Once we were young men. Old men now, we dream of getting a car that in our youth may have escaped us. But that car has always been at the forefront of our masculine existence.
Many a hot, late summer afternoon and moon lipped night have been spent dreaming of a new car. When I was a lad, new cars were introduced in the fall. GTO, Impala, Corvette, and Mustang were constant companions in my dreams growing up. My two favorite dream subjects were the Ford Mustang and a cheerleader named Sandy Smith.
I worked hard, saved my money, but was never able to get the Mustang. I lost Sandy, too, probably because of little money and no Ford Mustang. Well, I don't know where Sandy is today, but for the last week a Ford Mustang has been sleeping in my garage.
Over 40 years have passed since high school, and in some ways my life didn't go quite like I had hoped. The kids have all grown up and the wife left long ago. But the dream for a Mustang still lives with me. And last week that dream became a reality.
The Mustang I drove was a V6 Coupe, Premium 4-Passenger Sports Car, 4.L SOHC V6 engine with a 5-speed automatic transmission. The standard price for this Mustang is around $25,000. You still get air, speed control/tilt wheel, power door locks and windows and the regular warranty of 3-year/60,000 km bumper to bumper, 5-year/100,000 power train and 5 year/100,000 km roadside assistance. For about $8,000 more you can get Sirius Satellite Radio with 6 months SVC, ambient lighting, anti-lock brakes and theft system, and leather trimmed bucket seats.
There is a safety package that provides seven specific safety features that makes you feel safe even though it feels like you have 1,000 horses under the hood and the speed of a comet. I averaged a little over 12.4 L/100 km driving in the city.
The older I get, the slower I have become. Yet the Mustang can provide the speed. You can get your Mustang with a 210-hp engine, a 300-hp or a 500-hp Shelby GT500.
I enjoyed driving my Torch Red Mustang so much that I didn't want to get out after arriving at my destination. Once I stopped, it didn't take long to draw a crowd. Old, young, male, and female all wanted to get in, smell the leather, and dream of driving America's Pony Car.
Driving a Mustang places you at the center of attention and the topic of discussion. I haven't had this much attention since I locked myself outside my hotel room in Las Vegas wearing nothing but a smile and the morning paper.
Last week I took my sweetheart to dinner for Valentine's Day. We arrived at the Mexican restaurant and just sat out front listening to the Beach Boys and eating chocolate heart candy. Finally, we did go in inside, but sat at a table whose window allowed me to see the Mustang. As usual, it didn't take long to draw a crowd. I could hardly eat my fourth chalupa before rushing out to tell everyone that they were looking at my Mustang.
Yep, I was feeling pretty good. I was full of tortillas, tacos, carne asada, frijoles, pappas, tamale, and the pride of having been able to drive one of the premier sports cars in America—the 2008 Ford Mustang.
Durhl Caussey writes a car column read around the world. He may be reached at this publication or dcaussey@sbcglobal.net .
Feeds