GT_1

on the way down to my aunt's house about three hours away from my house, we came into a rain storm.. it was really strong and most people were going about 45-50 around there. as we tried to switch lanes a mustang came from behind us going about 80. my father and i had a discussion about mustang drivers and their wrecklessness. after this discussion we went on with our trip. later, my father noticed another car with a similar style weaving in and out of traffic. as the car approached we noticed that it was in fact a mustang..i've noticed that this trend is amongst mustang owners. do you all see the same and do any of you own a mustang...what do you you think?

TomH

Well, having had a GT in the past (87), and enjoyed it while I had it, what you are seeing with Mustangs, I more often relate to SUVs. Why do so many of them pass me doing 80mph!? And you wonder why they roll over when they get a flat

False sense of security for both I would assume. My mustang's back-end liked to go faster than the front-end sometimes, and poor weather would always make me cautious with that 225hp back-end.

Thaddeus

My first car was a 68 Stang. Cool car (loved it dearly), but the live axel in the rear almost hosed me many times... like going around a sweeper at speed and crossing railroad tracks... fun.

Amazing that Ford didn't put independant rear suspension on there until 99. Bad joke.

Brent 89 - GT

Cheap speed is what you have in a Mustang. They are pretty compact and have a decent V8 five speed combo. There are tons of mods for them as well. I think the other thing that relates to the cost of such vehicles is the age of the drivers, young guys without much dough wanting some power. The first car I raced with my 951 (the night I drove it home no less) was a '92 5.0 LX. He had done some mods to his car, exhaust, larger throttle body, K&N filter, fuel pressure regulator etc. We went from a rolling start, it was pretty even until I was in third gear, it was all over after that. With my current mods I ran into a late 80s GT the other day. It was NO contest, I easily walked away at highway speeds. I think you catagorized Mustang owners pretty well, if I want to street race they are always game. What that says about me? not sure.

fletch.

If we are going to make mass generalizations, I'll play

I have the worst luck with vette drivers, Bar none they are the worst drivers I have come across. Street or track these cars are usually going faster that the drivers ability. Mustang drivers are usually younger and less experienced than vette drivers, so I understand the problem these people have, to much power not enough talent. Vette people are just bad drivers, usually 40+ and have little clue what to do with 350 HP, they can wax the hell out of a car, but driving is a skill they have not mastered

MadMax

Since a mustang was the first new car I ever bought ('93 LX 5.0L/w 5 speed) I'll weigh in on this topic.

The average age of a Mustang driver/owner is 18-23 (used to be anyway, when I bought mine). This says a lot. That is why insurance for a new mustang is more than insurance for say um...'an 1989 911 Carrera' or a 1995 968 Cabriolet. The demographics of the owners/drivers plays a huge part when it comes to insurance prices.
Cops know the age thing too. I got pulled over twice in 6 days in my Mustang (hell, it wasn't even red, it was white). In both of my Porsches I consistently drive faster in almost all conditions and I have yet to be pulled over in either one of them. In my Carrera, 80 mph was straight up on the the speedo and I went damn near everywhere at 80 mph. I didn't even run a radar detector. Cops never even looked in my direction. Why, demographics.

I'm telling you Cops profile. That shouldn't be any great surprise to any of us. Cops profile based on lots of different demographics. The one that gets the most press is 'race'. Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying I think it is good or okay. Just stating a hypothesis of mine. The demographics for Porsche owners is much different (or at least in people's minds they are) than that of Mustang owners. Cops don't pay as much attention to you. Our cars aren't as loud and don't attract as much attention as a 'rice boy' or a tricked out 'stang does when going down the road.

So, I guess I am saying that I agree. Mustang owners typically aren't the best drivers.

Greg Hammond

A mustang in capable hands is a formidable tool indeed. The problem lies, as mentioned before, in the fact that you can buy a really powerful real-wheel drive car for $4500 at the local used car lot, and it DOESN'T come with any driving lessons or track time.

Getting close to 29 years old now, I like to think I have a little more sense than I did when I was 22 and had a brand new 93 Pontiac Formula, with the LT1 350. The car had certainly more power than I had skill, and on more than one occasion I was lucky I didn't destroy my vehicle, or take my own life in the process. How much difference does a few years make?

I most assuredly would have killed myself at 22 years old with my 951 as it is today. So smooth, so powerful, and so... easy to drive behind the car's limits and never even know it. :-)

Greg

Racer X

Well mustangs are what i see is and testosorone car if you ever had 1 you know what i mean you get in say at a club crank up your ride and people are going to look that exhaust on that car is very sweet specialy if its hook up and the driver 95% of the time will hit the gas a couple of times then let loose!!!Now not to put down my 86 951 which is also sweet in its own right and draws attention standing still with the motor off. I just see the cars in 2 different distint classes the Mustang is a all out muscle cars and some you older guys know what i mean examples(67,68,69 camaros,corvettes,Dodge bubble bee,plymouth gtx and so on and so on now we all no that not one of those cars will beat even a regular 944 on handling. now the porsche on the other hand is always been and true all out sports car i mean its not and dragster not saying some of my 951 brotherin are not fast in the quater mile but thats not what the car was design for so all jokes aside both cars have their place and heritage.Now on the other hand those suv driver i dont now what the h@## is on their minds they think suv mean racer or something dont they know any better i think they are worst drivers ever they are not a muscle car or a sports car but they insist on racing.

Domonique1986 951

ps its not the car its the driver put a fool with horsepower it make him or her foolish!!!

[ 06-26-2001: Message edited by: Domonique Moreland ]

[ 06-26-2001: Message edited by: Racer X ]

Thaddeus

What?

TOM_C

Anybody who reads Rennlist and thinks that the 951 isn't a Testosterone (spelled correctly) car should have their reading comprehension checked. Accept it, Deal with it and Enjoy it. In todays PC world everybody is tring to remove the Big T from everything and replace it with a little e for a softer side. Somethings start with a T like Turbo.


Tom_C 86-951-DB1

Dan in Pasadena

Mad Max is right. Cops do use profiles and no changes in law/rules is going to change that. Is it an overstated generality? Of course. But it's not MUCH overstated. If you were a cop and had to approach cars with strangers inside every single day wouldn't you try to figure out some way to know who's likely to be in there? I would. Anyway, I think the "red car" thing is overstated too. They notice, sure...they notice yellow ones too. I saw a yellow Carrera 4 get on the freeway in front of me 1/4 mile ahead. But I notice I almost literally NEVER see those kind of cars pulled over. It's always Mustangs, Camaros (my son has one) or rice rockets. With any of those you may as well put a blinking sign on the roof!

rpm's S2

As a young army officer stationed in Europe I had an '87 Mustang GT. The only alteration (it was a European delivery car) was a heavy duty radiator and Z rated rubber. That car was great fun, but dangerous. While I could cruise at 120 and hit 140 in 4th near the redline, the car had weak brakes prone to fading and got right floaty at anything over 130. High speed off-camber autobahn curves were an adventure.
With all that, there was nothing else in the world that could give those kinds of performance numbers for the $17k or so it cost me. I regularly embarrased first generation M3's and MB 190 2.3-16's. A 911 blew its engine trying to catch me near Hannover.
The funny thing - I bought the car so that I could garage my Euro-spec 911 during the winter
And I am no redneck!

dan b

what year was this in??! i mean that 140MPH could rule the autobahn? i mean in my 951 with all its mods i can run almost 170MPH(270KPH) and i shure dont rule the autobahn.in fact i just got my lunch handed to me buy a 83' "ALPINA" BMW 5 searies(they have turbo 3.5L inline 6's). he came up behind me when i was crusing at about 130MPH and he put his left blinker on so i though "what, does this OLD BMW think he's doing?" and i steped on it thinking "BYE BYE BMW" and the stupid thing just wouldnt get off my bumper! Long story shot i toped out he still had his blinker on , so digasfuly i pulled over to the right to let hime by.Boy did he pass me with athority!At that time i was just glad non of my buddier were in the car. Then i stop a gas station a few miles up the road and what do i see but the BMW, so i talked to the owner come to find out he ownes a car lot and this car is actialy for sale! the price is only about $2,300.00(it has no catalitic converter and is a gas hog with a "big engine" so the average german don't want such a old car , it will kill them on taxes) im thinking it would be a good car to tour europe in with the family(it has 4 doors!) big so the wife likes it and easier to put all the (junk) stuff in, and fast so ill like it. dont worry it could never replace my 951! back on my point no mustang is worth the sheetmeal it is made of on the autobahn! ive clocked Hondas (sorry) at 150MPH or so but to this day have i ever saw a mustang over 140MPH!!! did clock a 93-97? Z28 at 163MPH (i thought i was gona loose that $50 I MEAN race!)

rpm's S2

I did not say anything about ruling the autobahn. Obviously there are cars out there running 140+ for sustained periods - but not that many with the realities of traffic and increased speed limit sections.

I only said that the car could sustain high speeds for a relatively low cost. The Mustang could run at 120+ all day reliably. Beat to s**t old Alpina B5s and kids in 16V Golfs can go that fast, but usually not for long. For quick bursts my 911 was, of course, faster and more stable (to a point). But if I had to go to Frankfurt (300 miles south of where I lived in Bremen) the Mustang was the car - 3 hours flat if the traffic cooperated.
On my second tour of Germany in the early '90s I had an Audi 200 Turbo Quattro. That car could run at high speed much more comfortably than the Mustang. But it cost twice as much or more.

Matt O.

Hey you said you did two tours in Germany?

My dad was AF and we were at Ramstein from 83-85, Friedburg from 85-87, then Ramstein again from 90-94.

That's, of course, where I fell in love with Porsche. Pops took us to the 87 Frankfurt Auto Show where I snuck under the velvet ropes as a 7 year old and touched a black 959.

We used to cruise on the bahn in our Mercedes 360 I think it was. Had a V8. Dad got a ticket in the mail where the was construction on the autobahn and it automatically took his picture. He framed it. Ha.

But I still can't see a Mustang crusing for 3 hours on the bahn better then a 911, unless of course it was a newer mustang and a 70's 911?? Dad had a 81 924 back in 84-89, fun fun car for a kid my age, and we cruised at 125 or so for while. I wish we didn't sell that. You know, he went through the old phase of "it's not a family car, we need a van" so he sold it in 87. Of course it's got the old Audi/VW engine but I would still drive it if we had it.

It was dark metalic blue. Aaahh...

You know what's interesting? (Sorry this is long) when I got my 924 S in 1997, after not being in a Porsche for 10 years, the smell was so much the same it through me into massive dejavu, it was nuts. Anyone ever experience that? The smell of all Porsches, at least the REAL old ones, is all the same. It was fun to ride in the back of a 924 growing up (when I could actually fit) and then when it was time for me to get a car in high school I went Porsche shopping and picked up a 924 S.

T.I.N.S.

-Matt