Ok, so people and GM dealers are stupid!

 

Im going to have to disagree there. the 4th gens back seat might be roomier if the front seats are moved up, rendering the front seats almost as bad as the rear. I have to have my seat all the way back or, my legs hit the dash making driving a manual a challenge. I am by no means short... but with me in the front seat, nothing bigger than a 12 year old will be able to sit in the back without their legs having to wrap around the front seat, period. IMO 4th gen rear seats were designed to serve as storage space just as much as they were to be actual seats. They are about the worst I have seen in any car... come to think of it, the only ones ive seen that are worse are extented cab truck back seats. Im not complaining, I dont mind having useless back seats... i just think the backseats of mustangs actually appear to be designed to accomadate a human being. Almost forgot another thing... passengers can actually see outside from that point of view in the mustang because of the 1/4 windows.

Even as an 18 year old youth, I have to agree with everything mastrdrver said

 

I wrote most of my things right before I had to leave for work and fell I missed a lot of the points I wanted. The point I was trying to make about the coupes in the '60s is that they were just 4drs without the extra doors. This is the point that I think the Mustang has better over any other car. When I took my first ride in the backseat of a '99 GT, I was suprised at how roomy it was. I don't care if the backseats in my 4th Gen have more room, it has to be one of the worst designed back seats in the world. The idea of a coupe is to have the performance feel of a sports car, while still being able to carry more then 2 people. What most auto manufacturers have turned the coupe into is an excuse for the insurance companies not to classify the car as a sports car and save some people money on car insurance.

guionM, I understand that the V6 Mustang covers 50% of all Mustang sales. I know I have seen a lot of not only men but also women driving V6 Mustangs. Most people buy these cars bcuz they can't afford the insurance of a V8, but they still want a coupe that has a usuable back seat and good performance. How often do you see just one woman in a car? It may also have to do with the fact that the V6 Mustang is on of the cheapest coupes on the market and has comparable performance of the cheaper coupes it competes against, e.i. Civic, tC, Accord, etc.

I'm not suggesting that making a Mustang like car that GM or Chrysler will create that many new buyers, but they will steal buyers from other cars and may force some coupes out of the segment. The biggest thing is the price, if you can not make a coupe that is in that 20-30k price range, then it is out of most people's budget. If someone is buying a V6 Mustang bcuz they can't afford insurance on a V8, what makes you think they will spend 8k more for a "upscale" coupe that has the same performance? If they can only afford a $500/mth car payment, where is that insentive to spend that extra 8k, name?, style?, interior?, etc.

Lets seem some cars that currently compare against a Mustang:
Some Edmunds.com coupes 15-25k:
Ford Mustang
Honda Civic
Acura RSX
Scion tC
Toyota Prius
Chevy Cobalt

Some Edmonds.com coupes 25-35k:
Ford Mustang
Infiniti G35
Nissan 350Z
Honda Accord
Mazda RX8

When you get people buying the GT, you get people that can afford the Ins of a GT, but probably not much more in mthly car payments. Even a base GT will not set you back much more then the price of a V6. Lets see pay 2k more for a RX8 and get a car that has no usable back seat, compared to a Mustang. Pay 2k less and get a GT that has ROOM for 4 and performance comparable to a RX8, and coupes that cost more to boot.

Coming from a 22 year old youth, thanks.

 

 

i must be the oddball here, i actually prefer the camaro seats

 

Is the backseat issue really such a big deal?

Personally, I haven't spent much time in the backseat of a Camaro. But when I have been back there.....it wasn't lack of roominess that was an issue. It was the lack of visibility from the large B-pillar.

 

Camaro's backseat is better than Mustang's, speaking as a Ford fan. When I compared shopping and had my brother sit behind the driver seat in both cars, he couldn't even get his legs into the Mustang. The Camaro, because of the low seating position, lets you kind of stretch out your legs with your feet under the seat, where the Mustang's upright position makes a less efficient use of the space that is available.

 

I did not sit in the back of the Mustang, but I did sit in the back of my Camaro before I bought it. I first adjusted the front seat to where I could be comfortable with my legs and shifting. My dad sat in the back first, I drove the car. Then we switched - I sat in the back, my dad drove around. Before then I had Beretta GTZ, and drove 1990 DSM for a while. While DSM's back seat is utterly useless, Beretta's was OK. And I was impressed with Camaro's seat. My knees, when spread to the sides, were quite comfortable, and the seating position itself felt comfortable. If my friends were OK in the Beretta, they had nothing to complain about with the Z28, which actually felt better.

 

I think this is code for, "We don't have the money to develop a coupe right now"

 

Nope, Its code for. " My next car cant be a dodge or Crysler"

 

This is to clear the air with everyone as to who actually buys Mustangs, and to end some misconceptions.



Ford Mustang Demographics (Source: Ford Motor Company):

Overview:
Median buyer age: 37
Median household annual income: $57,000
Breakdown by gender: 48% female, 52% male
Breakdown by model: V6 63%, V8 37%

Mustang GT:
Median buyer age: 37
Median household income: $55,000
Breakdown by gender: 39% female, 61% male

Mustang V6:
Median Buyer age: 35
Median household annual income: $53,000
Breakdown by gender: 56% female, 44% male

Mustang GT convertible:
Median age: 47
Median household annual income: $83,000
Breakdown by gender: 37% female, 63% male

*Top reasons given for buying Mustang over other cars in it's class: "Styling" and "Fun to drive".

*Mustang appeals to multiple demographics, regardless of age, gender, or income. Mustang buyer ranges from young people starting out with their 1st new car, to baby boomers rewarding themselves with a car that represents fun or their self expression.

*Mustang buyers spend an average of $1500 each year on performance tuning pieces.


I think this solves alot of misconceptions of actual buyers:
1. Only 37% of Mustang made are V8s.
2. There's not much difference in age of V6 or V8 buyers.
3. Insurence costs are a very minor or non existent issue with buyers.
4. Buyers in this market aren't a bunch of speed crazed, "more power is better" group of people.
5. The back seat isn't a top reason for purchase.

Cobra buyers are typically the oldest and most wealthy of all Mustang buyers, roughly mirroring the demographics of the GT Convertible but leaning more towards collectors and car enthusiasts. 75% of buyers are men, on par with Corvette.

In case youre wondering, Camaros (GM Media):
Median age: 36 (V6) 41 (Z28), 46 (convertibles)
Median income: $55,000 (V6), $75,000 (Z28)
Median gender: 50% Female (convertible & V6), 25% Female, 75% Male (Z28)



Since I have these figures pulled up, for those who think GTO is a sales failure:
a. There has been 10,617 GTOs sold as of the end of November.
b. There was 13,476 Mustang Cobras sold in 2003.
c. There were just 5,664 Mustang Cobras sold in 2004.
d. There were just 7,182 Mach 1s sold last year.
e. There were 11,000 Camaro SSs sold (typical price in 2002, $30,000, roughly identical GTO's $32,000 price today with 2.5% inflation over 3 years) with far more dealers than Pontiac has.

None considered failures. Probally another reason why GM doesn't seem worried about GTO sales.

If anything, GM went overboard in predicting 18,000 GTOs could be sold annually, when no other sports coupe priced over $28K was selling in that quanity. In 2002, there were only 13,600 low priced Z28s sold.

 

Good point Guy, especialy when 18k units is 5 times the normal amount of Monaro production.

 

Thanks for the info Guy. While I see and understand the top reason, I think there is more to the numbers then what is on the surface, but I'm sure that would require more inquires.

One last thing, is there a breakdown into if the V6/GT buyers are married and/or have kids? With a median income of 50k, that doesn't really leave a lot of room for a coupe if someone wants one.

Also, did the Mustang sales increase when they stopped making the Camaro/Firebird? I wonder how many coupe buyers there are out there that are loyal to either Chrysler of GM. I know it wouldn't be a lot, but you did say that there were 11k SS sold in the last year.

For the record, Chrysler wasted a lot of money to build a LX coupe that they will never show at NAIAS and not build. I still wouldn't put bank in what Creed said. I think it more for reaction then a statement.

EDIT: Found this quote over on Allpar and it makes sense to me:
I think we still might see a LX coupe at NAIAS, but if we do it will be a couple years out from production. FWIW, I think right now Chrysler has the style to take sales away from the Mustang if they build a coupe in that price range.