Share your story on how you got into Mustangs.

[Unas2k5]

I’ve been a Mustang fanatic since I was a kid when I got my drivers permit I got my first mustang V8 with a manual transmission. I’ve always been drawn to powerful cars with a unique personality. It’s just been a love affair ever since. It’ll forever be my favorite car.

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[jsullboy]

In high school I had a 1971 Fiat Spyder 124. Lots of girls asked for rides because it was “cute”. But at lunch when we did drag races on the back road I took to the side lines. The fox bodies and Camaros ruled lunch. At the end of high school I bought a Toyota MR2. Was great handling but not much straight line power. Again lots of asks for rides because it was “cute”. When I graduated university and was working for a few years I bought my first new car. 1999 Acura Integra. Great handling not much power. In the dot com era I did ok bought a 986 Boxster in addition to the Integra. Kept the Boxster for 10 years. Many other commuters cars over that time. Plus kids, house etc eat car budget in that time. All that time I always wanted a v8. In 2007 I rented a Mustang convertible and drove it from San Francisco to LA. It was the rental spec v6 but i still really liked it.

When I heard the s550 would have full independent suspension plus the coyote engine with modern over head values I sold the Porsche and bought a 2017 GT convertible. Loved it. Borlas, power pack etc. In 2019 I decided to go all in with a Gt350 but missed the order banks. So I ordered a 2021 Mach 1. It’s pretty much perfect. Only too perfect. So for a project I also bought a 2001 Honda S2000 for restoration fun. I think the modern Mustangs are under rated. The balance of performance, comfort and practicality is near perfect.

At work most of my peers drive a bmw, Porsche or Mercedes and look down at me for driving a mustang. But screw those guys. They can have it. They don’t know what they are missing.

With out budgetary limits though my dream car would be a Ferrari 308 or 328. Magnum PI!!!!

 

[ajsfirehawk]

I really wanted a first gen Mustang in 1976 for a first car but couldn't afford it. I had two Trans Ams, three Camaros. I sold my 02 WS6 Trans Am two years ago and missed it. I retired a 9 months ago and started looking for my last hot rod. I looked at Vettes, Supras, even checked out a BMW M2. The Mach 1 M6 was the right answer and it is my first Mustang. I couldn't be happier with it, it's perfect for me.

 

[MidwayJ]

Growing up in the 60s and 70s, all of the coolest cars were from the 60s or early 70s. My dad had a '66 Mustang, which gave me some bias toward Mustangs. But then I really didn't like the looks of the Foxbodies or SN95s of the 80s and 90s.

When the S197 came out I fell in love with the retro look reminiscent of the 60s cars. But I just wasn't financially in a position to buy a toy at that time. By the time my kids were off the payroll and I was finally in the market for a Mustang, the S550 had been released. I was torn. I still loved the S197 look but after researching I realized the S550 is the better car. Someday I'd love to put an S197 Shelby in the garage just to stare at, though.

 

[1995_4.6]

Back in 1969 I found a 1966 Mustang GT Fastback at local VW dealer. Wow was I pumped up. I did not have enough cash as I was 1 year out of High School and working at an surveying company. I asked my Grandmother if she could help. She said yes. We went to the dealer. Her first thoughts were NO its to small and way to much money for a small car. I was devastated. She then saw a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500
in the rear of the lot. It was that or nothing. My first Ford. Forever gratful for her assistance. Fast forward to Feb 1996.
I am married now and find a 1966 Mustang "A" code Convertible. Wow what a present for my wife. I took a friend we went to see it, I bought it ang gave it to my wife on Valentines day 1996. We still have it today. Fast forward to Jan 2020.
I locate a 2015 50th Anniversary GT Le #310. I buy it asap. So now I've only got to find a 1965-66 Mustang Fastback! I very happy with both of Mustangs.

 

[DarthMalice]

I wasn't really into Mustangs until S195 came out while I was stationed in Hawaii. I thought they were a really sharp car and seeing them drive around the island in those scenic venues probably didn't hurt! I wasn't in a position family-wise to buy one though. However, when S550 hit, that changed. I thought Ford knocked it out of the park with the S550 design. It is second only to maybe the 1969 Mach 1/Boss designs. I ordered a 2016 while stationed in Germany that was delivered upon our return to the States. Another Army assignment resulted in me selling that car for practical purposes, but as soon as I finally retired from service in 2021, I bought the Mach 1 I have now after having seen it when it debuted at the Carlisle show back in 2020. I did have a friend who had a Fox Body in high school, and I rode in that to school occasionally. I thought it was a fun car, but if I am being honest, I preferred the way the Camaro and Firebird looked back then. At that time, I was your typical kid with the Lamborghini and Ferrari on the wall watching Miami Vice and Magnum PI. Even though I love my Mach 1, if my family situation allowed, I might even have a C8 right now because I have always wanted a mid-engine sports car...and Corvette has finally made that attainable. Damn Ford needs to make a mid-engine Thunderbird C8 competitor so I can stay loyal.

 

[sphinx]

Was 8 yrs old. Both of my moms younger brothers had 66 and 67 Fastback Mustangs. I was enthralled with them. Got a gold 67 Hot Wheels Mustang then, when a little older, an amt plastic model 67 Mustang GT Fastback then, soon after getting my license, I eventually picked up a 67 Mustang GT Fastback 390 S code which I restored and still have. Really liked the 2015, waited several years to let the bugs get worked out then picked up a 2019 GT premium PP1 6-speed.

 

[1emglenn]

The year was 1970 and I had just returned to the USA after 2 1/2 years in the far-east. My new base was Eglin AFB in Florida. The problem, the barracks were 6 miles from the flight line where I would be working. Needed a car.
Had a friend take me downtown to the used car dealership that he had just bought his Chevelle SS with the 396. Well the car dealer had a 67 Torino with 4 speed and 390 and a 67 Mustang fastback with 4 speed and 390. Drove both and liked how the Torino handled a little more than the Mustang. But, I was only an E-4 and the dealer wanted $200 more for the Torino. Back then, $200 was like a thousand now. So, I bought the Mustang for $1350.
Now as I started driving the car more and taking it for some backroad rides, I really started to like it. It was basically the same car as the Bullit car but Canary yellow. I used the car through the remainder of my service time and when discharged drove it from Florida back home to California.

The year 1973, still had the Mustang but I had bought a new 1800es Volvo sportswagon. I wasn't driving the Mustang much anymore and one day I stood there looking at my two cars and decided to sell it. Got $1500 for it and felt like I had made a good deal. HAH! Should have kept it and put it in storage.
Well, my life went on and I got married, we had kids and I started driving a lot of boring family cars. Then in 2016 my wife got very ill and fell into a coma. Didn't know if she was going to make it and felt a little lost. One day, leaving the hospital was driving by the Ford dealership and saw this Ruby red 2016 Mustang GT. Next thing I knew I had bought it and was taking it home. I had forgotten how much fun it was to drive a car that could perform. It helped me through a troubled time.
Four months later, my wife came out of her coma. She had survived. At first she was a little irritated with me about spending the money on the car, but finally got over it and actually got to like the car. But a few years later, started having problems with the '16s air conditioner. Thought the problems might continue so I sold it and bought the '19 because I still liked how the car handles.
Now I'm 75 and last year I supercharged the '19 and figure that it will probably be my last car. What with all this push by our politicians to go completely electric by the mid-30's, all of us who love the sound and rumble of the V-8, are being phased out. Extinction... here I come.

Hmm, when I die I wonder if I can have myself cremated in my car. I'm sure the green people would just love that.

 

[Johnny Rockit]

I really wanted a first gen Mustang in 1976 for a first car but couldn't afford it. I had two Trans Ams, three Camaros. I sold my 02 WS6 Trans Am two years ago and missed it. I retired a 9 months ago and started looking for my last hot rod. I looked at Vettes, Supras, even checked out a BMW M2. The Mach 1 M6 was the right answer and it is my first Mustang. I couldn't be happier with it, it's perfect for me.

Beautiful machine.

 

[ShadesOfBloo]

I took an interest in cars while I was taking the drivers' ed class in high school. I started reading about musclecars, and thought they were cool, but I still didn't care about Mustangs until the late '90s, when I was in college and discovered autocross.
Mustangs were less common than Miatas, but they were there, and the owners were having fun.
A little later I started reading about Datsun history, which led me to reading about the Trans Am series in the late '60s and early '70s, and thus the Z/28 and Boss 302.
When the Air Force stationed me in New Mexico I met some civilians who A) were car guys back in the '60s and B) were engineers and knew way more than the average musclecar fan. ...So they were a bad influence.

I tried to buy a blue 2003 Mach 1 in 2006 but the asking price was what the seller owed and was wayyy more than the car was worth. Shortly after that I rode in a friend's Mustang on a mountain pass and the body movement gave me the heebie-jeebies, so I wrote off Mustangs (and other musclecars) for a while.
My next car purchase was to rescue a neglected 1992 240SX (and I still have it, with 246,000 miles on it.) My next car after that was a new 2008 Evo (still have that, too).
I still looked at Supras, S2000s, Corvettes, and Trans-Ams. I looked hopefully at a concept drawing of a "Toyota 4000GT".

I liked the specs of the 2012 Boss 302, then saw the 2013 and fell in love with the look, but I had just gotten out of the Air Force and didn't have the next job yet.
Also, Supra prices kept escalating, while the cars got older and older.

I really wanted a GT350, when I saw that. A Mustang made for handling and for the first time in 12 years the aerodynamics didn't suck! I had no inkling that I could afford one but, just in case, a salesman pointed out the $25,000 markup.
(I still love it, especially in solid blue)

I also noticed the EcoBoost Mustang had specs a lot like a Mk.IV Supra, except for the number of cylinders.

I knew I wanted the Mustang GT-PP when I saw the 2018 facelift. I was window-shopping on the internet in Feb 2021 when I saw a dealer had lowered the price on a 2020 car that had been on their lot a few months. I decided I could make do without MagneRide, considering this car was $5000 below MSRP and I liked everything else about it.

Since then, my friend from New Zealand said he was surprised I bought a Mustang and I said "Well, Toyota doesn't make a Supra any more".

 

[Towerism]

Wanted a truck with a v8. Wife said a truck is too big. Started looking at all v8 vehicles. A white mustang came up in my search. My wife said she always wanted a mustang. The rest is history.

 

[rsayers]

I started "modding" my nissan sentra in HS which is how the car bug bit me in general. Had a lot of cool cars, but all Japanese (240sx, ae86, rx7, rx8, miata, mr2, to name a few). American cars were never really on my radar, but I always appreciated the looks and sound of the Mustang (even jdm dorks know nothing sounds better).

When I was ready for a new daily, the mustang honestly just hit the numbers. The performance to dollar ratio was great. The cost to mod these things is obscenely low compared to some other cars I've had. So... I just decided to pick one up and see how it goes.

I've since fallen madly in love with the car and the platform, it's just so good.

 

[19gtMD]

I have always liked mustangs. They always looked good when they were done up with tint, wheels, and exhaust. I could never afford one which is what kept me from them early. I would always admire them at car shows and things like that. So fast forward i could finally afford one but never really saw it for me as feasible being a man that has had to tote a wife 4 kids that are very active. Now I'm down to one kid left and the wife has the family car now so i started looking for one of my own. Came across this beauty i bought by chance. My previous car was a 2018 Honda Accord which i had all done up the way i liked. Saw her sitting on the lot stopped in one day and eyeballed the car and price.. Told the wife all about it and just went to day dreaming away. Ok so one day the wife says i want another dog. More specifically she wanted a French bulldog. Me having no idea how pricey them little suckers are was against it because we already have 2 Staffordshire terriers. So i said you can have the dog if i can get the mustang. She agreed LOL... i went to dealer that day and locked it in drove her home. She got her dog too.

 

[Volta]

This might sound funny, but thinking about it.. I've not really been all that into Mustangs. Now- I'm completely in love and obsessed with cars, always have been. No lie (and my parents STILL joke about it with me) but my first word was "car". I grew up with Hot Wheels, one in each hand. I moved to magazines. I had 4 subscriptions at once, for years. Got hooked into racing video games, which I still do. When I was old enough to drive I had mainly stuck to old school BMWs that you could buy for $1000. Would fix and flip for a better model basically every 6 months. So I'm really a Euro guy at heart. Long story short, cars are my life.

As time went on and I had 30, 40 cars under my belt, I started to recognize what I really appreciated in a vehicle. I liked something a little left-field, a little off-beat. Quirky design. Rare. Inline 6. Turbo or supercharged. Manual gearbox. Not something you'd find in the parking lot typically. Mustangs tick some of those boxes, but not many. This is why I didn't really consider them in my searches.

However, something changed when I stumbled upon my PP1. The Ruby Red paint glistening in the Arizona sunlight won me over. The previous owner was kind enough to fit an MBRP Black Edition exhaust, a Roush intake, some sort of short shift kit. It had all the good stuff. I drove it and it was all over. The rumble of the Coyote was incredible. It suited my needs perfectly (no kids, no plans for them either) so we went and signed the paperwork. I was thinking to myself, "what the hell are you doing??" the whole time!

Well, fast forward to now- I'm getting more into Mustangs. There's such a fantastic aftermarket for them, and judging by this forum the people are incredibly cool and friendly. I also see the potential to make it into a total weapon for track or canyon carving, the latter of which I love to do in my Miata.

Anyways- I think I was always a Mustang guy, but never even realized it.

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