Dark Horse poorly received??

[Lastoutlaw_21]

It’s not that the Dark Horse is a bad car. The problem is it’s not a special car. It’s not meaningly faster than a base GT, it doesn’t have any ground breaking features, etc. Yet the pricing is much higher, insurance rates are higher because of how it was marketed, etc. The resale is going to be horrible on them. This all makes the Dark Horse the worst buy in the entire lineup.

I was at my local body shop last week and they have a Dark Horse in there with 400 miles on it. Guy didn’t even have it for a week and a truck backed over top of it. The owner of that Dark Horse just lost his shirt. He probably overpaid for it to begin with, and now with the dirty Carfax he’ll be upside down in it forever. ooof…

You can say the same thing about the other track mustangs like mach 1, bullitt, or boss. Those cars were the same as the gt just 10-20 more HP, a fancy name, different suspension and a few other things. The DH is not any different. Only reason for the hate is because the economy sucks, people are broke and jobs not try to increase pay lol. If it wasn't for that and mark ups, it would be a different story for this car. But of people didn't complain about the other cars, they shouldn't complain now. Ford been doing this for years and it hasn't stopped anyone for buying a renamed car lol.

Sponsored

 

[DCS]

So as I look into purchasing my Dark Horse a few things are apparent. I’ve been to 4 dealers for reference.

1. They are sitting in showrooms with no dealer markup. That’s good news and bad news.
2. The dealers generally know very little about them. And seem disinterested in selling them.
3. The highest percentage of reviews on YouTube seem negative or MEH.

I’ll say that I was able to test drive a 6sp DH Thursday and truly loved the car. Obviously I wasn’t on the track or drag strip. But from an overall awesome interior, the sweet Tremec and overall fun factor I was impressed.

I’m guessing the price point, interest rates and the enthusiast’s continued love of the 2018 GT350 seems to have stalled any excitement for the DH.
Just wondered what others thoughts are.

I'm an old guy at 77. Thinking; "Whatever I end up with will probably be my last car."
When I was looking to buy back in December of 2023, the DH really peaked my interest. Problem is the ADM was $20K in Central Florida! That's over $80K!
The sales manager suggested I look at a fully loaded GT - No ADM! That is exactly what I did. 121 days later (4/4/24) I drove her off the lot. I couldn't be happier. The MT82 is fine for my purposes. I will not be tracking or dragging. Just looking for spirited driving. The AVE is Awesome!
Bottom line: I probably saved about $25K and got a GT much faster than a DH order at the same time.
I don't know what (if any) ADM is on a DH now. They don't have any!

 

[Mustang406]

I agree…an 1LT C8 Corvette trim will only cost around $72K (with a few options) and it will do “circles” (quarter mile in the 11’s) around the DH…only thing is that the C8 (even with the performance exhaust) can’t match those DH “thundering hooves.”

I can say from experience the exhaust note from the C8 is disappointing. Even with the top off I can barely hear it

 

[ShelbyMilk]

It’s not that the Dark Horse is a bad car. The problem is it’s not a special car. It’s not meaningly faster than a base GT, it doesn’t have any ground breaking features, etc. Yet the pricing is much higher, insurance rates are higher because of how it was marketed, etc. The resale is going to be horrible on them. This all makes the Dark Horse the worst buy in the entire lineup.

I was at my local body shop last week and they have a Dark Horse in there with 400 miles on it. Guy didn’t even have it for a week and a truck backed over top of it. The owner of that Dark Horse just lost his shirt. He probably overpaid for it to begin with, and now with the dirty Carfax he’ll be upside down in it forever. ooof…

Not special in your eyes and that is ok.

Pricing is dependent on many factors. Resale is unpredictable. Insurance isn't much worse than any other new car.

Slightly faster then a GT and not grounding breaking I can agree on.....but as owners we are aware of these things and isn't a negative.

 

[Klipshpoke]

I can say from experience the exhaust note from the C8 is disappointing. Even with the top off I can barely hear it

That would honestly drive me nuts. Hell even the Dark Horse on full open still leaves me with a need. H-Pipe incoming.

 

[Mustang406]

That would honestly drive me nuts. Hell even the Dark Horse on full open still leaves me with a need. H-Pipe incoming.

Yeah new exhaust is first on my mod list.

 

[AlloyPony]

Disagree. I haven't seen another one in person myself. I've seen a crap ton of GT's, though.

So it HAS to be faster to be 'special'? Disagree.

It HAS to have 'ground breaking' features in order to be special? Disagree.

If you don't want to pay extra, then don't. Get an EB or a GT. But lots of folks can easily afford to pay the extra and justify it any way they choose. Their money.

My premiums are no different than they would have been for the GT. I had them quote both because I originally ordered a GT before I found the DH.

Crystal ball? Clairvoyant?

You know what they say about opinions ...

He'd be no less pissed if the truck had backed over his EB or GT. Guaranteed.

Well, around here they are everywhere. All the dealers have them sitting and you see them on the roads weekly.

I guarantee that a truck backing over a $38k EcoBoost car would not hurt the soul nearly as bad as what happened to that guy's $70k+ Dark Horse.

I agree…an 1LT C8 Corvette trim will only cost around $72K (with a few options) and it will do “circles” (quarter mile in the 11’s) around the DH…only thing is that the C8 (even with the performance exhaust) can’t match those DH “thundering hooves.”

Essentially, yes. And that's the problem. Once you get into Dark Horse money you are WELL into territory of two dozen cars that perform better and truly are more special. I could make a list, but it doesn't matter. Heck, I would rather buy a GT Premium and spend the $8k on a blower setup. That would be more fun and less expensive. But I digress...

Having just bought one at MSRP I’m super happy with mine. Beyond fun to drive and have yet to see another. I get comments everywhere I go too. It’s a sweet ride.

Awesome. That's why they make 'em. Something for everybody!

 

[roadpilot]

I guarantee that a truck backing over a $38k EcoBoost car would not hurt the soul nearly as bad as what happened to that guy's $70k+ Dark Horse.

My Z06 costed considerably more than my DH. I would be just as crushed regardless of which one was hit. I would not be "less hurt" because the DH costs less.

GT vs DH: I guess $10K makes far more of a difference to you than it does to me.

 

[Dragster]

It's not just the Dark Horse that's poorly received, but the S650 in general. It's currently selling LESS than the last year of the S550. Think about that for a minute. YTD sales of the S650 are down almost 8% compared with the final year of a car that came out in 2015. That's not good, regardless of how anyone at Ford tries to spin it.

I like the S650, and I had a 2015 GT that I modified and loved too, but if I still had it, I would see little reason to upgrade. Sure, the intial reviews of the S550 showed that it wasn't much faster in a straight line than the outgoing car, but it had IRS and was a clean sheet design inside and out. The S650 is almost the exact same car on the inside, minus the dash board. Everything else is the same--front seats, back seats, center console, door handles, etc. It's also almost the exact same car under the sheet metal, too. While I've grown to like the look overall, there is very little in terms of tangible improvements versus the outgoing car. More power? Great, but it's offset by increased weight. Slight changes to steering? Great, but almost every reviewer says it sucks and has no feel or weight whatsoever. There's very little to no incentive for Mustang owners to upgrade, IMO, and they certainly don't seem to be attracting new buyers by the sales numbers.

Regarding the Dark Horse specifically, the only things that are upgrades over the GT are the Tremec and the coolers, and lets be real, the coolers are worthless on the street. While some people will track their DHs, many will not, so the only thing they're really getting that's different is the Tremec and some styling changes. Is that worth the price difference? To some people yes, but to many others the answer is no, and that's why they're sitting on dealer lots with discounts in some cases. Car Gurus has a white one that's been at the dealership for 147 days and they've lowered the price over $7,000 during that time. And it's still available. Personally, the other issue I have with the DH is that you get one interior color, and that's it. I also don't like that the AC vents and steering wheel trim look like the base Ecoboost. It looks cheap to me.

Regarding how "special" the car is, I suppose that's in the eye of the beholder, but I don't think you could argue that it's not as special as the GT350 considering that car had a completely different engine. The other "track focused" special editions--Boss, Mach 1, and DH are pretty similar, but the power gains over the GT were greater than the DH, and at least the Boss and Mach 1 had unique intake manifolds. The Boss also had the side exit mid-pipe and the Track Key with the different tune. It's the least different "track focused" special edition Mustang in modern memory.

 

[roadpilot]

It's not just the Dark Horse that's poorly received, but the S650 in general. It's currently selling LESS than the last year of the S550. Think about that for a minute. YTD sales of the S650 are down almost 8% compared with the final year of a car that came out in 2015. That's not good, regardless of how anyone at Ford tries to spin it.

I don't believe that it has as much to do about the CAR as it does about the state of the current economy and perceived (and real) economic stability.

People are paying SIGNIFICANTLY more for food, clothing, housing, transportation, medical care, child care, and other necessities than they were just a couple of years ago.

People are now looking at SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER interest rates (with no end in sight) for loans, even with top tier credit. Far fewer people are willing to run out and spend $40K to $70K on a new "sports car" of any kind with today's rates.

Further, with all the social instability over the last few years, most people are constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering when the next event (riot, pandemic, war, whatever) might break out or escalate, which could mean a very direct threat to their income.

Bottom line, you have to think far beyond the vehicles themselves to determine why people may or may not be buying as many as the last generation.

 

[Mustang406]

I don't believe that it has as much to do about the CAR as it does about the state of the current economy and perceived (and real) economic stability.

People are paying SIGNIFICANTLY more for food, clothing, housing, transportation, medical care, child care, and other necessities than they were just a couple of years ago.

People are now looking at SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER interest rates (with no end in sight) for loans, even with top tier credit. Far fewer people are willing to run out and spend $40K to $70K on a new "sports car" of any kind with today's rates.

Further, with all the social instability over the last few years, most people are constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering when the next event (riot, pandemic, war, whatever) might break out or escalate, which could mean a very direct threat to their income.

Bottom line, you have to think far beyond the vehicles themselves to determine why people may or may not be buying as many as the last generation.

This is a good point. Everything is more expensive and people don't have as much disposable income as they once had.

Also the GT with the Whipple is cheaper than a DH lol.

 

[Radiant]

My Z06 costed considerably more than my DH. I would be just as crushed regardless of which one was hit. I would not be "less hurt" because the DH costs less.

GT vs DH: I guess $10K makes far more of a difference to you than it does to me.

Agreed. The price tag its irrelevant, it's your car, seeing it wrecked always hurt. My motorcycle was quite literally $10k, and even though its been a few years, I still am not ready to rebuild it or get rid of it because of the emotions.

I also agree with your economic assessment. Two years ago people were paying ADM on cars like GR Corollas, and dropping $60k on a Type Rs, that was the type of crazy-town we lived in, and in that market a $70k Dark Horse wouldn't have batted an eye.

 

[roadpilot]

This is a good point. Everything is more expensive and people don't have as much disposable income as they once had.

Also the GT with the Whipple is cheaper than a DH lol.

But the DH with a Whipple is more stout than the GT with the Whipple (having more forged and stronger internals) ... ;)

 

[Upacurb]

You have to pay to play.

Yes you can always go faster for cheaper but if that is your argument then why not just buy a cheaper S550 and bolt on forced induction?

Or how about fox body plus twin turbo junkyard LS swap …

Or if you don’t care about noise a used tesla model 3 performance?

Well it’s because some cars have an intangible “it” factor that doesn’t show up in the numbers

Tesla is proof that speed doesn’t equal driver experience… that connection that doesn’t show up on any spreadsheet..

I mean think about the poor guys paying 300k for a classic 65 GT350… maybe someone should tell them they could have saved money to go faster?

Oh wait want something newer?
There is a 15 350R for sale for 250k and another 15 350R going to mecum this month expecting to bring 250k to 275k

Maybe someone should tell them they can buy a base S650 and strap on a whipper and go faster?

 

[Mustang406]

But the DH with a Whipple is more stout than the GT with the Whipple (having more forged and stronger internals) ... ;)

That is true lol

Sponsored