« Moving On Up | Main | Books I Read in the Last Six Months »
October 06, 2008
The Ford Mustang 2008: A Write Again Soon Review
I know I've been woefully remiss in my blog postings lately. It's a combination of being in a relationship (so much time for gazing adoringly into Mr. MMB's face, so little time for self-reflective ramblings) and partly because I have never been so busy in my life. Right now I'm sitting at the BWI airport in the glorious international terminal (8 gates, 10 total passengers, 0 minutes waiting in the security line) waiting for a flight to Toronto, which will drop me in Calgary, and then on to Kelowna and I thought to myself, what better way to avoid the mountains of work you have piled up than a quick review of a car you recently drove? Indeed.
When I was in southern Oregon a couple of weeks ago for a Big Idea trip, I had the pleasure of renting a car because my work site was several hours from the nearest airport. Because of the plane's mechanical difficulties, I ended up arriving at the final airport more than 7 hours late, and the car rental company had given away all the compact cars and all that was left was a 2008 Mustang.
I've never really driven a "muscle car" before, and I assume that many people are like me out there. So, for the benefit of all those Mustang virgins, let me give you my quick thoughts.
What The 2008 Mustang Is Good For
- Running red lights. Within 10 minutes of getting in the car--before I even got on the ramp to the highway from the airport--I had rumbled through a red light. Had a truck been coming the other way, I would now be a smudge on the Oregon pavement.
- Talking your way out of tickets. On day 3 of my rental, I was driving back to the airport town where I would fly out the next morning. Apparently, the Mustang is well-equipped to power up those steep hills, and so I didn't notice that I was flying along past all the other motorists. A cop nicely pointed out that 25 miles over the speed limit (of 65 MPH) was probably a little fast, but then got distracted by the car (is it a V-8? Hell if I know...) and let me off with a warning.
What the 2008 Mustang Is Bad For
- Wildlife Safaris. I lived for a few years as a kid in southern Oregon, and one of the highlights of my young life was the drive-through wildlife safari. It's a splendid little park where you can drive through the paths and see lions, cheetahs, bears, elephants, giraffes, etc. In most cases, there is no wire/cage separating you from the animals, and it's a delightful alternative to the zoo. Since I had an extra day, I thought I'd go back and see if the reality lived up to the memory. It might have, had I been able to see. The Mustang's bucket seats meant that I had to wriggle and crane my neck to get a good look at the animals. It was tough enough on the driver's side, but the animals had to be practically next to the window to get a good look out the passenger's side. Thumbs down.
- Using lots of gas. I am used to a 30+ MPG car, so it was startling to see the fuel gauge peter out as the miles flew by. Thankfully, I was able to expense my gas costs, and so didn't feel the pain at the pump.
- Turning radius. I left my mark on southern Oregon, in the form of black tire marks on several curbs. It's my version of blowing a kiss to the local residents.
In short, I think that the Mustang is a bit overrated. The big benefit (impressing cops) wouldn't be necessary if the car didn't make it so easy to speed. And the feeling of not being able to see out of the windows properly is irritating even when there aren't giraffes three feet away.
Bottom line, I prefer my Scion.
