Very cool! A boss I had back in the early 2000s drove the V6 model, with the good ol' Ford 3.8L. I want to say it was a 2003. It did have some pep. He used to zip around in that thing.
I've only owned a 1997 SN95 GT model. I was planning on dropping a blower in it after the warranty was done, or even make it a track car. But I ended up getting married in '99 before that happened. And like you, I traded it in for a bigger vehicle (full size pick up w/full rear cab) when my wife was pregnant with my first son. I've been driving full size pick ups ever since (two F150s, and currently a Tundra). Definitely served a family better
I had wanted a Foxbody Mustang for quite awhile in my late teens and 20s, but eventually swapped my 86 Bronco for a 94 Taurus SHO and then not too long later a 92 Ford Thunderbird Supercoupe. Ugliest car I've ever owned, but after swapping over from a manual to a built AOD it would bark the tires at full throttle on the shift to second. Of course I also had some mild mods on it.
Was a cool car, but I eventually sold it and bought a Honda Civic when I realized I was just communiting and not ever driving fast or going to the strip. Now my favorite car is my 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan cause I can fit so many people and things in it 😋
This is all making me want to play Car Mechanic Simulator again since I can't get under my cars anymore, although I never did any real complicated work on them anyway. I needed an extra car for tinkering. At one time I wanted to dig out a mechanic's pit in my garage but never did. Someone probably would have just driven a car into it.
Boy a pit would make things so much easier, if only peace of mind. I usually get my jackstands situated and then stand up and violently shake the vehicle, cause I sure don't want to be crushed under one of my vehicles...
I haven't played Mechanic Simulator, cause I already have so much I'm neglecting 😦 need to do a caliper on my van and then reassemble my valve covers for my Jeep to protect my new valve train when I put the motor back in it. My rebuild is pretty much done and ready to go back in, but I just haven't reassembled those covers and haven't pushed the Jeep out of the garage to spray down the engine bay yet...I blame the cold...but also...
I didn't make an AI pictures today because I got deep stuck in to Elite Dangerous when I was sitting at my PC. Oops...