The New Pony Car War and Why I Bought The Mustang GT

I have been dogged to death about buying a 2010 Mustang.


Why you ask?


First off the Camaro is new and fresh and has people talking, the Challenger is the retro king and I am a retro guy, and the Mustang loyal know that the 5.0 is returning and many are not buying the 2010 because of it.


I drove all three, I really struggled with all three, and I made a choice and I thought I would share the reasons why I did what I did and why I did not wait.


First, I was driving a 2007 F-150 Supercrew FX2 and it was a really good truck but I had three issues with it that made me want to send it on its way.


1. I thought I needed a truck and not once did I ever tow anything and I hardly ever put anything in the back of it.

2. Gas these days is not cheap and I was getting tired of feeding the beast. It never really got too close to the estimated millage on the window sticker to be quite frank about it.

3. And most importantly, I am just not a truck guy. I don’t like driving them, I don’t like the seating position, and I just don’t like driving a truck (clear?). The only plus to it was being high up in the air and being able to see around all the other big trucks and SUV’s out on the road.


Now that I have that out of the way here is how things played out for me while looking at cars.



First up, the 2009 Dodge Challenger.

Looks:

I love how it is the most retro of the three pony kings. In fact the one thing that gets me the most is that Plum Crazy purple is on the way. The car on the outside speaks to me big time. Inferno red is still the candy apple red-ish color to beat and I love B5 blue.

Looking out the windshield and at the hood is a retro experience on its own, you really feel like you are driving and older car, you can see the hood like you could in a 60’s muscle car.

You cannot help but love the big guy.


Performance:

The car will get out of its way but it does feel big. I am no road racer so I cannot pretend to know the real handling of the car but out of the three it has a mass you cannot ignore.


Interior:

The one I drove was an RT and the shifter and seats did not thrill me at all. The car had cloth and I am not fan of cloth so I made sure I sat in an SRT8.

At that point I realized that the Challenger has one major con to it that I have an issue with already. The interior is the same as what I had in my 2006 Charger and I did not like it either.

It is not the layout, my biggest problem with the car is the rubber like material that covers many of the panels in the car. If you scratch it with a stray fingernail or rub it with something it is there for life.

My wife’s 2009 Dodge Mini Van has this stuff in it and the kids have already marred it up pretty good.


Value:

The car is the most expensive by far with the options on it I wanted. I wanted an R/T Classic with an auto (yes I am getting wimpy in my old age) and it was pushing 40 grand with my preferred options.

That is something you cannot ignore when looking at the three.


The Dealerships:

I tried to buy one from four dealers in the DFW area, including the one my wife got her mini van from.

Each treated me like a leper to be honest.

All made it clear that if I was not willing to pay over sticker I was going to have a battle on my hands. When they would give some, it would be a price at sticker, nothing more, nothing less.

To the dealers:

Yeah, your Challenger is hot right now but you guys needed the tax payers to save you and you now are tied in with Fiat, what have they ever done right?

I complained to Chrysler and they sent me a form letter about how they cannot control the dealers.

I knew with the factory shut down and so on they were in short supply but give me a break.

When I did get one down to sticker ( B5 Blue Classic) the dealer hit me with a 6.9% interest rate when I have perfect credit.

They told me if I could do better get my own financing. Yeah, they were really interested in selling me a car...I felt like I was bothering them.

I would love to mention the dealers names, and in fact one of them is recommended all the time by a radio guy who does a show on Saturday mornings in the DFW area that I love to death.

I know this has nothing to do with the Challenger per say, but it was a huge factor in me not buying one.

Also I have had some weird failures and quality issues come up on my Chrysler products like failing power windows, failing power sliding doors on two of the three mini vans, battery deaths before their time, and other little things that make me question Chrysler quality.

The worst was a recall/failure of the roof molding on her van that leaked water that the dealership actually made worse.

And yes, I have an axe to grind with Dodge/Chrysler dealers now.


Pros: Great looks, fine performance. Let me say it again, GREAT LOOKS.

Cons: The most expensive, boring tired interior from the 300, Magnum, and Charger. Terrible rubber material on many of the interior panels that mars easily. Dealers that just flat out tick me off.



The 2010 Camaro SS


Looks:

Like the rear on the 2010 Mustang it took a bit to grow on me. The car is evil looking, but probably my least favorite aspect is the taillights. I do not dislike them; I really do not know what it is about them that makes me stop and look.

Some of the colors are odd and I am no fan of the Aqua color and find it bland and lifeless. The red metallic is not real strong to me either.

This is a car that looks best in black to me and there is a lot to like about the “love it or hate it” outside of the Camaro.


Performance:

I drove and SS 2 package with a six speed. Let me just get this out of the way, the car is a brute and it the fastest of the three. It felt like it. I would buy an auto, but the extra power that you get with the six speed would be a major temptation.

The one thing I noticed is the car has a top dead center sluggishness that I find on GM’s trucks. My Ford truck felt far more responsive and drove better than my buddies new GM truck (If he reads this he will disagree and dog me for this) and another good friend of mine who buys trucks for his construction company says the same thing about this issue I do and we have discussed it several times. I am not saying the Camaro handles poorly, it just seems to have a dead spot and floats a bit more on the open road. It is not a horrible experience but it is odd.


Interior:

I am sorry and I know it is a dead horse but I am beating it again.
It is too much and not nice enough.

I just do not like the interior of this car, I found the back seat to be the hardest to get into, and I personally found the car the hardest of the three to see out of. That was a major negative for me with the Camaro.

I just was not impressed with the dash at all and the waterfall of the dash seemed to make me feel even more cramped.

I found the seats the least comfortable of the three by far also.


Value:

It is the bad boy engine wise and I feel a decent value all things considered.


The Dealerships:

The amazing thing is even with the waits if you are a really serious about buying one the dealers will work with you on what is on stock and will do even better on an ordered car. The problem with ordering one is the back up.

When it came down to it even with the demand for Camaro SS’s I could have gotten one for sticker and the Chevy guys were doing their best to get me a good interest rate.


Pros: Bad boy motor and a six speed if you want it. The looks, the value, the dealerships.

Cons: The looks (I am still mixed on that rear end), the interior, some of the colors are very “blah.” Hard to see out of.


The 2020 Mustang GT

Looks:

Yes, I had to warm up to the rear end. Once you see the sequential taillights in action you too might change your mind like I did.

The new Mustang is far more sinister looking than the 2009 to me and I love the frontend and the lack of water catching phony scoop bits that were all over my previous Mustangs. Interesting colors including a gold that seems to be very rare and a captivating Grabber Blue.

Performance:

Better than the Challenger but not as fast feeling as the Camaro SS. I felt it handled the best of the three and is the most responsive of the three.

Interior:

This is where the love affair began. The upgraded interior with the white stripes seems light years better the other guys. Superior fit and finish, and far better layout and style.

The lighting, the gauges, the Microsoft SYNC, and the new steering wheel all sucked me right in and sold me on the car.

It is a joy to drive, and I never thought I would care about something like a back up camera but once you have one you don’t want a car without one.

Value:

Even during the heyday of the Camaro vs. Mustang the stang usually won this battle and still does. You get a lot more car for your money.

Dealerships:

My guys will always say “we would rather sell one customer several cars than lop their head off on one” and they really mean it.

No hassle, no argument, one hundred over invoice, all the incentives, and they shopped me around and beat the 4.9% Ford was offering at the time.

I cannot say enough about my experience.

Every GM or Ford product I have purchased resulted in a good dealer experience and I was in and out in a reasonable time. All tried to sell me warranties and such but none were “hard sells.”




Pros: The looks, the interior, SYNC, the dealers, and the value.

Cons: The rear end takes some time to get used too, and the black plastic all around the bottom of these cars is not real awesome on some colors. I bought a black one so that is a non-issue.



So there you have it, what I feel about the three, why I bought what I did, and where I am.

I love my Mustang.

I respect the Camaro, but it is just not for me.

I love the Challenger but have serious doubts about their dealerships.