The gripe thread (Mach 1 vs GT350, GT, etc)

[Jimmy Dean]

I have never been on another forum where so many threads degenerate in pointless arguments and personal attacks….
Why ?
Having different opinions and taste is ok
It almost feel like the polarization of America with its uncivil discourse and alternate reality is becoming prevalent at every level of society

im reading through one of the MT vs AT threads atm....

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[Atlas1]

Just drive your overpriced Base GT350.

i do drive it and i enjoy it! what i don't do is troll forums dedicated to a car i dont even own. nor do i list my wifes car in my signature lol.

 

[Atlas1]

Second one is showing up in April so you and I will be close together on that regard. It's a life changing event- you will be zombified, and (not to be a downer) don't be hard on yourself if for the first months you are not enthralled with being a parent/your kid. It's a very rough learning curve and once they start to develop a personality is totally worth it.

We have a Graco car seat for our 3 year old that we've had since birth; when my Mach finally shows up I will see if it fits and can let you know. But with how the back seats are, you might want a car seat with a detachable base to spare your back

i'm going to avoid putting a car seat in the Mach if at all possible. it does not look like fun to stick a kid back there or bend over and try to get them back out. let me know about the graco seat if you dont mind! thanks

I have never been on another forum where so many threads degenerate in pointless arguments and personal attacks….
Why ?
Having different opinions and taste is ok
It almost feel like the polarization of America with its uncivil discourse and alternate reality is becoming prevalent at every level of society

having different opinions is fine. i enjoy reading both positive and negative reviews of the mach 1. what i dont like is low IQ troll posts that are meant to piss off owners for no reason. those type of posts bring out attacks and rightfully so. someone rude enough to come into a specific subforum and talk shit for no reason should be smacked.

 

[The Demon]

i do drive it and i enjoy it! what i don't do is troll forums dedicated to a car i dont even own. nor do i list my wifes car in my signature lol.

I guess we just disagree on what this thread is for. Remove the word gripe from the title if we aren't allowed to do it. I was really looking forward to the Mach 1 and possibly owning one myself but was sorely disappointed at what was offered. That is my gripe. If you like it that is okay with me, to each his own. You can knock me all you want but I was just stating my gripe. Maybe my words were too harsh for some.

 

[Mikepol2]

i'm going to avoid putting a car seat in the Mach if at all possible. it does not look like fun to stick a kid back there or bend over and try to get them back out.

It's been a long time since my kids were that little but I was a gas pump hero with TWO car seats in the back of my 1997 Cobra LOL... people wanted to talk about that more than the car!

 

[RocketGuy3]

I have never been on another forum where so many threads degenerate in pointless arguments and personal attacks….
Why ?
Having different opinions and taste is ok
It almost feel like the polarization of America with its uncivil discourse and alternate reality is becoming prevalent at every level of society

I can't say for sure who you're talking to, but I think you're overgeneralizing. The vast majority of us are being respectful and open minded (at least based on whatever I've read)... There is only one person I've seen in here that's been an exception.

I think calling out trolls is not the same thing as being unaccepting of differing opinions. BEING a troll (or otherwise hard-headed) is what is uncivil.

EDIT: Also if you haven't been on another forum where every halfway-controversial thread devolves very quickly, then you have found yourself some very classy forums lol. Poe seems to be the Law of the land everywhere I go.

 

[RocketGuy3]

I guess we just disagree on what this thread is for. Remove the word gripe from the title if we aren't allowed to do it. I was really looking forward to the Mach 1 and possibly owning one myself but was sorely disappointed at what was offered. That is my gripe. If you like it that is okay with me, to each his own. You can knock me all you want but I was just stating my gripe. Maybe my words were too harsh for some.

Your words were pretty empty. You basically just said "Mach 1 sucks lolollol, mic drop". It's fine to feel that way lol, but we were just calling you out for adding nothing to the discussion. No car is for everyone, but the Mach 1 does a lot of things right.

 

[Kermut]

It's been a long time since my kids were that little but I was a gas pump hero with TWO car seats in the back of my 1997 Cobra LOL... people wanted to talk about that more than the car!

I mean that is an impressive amount of dedication to driving the car you want and an example I fully intend on emulating.

I thought about removing the trunk lid and bolting a car seat into the trunk pan of my miata but apparently society frowns on this

 

[Atlas1]

I mean that is an impressive amount of dedication to driving the car you want and an example I fully intend on emulating.

I thought about removing the trunk lid and bolting a car seat into the trunk pan of my miata but apparently society frowns on this

Society used to be more accepting of this sort of thing

 

[jwt]

That's what trolls do... And those who have built a defensive fort to prevent any foreign ideas from penetrating their skulls.

Thank you for that link I hadn't seen it before.

 

[aham23]

OK, so I freely admit this thread partially exists because I'm bored and I would much rather be out driving my ordered Mach, which is another story and why we have the order tracking thread, but-

I keep seeing people disparage the Mach as a "over priced parts car", and I wanted to make a rebuttal thread. Not that it doesn't already exist, but again, boredom.

OK, so in the month of August/September, year of our Lord 2021, buying a car is an absolute nightmare, I think on that we can all agree. After spending waayyyy too many hours looking into options on Mustangs, this is what I've found in general for pricing:

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GT350:
- 2016 with lowish mileage- $55k+
- 2017 with lowish mileage- $59k+
- 2018 with lowish mileage- $62k+
- 2019 with lowish mileage- $65k+
- 2020 with lowish mileage- I don't even bother checking, they are all astronomical

Cleary exceptions exist, and every once in awhile I see for example a 2019 listed online for $62k that doesn't have hideous bodywork/mods and a history of 5 owners or a lemon law return. They don't last long.

Mach 1:
- On ordered cars, 2-4% below invoice, ~6-8% below MSRP (figure $52k +)
- Variable ADM from dealers, ranging from $1k ADM markup to insane numbers like MSRP + $10k

GT premium
- New fully loaded GT premium (PP1, Magneride, 401a, AVES), ~$49k assuming you can get 8% below MSRP on orders
- Used cars are inflated similar to the GT350, but I confess I'm not really shopping this segment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK, so now that we have somewhat of a baseline on pricing, we can see that a base 2021 Mach 1 is roughly $3k less than a base 2016 GT350, or ~$12k less than a 2019 GT350. Also keep in mind this is cash value, and it's likely going to be a pain to find someone willing to write an auto loan for a 2019 GT350 (much less a 2016) that has a lower interest rate, so you better plan on paying out of pocket.

I'll be comparing to a 2019 GT350, because that is the car I originally intended to buy before everything went insane-

For $12k extra, over the Mach, you get:
- The just amazing sounding voodoo engine
- The custom bodywork and badging of the Shelby
- Rear Brembo's
- ?slightly better handling? This seems disputed by reviewers
- Bragging rights

For $12k less than the 2019 Shelby, you get:
- An engine that isn't notorious for gernading itself, with better low end torque, and a better option for forced induction if you so wish
- A brand new factory warranty
- New digital dash display, updated rear brake lights, mycolor accents
- GT500 rear diffuser / sub frame
- A car that otherwise is mechanically (transmission and handling) essentially a Shelby
- A different (but still good) exhaust note
- More refined handling options that won't shake your car to pieces on bad roads

For the Mach 1 versus the loaded GT premium, the difference of $4k (Mach 1 premium w/ leather seats- $53k), you get
- "Special handling tuning/programming", whatever that means
- GT500 rear diffuser / subframe
- Unique tuned exhaust
- Tremec transmission, assuming you are going that way
- All of the Shelby cooling systems (transmission, diff)
- Shelby/Bullitt air intake and throttle body, plus tuning
- All of the M1 stickers, appearance stuff

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway. There are a handful of good Mach 1 v GT350 comparison videos/articles out there by auto journalists. I'll link a few below. The major complaint there (as on the forums), is that for the MSRP price of a 2021 fully loaded M1 versus the MSRP of a 2020 Shelby GT350, the M1 is found wanting, as the prices are essentially similar around $65k. I have to say, I don't really have a problem with that- I agree that the prices of all of the 2021 year cars are very high, from the crazy increase in cost of the GT PP1 package to the cost of the Mach 1 . The problem is, we don't live in a world where you can purchase a 2020 GT350 at MSRP. If you were so lucky as to buy a GT350 at MSRP or under, congrats, I hate you (j/k. maybe).

The other common refrain I read is that the "Mach is just an overpriced parts car". OK- first, yes, it is a parts car. But it's built from great parts, parts you would have a very difficult time scrounging on your own- this is NOT a car that you could order a few things from Ford performance and then proclaim, "Hey look at my Mach!". Secondly, is it overpriced? Looking at the value of what you get -again, for a MY2021 car- you are getting a shitload of extras for the $4k over the GT premium. I'd also point out that if you are comparing the 2021 M1 to a 2020 GT PP2, congrats. You can't buy a PP2 for that cost anymore.

Anyway that's the end of my rant thread, feel free to chime in. It'll help kill the time to when my car is (hopefully?) actually built.

M1/Shelby reviews and comparisons:

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2021-ford-mustang-mach-1-first-test-review/
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a36030144/2021-ford-mustang-mach-1-drive/

https://www.motortrend.com/features/ford-mustang-mach-1-shelby-gt350-gt500-test-data/
https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/ford/mustang-mach-1

So how did this play out? Loving the Mach?!!?

 

[Fishtales]

I don't care what anyone says. Most of the people are either looking to start shite, bored or jealous. I looked at the competition and made the decision to buy it. So jaw wag all you want, your barking at the moon to me. Now Ford - get me my car!

 

[BEERCHAMP]

They are all overpriced, Buy what you want and drive it.
Keeping miles off them is like, not banging your wife /gf so the next guy gets a low mileage ride.

That's my motto, drive 'em hard, put away wet!

 

[dhborden]

As I put up on FB last week after returning from 6"+ of snow in Massachusetts, who says the Mustang isn't a winter car? Before and after pics of the trip from MA to VA.

 

[Kermut]

So how did this play out? Loving the Mach?!!?

Yea it's a great car no question. Handling is excellent, engine noise is amazing, transmission is great. Interior design, fit and finish is subpar for the price but expected and tolerable. My only reservation is the price, as I'm a cheapskate at heart.

If your question is, do I wish I had paid $10k more to buy a '19 GT350, the answer is definitely no. Maybe in a few years I'll swap cars around and buy a 350 with a bunch of miles, but as of last time I checked, the Mach makes way more financial sense.

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