CAP,
Before you buy that stang, find a used pontiac G8 to test drive. The GT is auto only, but the GTX is manual. Don't need to really be serious, but just give it a shot. You should be able to find an awesome deal on those things and if you get a used one in good condition, you'll be past the period where a handful of owners had to wait for parts to arrive from Australia.
I love my G8 GT, and both the engine and transmission modules are fully programmable so you can tune them to your hearts delight to get the shift points just right, and gain a few mpg back in addition to the 20 *true* hp gain from the engine tune.
i appreciate your input, and wish for you pontiac enthusiasts, that pontiac were still around, now that the retro-rods are kicking but. i can only imagine how pontiac would've done a retro firebird, or trans am......or could you imagine a retro catalina?
the g8, and even the last incarnation of the gto, never did anything for me. they look boring. they sound bad bellybutton though, and i know with the powertrain that gm gave them, they kicked bellybutton too.
as for programmable computers......fords have had that since the mid/late 80's. mustangs in particular, have been getting reprogrammed since then.
since the advent of the OBD2 control systems, everything is programmable. there's already over a dozen tunes for mustangs, and i would imagine camaros too.
like i said.....this latest incarnation of the mustang just looks like sex on wheels. i'd imagine, that ford used a little majic, tossed some 66 fastback, some 68 fastback, a boatload of sexy, and some modern into a SAPP super blender....turned it on its highest setting(which is faster than lint), let it run for a week, and when they poured it out, this new stang is what they got.
