Mustangs ARE special
From: tfrog93@aol.com (TFrog93)
Date: Nov 15 1997, 4:00 am
Subject: Mustangs ARE special
To: rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
In article <19971114134301.IAA13...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
nooptio...@aol.com (NoOption5L) writes:
>>did they make you park the stang out back, or what?
>No, left it parked right out front.
For several weeks now, our local Chrysler/Plymouth dealer has had a red
SN95 on the used car lot, parked right along the street in the corner of
the lot. Everybody knows me to be the Mustang freak, so they all ask if
I've seen it. Seen it? Hell, you can't miss it! First of all, it's red,
and stands out from all the other cars on the lot. Second, it's a Mustang,
and its style alone makes it leap to the eye. Third, it occupies the
premiere spot on the dealer's lot (kind of like the pole position at Indy).
Fourth, if there's a Mustang within a square mile, I've taken note! They
all remark on what a "pretty" car it is, to which I reply, "Yeah, seen it.
It's a six".
Sometimes it seems that the normal Joe looks at a Mustang and sees some
kind of "exotic". Don't they realize that these cars are cheaper than a
nice Taurus and readily available at their local Ford dealer? I've known
for years now that Ford's been saving money in their advertising budget by
NOT promoting the Mustang. Every day, you see commercials and ads for
Taurus, Contour, Escort, Expedition, etc., but a commercial about the
Mustang is a rare exception. Ford seems to think that these cars will sell
themselves, and they may be right.
A neighbor stopped by for a chat, while I was yet again washing my car.
He commented on my '93 LX 5.0 as if it were some rare, mystical beast, a
collector's item. We talked about speed and power, the nice lines, fat
tires and dual exhaust with that marvelous sound, and I tried to tell him
what a sheer joy it was to drive. He walked back to his yard, where his
late-80's Plymouth sedan and newer generic minivan were parked, wishing
that he had a fun car... I was left shaking my head. Ford built literally
millions of Fox-body Mustangs, and there's still a TON of them out there.
This guy could easily go out and buy one tomorrow.
For various reasons, most folks talk themselves OUT of a Mustang. "When
we had kids, we decided we needed a minivan/sport-ute." "We bought a
Camry/Maxima, because it has FWD and we need that for the (3-10) days each
year when there's actually snow on the ground." "Oh, I could never afford
a 'sports car'; I need something more practical." For every guy who's ever
drooled on my hood, there's another bogus excuse why he couldn't get a
Mustang. The vast majority of car buyers (other than about 110,000 each
year) don't consider the Mustang a viable choice, as if it's
unapproachable.....
So, I wash my car. I keep it clean and shiny. Guys yell at me across
lanes of traffic, "NICE CAR!", and then go about their business in their
SUVs. Testosterone filled teenagers stop to ask if I'm willing to sell the
car. (Despite AOLer claims to the contrary, "babes" do not flock to me and
my car, though. Perhaps because I'm old.....) And I smile, I wave my FIVE
sign, I drive off, thinking, "It's only a Mustang".
To guys who know performance cars, my Mustang is nothing special, although
it does have some potential. But to the vast majority, it's a rare breed
with a magical image. Something they've decided they could never aspire
to. And that's a shame.
How many times have we each talked to some old grizzled veteran, who waxes
poetic about a car he used to own? "I used to have a '57 Chevy", or "I
used to have a '63 Corvette", or "I used to have a '68 Mustang", and then
they go on and on about what a great car it was, how much fun it was, the
feats of daring they used to do in that car, the street races....ah, the
street races. And I always ask, "What happened to that car? Why did you
give it up?". The answers are various; setback in finances, got married,
had kids, and the occasional telephone pole (ouch). And they all have that
faraway look of longing in their eyes, as if they're wishing they could
bring that car back for one more ride.....
Well, twenty years from now, I'll pull up to a young guy washing his 2017
Mustang (knock wood), and we'll start talking about his new 525hp, 8-speed
pony car, with its heads-up, windshield display multimedia virtual
entertainment center, and its 124 cupholders, and then, during the
conversation, I'll get all misty-eyed and say, "I used to have a 1993 LX
5.0, and it was the most fun I ever had on four wheels." And I'll pause,
turn around, point to it and say, "And I still do!"
dwight :() |