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Ford recently launched the Build & Price site for the 2019 Mustang, which will hit the streets this summer. This site lets you easily point and click through the sometimes-complicated palette of options available on the latest pony car. This is quite helpful in planning such a major purchase with base prices ranging from $25,845 (for an EcoBoost fastback) to $46,595 (for a Bullitt) before destination and delivery.
“The 2019 Mustang is designed to custom-fit the way you drive, down to the last detail,” says Ford. “From the look of the instrument panel to the sound of its growl to the way it feels tackling a curve, this legend was born to make your own.”
Probably the best combination of all-around performance and value you can get is a Mustang GT with the Performance Pack and the 10-speed automatic transmission. This one will do well in the corners and in a straight line and, if you keep the other options in line it won’t cost too much.
And you can do just that on this site. However, be warned, even if you aren’t planning to buy one this moment, it is good fun building your virtual dream Mustang — if you have the time. In other words, don’t launch this site at work or you might spend an hour building hypothetical Mustangs like we did, because it is just too much fun to dream.
The California Special is all about cruising, so we built ours out as a convertible with the 10-speed auto and just cracked the $50,000 mark.
We ended up creating several versions worth considering, from a relatively low-optioned Mustang GT to a California Special convertible and from a Mustang GT with the Performance Pack Level 2 to the highly anticipated Bullitt. Interestingly, the Shelby GT350 isn’t yet available to build and price, which probably saved us from going down the rabbit hole even farther.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The two most compelling packages can’t be had with the vaunted new automatic. We spec’d out a GT with the level-two Performance Pack and a nice complement of options and we weren’t too far behind the Bullitt. If the road course is your weekend playground, this package is the move.
In the end, we built cars that ranged from around $46,000 for the PP1 Mustang GT with the automatic to about $53,000 for a nicely optioned Bullitt. The latest Mustang is a wonder, but the days of a cheap V8 pony car are behind us. If you are on a budget, EcoBoost is where it’s at, but the fun of the Build & Price site is dreaming and not sweating those option prices.
Ordering a Bullitt is less complex. You only have two color options — Dark Highland Green and Shadow Black — and the available options aren’t overwhelming. We added the Bullitt Electronics Package and leather Recaro seats to push our price to nearly $53,000, but it’s not that much higher than the PPL2 we created. If street cool is your game, the Bullitt is tough to beat.
So, if you were creating your ideal modern pony car, which options would you select? If you are excited to buy a new Mustang, or you have an hour or two to kill, you can visit the Build & Price site here.
