Why the Mach1 is a rip off

[Norm Peterson]

you forget, it's an american-made piece of shit. See some of us grew up overseas where even the cheap cars are made and assembled with care and attention. No, they obviously aren't sporting Italian grade-1 leather; hard plastic was common-place. Americans have traditionally tolerated the worst materials and quality control that even Soviets would be ashamed of. Ok, so I'm overstating THAT by a bit, but the general principle applies. We love to mock the French automotive industry but we Americans don't have much leg to stand on. The quality improvement of American cars in the last 10 years is remarkable.

I have a feeling that the car hobby grew up differently in the USA than it did overseas. Over here, there's always been a "hotrod" influence, which at its core was "race cars on the street", with the crudeness of appointments that's implied. There's still something neat about cars that have a narrow focus on performance.

But I guess you had to be here back when performance with a relatively spartan interior was enough for the car guys.

Luxury was reserved for those who had either aged out of the car hobby (people in my Dad's generation) or were never into it in the first place (people like my Dad's father, born in the 1890's).


Norm

Sponsored

 

[Strokerswild]

I have a feeling that the car hobby grew up differently in the USA than it did overseas. Over here, there's always been a "hotrod" influence, which at its core was "race cars on the street", with the crudeness of appointments that's implied. There's still something neat about cars that have a narrow focus on performance.

But I guess you had to be here back when performance with a relatively spartan interior was enough for the car guys.

Luxury was reserved for those who had either aged out of the car hobby (people in my Dad's generation) or were never into it in the first place (people like my Dad's father, born in the 1890's).


Norm

Back in the early to mid-90s, a bunch of friends and I basically lived at the dragstrip, and we all drove our strip cars on the street on weekends. Mine was a 1970 Cougar with a healthy 351C that ran mid to high 11s, and the only interior appointments were the OEM dash and door panels with racing buckets (no back seat) and carpet, no insulation or sound deadener of any kind. No power steering or brakes, auto trans with a manual valve body. With 4.56 gears, it was like driving around in a steel drum with semi-open headers. I miss it to some degree, but it can be taxing (and is probably part of why I seem to be a little hearing impaired).

Late model performance cars are another world entirely. I would have laughed in your face if you would have told me back then that the new stuff of today was as capable and usable as it is.

 

[Hugh G. Rection]

I’ve said this on my other account and with vigor. The issue with the mach 1 isn’t that it’s a parts bin special or even its high price tag. It’s the fact they didn’t really put the effort in to make it really worthy of the mach 1 badge. You might as well say it’s a California special with some extra parts “bad joke lol” but in all seriousness could it have killed them to CNC machine the heads or use some 93mm rods to make it a 5.2. Neither of which would of costed them a lot of money but that’s the problem they didn’t want to spend it. Which says a lot about how ford thinks of the mustang at the moment.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I’ve said this on my other account and with vigor. The issue with the mach 1 isn’t that it’s a parts bin special or even its high price tag. It’s the fact they didn’t really put the effort in to make it really worthy of the mach 1 badge. You might as well say it’s a California special with some extra parts “bad joke lol” but in all seriousness could it have killed them to CNC machine the heads or use some 93mm rods to make it a 5.2. Neither of which would of costed them a lot of money but that’s the problem they didn’t want to spend it. Which says a lot about how ford thinks of the mustang at the moment.

If that means they're looking at the Mustang as being more than just a platform for an engine, that would be a good thing. Especially with the ponycar Mustang being the only car in Ford's lineup with any actual performance intent. You can't count the couple hundred GTs a year that Ford does manage to sell as setting any limits on the Mustang the way the Corvette does to the Camaro.

From a long term point of view, I can't get interested in squeezing the last few cc of cylinder displacement out of the modular engine architecture. Ford hamstrung the poor thing with 100mm bore spacing, which has hemmed them in ever since.


Norm

 

[cactus_kid]

And we have some amazing roads here too.

This be true ................. I just returned from UT. I never tire of the national parks. I do though stay away from SLC. There are some absolutely nasty drivers there. The 15 has become suicide alley from Provo to well north of SLC ................... Ask how I know !

 

[Bikeman315]

I’ve said this on my other account and with vigor. The issue with the mach 1 isn’t that it’s a parts bin special or even its high price tag. It’s the fact they didn’t really put the effort in to make it really worthy of the mach 1 badge. You might as well say it’s a California special with some extra parts “bad joke lol” but in all seriousness could it have killed them to CNC machine the heads or use some 93mm rods to make it a 5.2. Neither of which would of costed them a lot of money but that’s the problem they didn’t want to spend it. Which says a lot about how ford thinks of the mustang at the moment.

Hi Burt and welcome to the forum. Not quite the thread I would expect a newbie to use for his/her first post but so be it.

Not sure how much manufacturing knowledge you have but your statement about engine modification cost is way off base. For Ford to have done what you asked would have been prohibitively expense for a two year special edition run. As far as not wanting to spend money on the Mach, just look at what it has versus what people would like and you will see they have done quite a lot.

Analogies to other models and trims is pointless. The CS is a trim package, the Mach 1 is a model within the lineup. The two are apples and oranges. And as far as what Ford thinks about the Mustang......well they are betting the farm that Mustang will succeed as a brand to that's that.

 

[mc68386]

Ever heard of Ford's nicknames? Found On Road Dead. Fix Or Repair Daily.

You forgot "Fix It Again Tony".

 

[I Bleed Ford Blue]

That's for FIAT not FORD

 

[Norm Peterson]

I’ve said this on my other account and with vigor. The issue with the mach 1 isn’t that it’s a parts bin special or even its high price tag.

Taken together, those two items constitute a pretty good definition of the term 'rip-off' . . .


Norm

 

[Bikeman315]

Taken together, those two items constitute a pretty good definition of the term 'rip-off' . . .


Norm

Really Norm. Doesn’t it depend on what parts are being used and how many of them are used. The Voodoo comes from the “parts bin”, and if Ford had used it nobody and I mean nobody would be on here complaining.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Really Norm. Doesn’t it depend on what parts are being used and how many of them are used. The Voodoo comes from the “parts bin”, and if Ford had used it nobody and I mean nobody would be on here complaining.

The Voodoo (and the mandatory TR3160) were bespoke to the GT350. Not exactly 'parts bin parts'.

When a mfr puts together a different combination of parts and charges an unreasonable premium for doing so, that's a 'rip-off'. It doesn't matter if some people are willing to pay that much extra, only that they're adding that much extra to the price. You might think of this as being the mfr's own (hidden) ADM.


Norm

 

[Bikeman315]

The Voodoo (and the mandatory TR3160) were bespoke to the GT350. Not exactly 'parts bin parts'.

When a mfr puts together a different combination of parts and charges an unreasonable premium for doing so, that's a 'rip-off'. It doesn't matter if some people are willing to pay that much extra, only that they're adding that much extra to the price. You might think of this as being the mfr's hidden ADM.


Norm

The Voodoo may have been bespoke but it was used for 6 years in thousands of cars. That says parts bin to me. Same goes with the Tremec which is being used in the Mach! Then start adding in all the rest of the parts included with the Mach 1.

This car is only a rip off to those who really wanted one and thought, foolishly, that it would have parts it was never going to have and/or a price tag that everyone know wasn't going to happen. You call it a rip off, I call it sour grapes. This is a thread for complainers, pure and simple. But everyone is entitled to express their opinion, so continue to have at it.

 

[olaosunt]

Not that I need another S550 but if I was in the market for a manual S550 , a base Mach I does make sense at $51K
Only option I would consider would be the cloth Recaro seaTss, nicer wheels which are only $395 and the FJG .

 

[shogun32]

and the FJG .

can't get it without 700A

a base Mach I does make sense at $51K

except the minimum is 54K. Hence the title of the thread.

 

[jake_zx2]

This car is only a rip off to those who really wanted one and thought, foolishly, that it would have parts it was never going to have and/or a price tag that everyone know wasn't going to happen.

EEEEEEXACTLY

Even if it is a parts bin car, the price is right where it should be for all the parts it has on it. The people who are pissed about it are the ones who foolishly expected a bespoke 525hp 5.2L engine for a car with a 1 1/2 year run, but still would’ve bitched and moaned when the starting price was right around the GT350’s because it’s not “speshul” enough to demand that price since it doesn’t have a fucking snake badge on it

The other people who are mad about the Mach 1 are people who wanted an ugly, useless, non-functional hood scoop on it... and I can’t tell which group of people is more moronic

Sponsored