I think Boss sounds dumb as the name of a special edition of a car.

 

I agree with this somewhat. I get the feeling mustang sales will drop to about 60-80k units a year when new challengers and camaros start hitting lots. I know plenty of people who would have bought a camaro in 05 who bought a mustang because it is the only game in town. The GTO never really came into anyones mind honestly, which sucks because I think they are pretty neat. Plus you had that frenzy of buying when the new model came out, so the 168k? they sold is not sustainable at all.

I can't stand the looks of the new mustang, god they are ugly.

 

Whatever you are doing, I want some of it... it must be good!

You know the last time the Mustang sold 80k units/year?
ONE year - 1992 - it sold 79,280 units, and that was when we were fighting the Persian Gulf War... the economy was dead, unemployment was high, and ALL car sales were in the tank. Only 2 years in it's life has it failed to sell 100k units, and the average over the entire life of the car is 207,400 units per year.
Actual year-end-total production figures will not be published until 16 January, but all accounts say that Mustang production exceeded 194k units for 2005.

In your post above, you compared Mustang sales to Camaro sales, Challenger, and GTO, and predicted a huge fall in numbers.
We know GTO is at 18k units/year NOW, and it is a V8-only sports car.
Challenger is getting mixed reviews, and expected production for V8-only units is also low (under 30k units I hear).
Camaro is possibly the only car that will offer something other than a V8 for those who want a more economical unit, and we still don't know what it will be, nor do we know expected pricing or sales volume.
While I don't doubt that Mustang sales will fall a bit after these cars come out, I don't think there is any way in Hades it is going to fall 120k units/year.

You guys have GOT to STOP thinking of Mustang as a V8-only, performance vehicle.
It has ALWAYS been about sporty looks and economical transportation first - above and beyond performance. The performance-per-dollar reputation was earned over the years coincidentally, and Ford learned to capitalize on it for the cash, but it was NOT the intent of the car from the beginning, and it still is not the reason the car sells so well. Base units with V6's, I6's, and I4's (or even turbo-I4's for that matter) constitute the majority of sales for these cars and have for decades. Heck, even here on this board we have seen several instances where facts show that cross-shoppers compared Mustang with Grand Am and Civic, not other V8 cars.

Sorry for getting long-winded, but I get tired of seeing the same old comparos all the time - and they are SOOOO skewed it's not even humorous. How about this...
Mustang GT vs. GTO
Mach 1 Mustang vs. Challenger
Mustang Boss 302 vs. Camaro Z/28
GT500 vs. SRT8
Comparable target markets, comparable prices, comparable sales.

People don't seem to grasp that the Mustang's buying market is a VERY diverse and broad market, and any single niche car is not going to make a noticeable impact on it. A high-volume direct competitor (selling 100k units/year or more), equally optioned and equipped for equal pricing - yes, that might have some significant affect.
Otherwise, all Ford has to do is keep listening to the owners, the collectors, the club members, the racers, and the ownership feedback sheets and keep giving the public what they ask for. If they do that, they will be just fine.

Daily rant mode = off