Not trying to be a jerk, but I think the question might've been taken somewhat out of context - and not intended to become a financial advice thread or a rehash of the "coulda/woulda/shoulda's" of life.
People have different circumstances in their lives at different points based on choices they've made. Unfortunately, "one-size does not fit all," when it comes to 'what would you do' scenarios. For instance, had I bought my first house at 22, I would've been forclosed on when I was 23 and probably never dug out of the deep hole of bad credit that comes with it.
I'm glad everybody's doing well enough to have a '71-'73 Mustang in their lives. Just how big of a part of your life it is can depend a lot on your financial position, and can be affected by changes in the same - but there are a lot more factors involved than just whether or not it's a good time financially to own your Mustang... and quality of life is not always measured by net worth.
Bottom line: there are no right or wrong answers here... and I mean no offense to anyone in particular with my comments.