How much would you be willing to lose to buy a DH?

[Frogdog1]

To me, the Tremec is worth $5K or more for its sharp, almost gated shifts.

The GT I had been looking at had MagneRide and the Performance Package so it was a de facto DH anyway.

No Recaros on either.

Check out the A10 with seriousness. It is amazing and faster by a LOT. Six speeds bore me to death.....shifting all the time. Had enough of it in my last Z06. Sixth gear is useless and first is too for that matter. If you're going to eat money, order it your way. All it takes is a little patience.

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[COBill]

I have never owned, nor will I ever purchase a vehicle with an automatic.

Shifting a manual is part of the joy of driving and why I buy cars for fun rather than a Camry.

An automatic just takes away all of that for me as do vehicles that have things like auto rev-matching that cannot be disabled.

If you can't stall it at a light or screw up a downshift because you, the driver, didn't do everything perfectly, I don't want it.

I even enjoy driving a manual in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

One of my favorite memories is driving an old 1980s F-150 with bad synchronizers that required you to double clutch or grind; another is an even older truck that had a column-mounted shifter.

 

[Frogdog1]

Some people like them......27% of buyers.

 

[Upacurb]

Properly invested I think you could get a better percent return on the 17k then the percentage new Dark Horse prices will go up over the next few year…. Maybe that is lol

 

[ChitownStang]

I have never owned, nor will I ever purchase a vehicle with an automatic.

Shifting a manual is part of the joy of driving and why I buy cars for fun rather than a Camry.

An automatic just takes away all of that for me as do vehicles that have things like auto rev-matching that cannot be disabled.

If you can't stall it at a light or screw up a downshift because you, the driver, didn't do everything perfectly, I don't want it.

I even enjoy driving a manual in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

One of my favorite memories is driving an old 1980s F-150 with bad synchronizers that required you to double clutch or grind; another is an even older truck that had a column-mounted shifter.

The Tremec is noticeably better than the MT82.
I’ve driven both.
I also test drove 2 M2 manuals before the Dark Horse.
It’s a true drivers car just like the gt350 was
How much that’s worth to you is your call.
The 10-speed is fast but boring and confused all the time. Couldn’t wait to trade my auto Mach 1 in and a year later still smiling even though I lost over $10k in mods

 

[Skye]

That is such a personal question . . . I cannot answer it for you.

This, + 1.

I can give an answer, but it's relative only to me.

That is quite a lot, but on the other hand I'm at an age where this may be my last new car, and it's almost definitely going to be one of the last 500 HP NA V8s available with a manual transmission.

So...maybe ask yourself why you didn't buy something like that previously. And how taken you'd be with a DH successor or a 7G refresh. If you'd change yet again. No wrong answer. What works for one person's finances doesn't work for another's.

Best Wishes in whatever you decide.

 

[exm]

I've asked a similar question elsewhere:

Cost to get out of a BMW M2 and into a DH would be around $17K including tax and title.

That is quite a lot, but on the other hand I'm at an age where this may be my last new car, and it's almost definitely going to be one of the last 500 HP NA V8s available with a manual transmission.

I do, however, have a bit of an issue with the fact that the interior is built and finished the same as an Ecoboost with lots of trim rattles and the "carbon fiber look" vent housings, and that I've yet to find a Ford dealer that treats you well for sales or service.

Not like I stare at the vents, but it's pretty obvious once you notice it.

Would you do it? It's insane to lose $17K, but it would be even more later as my current vehicle depreciates more and DH prices inevitably go up over time.

I once had a line on a GT, but after feeling the Tremec that became a non-negotiable for me if I switch into a Mustang.

Desired config: Grabber or Adriatic, hood stripe delete, no handling package, floor liners with mats, and I'd get the extended warranty from Granger.

Use case: Just a fun weekend/pleasure driver, no track visits. I'd get a GT if I could option it with the Tremec but I'm a manual transmission zealot.

I can only tell you my 2 cents. Like you, this might be one of my last 'fun' cars that I'll buy, while also using it for practical terms. As some forum members know, I have been going back and forth on a lot of things throughout the past few months. You only live once, and if you have the money, get a DH. Sure, a loaded GT will come close to a DH and truthfully, for daily use you might not noticed the difference (unless you get a manual of course), but I simply don't want to step in my car regretting not spending the additional money to get something I really wanted.

I love Adriatic Blue but Grabber Blue is also great. If you do get a DH, I recommend getting the Appearance package also for the blue accents (brembo, seats, roof).

I just bought my DH with a nice discount, but I have another dealer willing to sell me one for $4k below MSRP (just have to to add transportation). If you're interested, you can DM me and I can set you up with this particular dealer.

 

[d4rkg04t]

I move from car to car a lot, myself. I had an '03 Terminator (FBO w/ ported blower), then a '20 GT (FBO N/A), then a '21 C8, then a '24 Dark Horse. Looking at adding another toy at some point next year. Might be a Z06 or maybe snag a new Z and go built engine/tranny FBO. I have car ADHD pretty bad.

 

[DehTangter]

I don't understand where the 17k figure is coming from. Is the OP underwater for 17k on the BMW? Or is the 17k coming from the depreciation of the BMW?

If it's depreciation, that's just the cost of owning a car. Recent history has really scrambled peoples' brains when it comes to depreciation. Losing your ass was always a part of the deal when buying a new car.

My take is that if you don't enjoy the BMW and think you'll have more fun in the DH, go for it. It sounds like you can afford it and you aren't getting any younger. I do take exception with calling the interiors rattle cages. My GT has been rock solid and pretty much every reviewer comments on the increase in build quality of the interior over the previous generation.

 

[COBill]

So...maybe ask yourself why you didn't buy something like that previously. And how taken you'd be with a DH successor or a 7G refresh. If you'd change yet again. No wrong answer. What works for one person's finances doesn't work for another's.

This one was all on me.

I didn't seriously consider a DH and a GT optioned the way I wanted would have been just a few thousand dollars short of one.

However, five different Ford dealers near me I checked with said they got allocations for one DH per year, so if I wanted to order one it would be full MSRP and I might get my car sometime in 2027.

That was before I found out some dealerships apparently have no issues getting DH allocations for various reasons; from what those with multiple DHs sitting on their lots told me, it's controlled by how many EVs they sell.

Regardless, I never even got to sit in one until recently, and as soon as I shifted the Tremec for the first time knew that made all the difference, so for me it was a Dark Horse Premium or nothing.

But between the GT phase and when I got to sit in a DH (the only other DH near me had an automatic) I test drove and purchased the M2, simply because the DH was, I had been told, not possible to purchase without a long wait.

Now I know multiple dealers across the country have one I could easily purchase, and often for less than MSRP.

My error? Yes.

The question now is whether the financial loss would be worth it, and that's what I'm working through now.

I don't understand where the 17k figure is coming from. Is the OP underwater for 17k on the BMW? Or is the 17k coming from the depreciation of the BMW?

If it's depreciation, that's just the cost of owning a car. Recent history has really scrambled peoples' brains when it comes to depreciation. Losing your ass was always a part of the deal when buying a new car.

There's an $11K depreciation hit for driving the M2 off the lot.
The other $7K is the price differential between what I would get for the M2 and the price of a DHP.

There's also an additional $5K or so in sales taxes I'm not calculating in, making the real cost more like $23K.

I haven't heard any rattles driving my M2 to date; test drives in two different 2026 GTs have revealed several.

The financial hit isn't as concerning to me as the regret of either not getting the DH or getting the DH and realizing I should have stuck with the M2 because of possible rattles and the rental car interior finishes.

 

[tktrain]

My 2025 DHP has no rattles (so far), it's a solid performer. I really wanted the DH engine as it has the Terminator con rods. I'm a driver who's maxed out on revs, plus the engine/transmission/differential coolers are great insurance. The 10R80 in drag mode is an experience all its own. Shifts like nothing I've ever seen. Hits like a sledge hammer. Starting in '24 the auto has pretty much been fixed from a reliability standpoint.

I want it to be well equipped, and the DHP is truly loaded. So hey, equip it like you like. And enjoy the ride, that's what it's all about.

 

[exm]

If this helps someone: I was negotiating a new DH Premium, and I have the following offers (more than happy to share the dealer contacts):
- Race Red 2025 DH Premium: $63k out of the door, IA
- Adriatic Blue 2026 DH Premium with appearance pack: $4k off MSRP (so around $70.5k), TX

Sales tax is additional, and shipping if you don't live near the dealership. PM me if you want more information.

 

[MidwayJ]

Wow, you and @exm move too fast for me to keep up. So earlier this month you posted that your ordered GT had gone into production. Since then you must have canceled that order and bought an M2. Now you want to by a Dark Horse.

First, since you want a manual the Dark Horse would be the right choice. I test drove a used Mach 1 with the manual and not only does it shift nicer but the gearing isn't so dang tall as it is in the GT. The GT manual feels very anemic off the line in comparison. I presume the Dark Horse is the same. I ended up getting an automatic GT, but a Dark Horse manual would have been very tempting if I could have gotten as much off MSRP as I did with the GT.

It's really too bad you bought that BMW since your heart appears to be set on getting the Mustang you want. Whether taking the hit is worth it to you isn't something others can answer.

 

[exm]

Wow, you and @exm move too fast for me to keep up.

Well, *my* GT didn't go into Production. If Ford would have moved faster, I wouldn't have been tempted to get a DH!

 

[COBill]

Wow, you and @exm move too fast for me to keep up. So earlier this month you posted that your ordered GT had gone into production. Since then you must have canceled that order and bought an M2. Now you want to by a Dark Horse.

Here's the story:

I cancelled the GT because I felt the M2 was the better choice, and the dealer I had ordered the GT from and four other local dealers all told me if I wanted a DH, it would be a 2027 because they got an allocation for one per model year and theirs was already spoken for. They had a 2024 DH in the showroom, but it had the 10 speed.

Fast forward to stopping in a different dealer 100+ miles away as I was just driving by and saw they had a 2025 DH on the lot (that had Recaros so I wouldn't have bought it anyway) and I got to feel the Tremec.

As a manual junkie, I loved that; the car I just sold was a 2002 S2000, which I loved to pieces but got sick of having to troll junkyards online whenever I needed parts that Honda had stopped making a decade ago and for which there were no third-party alternatives (mostly HVAC parts like blend doors and the like.)

Now, coming from a Porsche Cayman S in the past, I really value the precision and corner carving ability the M2 brings to the table, and I really have no regrets about making that purchase. I would have purchased another Cayman if they weren't all more than $100K now and Porsche hadn't already stopped 718 production.

But now that I know a DH is obtainable, if I want to pivot back I need to do it now before the M2 depreciates any further and before I have to drop another $1500 to get license plates for it by mid-February.

I'd probably need to order one, as I would like a blue (Grabber or Adriatic), no Recaros, no Handling Package, and preferably with the hood stripe deleted so I don't have to have it removed after purchase. I love the DH, but the hood graphics scream 22 year-old to me.

So it's not as simple as my heart wants the DH, it's more like I don't want to regret not getting it, but I'm trying to not throw big money at the problem and regret not keeping the M2 when the DH handles like the bigger, heavier car it is on curvy Rocky Mountain roads fifteen minutes away from me, no matter how much fun it is to hear the V8 roar.

That canyon carving is something the M2 does in spades and it doesn't sound all that bad itself, and the turbo keeps it from losing as much power as the DH since I already live at 5600' and most of my drives are at altitudes of 8000' and above, which saps the power of a NA engine rapidly.

Sure the M2 has a lot of plastic under the hood that would be expensive to replace, but it's not like the Coyote doesn't have a fair amount of plastic under the hood itself, nor is a DH headlight any cheaper to replace than the M2's.

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