Ford Mustangs are growing on me. Used to think they were overrated, underpowered and clumsy, and I never really got over how far they had fallen by the 1979 Mustang II. I drove one to the prom. It was a bad night all around. But the 2005 retro Mustang nostalgically took me back to my childhood and 10 years later the sixth generation 2015 Mustang, with a modern independent rear suspension and 435hp really caught my eye with its sleek looks and high performance. Mustangs at CarMax are plentiful – as I write there are 444 on the lots nationwide, and almost half of those are V8’s (and I only count V8’s as real Mustangs). All Mustangs with V8’s are GT’s (well, except Bullitts). The cheapest is $13,599 and 107,000 miles and the most expensive 2017 Shelby GT350 with 1,000 miles will set you back $59,998. These are not unicorns.
But these Mustangs are. Let’s take a quick walk around the stable with these two relatively normal Mustang unicorns. At the bottom end we have a 2006 Mustang GT convertible, with only 40,000 miles and a price tag of $15,998. Cute car, 300hp, and a five second 0-60 run. I drove one recently and was surprised that with “only” 300hp it roared and scooted well. I thought it was going to be a dog but found it satisfactory, despite the solid axle I thought was made of wood. Pretty sure you can score another five years, 60,000-85,000 mile MaxCare warranty for a few thousand and be out the door for under $20k. You’ll almost be able to get vintage tags and still be under the MaxCare warranty!
And to show that not all my unicorns are old, at the top end we have a 2015 435hp beast with only 15,000 miles at $26,998. This one is still under factory warranty and so the MaxCare plan will be less. With a 0-60 of 4.4 seconds this stirs my soul. These Mustang GT’s sold for $35-45,000 just two years ago, so $27k seems like a good deal but not the $100,000 discount I look for in my German cars. But the 2015’s and up have an extensive array of technology and amenity upgrades that surprised me. For the same price as a 2015 Mustang GT you can buy a five to seven-year older Corvette, with better performance, more panache, but dated interior. It’s a real tough call. Check out this review: