I test drove both cars expecting that the mach 1 will be slightly better than the GTO since it is a special edition. I wasn't looking at both car's hp because the GTO clearly wins. But in terms of driving experience and comfort. The mustang definitely loses in this department. First off the Mustang felt so cramp inside and everything felt cheap. I was hoping that it would be slightly better than a regular GT, but I guess I was wrong. The shifter was also kind of weird, I was never really sure what gear I was in and it felt notchy. While it felt smaller inside, the Mach 1 felt like I was driving a huge car. Probably due to the huge shaker hood. The gto was a luxury car compared to the mustang. Everything felt more solid and rigid. There were no rattles, and felt like there wouldnt be any rattles coming soon. The interior was warm and the pieces felt tightly together. The shifter, however, felt like rubber. It did not feel solid like a smooth shifting honda transmission. The seats were also great compared to the Mustang's bench like cafeteria seats. Power wise, I wouldn't really be able to compare because I did not want to push it. I was kind of annoyed with the GTO's skip shift feature because I kept shifting to 2nd and the car bogged down.

 

yea the skip shift is freakin annoying, in fbodies it goes 1st-->4th, but you can buy something for 10 bucks and installs in seconds to remove it.

if you would have pushed both i think the mach would have won that category but the GTO is a great all around car.

 

kind of hard to do that when the sales guy is next to you already fearing for his life. It was a big change going from civic to gto/mustang then back to civic.

 

try a camaro or firebird

 

Or try a 05-06 Goat.

 

Short-throw shifter in the Mach will make a world of difference. Makes the tranny seem totally different. I have to agree with the interior, worst point of the car. The handling and braking will be much better with the Mustang. GTO will get you for speed. Mach will get you much more looks. Insurance will be higher too.

 

Mustangs are horrible for overall driving ergonomics/position. If you're on the tall side it's very hard to reach the shifter with the seat back.

The GTO is by far the nicer car, I love the interiors.

The CAGS (computer aided gear selector) or skip-shift was instituted so the car wouldn't get slammed with the gas guzzler tax. If you add more throttle or get the rpms higher it won't come into effect.

You can buy a buypass that will allow you to unplug it w/o setting a check engine light.

 

Mustang live axle and interior
I like Mustangs, but I just can't get on board with the shoddy interior and the ancient rear suspension/axle. I'll never buy one until they get their head out of their ass. Mach1s sold new (2004) for what like $37k base? And with a 1990s Dodge Neon quality interior?

 

Try $27k base

 

Well, I guess that's a little more excuseable then, but not much..