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How Did Your Love of Mustangs Start?


GOTVENOMGT500

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My love affair with the Mustang started in June of 1964 when my Uncle pulled up in a brand new coupe...I was 10 years old and that was the coolest car I had ever seen. I have had many Mustangs since and currently own eight and I truly bleed Ford blue. Just to make this story even more special....my Uncle kept the 65 and over the years put 64,000 miles on it and it has never been restored winning several car shows....he died last year and left me the 65. The car is very special for many reasons.

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Not really a love affair kinda story, but I stumbled into my '68 coupe project right out of highschool for a whopping $6... yeah it needed EVERYTHING... it was an abandoned vehicle that went thru a auction and a freind of my dad was the guy that had towed it in, so he was at the auction and bid for me... I grew up loving the 67-69 camaros and the 55-56 chevies, but since then, i've come to lean towards fords and mustangs, but I'm really just a car whore, there's just so many makes/models that I love....

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Mine started in 1965 when my parents bought a new 6 cylinder coupe with three speed on the floor.The next year my roommate in college bought a new 66 Shelby GT350 which I rode around in and drove for the remaining two years. That got me hooked. Fast forward through finishing college, Viet Nam era, several new BMW 2002's and I bought my first Mustang GT in 1984. Then an 85 GT, an 87 GT, a 2001 SVT Contour, a 2003 Mustang Cobra, and my current 2007 GT500. Am going to order the 2011 GT500 when order bank opens and sell the 07. Still love the BMW's, but really love the power and fun of the GT500.

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Mine started by total accident. In 30+ years of driving I've never owned or even considered driving anything by a Chevrolet/GMC let alone actually own and drive a Ford. In August 2009 my wife was looking to trade in her 2007 Cadillac STS-V. She told be about this great looking Mustang she saw on a used car dealer lot.

 

I told her not to waste my time looking at Fords as I would never sign off on the deal, she hounded me for two weeks just to go with her and look at it. I finally agreed. We drove up and saw a very clean white 2007 Shelby GT.

 

I have to admit I was intrigued by it but didn’t really know what I was looking at. I knew about the GT 500’s and thought this was somebody’s idea of a copy cat GT350. Then we drove it. I was hooked immediately. Long story short, she kept her STS-V and I ended up trading in my GMC truck for 2008 GT-C. She’s still driving the V. I will never sell this car and have been totally transformed into full blown Shelby Mustang fanatic.

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I can remember it vividly. I was in junior high and I was out with my folks looking at the new Ford Probes (Mom wanted one really bad). The Ford dealership we were at had a used 1987 Mustang GT sitting on the lot and we took it out for giggles. My Dad was heavily involved in the muscle car era of the 60's and 70's and was skeptical that a new era car could even come close to what was going on back then. Needless to say, we were going around a corner, he layed into it in first gear and spun the whole car completely around. Six months later, we had a brand new 1989 Mustang GT sitting in the driveway (which I now currently own with 11,000 miles on it) and the rest, as they say, is history. Mom never got the Probe :)

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It was in the early 70's when muscle cars drove the roads of my sleepy town of enfield conn, I was 16 yrs old and was working part time in the tobacco fields and as a bus boy for a dinner theater. I was saving my money for my slice of American Muscle. A few of my high school friends owned Chevelles,Nova's, Super birds, and Cuda's and I was so wanting to be a part of that group of guys. We had a long hill that led down to our highschool and it had speed bumps. Every day one of my friends would leave school and stop on the speedbumps and do a smoke shows for the entire school, it was an exciting time back then. One day I was driving to work in my 66VW Bug and saw a primer black 66 coupe sitting up on top of a hill in a driveway with a 4 sale sign.

I stopped by to look at the car and found out that he wanted $1000.00 dollars, It was a bit out of my price range but I quickly learned about haggling and ended up paying $750.00. and the rest was history. 1 week before I joined the USAF it was hot wired while sitting in a mall parking lot. I recovered it a few days later .... they stripped my Cragars and 4bl Carb. I sold it and went into the Air Force and picked up a Red 68 while stationed at Hickam. My love for the Mustang has deep roots stemming from the time i could drive and continues as I motor down the road today in my 2010 Torch Red Shelby GT500 :shift:

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Bought my first car in 1972. It was a 1966 Meadowlark Yellow Mustang coupe with black interior, 3 speed manual 200ci six cylinder. Kept it for a couple of years and then moved to the dark side (GM) for a few decades. Coincidently, my wife also had a Meadowlark Yellow Mustang as her first car. It too was a coupe with black interior and six cylinder but with an auto tranny. We were married for over a year before the topic of first cars came up and we learned of this amazing coincident. When the mags started reporting in 2006 of the impending GT500; I new I had to have one. It is actually my midlife crisis vice that gives us both a lot of enjoyment. My wife drives a 2002 Inspiration Yellow T Bird and we can not wait to see what the 2011 yellow Mustang GT Vert looks like. Hope they release it soon. We both wish we could find one of our original Mustangs to add to our growing collection!

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My love for Mustangs began in 1995 when I was in 7th grade. My older sister had a boyfriend w/ a black '92 Mustang GT. That was the fastest, most beautiful car I had ever seen. He used to give me rides to school in it, and I thought I was the coolest. I absolutely loved that car. When I turned 17 I convinced my parents to co-sign on a '92 blue/grey Mustang GT of my own.

 

 

My love for Mustangs only grew from this car. I remember washing it in the freezing cold winter in my parents garage. The water would freeze on the garage floor. It only took a little over a year for me to accumulate enough tickets to lose my license for 6 months. :banghead: This force me to sell my beloved GT. :rant2:

 

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(excuse the ponytail. lol)

 

 

After a couple years of calming down, I purchased a '99 Mustang GT. This car again was the love of my life. Shortly after owning it the mod bug bit hard. I replaced the plastic factory intake for the only other option at the time, an aluminum Bullitt intake off of the 2001 Bullitt. Then added a direct port injection nitrous kit. This was great, but filling bottles got old FAST. Next came a Vortech supercharger. At 8 Lbs of boost it made 357hp/340Ft/lbs at the rear wheels w/ no juice. All of this took place over a 4 year period, and I finally came to realize that the 2valve GT was never going to be enough, and finally sold it in 2004.

 

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Eventually I saved enough, AND dealers were taking reasonable offers of MSRP, and I bought my 2008 GT500 in april of '08. Local dealers were still trying to hold on to the ADM's of the past, so I actually had to buy my car sight unseen from out of state. That was the longest week of my life waiting for that car to get delivered, but the night it arrived, I knew it was all worth the wait.

 

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I've slowly been adding mods to this one as well. Started off as some appearance stuff like new stripes, wheels, and brakes. Then came the upper 2.6 pulley and cold air intake. Last summer I put a bunch of suspension mods on the car, and hopefully a new supercharger is in the works for this summer. We'll see.

 

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As you can probably tell from my Screen Name and signature, I'm a Cougar guy first, Mustang second. As a teen, I fell in love with the hidden headlights and sequential turnsignals of the 67/68 Cougars, that and they were "different", just like my personality. I've own many Cougars and Mustangs over the years, but let me tell you about getting into Mustangs.

 

I was in Army Basic Training in 1984 at Ft. Leonard Wood. We were at the rifle range when I spotted one of my Drill Sargents 82 Mustang GT parked under a tree. It was the same one in the Ford Poster that says "The Boss is back!" That front air dam made an impression that day....fast forward to my ETS (Discharge) in 1988. I went looking for a car to drive me home from Washington State to Virginia and found a black on black 83 GT on a used car lot. One drive of that 5spd 4BBL 5.0 was all it took, I was hooked.... since then I've had, in order:

 

84 GLX Vert

89 LX 5.0

94 GT

95 Cobra Hardtop/Convertible

01 Bullitt

90 SSP LX Coupe

 

and now

 

08 GT-500 Vert

91 SSP LX Coupe

 

 

If they ever make another Mustang based Cougar, I'll be in trouble....

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I remember a friend of my parent's having a brand-new gold Mach 1, must have been a 1970 model I'm guessing. That got me interested but like many others, I appreciated ALL muscle cars (still do). I remember being about 16 years old at a car show in the Six Flags parking lot (around 1979) and wondering what this odd Mustang was with the rectangular tailights, scoops, and the name S-H-E-L-B-Y across the back. I was hooked! I started reading everything I could find about Shelbys and joined SAAC. FInally after graduating from college I bought a 66 GT350H, what a car. I sold it shortly after getting married but was able to get back with my 09 GT500 red stripe convertible. I'd like to complement this car with an original 65 GT350 or a continuation 427 Cobra some day....

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I purchased my first Mustang in 1973, which was a 1971 grabber blue, notchback with a 302 automatic. I was in the army at the time, and after my transfer orders to Vietnam were cancelled, I was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. My wife and I had a VW and it just didn't have the passing power that we needed on all the two-lane, hilly roads there in the Ozarks. One day I decided to go looking for a Camaro or Mustang and ended up with the Mustang. What really caught my attention was the NASA hood and the Mach 1, silver colored stripes on the car.

 

After leaving the army, I sold that car and from that time until now, I've owned 14 Mustangs, to include a Boss 429, a 1966 Shelby, a 1968 GT 350 and several Fastbacks and convertibles.

 

In 1983, when the new Mustang convertibles were released with the 5.0, and then the GT convertibles - I found the urge too hard to pass up one more Mustang. I traded in my 1981 Turbo Zx for the Mustang, which is still parked in my garage. I've come close to selling it, but I've held on to it all these years. It now has 66,000 miles, and all of the original parts removed from the car lay nestled in the attic - to include the original battery, hoses, exhaust and tires/wheels (which were removed at 3,000 miles.)

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well to begin i havent been driving for a whole long time. since about 2003. I first fell in love with the mustang when i seen the 2005 red convertible concept mustang back in late 2003 or early 2004. ever since then everything has been nothing but mustangs for me. i got my first stang on april 6th 2005 in san bernardino, ca. The dealer i went to had a silver vert on their lot. i actually had a windveil blue coupe on order for close to a year but the dealer never got it so i just went ahead and picked up the vert. which the car that was transformed into the car in my sig. ever since 05 i have had 4 different mustangs. each time getting to be bigger and better mustangs.

 

So long story short, I fell in love with mustangs the first time i seen a magazine with the 2005 red concept mustang on it.

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My sister bought a new 79 LX 5.0 when I was in high school. She would let me drive it from time to time but I am not sure why she thought that was a good idea. That car was pretty quick for the time and I had a blast driving it. My 2010 GT500 is my 7th Mustang and my favorite so far.

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I have 2 memories of events that cemented my love for Mustangs. The 1st was when my Uncle came home from Vietnam and picked me up with a 1967 GT 2+2. I absolutely fell in love with that car. The 2nd was at a family picnic and my Dad's cousin came over in a 1966 GT350. It was white with blue stripes with all the trimmings. I remember all the older folks being appaled at what he spent on such a small unpractical car. I told my self that someday I would have a Shelby and finally in March 09 I bought one. I may never get an original but I am most satisfied. :happy feet:

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Guest markham51

I remember it like it was yesterday!

 

I was walking down the road. Grade 10 I think, 13 yrs old. My teacher pulled up in a blue coupe and offered me a ride. I can vaguely remember what she looked like but I can remember everything about that 64 1/2 Mustang. All of the details.........always wanted one but couldnt afford it when I was younger. No doubt in my mind when the love affair started.......

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Growing up I wanted a Trans Am. My Aunt's boyfriend bought one exactly like the one in "Smokey and the Bandit II". I remember pulling up to the theater in that Tran Am thinking how cool is this. BUT, then one day we were driving to my Grandparent's place and we were on this straight stretch. I remember looking out the back window and seeing this small dot of car growing larger by the second. Soon this Mustang GT ( don't recall the MY) went by us like we were stopped. From that day on I wanted a Mustang GT. In 1988, I bought my very first car, a 1987 Mustang GT. Since then I've had a 1996 Mustang GT, a 1997 F150, a 1998 Escort and my current car, a 2007 Fusion. If things go the way I desire, hopefully, I'll be buying my dream car, a 2011 Shelby GT500.

 

TGT500

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It was around 1969 and I was 15 years old. I was raised in Bastrop, La. and my next door neighbor had a GT 500 convertible. I don't remember the exact year but I remember the big ole strips on the car and I thought it was beautiful. I got to ride in the car and it accelerated very fast and left an impression on me. So many years later when the price was right I purchased my first ford, a 2008 Shelby GT 500. It is a great car.

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When I was born in 1983 my father decided to get himself a new Mustang GT as a toy for himself, making it his third Mustang owned ( his first a 65 and later a 71). I grew up seeing that car, I remember it being sparkly clean all the time (the car got washed no excuses once a week and fully detailed twice a year) and sounding mean. I could shift the lever to the right gear on my dad's command by the time I was 5 and loved every ride that he would take me on. I would always study the way he drove that beast and I still remember his modding addiction with that car. Ever since I have memories I have loved mustangs and as I grew my desire to own one did too. At age 20 I had not had a chance to buy myself that beautiful Mustang that I had desired yet but I stumbled across an unbelievable deal thanks to a friend and I purchased a clean 96 Cobra with Mystique paint that I daily drove for a few years before I decided to let her become a joy ride that I can start modding, but the best came on October 26th 2006 when I finally picked up my beautiful 2007 GT500 which my dad had the privilege to be the first one to drive her. They both currently sit in the garage as the Chicago winters :cold: are not something they deserve. Let me tell you, some of the best days are when my dad grabs the keys to one Mustang and I grab the keys to the other and we go joy ridding around town!

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  • 2 months later...

I watched bullit with my dad when i was about 9 or 10 yrs old, and i think it was a combination of Steve Mcqueen and his disregard for traffic laws that peaked my initial interest. I started reading up on mustangs and learned about this awesome guy named Carroll Shelby. I was hooked.The rest of my family were honda fans, and yet i couldn't bring myself to go that direction, so i saved up my money and when i turned 18 i bought a ragged red '68 fastback with a 302 for around $3500. It was the first time i realized that a car could have personality, i worked on that car every time there was an opportunity to spend my money on it, and eventually i was able to get a high rise manifold and a four barrel carb on it. I wreaked enough havoc in it that the concord PD always had an eye on it. I remember i chirped around a corner right past a squad car and before you knew it i had 3 cars pull me over, two black and whites and an all black that pulled infront. i can still remember getting that " excessive acceleration " ticket like it was yesterday...

 

Long story short, I sold it to go to art school in pasadena and i vowed i'd get one of those Shelby Mustangs after i got out... and here we are!!

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When I was 19 my father bought a black '99 Cobra Convertible. He made the mistake of teaching me stick on it. I specifically recall pulling up next to a Firebird with him in the passenger seat and getting nervous because I didn't want to race the guy not knowing how to drive stick and stall it. Because I was nervous I ended up letting out on the clutch too fast, peeled the tires and smoked the Firebird who wasn't even racing haha. My Dad was like what the heck are you doing? At that point I think the racing itch entered my veins and 2 months later I bought a new Black '99 GT Convertible....stick of course.

 

I dropped another 25K over the next 10 years turning it into a pefect Saleen S281 Speedster clone with a Rausch Q400 hood, full Saleen Body kit and rims, Saleen Speedster package, CAI, completely rebuilt and ported engine, Borla exhaust and offroad pipes. I made the choice to keep it naturally aspirated because I didn't want to deal with all of the extra changes needed to support the SC.

 

I loved that car but let it go last year to a friend in anticipation of buying my '11 GT500 this year. That same itch is coming on stronger than ever and I'm already building a list of modifications to start with.

 

When I sell my '11, Ford better have a replacement for the Ford GT.

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long, long ago in a dealers show room for me....my husband has had Mustangs off and on for the past 35 years or so, going all the way back into his high school days. The love affair continues :happy feet:

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Mine started the first time I saw one as a child in '64 - '65. How could any warm-blooded young American boy not fall in love w/ a Mustang back then?

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I had a friend in junior high whose dad restored cars. Well, mustangs were his specialty and I had the chance to see, ride in, and drive some of the baddest Shelby, Boss, and Mach 1 mustangs of all time. That is what started the whole thing. I have had 8 mustangs since in this order. '66 coupe, '84 "GT 350" 20th Anniversary, '88 GT, '95 Cobra, '00 GT, '03 Cobra, '06 GT, and now a '10 Shelby.

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