The Story Of The Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang is one of the best known and easily recognized vehicles on the road today. Who doesn't recognize the sporty chrome pony emblazoned on the shiny paint of a Ford Mustang?

But I bet many of you don't know the history of the Mustang. Well jump in your time capsule and join me for a ride back to the year 1964. To be more specific, March 9, 1964.

That was the day that the first Ford Mustang rolled off the assembly line – it was a white convertible with a red interior. It created a sensation all across the nation. As a matter of fact, within 18 months, Ford sold over 1 million Mustangs!

Just months after its introduction, Ford began introducing changes for the '65 Mustang, including a bigger engine, reverse lights, and an AC alternator.

In the first two years of its existence, the Mustang broke sales records, wowed the public, and left competitors in the dust.

The next job for the Mustang was to take down the Chevrolet Corvette in the world of racing. That job was tackled by Carroll Shelby, the famous race car driver and designer. The result was the famous GT / Cobra series of cars.

In 1967, Ford introduced a newly redesigned Mustang, with a 335 HP engine, and other improvements, allowing it to continue it's massive popularity.

Ford continued to make improvements and adjustments to the Mustang, and it remained highly popular, even when rising gas prices, rising insurance costs, emissions standards, etc caused muscle cars some hard times in the early 70's. Several of the Mustangs competitors, such as the Barracuda, went out of production, but the Ford Mustang continued to sell.

The Ford Mustang almost died in the late 80's, though, due to slumping sales. But Mustang fans started writing Ford letters, and Ford decided to give the Mustang a redesign and another try. Sales went back up, and the Mustang continues to be a popular car to this day.

Helpful Car Buying Tips

Purchasing a new vehicle is a stressful chore for many people. Ask the average person what they dread most and they will tell you that “price haggling” is the worst aspect of negotiating a price. Few people come away from the deal believing that they got a fair shake; a significant minority will admit that they got ripped off if you press the issue with them. Besides shopping at a “no haggle” dealer – Saturn, for example – how can you avoid an unpleasant experience? Better put, can you? Let’s take a look at some ways you can gain better control over the car buying experience so that you can save yourself some time, money, and a whole lot of aggravation.

Stay away from the hot sellers. Many Japanese brands are sold at full price and bargains are hard to come by. Still, if you do a little bit of research you should be able to shave several hundred dollars off of the sticker price or secure a very low loan rate should you choose to finance your vehicle. If your dealer doesn’t want to deal with you, go to another Toyota, Honda, Nissan, etc. dealer to find a better deal.

Buy a left over. On the other hand, not all cars are hot sellers and many models do not sell out when the model year ends. If there is a particular car that you want, you should be able to realize significant savings off of the sticker price. Don’t be “wowed” by an already reduced price touted by the dealership. Likely, they are getting a secret rebate from the manufacturer; learn what that rebate is and get as much of it as you can. Remember: you are already buying a car that is a year old. If it is a discontinued model or the latest version of that model is significantly changed, you have additional leverage.

Arrange your own financing. When purchasing a car, negotiate the lowest possible price before financing is discussed. If you come into the negotiation with your financing already covered, then you have additional leverage. If you are paying cash for the vehicle, demand an even greater discount.