I feel your pain. While I struggle to keep two aging 5.0s on the road, the
new Mustangs are callin' me. I'd really like to have a new GT convertible,
but I'm not quite there yet.

Meanwhile, things like this appear on the local Ford dealer's lot:

http://fbfordwc.fredbeans.com/used_vehicle_details.htm?vehicleId=d14bfbde4046381
e00ce82ccb54cf4b2

and it gets me thinking, "Yeah, I could do that."

I remember swearing that I'd never buy another used Mustang - too many
unknowns in how it was treated, yet I swooped up my '93 convertible when I
saw it and am now dumping $thousands into it every year. I always get a
strong urge to pick up a nice looking car like the one linked, but wonder if
I'm swapping a pig in a poke for a bird in the bush. (Or whatever.)

(In fact, I SERIOUSLY considered swapping BOTH of my '93s for a 2001 Cobra
convertible listed at $19,998, but that car was sold before I could move on
it.)

In the end, though, I'm resolute about trading up only to a new Mustang.
That Cobra was certainly inviting, but there are otherwise no recent
Mustangs that would be better (in my opinion) than the new models, and I
just don't want to take the chance of picking up a dog when I could stretch
a bit more and buy new.

With a bit of patience and positioning, we get what we want. Try to avoid
any spontaneous purchase that would take you off track and focus on the real
goal. The day is coming when the stars will align (dealer sale, Ford
financing program, whatever) and you can buy the car you really want.

dwight
www.tfrog93.com

Just my opinion, and I agree with you. I wouldn't pay that much for a two
year old car car that already has 3k miles on it. No telling how they got on
there.
You may be able to get an 06 for that price this time of year.

Then again, it could be like the last vehicle I bought (an 06 Jeep Liberty
Limited)  had it for only 6 months and decided it wasn't what I wanted after
all. I traded it in.
A Mustang is much more likely to have had the piss ran out of it those first
3k than a little SUV is..

The two you have listed are completely different vehicles.

Depending on our budget if you like the price and payments of 03, you will
have more fun drivign a car that isn't sucking you dry,
If you have full pockets and price is no option (likely that isn't the case
or you wouldn't be asking, ;-D ) then buy the 05 if you like it best.

Insurance will be a factor too. The 03 may be a little cheaper because of
it's age.

At the price of the 05, they are ahving year end clearances now, you may get
a brand new one for that price!

Kate
2O]]]]]]]O6 Rubicon

The `03 is the better deal and perhaps even bang for the buck and grin
for mile.  That's even taking in for consideration how much I like the
styling of the new body style.  If I had the $26k I'd be shopping for
a either an `07 or leftover `06.
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a
permanent form of government.  A democracy will continue to exist up until
the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from
the public treasury.  From that moment on, the majority always votes for
the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury,
with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose
fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship." -- Alexander Tyler

   Which one gives you a woody?  Buy that one.