2005-2009 Mustang GT - anyone own one?
 

Got my eye out for an 05'-09' Mustang GT convertible with a manual gear box

This would be my first Ford. Anyone had experience with this car and any advice?

I assume I should look for a less than 60,000 mile car and get it inspected before purchase.

Any major worries?

I have an '09 Bullitt edition. That's a normally aspirated 4.6 GT with deleted stripes, scoops, and spoilers. Also has added perfomance and comfort features. But basically a GT. It has given me a hair of over 22,000 miles with zero..repeat...zero problems. I did replace the original battery with an Optima 35 recently. Otherwise, no mods.

It may well be my final car, since there are people on a Bullitt only board that have well over 200,000 miles on their 4.6's, which is essentially a pickup truck engine.
'05-'08 were equipped with a weird 2 piece spark plug that is a nightmare to change, needing a special tool set to remove when they break. '09's don't have this problem, since Ford went to one piece plug. That's the main service problem I've read about.

It's a well balanced driver, but with zero status since there are tons of Mustangs out there.

I use mine mainly for 85 mile round trips to my favorite pool hall & back home. No real adventures to report. I did enjoy outpulling a Boxter S up the Salem Hills of I-5 a few years back. He must have thought the lack of trim meant my Bullitt was a base V-6 Mustang. It was fun watching his expression change from "I've got this" to "WTF???".

The aftermarket is vast for these cars. A common mod is to add a blower.

Overall, a cheap, fun, and easy to drive car. They are now considered slow, old, and obsolete in Mustang circles. That fits me just fine..because at my age, that description fits.

But really, you asked the question on the wrong site. Anti mustang and elitist sentiment is strong here. Guess I'm partially to blame for that...(a long story)

Anyway, here's a site heavily into the tech aspect of the S197 Mustang.
S197 Mustang Forum - S197Forum.com

My dad has one, cheap to buy and own cars that are suprisingly fun to drive.

The following gen car has a lot more performance but is alot more expensive.

thanks
 

Yes, a friend has a 2015 and it is a monster.

However I prefer the styling on the 05'-09' and I like the price point.

Glad to hear the positive reviews

I have a 2004 GT convertible with the same 4.6L and an automatic. It's a fun car with plenty of power, and good looks (triple black with bullitt wheels) that I bought for half the price of my 944.

I fully expect to have a Mustang of some sort for a long time....hoping to get a newer independant suspension 2014-16 in a few years when the prices come down. The music that the motor makes is intoxicating.

I have 2013 V6 model, and it's a very good car. I test drove a 4.6 V8 model, and with the exception of the sound I prefer the 3.7L V6.

If it's doable, I can't say enough great things about the 5.0 V8 models. It was a bit out of my price range when I was shopping.

A friend has an 08 GT-500. He loves it, he installed a larger supercharger and other goodies. It's a street car. He does take it to the drag strip at Cayuga.
The car is bullet proof. No issues with repairs.