Like a previous reviewer, let me begin by stating that I have owned a 2004 GT convertible for about a year now, and have over 16K miles on it. I wanted a Mustang for a LONG time, and finally went and got one (much to my wife's chagrin).

Another caveat - I have heavily modified mine. During this review, I will refer to the way the vehicle comes stock. However, I will also explain the modifications and their effects.

OVERALL

There is really one word to describe this car - fun. This is a very, very fun car to drive. I have yet to have a driver of my car (or a passenger, for that matter) not have at least a little more fun than usual when busting off a stoplight. You buy this car for the guts and for the sporty look and feel. You buy this car for the boatloads of available and affordable aftermarket performance parts. You do NOT buy this car for any sort of luxury accoutrements, gas mileage, a quiet ride, storage/passenger space, or any other aesthetic quality. Two months into my ownership, I had eight different rattles in various interior places, interior trim pieces were loose, and the floor mats were looking worn already. But darn if I wasn't still sporting a big grin every time I hit the gas.


PERFORMANCE
This car performs. The 4.6L modular engine hammers out 260 stock horses, which is more than enough to put one back in the seat. The SOHC grind is aggressive enough to put a growl in the exhaust note. The accelerator/response rate is fantastic. The idle is solid with no fluctuation, the RPMs steadily climb upon wide open throttle (WOT), and the sound in the cabin is great. The GT model comes standard with 3.27 gearing, which allows for a good high end but isn't really optimal for aggressive street driving. I swapped out these stock gears for a set of Ford Racing Performance Parts 3.73s, and the performance off the line is markedly better - I gained two tenths in the quarter mile just from this modification alone. I also installed a Bassani midpipe and catback; this made the car a LOT louder and eased up the restrictive factory-bent exhaust. When I drive past people now, heads turn. I get thumbs-up every day.

The stock ignition timing is set to use 87 octane gas - I would get anywhere between 190 and 260 miles per tank, which translates to 12-17 mpg. Yikes. The vast differential is between passive highway driving and aggressive city street driving. I have since installed an aftermarket chip to advance the timing to 14 degrees, which allows me to run 93 octane. I get roughly the same gas mileage, but at a significantly higher power output.

Under the hood, there's dozens of cheap, "bolt-on" modifications that you can do - air intake, throttle body, pulleys, cam, etc - but the stock setup is definitely nice.

Steering and handling are just about what one would expect from a sports car. The steering is nondescript but adequate, and the car handles very well in dry conditions. I think that it would have been better to drop the car an inch or so, for better weight positioning and profile, but this is easily done aftermarket.

The stock shifter (I have a manual) is the traditional "slush box" - it's easy to miss third gear, shifts are long and sloppy, etc. I installed a Steeda short throw shifter, and now I couldn't be happier with the shifting and transmission. Redline is 5750, I believe, and upshifts from redline are smooth and sound great.


Exterior

This model year is the tenth and last of the SN-95 models, the 1994 replacement to the Fox-body styles of the 80s. There is very little difference from 2003. The main features are still the (fake) hood scoop, the (fake) side scoops, and the classic scoop lines along the doors. I personally don't like these fake scoops, but apparently a lot of people do. I've had a bit of trouble with the hood scoop - a couple of the securing screws came loose - but for the most part, no problems with any exterior body parts. I did have to take my car in twice to the shop to have the convertible top fixed - the hydraulic raise/lower system kept failing. Ultimately they replaced the whole shebang, and it's been fine for about ten months now.


Interior

This is where the Mustang fails. The interior is terrible. Rattles abound, and trim pieces are shoddy and loose. The rear seat is a joke (my friend who is 5'3" has trouble back there) and is really only used for groceries or trash. The whole look is uninspired, with dull curves and a mostly generic look. I could just be tired of it because it's been the same interior for TEN YEARS. Unlike some other reviewers, I find the pedal setup and overall comfort to be good. For reference, I am 6"1'.

The sounds system is great, but with all the rattles and loose parts, its only a matter of time before you find yourself turning DOWN the bass because it's rattling a piece of trim.


Summary - if you don't care about interior aesthetics, luxury feel, or gas mileage, and only want a whole lot of horsepower for an affordable price, this is the car for you.
Amount Paid (US$): 29,500
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: GT Convertible Manual