Hold ‘Em or Fold Em - GT v Mach 1 v ?

[AllthePonies]

With the end of the second golden era of muscle cars upon us, I’m trying to make sure that when the music stops that I’m in the chair that I want to be in.

I’ve got a manual 2020 GT that’s buckets of fun to drive around town. I originally looked at getting a Bullitt, then a 350, then a Mach 1, but I couldn’t ever justify the price adder (especially because a C8 Corvette isn’t too much more). I might have ended up in a SS 1LE if my wife’s family weren’t all Ford people, plus the employee discount helps.

So now the question becomes 1. Pick up one of the final run Mach 1s. 2. Wait for the S650. 3. Hold and modify my existing GT.

A local dealer is getting a fighter jet gray and a grabber blue manual Mach 1 with the handling pack, which are very desirable to me while also very pricey. The S650 could have a Tremec in a GT or an AWD GT or a Godzilla with a Tremec (Boss 429). Or I could do stupid fun things like add a supercharger to my 5.0 and when that blows up put in a crate Godzilla.

There’s not a lot of downside to any of these options. I guess I’m just trying to figure out whether passing on a Mach 1 will be a mistake. The S650 might be so restricted by the new environmental standards that it’s either too expensive or too underpowered. My 2020 has the full 460 HP, could be factory bumped to 480, and then have a bunch of Ford performance parts added before even thinking of serious power adding modifications.

Good people of the internet, what sayeth you?

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[ice445]

I'd wait a bit longer. S650 should shake up the market, maybe Mach 1 prices will come down in a year or two. A Grabber Blue HP Mach 1 sounds like quite the treat though.

 

[MAGS1]

I don’t think you can go wrong either way, however, the Mach 1 HP is a pretty sweet car and grabber blue is the best color lol.

 

[BoostKing]

In just a couple weeks we will have a lot more information about the S650. I think just waiting that long would help you figure out which direction to go.

You can always find another Mach 1 if you have patience.

 

[Mspider]

If I already had a GT that I liked I won`t jump to a MACH 1. I think you are better off waiting for next generation.

 

[Hack]

I personally would pick up a 2017 or older GT when they had better gearing in the manual transmission, the engine didn't have the eggshell thin sleeves and there was no direct injection.

 

[AllthePonies]

In just a couple weeks we will have a lot more information about the S650. I think just waiting that long would help you figure out which direction to go.

You can always find another Mach 1 if you have patience.

I think a lot of this comes from having let a lot of Bullitts and 350s slip through my fingers. If there is a new Boss 429 to come from the S650 and if I could actually get one then I’d be ok without a Mach 1. I had a chance at an orange Mach 1 pre-pandemic and these two Mach 1s are the first that I have legitimately had a chance to purchase since then. In the end, I have a fun car that I can modify to make it even more fun. I guess I just want to make sure I don’t regret not buying something that turns out to be special down the road due to emissions regulations.

 

[AllthePonies]

I personally would pick up a 2017 or older GT when they had better gearing in the manual transmission, the engine didn't have the eggshell thin sleeves and there was no direct injection.

I personally like my MT-82 D4. I have no idea what it was like in the 2015-2017s for comparison though.

If I ever have an engine failure, it’s an opportunity to put in the 7.3 crate motor so there’s a lot of upside to me.

 

[MAGS1]

I think a lot of this comes from having let a lot of Bullitts and 350s slip through my fingers. If there is a new Boss 429 to come from the S650 and if I could actually get one then I’d be ok without a Mach 1. I had a chance at an orange Mach 1 pre-pandemic and these two Mach 1s are the first that I have legitimately had a chance to purchase since then. In the end, I have a fun car that I can modify to make it even more fun. I guess I just want to make sure I don’t regret not buying something that turns out to be special down the road due to emissions regulations.

I would say check out the Mach 1 when it arrives at the dealership (and drive it if they let you). It will tell you if you have to have it after seeing/driving it.

 

[Hack]

I personally like my MT-82 D4. I have no idea what it was like in the 2015-2017s for comparison though.

If I ever have an engine failure, it’s an opportunity to put in the 7.3 crate motor so there’s a lot of upside to me.

The gears make the car seem crazier in first and second gear. And 6th gear isn't barely usable. 6th becomes a more normal overdrive.

 

[ice445]

I personally would pick up a 2017 or older GT when they had better gearing in the manual transmission, the engine didn't have the eggshell thin sleeves and there was no direct injection.

There is something to be said about the lesser complexity of the second gen engines, but I'd rather have the extra power.

Gearing can be fixed with a 4.09 rear gear set ;)

 

[Hack]

There is something to be said about the lesser complexity of the second gen engines, but I'd rather have the extra power.

Gearing can be fixed with a 4.09 rear gear set ;)

Yep, and with current used prices it's hard to justify buying something old when you can get a warranty. When I bought mine the used prices were good. But long term I think the older Mustangs are the peak. If I needed more power I would do a few mods to a port injected model with the thicker sleeves rather than buying a DI car.

 

[NGOT8R]

Wait on the S650. I’m sure there will be a Mach 1 version. With many owners adding LTHs, maybe Ford will bring back the GT Dominator package which came with factory LTHs.

 

[ice445]

Yep, and with current used prices it's hard to justify buying something old when you can get a warranty. When I bought mine the used prices were good. But long term I think the older Mustangs are the peak. If I needed more power I would do a few mods to a port injected model with the thicker sleeves rather than buying a DI car.

I agree with you on the plasma coating, you can't really rebuild these engines in the future because of it. But they should (hopefully) work okay over the lifetime of the motor. The direct injection aspect doesn't worry me too much because it's not the primary fueling method, it's simply to assist with knock control and emissions in certain scenarios. By and large the car is still using its port injection for most fueling demands, so despite the extra complexity neither system likely has to work that hard. Which is good. I guess we'll see going forward how these hold up....

 

[Hack]

I agree with you on the plasma coating, you can't really rebuild these engines in the future because of it. But they should (hopefully) work okay over the lifetime of the motor. The direct injection aspect doesn't worry me too much because it's not the primary fueling method, it's simply to assist with knock control and emissions in certain scenarios. By and large the car is still using its port injection for most fueling demands, so despite the extra complexity neither system likely has to work that hard. Which is good. I guess we'll see going forward how these hold up....

I agree with you. I'm glad Ford didn't cheap out like Chivy and put DI only on the cars. That would have been terrible. I'm just saying if I'm keeping a car longer term I'd prefer a simpler setup of port injection. If the plan is 3-5 years or a little more then trade or sell the new cars are great.

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