I guess the Title says it all:

Is it crazy to cross shop these two cars - in many respects, the Mustang has borrowed heavily from the XK(R) (R-S)/ Aston DB9 body and the performance is world class - would love to hear your thoughts...

 

Everybody has mustangs. Just sayin

 

Is it crazy to cross shop... No. Is it crazy to compare to two... Yes. I don't see where the two share much at all in the looks category, some of the mustang variants have incredible straight line performance, they make a lot of noise, and are a hit at NASCAR events... To each his own

 

No.

And you may end up with a car that is more "fit for purpose".

While casting about for a parts chaser, it dawned on me that
hatchbacks included Mustangs, and that they are RWD to boot.

 

BTW - I mean the latest variant of the GT350 (350R)

 

I hate to do this but it's for your own good. My honest opinion? This is what goes through my head when I see a Mustang/Camaro.


Looks just like the one you can rent at the airport from Avis. With stickers.

All it needs is a big Dale Earnhardt number 3 on the back window and it'll be the Walmart parking lot hero. (ok I shop there too, but in my Subaru)

I'm sure it's reliable enough to get to all the NASCAR circuits.



Stigmas are hard to beat no matter the (undeniable) performance.


(Might be biased)

 

Here's my 2¢ worth: some people will make judgments about your car and therefore what kind of guy you are, regardless of what you drive. Either car is a fine one and whichever one puts the biggest smile on your face would be a good indicator of what will make you happy.

 

If you decide on the GT350, give it a bit of time if you want a good price. Ford has already said they will produce as many as they can sell so there is no reason to pay over list price and there may be some deals later. Of course this opinion is coming from someone who could have bought a local low miles Ford GT for $125k a few years ago.

 

I believe there is an easy solution for you.

Drive them both. If you can't tell the difference, buy the Mustang.

 

Btw, if the GT350(R) was offered with an automatic, or even better yet a dct, I might entertain the idea myself someday. I like that it has the manual for the purists out there but my needs are best met with an auto.

Although my XKR is just dandy...

 

This

 

I would pick the XKR without a second thought.

 

The XKR is a classy car with great looks and great feel. It does not come off as a muscle car per say like the mustang unless you drop the spires 3 exhaust on it.. then totally its a British Muscle Car. It exudes much more class and sophistication in how it appears and drives (and minus the spires stage 3 sounds). The Mustang is very common. Its a great car dont get me wrong and will probably outperform the Jag.....but its not a JAAAAAAAGGGG

 

Lets just say this... If you want to appear like a dude in a muscle car and people go..ha..there goes a dude in a tricked out stock mustang...buy the mustang...

If you want to see people smile, drive up next to you just to look at the XKRS and at the stoplight give you thumbs up and/or roll the window down to ask "Hey What Is IT!?!" Then Buy The Jag.

The mustang makes the driver happy... thats all well in good... the Jag makes everyone who sees it happy!! As ive often said I find I have made people's day by ME driving MY Car... How awesome is that!?!!?!!?!

 

If you are looking for just performance and/or plan to track the car regularly; Mustang hands down. All parts of ownership will be easier and less expensive.

That being said, I would consider the Viper at somewhere in between your groupings.

 

You need to first establish your criteria.

When I got my XK, my criteria -
1. Reliable
2 Comfortable fitment of a 6' 2"
3 Good range of outwards visibility of the road and environment from driver's seat
4 Somewhat fun driving dynamics
5 Somewhat enjoyable to look at.

The Mustang lost BIG in #3, it felt more like driving in a bunker. #1 was a bit of an unknown as the new Mustang hasn't been around enough to get much of a track record. For me, the wide angle of view of the XK coupe is fantastic, the mirrors block some of my view, but otherwise, its great in traffic.

Without any criteria, we really can't help you.

 

One is a $24K car that can have "options" to make it a $50+K car, the other is a 100+K car.

One has had the relative same body design since 1994 the other since 2006/7

Due to production numbers one car is quite common (sans the stripes and other minor aesthetic details) the other quite rare

One is pure GT car the other a supposed muscle car

One can easily be parked in front of Walmart, a local bar, the street etc.the other may garner attention... some of which may not be good (jealousy/vandalism). With a Jag you should be thoughtful on where you leave it

If pure performance (ie pure speed) then go for the Mustang, same argument could be said for a Subaru STI... great going stoplight to stoplight.

One car is considered a "Supercar", the other is not.

One car is likely a LOT less to insure as the average driver is in a different demographic

One car has already hit a low point in its depreciation curve

If you want to impress guys in the Midwest Mustang is a great choice, if you want to impress most any women, go Jag. Never in my life have I ever heard anyone say "Man look at that Mustang, isn't that gorgeous!" (Purely subjective but very true)

All this means you need to sit down, do a "Ben Franklin" list, and decide for yourself what is the driving criteria of importance to you. You came to a Jag forum of course you'll get biased POV's from us no different than you'll likely get opinions on the stang forums trying to justify their decision-making reasoning.

Good luck with whichever you choose

 

I wouldn't call the GT350 with a flat plane crank V8 a base mustang with options. It might resemble a base mustang but will hand most cars their butt on a road coarse and will probably have a higher resale value 10 years on compared to the XKR.

I owned an STi for seven years I would never consider stop light racing in that car pretty much a waste of the cars potential.

You might be surprised what the stang guys would say about the Jag, I was cross shopping the Chevy SS before I got my XFR on the SS board most of the guys were saying if they could afford the XFR they would NOT have gotten the SS.

The base GT350 starts at $47k with the R starting at $61k I wouldn't call those cars mullet magnets. I bet the GT350/R would get just as much attention at a cars and coffee in most major cities in the country as the XKR.

 

It is a forum so I appreciate the OP opening a subject that many find worth debating. But that said, once again we have another car comparison that is just apples and oranges. Comparing an XK or XKR to a Mustang, no matter how race inspired it is, seems to be completely unfounded. I perfectly respect someone in a Mustang, they worked hard to buy the car that they wanted, it doesn't mean they couldn't afford a Jag.

They are two different cars, one for us snobs who are concerned about our vanity, the other for guys who are more concerned with performance and perceived affordability.

Listen, owning a high-end car isn't all about the style, it is about the status. Let's just face what it is, and that Mustang, no matter how special (and it is), doesn't show the status to everyone. Any time you have versions of your car running around that cost half of what you paid it dilutes the overall status associated with that model.

 

I own shelby gt 500 with whipple kit 630 hp and jaguar 2007 jaguar xkrs. Both fun. Shelby is a beast if you can keep in lane. Its not how fast you go vs how well you go fast. Really is the diffence. Both fun has hell. Ps. Mustang worst on rear tires and clutchs. Doug