I finally got the car I really wanted; 2008 Mustang GT content ahead

For those who have been following my automotive purchases,you know that in the past few years I've had some fun cars pass through my driveway.  As neat as they were, I have suffered from automotive "Goldilocks" syndrome;  none of them were just right.

I bought a new 2020 Mustang GT with a manual.  The car was both quick and fast, and was probably the most stable and planted Mustang I've ever driven.  I should have loved it.  However I felt it was bloated and it drove "heavy', and it didn't bring me pleasure.  So I sold it on.

I then got a Kia Stinger GT.  Beautiful car, fantastic handling, but my kids couldn't comfortably sit in the backseat.

Next I bought a 2006 BMW 330ci ZHP.  Great car except for being an automatic and bleeding me out of nearly $3000 in repairs in only a few months of ownership.

At this point I was growing frustrated, and I put the BMW up for sale.   This was late Summer of 2022.

We were up at our camper one weekend and I was looking at FB Marketplace and there she was:  a 2008 Mustang GT Premium in blue on black with about 75k miles on it. It was nearly midnight but I took a shot and messaged the seller.  He responded quickly and we agreed to meet the next day.

I met the owner and found out that the car was a one owner and had been garaged since new.  He was an engineer, and he had always had a  F150 to drive during rain or snow.  The car was a premium, so it had leather, and more importantly to me a manual transmission.  A good inspection verified his claim of no accidents or paint work.  Also, it was 100% stock.

I bought it on the spot.

I'll add more later, but we had winter approaching soon and I wanted it to remain garaged with me as well, so my goal for Winter was simply to assess the car and to remove the horrible dealer installed flaking stripes that not only ran up the bumper, hood, and trunk (under the spoiler and on it), but also down the back. It also had matching rocker stripes in similar condition.

This generation of Mustang is special to me as I was a group director of a 3 store auto group of whom 2 were Ford stores.  I drove these cars brand new and loved them then and continue to feel strongly about them today.

I think they are the most handsome modern-era Mustang that Ford has produced.

Anyway, here's a photo dump of how it looked upon purchase, the removal of the stripes, and how it looks today.

I have plenty of upgrades and maintenance in store soon too...so stay tuned!

Very nice! 

Are those newer wheels?  They look taller than stock for 2008.

I also have a 2008 GT Premium 5MT with some engine and suspension work done to it for track day fun.

If you ever need an electrical service manual I have one.

Nice!

Good for you, mate. And the color is fantastic! 

I love projects that start like this. Congratulations on the purchase. I'll be following along!

In reply to akylekoz :

Thank you!  Nope those are the optional 18" polished wheels that could be ordered on a 2008 GT Premium.  They are the same 18s that were standard on the California Special in 2008 and 2009.

The car also has leather, a power drivers seat, and the Shaker 500 sound system.

I can't believe I've already had it nearly 6 months and it feels like I just drove it home.  Until I get my kids through school and convince myself to step up to a C8 Corvette, I think this car will be with me for a while.

That is a very pretty example! And it sounds well bought, based on your description of the PO. Buying cars from people like that is always worth it, in my experience. I'll be following along!

Lots of boxes have been showing up over the past week.

My intent is to simply restore and maintain the car with a few improvements.  After really soul searching, I decided not to go with any crazy suspension mods and to keep the OE tire and wheel setup for now.  I absolutely love the look of the car as it sits and find the power vs the size and weight of the car to be good for me.  At 300 hp it's not scary but it's quick and I think it will be a fun car for light HPDE work hopefully later this year.

In those boxes are the following:  a McLeod organic clutch, Ford slave cylinder and pilot bearing, Hurst shifter, Monroe replacement loaded front struts and rear shocks, a BMR non-adjustable panhard bar with poly bushings (don't need adjustable because I'm not lowering the car), a BMR panhard bar chassis reinforcement, a BMR front strut tower brace, Powerstop Z26 slotted rotors and new pads and stainless lines for all four corners.  I also have a MBRP axle-back exhaust and a K&N drop in filter for a little more rumble without being obnoxious.  Finally, I have all new fluids and a set of Motorcraft plugs to go in.

I really wanted to upgrade to the 14" Brembo brakes from a GT500, but that would have necessitated either a wheel swap or wheel spacers, neither of which I'm open to.  I looked at how much I was going to spend and decided if I ever really want all of that gear, I will sell this car on and buy a 2012 or so GT500.  I am often a victim of scope-creep and go crazy ordering things only to be unhappy with the expense and result.

I plan to take it a little slower here to install some parts and then really spend time with the car before moving ok to other things.  I thought a logical first step was to fully service the car and get it back to 100% of new (or a little better) before reassessing and taking next steps.

I have had some health issues so I'll be doing some of the lighter work and I have a buddy who will be doing some of the heavier bits (like he is doing the clutch for me).

I am really excited for what I view is an OE+ driving experience from the car.  I'm thinking a logical next step will be poly bushing for the sway bars and / or a swap of one or both of them but I decided to hold off until I can feel the results of all of the items waiting to go on the car now before I order anything else.

Within the next handful of weeks all of it will be on and I can get some driving impressions which I will share.

Love the color also.  Does yours have the color changing accent lights?   If so it has all the same options as mine.

Things I did to my 08GT

In reply to akylekoz :

Yep.  Same color changing interior lighting!

Love this. I've been casually looking at these to replace the Boxster, but I haven't been happy with what I've been able to find for the money. One of the biggest issue with used Mustangs, especially as they get a bit older, is crappy mods. If I had a nickel for every one I've seen with a stupid huge, unnecessary cowl induction hood, bad stripes, body kits, you name it....

Anyhow, right now I'm fixated on 4-eye Fox bodies, but the early S197s are still tempting. I know it would obviously be a much better-driving, more liveable car.

of all the OE projects i've done in my 3 decades in Detroit, the S197 is my favorite.  We had a great group of engineers developing those cars.  Probably my favorite feedback came from our own DILYSI Dave, who said "it drives much smaller and lighter than it really is." 

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

It really does.

As I age I find sometimes my perception becomes my reality.  This car, both by physical age and just the fact that technology has moved so far in 15 years, maybe isn't a dinosaur yet but no doubt it's on its way.

But to me it's damned near perfect.  It wiggles a tad in the rear and the handling is a bit sloppy (some of which is attributable to wear which will soon be addressed), but I find it to be a great balance of power and handling.  Literally every time I drive it I get out with a huge grin on my face.

When I take it to the grocery store, I ALWAYS stop and look back at it.

It's crazy how our emotional brain can overpower our logical brain.  Or maybe I'm getting a bit senile.  Or perhaps it's just a damned good car.  

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

While I think I paid a *fair* price for the car, I'll admit I paid more than I had originally intended because the car literally was stock down to the air filter.

I agree with you.  So many of them have been slammed on Raceland coilovers with giant hoods and loud, catless exhaust.  None of that is necessarily bad, but finding a single owner highly maintained and bone stock example seemed to me to be something of a unicorn.  Add to it that this car is the exact spec I would order if I could get a new one, and I was sold nearly before I drove it.

Loweguy5 said:

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

While I think I paid a *fair* price for the car, I'll admit I paid more than I had originally intended because the car literally was stock down to the air filter.

I agree with you.  So many of them have been slammed on Raceland coilovers with giant hoods and loud, catless exhaust.  None of that is necessarily bad, but finding a single owner highly maintained and bone stock example seemed to me to be something of a unicorn.  Add to it that this car is the exact spec I would order if I could get a new one, and I was sold nearly before I drove it.

No doubt. Nice job removing the stripes, too, by the way. I've always been leery of cars with stripes, because I figured that the paint under them wouldn't be as faded, so you'll be able to tell. It doesn't look like that's the case with yours.

I really should find a local one and drive it. It's been years. Honestly, part of my hangup is that 10 years ago these were $10-12k cars in decent shape. Now they are $14-16k cars. Part of that is the used car market in general, but it still sticks in my craw and makes it hard for me to pull the trigger.

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

of all the OE projects i've done in my 3 decades in Detroit, the S197 is my favorite.  We had a great group of engineers developing those cars.  Probably my favorite feedback came from our own DILYSI Dave, who said "it drives much smaller and lighter than it really is." 

I can back this up as well. My daughter just bought an '05 to replace her New Edge and volunteered last night that she was surprised the s197 doesn't feel bigger even though she knows it is.

On the note of stripe removal, I can testify that there is a particularly terrible corner reserved in he** for those who apply vinyl stripes to cars.

I estimate I easily invested 10-12 hours in the process of ridding the car of the decals.  They resided on the car for 15 years and time hadn't been good to them.

I used a combination of plastic razor blades, a 3M eraser wheel (which is nearly totally gone), a hair dryer and 3M adhesive remover.  Mercifully I don't believe I added any damage to the finish in the process.  I recommend setting up a "wall" around an area if you are using the 3M wheel to catch the flying debris.  Warm sticky vinyl bits go everywhere.  I fashioned mine from an Amazon box and some painters tape.

The only significant ghosting is on the back bumper, and I believe I may be able to lessen how noticeable it is with additional labor.

All of the above being said, man am I glad the stripes are gone!

Loweguy5 said:

Right here - these two pictures summarize how nice this car looks.  

Congratulations!

In reply to Datsun310Guy :

Thank you for that.  For a 100% stock vehicle, I do think she has some looks!

A couple of family shots.  The BMW shown the day before the new owner picked it up, and posing with the 05 Ram and 66 F100.  Not pictured are our e-Golf and Wrangler.  

Our neighbors must think I'm nuts with such an unusual assemblage of vehicles.  I'm planning to build a free-standing 2 car garage behind where the trucks are parked in the photo so we can park 4 inside.

Aren't the 08 and 20 Mustang the same size/weight/etc?

In reply to docwyte :

The 2008 is 200 lbs lighter, 1" shorter and 8" narrower.  It drives like it's half the size.

Loweguy5 said:

In reply to docwyte :

The 2008 is 200 lbs lighter, 1" shorter and 8" narrower.  It drives like it's half the size.

According to what I've seen, the width difference is a bit less than 2". The S197 is 73.8", and the S550 is 75.4".

In reply to Loweguy5 :

Looks 1000% better with those stripes removed. Unfortunately it seems like 90% of the GT's of this generation got some sort of dealer stripe kit and/or hood scoop installed. Ugh, awful. 

Great looking car. 

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

I stand corrected;  what I saw was including the mirrors.

Back to the original point;  to ME it feels lighter/smaller.

I think the seating position and shape/size of the window openings on the S550 made me feel like I was sitting down in the middle of a larger car.

At the end of the day, the car makes me happy!