2005 GT Mustang vs. 1998 Formula Firebird

['stang obsessive2]

Alright guys... '05 GT Mustang or '98 Formula Firebird, which is more superior in your eyes? Do NOT consider only performance. We're judging the whole car; leg room, driving abilities, comforts, looks, quality of materials, and performance.

[MrPbody]

GM has always had an "edge" in the overall design, construction and performance. The F-body is more stable and less noisy, plus significantly quicker. Bigger engines have a lot to do with it.

I drove my brother's '99 Cobra and nephew's Bullit. Both are nice cars to drive.

Jim

[samandiar]

That may be true of the previous generation of mustang, but the 2005 is superior in my opinion. The interior quality seems to be better, and it is obviously faster, but I'm not sure about road manners.

[tuske427]

well, there are advantages to each car and ultimately you haveto pick for yourself. I'll explain why below-

Performance- the LS1 is better overall. and there's currently more aftermarket support for the LS1 than there is the new generation Mustang. The LS1 is quick, the handling is better for the f-body (lower center of gravity, better suspension desaign, stiffer springs, etc) it has less anti dive, etc..

legroom- again the F-body wins. Ford has always had issues with legroom for their Fox or SN95 chassis. the new mustang offers a little more though. but, if you're not over 6' tall this isn't an issue.

ingress/ egress- the Mustang wins. It has a higher "hip point" (meaning the position of where your hips rest while sitting in the car is higher- which helps towards getting in and out of the car) Ford makes a good effort on their ergonomics. (except they screwed up on the Ford Escort EXP)

blind spots- they both have plenty.

looks- totally subjective.

handling- the F-body wins again. they have a lower center of gravity, better suspension geometry, etc. Fords car is more compromised. They build it more for a fun look while maintaining user ergonomics. it's a compromise. if you haveon,e you sacrifice the other. When GM built the 4th gen f-body, performance came first. (of course, one could argue why this lead to the diminished sales and ultimately cancellation of this platform andd Ford is still selling strong)

quality of materials- well, neither stands out imo. I had a '95 T/A and it had noisy interior. squeaks, rattles, etc after 50k miles. GM has not been known for quality interiors. Millions of GM cars with warped dashboards, cracked this and that, etc. not good.

I also test drove the '05 GT and it too squeaked and rattled, and it was brand new! I can only imaging what it'll do after some miles are put on it.

so, knowing all this- what's important to you? what are your needs for the car(s)? weekend warrior? commuter? racer? all around fun car?

I hope this is helpful