2003 Z or 2002 Stang GT?

Now first off, I wanna say right off the bat, I KNOW this thread will be bias towards the Z. I'm expecting that. I'm posting this in both the Stang forum and here, because I want opinions from both sides of the spectrum.

I WILL buy one of these cars by summer. I'm having the payments taken over on my Cavalier in July, and I sure as hell am not going to drive my Sentra everywhere.

I'm weighing the pro's and con's of each car that I am aware of, any other pro's/con's that I have missed I would like pointed out to me.

2002 Mustang GT Convertable.
+ Can be attained at approx $15,000 or lower with 35k miles on the o.
+ Convertable.
+ Good aftermarket.
+ Seats 4.
- Resale drops like a rock.
- Engine doesn't last that long.

2003 Z
+ Very stylish.
+ Good aftermarket.
+ Good resale.
+ Engine lasts forever from what I hear.
- A coupe with 35k miles will still run about $20,000.
- Seats 2.

What other factors would you say should come into play into my decision, and why?

Obviously you are looking at two very different cars, and I'll warn you now. If you look further down on the list of threads, you'll see that this was the topic of much heated debate in the year past.

Both are fast cars. The Z is a tad faster. The Z also holds the road better. Remember this is stock. Anyone can sink $20 grand into a car and make it special. So you need to decide what's important to you. Do you need a 3rd seat? A 4th? Can you live with a 2 seater? Are you willing to spend the money? Which one's styling do you like better? How about MPG? I believe the Z is better with it's V6 than the GT V8. How long are you going to have it, and how will that affect your life with resale and reliability. In most cases you are always going to pay more for an import. There are reasons. Have you driven both? If not that should really help the decision. More important than anything is what do you want? You're going to have to drive the thing day to day, so be sure you're happy. Asking yourself "What if?" sucks. Have fun, go drive the hell out of a few and good luck.

Obviously you are looking at two very different cars, and I'll warn you now. If you look further down on the list of threads, you'll see that this was the topic of much heated debate in the year past.

Both are fast cars. The Z is a tad faster. The Z also holds the road better. Remember this is stock. Anyone can sink $20 grand into a car and make it special. So you need to decide what's important to you. Do you need a 3rd seat? A 4th? Can you live with a 2 seater? Are you willing to spend the money? Which one's styling do you like better? How about MPG? I believe the Z is better with it's V6 than the GT V8. How long are you going to have it, and how will that affect your life with resale and reliability. In most cases you are always going to pay more for an import. There are reasons. Have you driven both? If not that should really help the decision. More important than anything is what do you want? You're going to have to drive the thing day to day, so be sure you're happy. Asking yourself "What if?" sucks. Have fun, go drive the hell out of a few and good luck.

Thanks for the reply.

I have driven both, and both were a hell of a lot of fun. My only complaint with the Z was that it was hard to see over my shoulder when switching lanes. I have to say that I honestly liked the sound of the Stang better.

I can easily live with a 2 seater, I'm not married, nor do I have kids. Gas Mileage doesn't bug me whatsoever. I'm planning on keeping the car for as long as it keeps me, which is why engine life is a concern. If I got the Z, I'd Greddy TT it about a year down the line. If I got the Stang, I'd Ken Belle SC it about a year later.

I just have to say that the Z has some of the nicest body lones around. There isnt like one straight line...