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DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Tom At Lakeside

"My cars are my life and I love this one."

The Ride
The Driver: Tom
Car in Question: Silver 2007 Ford Mustang
Spotted at: Lakeside Mall, 14000 Lakeside Circle, Sterling Heights, MI 48313
Odometer: 95,000
Car's Nickname: The Silver 'Stang

THE DEFENSE

Q: Everybody loves Mustangs. Where did you get yours?

A: I have a good story about how I got it. We inherited my father's Dodge Ram pickup when he passed away and we had been driving that for the past couple years. The magnificent gas prices along with my extra long ride to work every day, well, it was costing me over $100 a week in fuel.

Q: That's a lot money for gas! What's your commute like?

A: I drive from Roseville to Pontiac and fortunately it's mostly freeway. That's roughly 30 miles each way. With the truck, it was a lot more fuel. My shifts are all over the place too. It could be night or day.

Q: Tell me what happened when you took the truck to the dealer.

A: The first place we went, I took my 2006 Dodge Ram and I was able to trade even up for this 2007 Mustang.

Q: Nice. What dealer was that?

A: That would be at Jim Riehl, right there in Roseville. It was great. I walked in and just a couple hours later I was out. The truck covered all the costs of the car plus the tax, title. I actually got to literally 'sign and drive' and it was fantastic. This is the first Ford I've seriously owned aside from an old 76 Grenada back years ago. I used to have a firebird too, so this is my first sports car in a long time, with me being a family man now. I'm very pleased with it. I really love the car to death. She gets out of her own way. There's no doubt.

Q: So what was the situation with this car at the dealer, was it pre-leased?

A: No, actually it was bought by the dealership at an auction. It used to belong to someone who lived in Sterling Heights. Roughly now with my work commute, I'm doing around $40-$50 a week in fuel.

Q: A substantial improvement?

A: Well of course. It's over half what I was paying before! And that's an apples-to-apples comparison of when the gas prices were higher. It's been great. I average around 25 mpg with it!

Q: Do you feel that this car has lived up to your expectations for what a Mustang should be?

A: You know, I'll freely admit that I gave it a little bit of a goose at one time and I gave it a nice straight away on I75 and I had her up to 100 before I backed her off.

Q: Is that the fastest you've gone with it?

A: Yes, it is. The speedometer goes up to 120 and I'm sure I could have done that because I had a lot of pedal left. I don't really speed with it though. That's not my normal thing. I'm pretty straight laced, pop the cruise at 75 and let 'er go, but I gave her some exercise when I had to.

Q: Lastly, what's your absolutely favorite thing about your Mustang?

A: The view out over the hood. I look out there and you got that muscle car feel. I mean sure I'm going back to my youth, so I guess you can say I'm having a midlife crisis here. But no, the feel of it and the solidness looking over that hood is so apparent. Even with the high mileage, it's still solid. I have to say I've never been a Ford man, but I've been very impressed. If I win the lottery tomorrow I'd be getting another one.

Photos and interview by John Cruz

Are you ready to Defend Your Ride? If so, email localautos@cbs.com with "Defend Your Ride Detroit" in the subject line for submission details.

View previous Defend Your Ride features as well as other great stories for people who love cars at CBSDetroit.com/Autos.

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