RE: Rumors- Who to Believe?
The thing is... the "08s" are going to be a limited run to get the flex line up to speed. They'll try to get one to every dealer, like Ford did with the first 05 Mustangs, and the options will be very limited. (I'm hearing there will be only three: stripes, HIDs, nav system, and that all the cars will be auto trans). BUT, and this is a big but: the 09s will start production just a few months later. They'll do one run of 08s, have 'em on dealer lots at the end of spring, and have 09s (with a full range of options and powertrains available) coming out in volume by the end of the summer.
Personally, I can't see paying a $50k dealer markup or whatever to get an auto-trans 08 with color etc chosen by my dealer when I can wait a few months and order a manual trans 09 the way I want it.