According to the latest Motortrend they stated the base v6 2005 Mustang will start around $22,000.

They also stated that the new Pontiac GTO could be replaced as soon as 2006 or as late as 2010. They stated GM is still waiting to see what direction they want to take the next version of the GTO.

 

I don't believe that a new redesign would call for a 4,000-5,000 dollar increase in price. A $1,000 increase is acceptable, but 4-5g's isn't. Who knows though...That rumored 250hp 3.5L Dohc might haved changed all that.

I'll lean closer towards the base costing closer to 19k.

 

We all know you got to take anything said in car mags with a grain of salt but I assume the 05 mustangs will come standard with more features and a high-output v6 could give it performance equal or better then V8 Mustang GT's from 1994/95.

The one thing Motortrend is usually always right about is the base price of the vehicle.

 

The GTO part I know for a fact is wrong...they already know what direction they are taking and when it will happen

 

I have seen the current car for as low as $13,495 new, so if there is an increase to that amount I do not expect sales to do that well for the base car.

 

You know, I do this future car stuff as a hobby. It's not my livelihood, I have a day job I love. Half of the information I get is unsolicited or come up in the course of normal conversation, and I read most all press releases or statements from auto executives. That's why I am absolutely blown away that Motor Trend magazine (staffed with people who I assume do this stuff for a living, and supposed to have better connections than I do) would get something so extremely wrong!

Bob Lutz has mentioned PUBLICALLY what direction GTO is going. So has GTO's program manager. So has Pontiac's general manager Lynn Myers. What rock has Motor Trend been sleeping under the past 12 months or so???

GTO is being replaced for the 2007 model year along with Holden's Monaro. 2005 GTO is getting scoops, pipes, and very likely the LS6 derivitive at least as an option. Lutz, Myers, and others have stated (in their defense to the GTO enthusiasts) that GTO will continue to be a modern & progressive design. Just last week(!) a statement was released that the new GTO would be around for some time.

Finally, though it's inescapable that the Mustang price will rise significantly (the old chassis was payed off before a bulk of us here were born), the new F150 which is just now going into production, had it's price set only in May, and October's GTO's price is also only a month or so old. I'd like to know where M/T came up with the Mustang price 8 months before it goes on sale?!

They may turn out to be right about that Commodore as the new Impala SS story last fall (which I didn't believe at the time), but I wouldn't believe the Mustang price just yet, and like Brandon pointed out, at least with the GTO they are just flat wrong!

Perhaps I should submit a resume there.

 

Always go by MSRP, that's the constant standard.

If base Mustang sales suddenly go through the roof tomorrow, and Ford's CAFE numbers for their carline suddenly becomes high, you won't find a $13,000 Mustang. It's all supply & demand. MSRP is what the manufacturer feels the car should go for, independent of outside influence.

Incentives to dealers from the manufacture to compensate them for reduced prices depend on sales volume, the company's CAFE standings for the week, & factory stockpiles, determines what the actual sales price will be in the end.

To actually think that a new Mustang will go for the $13,000 of the heavily discounted (with alot of built in play room on price...it's a very cheap-old car to make) is no where near realistic. Expect MSRP on the 2005 to be slightly more than the current one, and then expect dealers to tack on really big mark-ups till they become common on the streets.

It's going to happen with Mustang, it's going to happen with GTO, and you better d*mn well believe it's going to happen when the 5th gen Camaro comes back.

That's a fact of life in the car world.

 

Is there any way to buy directly from the factory itself?

 

I agree that $22,000 does seem a bit steep for the base V6 (that why I posted it) but maybe Ford has plans to move the whole Stang line a little more upscale since the next-gen Focus lineup will also be moved up the lineup as well. I would expect the SVT version of the Focus to go up in price as they will go up in performance and I assume that the whole lineup will perform better then their predecessor.

I could see the base 250HP V6 stang price start about the same price as the next-gen SVT Focus price peaks out and $22,000 does seem about right.

I cant really name any instance when Motortrend was really off about the base price of a new model. Sure they could be off a grand or two but $4000/$5000 does seem like a stretch. The only alternative was that they meant to refer to the base price of the V8 GT model but there was no actual reference to the v8 when the $22,000 price was mentioned in the article.

Regardless, we will all know the real base price in the next 5 months, but dont expect to find any base/strippy 05 stangs for at least a year (or more) anyway.

 

I finally received my actual copy of the same Motortrend magazine I have been quoting from (the stuff I previously mentioned was what I remembered glancing through it at Barns and Noble)

They stated the base price of the V8 should increase slightly (current GT is $24,000) so I could assume the base price of the V8 GT will between $25,000-$26,000. It did indeed state the V6 would have a base around $22,000.

The same Motortrend mag stated the base price of the new Vette will be increased between $4000-$5000 over the current ones base price as well.

In my R&T mag is showed a drawing of a SVT version of the Ford Futura which actually looked pretty good. I would assume this SVT 4 door sport sedan will be sold in the higher $20's.

The R&T mag had an actual pic of the all new 2005 Caddy STS and it looks fantastic (very muscular looking and the hood folds in the middle like the Sixteen-concept) and the 2006 Lincoln Continental looks pretty slick (very Bentley-like) and will have rear-suicide doors.

The R&T mag also showed some drawings of a low $20,000 2-seat VW roadster (2007 model) in the same vein as the Pontiac Solstice.


Take it all for whatever its worth

 

I can't say if the M/T report is true or not.....but why wouldn't Ford raise the price of the Mustang? They absolutely own the "American Pony Car" market,....they can do anything they want.

 

Because they've still got other sport coupes to compete with. The japs have turned up the heat with the WRX, 350z, rx-8 and the like. That and i'm sure buyers would be turned off by the insanely high prices. It'd be suicidal on Ford's part to try and have their way with the mustangs pricing just because it's the only pony car left.

So far, their formula (sales/marketing) with the mustang has been a success. If it aint broke and still works, why mess with it?

 

Speaking of Motor Trend, they have a new message board. I've noticed a few of the editors and contributers post in there, so why not ask them directly? Then you can tell that they're lying...

 

The MSRP of the Subura WRX is around $25,000 (before incentives) - http://www.carsdirect.com/build/opti...&restore=false

Considering that the base Mustang V6 will be larger and have more HP then the WRX and it would still be cheaper @ $22,000.

The base price for the Mazda RX8 is around $26,000 (most models are equiped to be around $30,000) and its very hard to find a 350Z being sold under $30,000 right now.

Even though a $22,000 V6 stang would be more expensive then the current model it would still be a bargin compared to whats out there. Ford now has the Focus (SVT) as their low cost/youth orientated performance car anyway.


Get ready to see a huge spike in car prices in the next few year like you have seen in homes over the last 5 years. The only cheap cars you will be able to buy in the future will be cars manufactured in Korea or China. I would expect you will see more speciality/niche cars demand a much higher price. Low cost econoboxes will become very inexpensive since they will be all made with cheap labor from korea or china.

 

Exactly. Ford is capitalizing on it's success with the Mustang. I don't think raising the base price will hurt sales much....especially with a new, fresh product.

BTW....Ford is gearing up to produce 150,000+ Mustangs in 2005.