gas.
The down side was no sunroof option for the hardtop and it is a gas guzzler BIG time. The prices aren't really negotiable and there aren' any rebates at the moment which was sort of a downer too because the one I looked at sat right at 29Gs... All the commercials advertise right around 25 but to get that one I would have to pre-order and since Im leaving Ohio for VA real soon I dont have time for that.

Next was the GTO and Solstice... both manuals I'll post them after dinner.

Originally Posted by WutupYo

you would get great gas mileage in the gto, i get about 450 miles a tank in my camaro all highway.... and the oil wont be that bad either, its take 5 1/2 quarts to change my oil, sure its a 5.7 but im sure its still the same.

you'll love the 6 speed, its nice to be at 1500 RPM's doing 70

Originally Posted by XCELR8

dude, you could work for a magazine. You're reviews are so detailed and well said.

Originally Posted by WillSol

Thanks, Id love to work for a MAG or shoot even DRAG VA if they want.
I do need to work on my sentence structure more and re-read a few times to make sure I don't miss words while trying to type fast though.

Originally Posted by XCELR8

It only take 5 1/2 quarts in a LSx motor? I figured they'd be at least 6 like my car is...

Originally Posted by WillSol

Ok here is the review of the GTO since it is still fresh in my head.

The 05 GTO is pretty cool. Im not impressed much with the availible colors or the brightness of them, they just seem dull even though its a brand new car. Looking the car over it really doesnt do the GTO name justice. In no way whatsoever does it inspire thoughts of speed or thrills of power sliding through tight corners((yes I use power slide..its what drifting use to be called)) The car is very understated but does have smooth lines and is aerodynamic. There is some new "flashy stuff" on the car like the hood scoops and new side molding and rear skirt. Its alright but still just doesnt do whats under the hood justice...for god sakes man its a VETTE ENGINE show it off. Popping the trunk and hood you see a good layout in the engine bay if you chose to work on the car yourself. The trunk has hardly any room since the gas tank is right behind the rear seat, not sure if this is the safest but I believe it does help with the balance of the car and alows it such a low stance. Inside the interior is very plush leather seats and suede type leather cover almost everything. The seat is snug, which I like and how it should be, even the back bucket seats are snug and comfortable. It is pretty roomy for being just a two door. The car feels wide and natural. Everything seems to be in the right position and very ergonomicaly designed. The pedals were spaced close enough for heel toe but not on top of each other. I took her through a city area then onto the highway. It was rainning out so I couldnt play too much with the car salesman in the car with me.

Through the city it did fine and the tranny shifts great. The throws are a little longer than I like but not bad. It is a six speed which is very nice since that big V-8 gets thirsty. At idle with the windows down you can hear the exhaust but it doesnt really get loud till after 4Gs, thats when you realize what your playing with. So after a little messing around on the city streets I learned it handles bumps very well and could be a little hard to get used to parallel parking due to the way the hood slopes but its nothing you couldnt get the hang of.

After playing around there for abit I asked if I could open it up on the highway and he said that it was alright but not to take the TCS off. I agreed so we headed for the highway. I was able to do my normal complete stop at the bottom of the ramp so I could be up to speed to merge with traffic. I didnt rev high and dropped it but I eased into and gunned it. First into second the tires spun real nice 2nd into 3rd was even better but even with the traction control the rear slid a little. By that time I had merged with traffic and was moving pretty damn fast. I went into 4th and was doing around a 100 but that was when the salesman asked me to back off. So I obliged and did some simple follow the speed limit then downshift to pass and I really enjoyed every minute of it. The car is pretty damn cool to drive. It makes up for the lack of looks in comfort and speed. I was thouroughly impressed.

The other good thing is since GM is trying to get rid of cars and make some money back I would be able to pick this one up for 28,500 which I dont think is a bad price for a 4 seater Vette. I still need to check the insurance on it which could be the killer. Overall though this is a great car and only lacks in the looks department. Im anxious to see how they will redesign the new model comming out soon. I would like a little stiffer suspension and more eye catching good looks but keep the interior simple like it is.

Overall--I think its a great car with so much life under the pedal. It will push you into your seat and snap your passengers neck, but it wont get you attention visually from anyone that doesnt know about what is actually under the hood of that car. As for maintenance Im sure changing a 6.o oil is expensive and the breaks just as much. Im not sure how easy they are to work on either. So that could be a draw back later on down the line. But if you live in the now its a FUN car!!! hmmm... is it a daily driver though?????
I dont think so.


Ok next is the SRT-4

Originally Posted by ZeRo_c0oL@work

Nick, what do you know about insurance bro?

I work for Allstate... and I'm willing to bet that the GTO will most certainly not be the cheapest on insurance. That's like saying a 16 year old kid will have cheap insurance driving a C6 Z06 because they're driven by older people typically; That has nothing to do with the premium.