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The Ford Mustang was looking pretty tired by 2004. Sure, it had some interesting visual cues, but overall it lacked the distinctiveness …
I had never even owned an American car until recently. My dad, whos first car was a 66 Mustang, bought a 2009 blue GT and let me drive it a few years ago. Not too long after that I wound up buying a 2012 GT. They're really great cars, and I just can't wait for when the GTs get near challenge prices! These cars can fit a ton of tire and put down very fast lap times.
I don't "get" the styling of SN95 and onward Mustangs, it has never resonated with me. Not that ford cares what I think, the only Mustang I've bought is 30yrs old.
2005-2009 are my favorite Mustangs of the 55 year models available so far. 
A) I miss the format of the Conti/Koni series that those Mustangs ran in. GT and ST classes were chock full of diversity. Stock cars, slightly modified, and built by the teams, along with exciting racing. The new TCR/GT4 format is a snore.
B) The S197 was a breath of fresh air, especially with the loss of the F-body a few years prior. The pony car market was pretty stale and the 350Z, RX-8, M3, and S2000 were really the only competitors in that market (maybe some others too) but the SN95 was a snooze compared to those.
3) I owned two S197s: the first one was a Roush Supercharged GT and holy sheeet I loved that car. It was a blast to thrash and the supercharger wine ontop of the roar of the V8 was intoxicating. The second one I owned was a base GT and that 4.6L without a power adder was not nearly as exciting. Prettty sure S197s can be had for cheap at the moment.
Great. Now I need to go to Craigslist and find a Mustang. 
And V6 models are CHEAP! (Stay focused on what I have, stay focused on what I have)
BTW, how well do the V6 cars accept performance engine goodies?
(FOCUS ON WHAT YOU HAVE)
I've always thought the 3valve was the worst sounding engine ever put in a mustang. I like this gen for it's updated chassis, good transmission choices and lower resale values.
I'm a fan for sure. I had a red GT convertible for a couple years and really enjoyed it. Would definitely get one again.
I love that crazy lime green in the first picture in the write-up. Couple black stripes on that, oh my.
Loved the originals. In 79, I had a 65 Fastback 289 4 speed. Nice car. Gave it to my brother after a wreck. In 82, I found a 67 Fastback, great Texas no corrosion car. But, the really Fantastic thing about it was, It had the complete drivetrain of a 1968 Shelby GT 500 KR that had been wrecked, it had the 428 Cobra Jet, with the Shelby/Ford added 427 medium rise intake heads and a 750 Holley carb on a aluminum intake. It had a HD T-10 short ratio 4 speed, and the rearend 9 in with detroit locker. The engine had been rebuilt with 11.0 compression pistons and a Lemans cam. Dyno sheet for the engine with single carb was 455 HP and I forget the TQ figure, it was a monster with the short ratio trans. Had to buy 103 octane pump gas, still sold at sunoco’s and some places., or advance the dist to keep it from detonating. It woud get 8 MPG easy driving, and 5 MPG having fun. It ate headers and tires, and was a bitch to keep cool, but it was a great car.
The '05 redesign disappointed me. I'm 43, and it looks like a car for my dad... or maybe a bar of soap.
Haven't checked the size / weight recently, but everything '05+ looks big to me.
Underneath the skin, these cars are everything I'd have asked for: solid 8.8" with Traction-Lok out back, Tremec 3650 (screw the T-56 and its extra shift / weight), a real increase in power... I just don't like the retro fantasy it's wrapped in.
I wish they'd dropped that 300hp motor into the "New Edge" GT for at least a couple of years. That was a car that still tried to look like something a young man might want. Too bad they kind of half-assed it (unless you were one of the 3 people who got a "Terminator" or the 4 people who got a "Mach 1.")
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