current rival for the mustang gt?

**NightRyder** · 12-07-2006, 08:48 PM

Does chevy or pontiac make a car to rival the Mustang Gt? I know there is the GTO, but I test drove one and it felt like driving a bus (heavy). I have been saving up money for several years now, to buy a brand new car. Im really looking into a modern day muscle car ... under 30k, but all there is is the mustang. Should I wait some more years for the camaro?

**djvaly** · 12-07-2006, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by NightRyder

Does chevy or pontiac make a car to rival the Mustang Gt? I know there is the GTO, but I test drove one and it felt like driving a bus (heavy). I have been saving up money for several years now, to buy a brand new car. Im really looking into a modern day muscle car ... under 30k, but all there is is the mustang. Should I wait some more years for the camaro?

hahahha, u smell like a newbie... for ur info '05 GTO is LS2 engine, it may be 300-400lbs more than LS1 but it is a better engine and suspension. In terms of '05 GT they are cool finally made it to 300hp, but still no challenge for any stock LS1 car(350hp). so if I were you I'd go with a LS1 with very low miles and start moding stuff, even the LS2 '05 GTO is worth looking into... it all depends how much money u have etc... I wouldn't get a '05GT, for that money u buy an LS1 or a Cobra SVT and mod it to 500rwhp. u see where I'm coming from?

**Tyler_LS1** · 12-07-2006, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by djvaly

hahahha, u smell like a newbie... for ur info '05 GTO is LS2 engine, it may be 300-400lbs more than LS1 but it is a better engine and suspension. In terms of '05 GT they are cool finally made it to 300hp, but still no challenge for any stock LS1 car(350hp). so if I were you I'd go with a LS1 with very low miles and start moding stuff, even the LS2 '05 GTO is worth looking into... it all depends how much money u have etc... I wouldn't get a '05GT, for that money u buy an LS1 or a Cobra SVT and mod it to 500rwhp. u see where I'm coming from?

yep!

**Mr. Luos** · 12-07-2006, 09:10 PM

G6?

**djvaly** · 12-07-2006, 09:12 PM

Kia Rio

**AirForce** · 12-07-2006, 09:17 PM

You won't find a 'new' LS1... just like new. The sad part is that ANY LS1 will rival all but the 03/04 Cobra mustangs, easy. However, I've got several hours seat time in a 2005 6-spd GTO, and the car drives great. The steering is more 'refined' and daily-driver friendly, along with the suspension. But the suspension is VERY progressive and after an hour or so you get a GREAT feel for it. The car does feel a lot heavier at first, but 400 STOCK horsepower makes up for it very quickly. The brakes are amazing, along with the egronomics of the car. The new GTO's can comfortably seat 4, 6-ft adults. I'm 6'1", and I fit excellently into the seats, front and rear, with enough leg, and foot room to be comfortable for a decent drive/ride. The newer mustangs are ok... but they're still mustangs. I have experience machining Ford engines, and if you ever have to do maintence on it... well, good luck. I'd recommend a new '05 (preferably '06 GTO). Also, it has the sleeper look, which appeals to me personally. The body stylings seem similar to that of a Mazda, idk which one. Just a bit beefier looking from a distance, but up close, with the stock exhaust, they'll never know anything's amiss until you kick the RPM to 1900 and launch, leaving them wide-eyed... It will take a lot to compare to the over-all feel of a Firebird or Camaro, and the F-bodies are much easier and cheaper to mod up, for now... but if you're set on a new car, I'd go with a GTO every day of the week.

**djvaly** · 12-07-2006, 09:22 PM

I agree I test drive the '05 GTO, I almost bought one last year at the GM show in Grandprairie TX. good torque and power.. too bad the 400 lbs extra but put a supercharger on it and u race c6 z06 after.

**AirForce** · 12-07-2006, 09:26 PM

Originally Posted by djvaly

I agree I test drive the '05 GTO, I almost bought one last year at the GM show in Grandprairie TX. good torque and power.. too bad the 400 lbs extra but put a supercharger on it and u race c6 z06 after.

Yep, and if you go hardcore, I'm sure you could find somewhere in the car to inconspicuously pull that extra 400 lbs back out...

**djvaly** · 12-07-2006, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by AirForce

Yep, and if you go hardcore, I'm sure you could find somewhere in the car to inconspicuously pull that extra 400 lbs back out...

yeah, I mean strip off a/c car stereo speaker under carpet fillers, battery in the trunk relocation, remove rear seats etc.. 300lbs less, but all u got to boost 1psi more and u make up for the weight,, from 6 to 7 or 8 psi u good. stall it and get 3.73 gears if u A4 or 4.10 for M6 and u got a
10 sec car with the s/c that is.

**NCR1** · 12-07-2006, 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by AirForce

Yep, and if you go hardcore, I'm sure you could find somewhere in the car to inconspicuously pull that extra 400 lbs back out...

Oh Yea!! What about a vette?

**NightRyder** · 12-08-2006, 11:21 AM

Please dont get me wrong ... the gto is a powerful car, no doubt. My only two problems were its styling and weight(body roll). I was a previous owner of a 350z, so I could not get used to the much ponderous GTO because of its significant body roll and slow and numb steering (from my test drive). It felt as though the GTO was in the same class as a Charger or 300C, but with an available 6MT, rather than a sports cars class.

Many of my friends have LS1 T/A's and Camaros. Beautiful and powerful. They all lacked one thing however ... a descent interior. This is the reason I am in the marker for a "modern day" muscle car. IMO, the T/A's and the Camaro's are more of track monsters, but lack practicability in everything else.

I never really liked Ford, but after looking at the Mustang GT, test driving it, I really liked it. Great styling inside and out, but there was an enormous lack of power, compared to my friends Ls1's (which I have also driven before). The other thing that bothered me the most was the Mustang GT 5MT, constantly got molested by everything on the road. Hondas, Toyotas ... you name it (North Cali area). That is the main reason I was hoping to buy a performance car from GM. They dont dissapoint.

I have about 27k saved up right now, and I guess I will continue to wait, for that "perfect" car ... 09 Camro or 08 Challenger

. I would really like to buy a car that meets all of my needs instead of only half, as anyone else would as well. Please dont take offence to my opinions, I am a noob (to muscle car's anyway) and please do educate me on this matter. Thanks guys, for your time.

**tonyjnjz** · 12-08-2006, 11:31 AM

alright..i might get banned for this.......but i test drove both an 06 mustang gt..black with red int 5 speed. and an 05 6 speed gto.......hoppped in the gto first...loved everything with the exception of the stick shift....long throws..felt a lil notchy...the trunk..well there isnt one since they put the gas tank there.....didnt like the boot on the shifter either..felt cheap and pasticy.....oh and the stereo....sucks ass.........now the mustang....only thing i liked lesss than the gto was the straight line acceleration.....the shaker 1000 was unreal ( stereo) seats felt great...car handled better than the gto feeling MUCH lighter..trunk went all the way thru if u have somthing like ski's to put back there.........i never would of thought i would pick the stang over the goat as ive driving the last gen mustangs and HATED them.....no leg room..shitty stick shift......oh yeah and the 5 speed on the new ones is soo short and solid......flick thur the gears with no effort.....id buy an 06 stang gt over a gto........sry guys

**NightRyder** · 12-08-2006, 11:39 AM

^^^ I felt axactly the same way. Why would you get banned? You're simply trying to help someone not get screwed. My question to you, sir is; do they give satisfying numbers with mods (bolt-on's) how much would I expect? any Super Charger's out for them

**NightRyder** · 12-08-2006, 11:45 AM

tonyjnjz ... Do you know of any active forum's for the current Mustangs? any as helpful as LS1.com?

**tonyjnjz** · 12-08-2006, 11:46 AM

from what ive read on this site......intake,exhaust,chip will get u as fast as a 6 speed ls1....somwhere in the 330-340 flywheel horsepower range.........yes there are serveral superchargers for that car...do a search......buy what makes u happy

i missed my 99z dearly and came across my car on ebay.......17k miles....perfect in every way.....23k in mods from lingenfelter......paid 19,5 for it.........its rediculously fast...i love it......needs suspension mods now though.lol ........u can get used stang gts pretty cheap now as well....ive seen an 05 saleen in buffalo with 4k miles on it for 32k ....and theres numerious 5 speed gts in the 22k range with low miles.......get the shaker 1000 stereo system in yours if u do though...u wont be sry

**tonyjnjz** · 12-08-2006, 11:47 AM

nope..dont know any good stange forums..........sry...do a search

**tonyjnjz** · 12-08-2006, 11:53 AM

hey nightryder?? have u riden in/drivin an 01-04 z06 vette???????..there rediculous...handling/accel/braking....stock.........id MUCH rather have an 02z06 for 28k than an 05 mustang gt for 22k ...........u might need more that 2 seats though.....or somthing u wanna drive yr round........ill get u back in an LS1/6 ....lol

**AirForce** · 12-08-2006, 12:39 PM

i wasn't intentionally, directly attacking the Mustang, my younger brother drives one, and they're ok. I've just never like the feel of ford seats, I've never enjoyed workin on a ford, the stereo is good and loud, but by comparison to the tone and sound contrasting offered by say, the stock monsoon in my car; I'll take the GM 10-speaker hands down over any other stock stereo system I've ever heard. The GTO's sound system sounds good as based on the music you listen to, as I've noticed. But looking at what's available, I would say that adding and amp and sub(s) to compensate for the lack of ultra-low range would be relatively easy. I LOVE the way the GTO's seats feel. Cushy but with enough support for long trips, and the side bolsters held me firmly in place, where's on the mustang, I felt a tendency to slide around the seat under cornering. But to help you understand where I'm comming from, I prefer the feel of the seat in a car that weighs 474 pounds empty (yep, that number's correct), and has a 5-point harness. The "I'm IN the seat, not ON it," is the comparison I like to make. As for body roll in the GTO; that could be compensated for quickly with some Eibach springs

Also, they will help with the styling of the car. And speaking of styling, there's quite a bit of OEM stuff that can be done to the Goats to give them less of a 'sleeper' look. I like the look of the SAP stuff on the car, though I'm still more a fan of the 'sleeper.' There was kid horsin around in an earlier WS6 (probably 99 or 00), and all it took to get his attention was (from a 35 mph roll) to downshift twice quickly into first, from third, and hammer it. To do that put the car RIGHT at the peak of the power-band and I suddenly had 400 hp on tap and enough RPM left in first to make use of it before shifting and laying down the law, again. The feeling of leaving a 'sportier' car behind, like it hit it's brakes, is a good one. Though I was mildly depressed to recall that I too drive a near-stock Firebird. You are right though, the Firebirds don't have anything too 'fancy' on the interrior. However, if you consider the money you'd save buying a nicer F-body, and the putting that into mods (interrior and performance)...you go from a fast, decently upholstered car, to a 'star-trek-fast' show-car.
Something random to consider: The pedals in the 6MT GM cars (GTO and f-body alike) are set up PERFECTLY like those of a race car. When the brake is depressed to the point of (what without anti-lock brakes would be) threshold-braking, it is perfecly far enough down to allow easy heel-toe technique. The pedals are firm and responsive in all GM cars, whereas in EVERY mustang I've driven, the clutch feels clumsy, the brake is offset too high, and the brakes aren't progressive enough to allow easy driving in performance applications.
Again, I'm just helping to point out things as you requested, and not directly bashing the Mustangs; I just prefer to see someone drive away happy in a GM product. Also, pleasepleaseplease buy a Mustang before you buy ANYthing foreign. Makes me cry inside to see the domestic market dropping so much.

**tonyjnjz** · 12-08-2006, 12:55 PM

have u driven an 05-07 mustang gt 5 speed??? im asking that question because the previous model is NOTHING like the new one....i as well have bashed mustangs for the same points your making but found they corrected them in the new style stang.....my opinion is also based on only a test drive in both cars.....its very likely my opinion COULD be different if i owned both cars either at the same time or one after the other......i found the clutch, stick shift VERY easy to get comfortable with in the stang unlike the gto/and an fbody with stock shifters ......the throws in the stang were very short and percise similar to that of a 350z........i would GREATLY miss my hatchback if i had a stang or a gto in comparison to an fbody.....there is SOO Much more room back there.......and agreed..def buy american over anything produced over seas