Slower traffic keep right.

My husband sent me an instant message on his birthday that his buddy could hook him up with a good deal on a new car and he wanted to go test drive a Mustang during his lunch break. He didn't need a new car and hadn't even been thinking about buying a new one so I thought I was safe. I humored him and told him he could have a new one if he could keep it within his budget. I felt confident that there was no way he'd be walking away with a new car that day. I hate it when I'm wrong.

My husband is a huge fan of Mustangs. His last car was a 2004 Mustang GT that he told me he would drive until the wheels fell off. What he probably meant to say was that he would drive it until another model that he liked came out. I didn't think he could pick out and purchase a new car during a lunch hour, but I was already wrong once that day. It only took moments for him to narrow his search down to something he liked in his price range, a black 2008 Mustang GT Premium Coupe.

Driving Hubby's Ride
I love driving my husband's Mustang because it makes me feel young. Just kidding. No really, it does which is probably why he purchased it on his birthday. There's something youthful and fun about a sporty car that looks stylish and goes fast. Since it's reasonably priced there's no huge concern to baby it like I would with an 90,000 sports car. I can bark the tires and park where ever I want.

A manual transmission is the standard option ($645 to upgrade to automatic). The stick is the fun part of the car and I'm thrilled that the shifter has improved dramatically over the previous models. It is the perfect distance from the seat for me and is very clear which gear it is in. Shifting is smooth and flawless.

The steering is extremely sensitive which is great when you're trying to park but not so much when you're flipping through the channels on the radio. My favorite thing to do in the car is take turns. I normally drive an SUV so I nearly have to stop to turn. The Mustang hugs the curve at a higher speed without the embarrassing tire squeal.

Our path takes us through many neighborhoods and school zones which require us to go 20 miles per hour. Painful, but pleasantly possible. It performs smoothly at slower speeds without jerking or needing to ride the brakes.

The Mustang is very noisy from the outside but inside it is quiet. Ford really got the exhaust note right with this vehicle, as it sounds awesome compared to other sporty cars. When it's idling, the car rumbles a low muscle car rumble subtly reminding the driver of how much power is available just waiting to be abused. When the door is opened to exit the vehicle, the window cracks and automatically seals itself when closed. It is a noticeably quiet ride for a vehicle in it's class.

It is difficult to judge how fast I'm driving since there isn't any vibration or noise to judge it by. The car easily goes over 80 MPH without feeling like you're speeding. The speedometer is calculated by 10's and the 80 is in the middle. Since I'm use to a traditional speedometer it will be something that I have to get use to or just speed a lot.

One thing that I hate is how uncomfortable the seat belt is. It sits too far to the right and distracts me when driving.

Work car?
My husband chose this vehicle as his work car. This is a muscle car which means it is designed to be driven rough which is great because my husband is hard on cars.

This is a good choice for my husband since he is an offensive driver (as opposed defensive). The car has a 5 out of 5 star government safety rating in frontal crash for both driver and passenger sides as well as 5 stars for risk of rollover in a single vehicle crash as determined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

You simply can't expect great gas mileage when you're driving a V8. The car does get a little better gas mileage than our previous Mustang did and it's still better than our SUV. It gets an average of 23 miles per gallon (MPG). Ford indicates 15 MPG for the city and 23 MPG for highway.

The car has the power to zip around slower traffic, the precision steering to veer away in an instance, and the ability to slow down quickly when the highway locks up.

Both my husband and I are short, so we have to sit closer to the dash in order to reach the clutch which results in bumping knees while getting in and out. It's a little effort to lift yourself out of the car because the seats are low. I don't think the car would be comfortable for a tall person. As the driver, there's no arm room on the left. It's a little snug for my liking.

Shotgun
The leather trim seats come standard on the premium car. We have upgraded leather seats. I spend most of my time in the passenger seat which if roomy and comfortable so long as there isn't anyone in the back seat. The seats have definitely improved over the last Mustang we had. The angle is better and it feels like there's more support.

Why is it that my husband's near misses are always on my side? Luckily there is a front and side airbag on both the driver and passenger sides. There is a manual button to turn off the passenger's airbag for when there's someone riding in front who doesn't meet the requirement for an air bag.

The people at work also prefer the 08 Mustang over his previous model because it is a much better fit for passengers. It is still a small backseat but there is more head and leg room according to their comments.

Family Car?
We have a family so we needed something somewhat practical. Even as a second car we still needed an option to take the younger kids with us and pick up from daycare if needed. A true sports car only sits 2 and children don't ride in front anyway. Getting in and out is a challenge. It is a struggle to buckle in a child sitting in a booster seat. The door is too heavy for kids to use. I'm always scared of shutting their little fingers in the door as it's being closed because you can't see their hands from the front seat.

The seat latch has to be pulled up and the seat has to be pushed forward to allow access to the back which is something the kids can't do themselves. A much appreciated improvement is that the latch is up at the top now instead of the bottom so it's not necessary to bend over to release the seat.

Durability
One of the main reasons that my husband chose this as his work car was because of endurance. A 2007 J.D. Power and Associates study found that the Ford Mustang had the lowest number of problems in the first 90 days of ownership than any other sporty mid-size car. My husband is able to make repairs himself because the parts are easy to find and engine isn't crammed in sideways. There's also plenty of advice online for do-it-yourself repairs and performance upgrades.

Interior
The console holds two cups. The holders are smashed together which is actually a good thing because it doesn't interfere with the gear shift like it had in previous models. The only place to put things is in a little compartment in the console. There is a little lip under the stereo that can unofficially house a pair of glasses or similar.

Other standard features include speed control which is very straight forward and located on the right of the wheel. A 6-way driver's seat and tilt wheel is standard. The windows and side mirrors are also power. If you push the window button all the way down the window will go all the way down, however if you push it 1/4 way it will go down just a little bit. The same is true to put it back up, pull up instead of pushing.

There are several different upgrade packages available which really give the car its own personality. We have the interior upgrade package ($460) which we love the best of all the upgrades. This particular package gives the car a modern retro feel to it. The steering wheel and seats are leather. There are satin aluminum accents on the steering wheel, dashboard front, shifter, and door handles.

The registers are round with a silver front. There are only two slots with a grove for your finger. The vent can turn 360 degrees and be totally closed or open to a variety of positions. I love the appearance, functionality and the design is so easy to clean.

The dashboard has an aluminum metallic panel upgrade. The gages are gages are huge and accented with shinny aluminum rim. At night the color really glows bright. The color of the gages can be changed. It has a message center that will digitally tell you how many miles can drive before it runs out of gas. It can also calculate the average gas mileage.

The lights are very bright. If the fog lights are on, other cars flash us as if they are too bright. So despite the cool appearance when they are on, they pretty much can't be used.

My biggest pet peeve is that the headlights need to be turned on and off manually and there isn't an upgrade available for auto lights.

Trunk
We were really impressed by the improved design of the trunk. The trunk is deep and wide. There is also plenty of room to pile things high because the lid doesn't take any of the trunk space. The back seats fold down for more storage inside the car. For extra width the area can be opened up between the seats and the trunk.

Radio and Speakers
The car comes standard with a Shaker 500 AM/FM audio system with 6 CD changer, MP3 and 6 speakers. The dealer had installed the Sirius Satellite Radio (commercial-free ) with a free 6 month subscription ($195 option). We initially thought it was a waste and never intended to renew the subscription. After using it a little we fell in love with it and purchased one for our other vehicle and another to give as a gift this Christmas.

Warranty
The warranty is 3 years or 36,000 miles for bumper to bumper. 5 years or 60,000 miles for power train and roadside assistant. Regular scheduled maintenance using Ford’s strict “scheduled maintenance guide” and using approved products is crucial for warranty coverage in case it is needed. Ford dealerships don’t always share maintenance information with each other so it's best to keep track of the paperwork yourself. Warranty work can be done at any Ford dealership.

Ford does sell street-legal performance packages that will be covered under warranty as long as they're installed at a Ford dealership. Personal modifications and upgrades will void the warranty for damages caused by the modification.

Ford Extended Service Plan (ESP) is also offered at an additional price. It's pretty much a bumper to bumper maintenance package in which you get prepaid oil changed. We've purchased the ESP plan before and got our moneys worth out of it. It's an excellent plan as long as you love and trust the repairman at your local dealership. You'll have to take it to the “Ford” dealership for every single oil change which is a pain.

Overall
My husband is a Mustang fan, and always has been. It's not a question of which car to buy, but which Mustang to buy.

This is a great car depending on what your priorities are. This is a nice car for fast drivers yet since it's not a "sports" car it doesn't require "sports" car insurance. You're not going to save money at the gas pump but it's a durable car and should run healthy for a very long time. It's rated high in safety and durability. There's nothing luxurious or extravagant about the inside but simple and easy to clean. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it does have a lower sticker price.

It's a classic muscle car which is always in style.