Is Ford’s Mustang a Good First Car?

By Marty Padgett June 16th, 2008

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This won't come as a surprise to anyone who actually owns a teenager--here at TheCarConnection.com, we have the pink slip on two of them--but according to Ford itself, the most popular car for teen drivers is the Ford Mustang.

Shocked? Not really, but Ford went to the lengths of commissioning a study from a group called Teenage Research Unlimited, which also counts Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike, and Adidas among its clients. TRU says when asked which new car they'd most like to buy, most teens picked the Mustang.

In part, it's because the Mustang is an omnipresent American icon--in ads, in TV shows like the new Knight Rider, and in films. In greater part, maybe it's because at around $20,000 base, "It's a little more realistic than other much more expensive sports cars," says brand manager Fritz Wilke.

Of course, that "affordable" price tag doesn't include insurance and fuel. And since only about 1.2 percent of new car buyers are under 21, it's up to teen Mustang owner wannabes to convince their parents that the Mustang is safe and affordable.

Our advice: start whining now before the first college bills come in. The 2009 Mustang's on sale now, and this year's run is a short one in anticipation of the refreshed 2010 model. While you try to con the parents, let's ask those walking checkbooks: Is the Mustang an appropriate first car? Give us your off-the-cuff answer in a comment below.

Posted in : Ford, Teen Cars |

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12 Responses to “Is Ford’s Mustang a Good First Car?”

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Yea get them a Mustang and in roll the tickets and the accidents. On the plus side new mustangs have high crash standards and are high in their class for safety. If you buy a teenager a VW rabbit or jetta you are just as likely to fill a body bag if not more likely due to the size of the vehicle and the fact that it is still sproty and they WILL be racing no matter what they tell you. I think an old 4X4 truck it the best bet. You can go do something stupid in a mud hole for fun and if a semi hits you you might live threw it. But you are less likely to speed everywhere you go in a old truck that isnt fast. I have done everything as a teenager like the time I did 180 MPH on my street bike. I should be dead probably but no matter what you teach your kids… kids will be kids be smart till they are grown up dont give them anything that can do better than 100 mph. That is the best bet. Then they can buy their death traps themselves. I just bought a 09 GT with a glass roof. So if you see me move over. My first car was a 88 civic with a 1.4 L motor didnt even have a hundred HP But I still got it up to 105. haha. I am the extreme end of the spectrum but probably alive because my parents gave me a beater honda.

Another thing to remember is that overall, Mustangs seem to be put together much better than some of the cheaper economy cars like Civic and Corolla. I was detailing and waxing a Civic for someone this weekend, and it felt like a cheap tin can compared to my Mustang. Doors were popping when opening, windows wouldn’t seal shut, plastic trim falling off, and when I waxed the hood it buckled up and down by half an inch. My Mustang never does that, it’s solid, and it’s older than that Civic, and has more miles! Economy cars are known as “throwaway cars;” you use them up and then get rid of them. Mustangs are keepers, and are built accordingly, with better materials and assembly.