I am new to the group, as I just picked up my 05 Ltd yesterday afternoon. I looked hard before deciding on the XFire. I test drove 4 GTO's, but I was not impressed, especially since GM was giving $6500 in rebates and incentives. Not good. The Mustang...been there, done that, three times. No more Fords! This weekend I drove the 2004 and the 2005 XFire. I brought an 04 home and my wife and I spent a few hours testing it. They had one 2004, with rebates sitting at $26,900, and it was loaded. But the 05 was a big improvement IMHO. It seemed much quieter on the road, and it had several upgrades to the interior. The dealer discounted it $2000 and I also received $2500 in DC rebates. I could not turn it down. It is a beautiful machine. I waxed it this afternoon, and the paint is flawless. As for power. I had no problem entering an Interstate with traffic running 70-75. I used the auto stick and again was impressed, although I would have preferred the six speed. Being 60, and still a died in wool car nut, and this is a great car!

John

 

Hey Cobra,

Congrats on your new toy! I'm surprized the '05 seemed quieter than the '04. I'm not aware of any changes they made. Also, how is the interior " upgraded " ?

I bought mine in Aug '03, one of the first in Denver. I have about 10K miles with no problems, and as I stated at the beginning of this thread, it has plenty of power for me.

 

drhrsh,
The center console no longer has silver colored plastic on it. It is the same material as the center stack (radio, etc.), which is Aluminum or stainless steel?? Also have the GPS and Nav system.

By the way, we love Colorado. Lived in Western South Dakota for 17 years, and was just transferred to Dallas. We vacationed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, almost every year and our kids live in Denver. Miss the mountains and roads!

John