I got to drive a S650 for the first time recently.. I'm underwhelmed

[Dena]

See what ~45 years of printing and borrowing does?

In my case, it would be over 53 years. I guess the government is good for one thing, turning out high quality printing. One thing about anti counterfeit measures, you can't blame it on anybody else.

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[roadpilot]

In my case, it would be over 53 years.

I meant between now and when the debt was $827B (~1980).

 

[Upacurb]

Debt is ok if you are getting a good ROI on that debt.
The problem is … at least here in California we waste a ton of money on stupid stuff …

I have no problems for paying for programs that help the less fortunate if they actually do what they say which unfortunately is rare.

 

[Upacurb]

Also I would say the most recent inflation was a combination of multiple things including government spending and the supply chain issues…

inflation is ok as long as real income keeps up along with expendable spending…

when inflation hits 9% and real income (income adjusted for inflation) goes down is when issues arise

 

[roadpilot]

Debt is ok if you are getting a good ROI on that debt.
The problem is … at least here in California we waste a ton of money on stupid stuff …

I have no problems for paying for programs that help the less fortunate if they actually do what they say which unfortunately is rare.

I have a problem when I'm forced to pay for other people's things when they are too lazy or unwilling to work for themselves when they are capable of doing so.

Neither I nor my government should go into debt to pay for other people's things.

 

[Upacurb]

I have a problem when I'm forced to pay for other people's things when they are too lazy or unwilling to work for themselves when they are capable of doing so.

yes that too. Way too many people who take advantage of the system. I have family in city government and … the stories … unfortunately … the stories I could tell would make you cringe……. And unfortunately there is actually more incentive for people not to fix it then to fix it ..

My favorite is when my family members propose common sense solutions to fix it … they get called racist… even better is that my grandparents were born in Mexico on that side of the family and grew up picking fruit.. that side of my family is as minority as it gets … but somehow they are racist lol

 

[steveo1960]

Took my 1 week old Mustang Premium 401a for a shakedown cruise today as weather has sucked the entire week I have owned it. I'm coming from a 2003 vert Centennial, aka as a premium loaded and the 650 is miles ahead of it. I had asked the dealer to turn off all the nanny stuff which they did. First impressions are it's a beast. I am not a track person but I have been repairing my own cars since the 70's and they rarely see a mechanic. I step on the gas and it goes and goes fast. I do not have the handling package but my car rides like it's on rails but yet comfortable as well. The displays like others have said look MUCH better in person than the videos on the net. Gaps look great except for my gap in the front fascia, see my thread on that, and a little blob of touch up paint on a door handle. Dealer is fixing the fascia this week at my convenience. The display is pretty easy but the climate stuff is a mixed bag. I think I would rather have buttons for that but at least it's not buried deep in menus. I got many, many thumbs up driving my loop. So if it's reliable, IMHO for ME it's a winner. After testing all the competitors and I mean ALL of the competitor's I feel I have made the right choice for me.

 

[JAM486HP]

Cars are very subjective.

I ordered it sight unseen and it has exceeded all my expectations, coming from an "88 Gt this thing is a beast!

It is clearly a Gen 7... body changes, dash, dual intake etc.. 20 years making small changes off same platform, If it ain't broke don't try and fix it IMO

Price? what hasn't gone up. This is a lot of car for $50K compared to what is on the market these days, I always loved the Mustang, and it's days are numbered as ICE, so worth it to me.

Comparing an American muscle car to a BMW or Audi makes no sense.

Inflation up, yep, last 10 years my groceries up 40%, gas prices unchanged, home value 170%, fine.

TLDR, I love my S650 and would buy it again in a heartbeat!

 

[Upacurb]

The S550 was a pretty big leap over previous Mustangs - and I have no doubt those coming from the Fox Body based platform- oh its going to be night and day difference - and I do mean HUGE difference in a positive way ...

I think the OP meant is- its not that same jump going from S550 to S650 - I had a S550 A10 PP1 and drove an S650 PP1 - visually the S650 is different- but it doesnt really drive different - it feels more like a visually updated S550 then a whole new generation

Please dont take this in a negative way- the S550 is an incredible platform....
I mean its not purpose built like the C8 - but considering everything the S550/S650 is expected to be - I think Ford did a great job

 

[steveo1960]

Cars are very subjective.

I ordered it sight unseen and it has exceeded all my expectations, coming from an "88 Gt this thing is a beast!

It is clearly a Gen 7... body changes, dash, dual intake etc.. 20 years making small changes off same platform, If it ain't broke don't try and fix it IMO

Price? what hasn't gone up. This is a lot of car for $50K compared to what is on the market these days, I always loved the Mustang, and it's days are numbered as ICE, so worth it to me.

Comparing an American muscle car to a BMW or Audi makes no sense.

Inflation up, yep, last 10 years my groceries up 40%, gas prices unchanged, home value 170%, fine.

TLDR, I love my S650 and would buy it again in a heartbeat!

At least where I live, NY, dealers are gouging the price on ALL sports type cars,

The S550 was a pretty big leap over previous Mustangs - and I have no doubt those coming from the Fox Body based platform- oh its going to be night and day difference - and I do mean HUGE difference in a positive way ...

I think the OP meant is- its not that same jump going from S550 to S650 - I had a S550 A10 PP1 and drove an S650 PP1 - visually the S650 is different- but it doesnt really drive different - it feels more like a visually updated S550 then a whole new generation

Please dont take this in a negative way- the S550 is an incredible platform....
I mean its not purpose built like the C8 - but considering everything the S550/S650 is expected to be - I think Ford did a great job

Yea. I came from a Fox Body and this is like going from a Yugo to a Porsche for me.
I have test driven some 550's, including a brand new Mach 1 all new or gently used and the one takeaway I get with the 650 is, for lack of a better term, is sophistication. I'm old school and remember when oil pressurize gauges had a high pressure oil line coming into the cockpit. Don't ask what happened when a line leaked or blew off. Not fun. That being said I look at the 650 as a refined 550. I am less interested in tracking and mods and more interested in creature comforts so consider that.

 

[Evo1986]

To a certain extend I do understand why some people are underwhelmed.

Me personally I like the S650 and I would get one especially looking at the DH which comes with better options overall. However as always us in Europe have even less options than you guys in the states.

- 445BHP for the GT only
- 455BHP for the DH only
- No handling package
- No California Special
- No Spoiler except for DH
- No trim color options
- No memory package

...just to name a few

I wished that Gen 7 had more "new" things to offer compared to the S550. One thing I am still shaking my head to is the fact, that they still use the old *ss seats from 10 years ago. Still no cooled or heated seats for Recaros, no new designs and still no fully powered seats. That should be the norm for 2024. They could have redesigned the middle console, door trim and allocation of the electric handles, more ambient color options, an optional HUD etc.

I don't understand why you cannot choose from different dash materials like you could on the S550. You had brushed and matt aluminium as well as carbon fibre. In the S650 you only get the standard fake looking carbon fibre surfaces.

 

[JAM486HP]

At least where I live, NY, dealers are gouging the price on ALL sports type cars,

Everything is gouged in NY... I ordered out of state from Iowa, even having the car enclosed transported was $4K less than buying local

 

[Upacurb]

At least where I live, NY, dealers are gouging the price on ALL sports type cars,


Yea. I came from a Fox Body and this is like going from a Yugo to a Porsche for me.
I have test driven some 550's, including a brand new Mach 1 all new or gently used and the one takeaway I get with the 650 is, for lack of a better term, is sophistication. I'm old school and remember when oil pressurize gauges had a high pressure oil line coming into the cockpit. Don't ask what happened when a line leaked or blew off. Not fun. That being said I look at the 650 as a refined 550. I am less interested in tracking and mods and more interested in creature comforts so consider that.

lol I get you there … I used to be a classic car guy and compared to those… the s650 is a Rolls Royce and Ferrari combined lol

the last 2 I owned … 67 Shelby GT500 and 56 Ford with a built 428 CJ

 

[Dave2013M3]

I understand what the OP is feeling. I drove a fully loaded S650 a few weeks back and compared to my modded 2020 S550 the car felt so lethargic. I have an S650 on order.

 

[9secondko]

Sure ... at a $100K+ price point. That's not what the Mustang is, nor what it was ever meant to be.

disingenuous. Ford doesn’t have to charge so much just to offer what it should have offered to begin with.

if they’re willing to sell the Mach e at a loss, they should be able to pack more value in the mustang at current prices. Cameras don’t cost much. It’s all about boardroom decisions.

Considering how much Ford has cheaped out on the mustang for TWENTY FREAKING YEARS, they SHOULD sell the current car at last gen pricing. It’s not like they’d be losing money. Maybe they could charger $100 -$200 more for the screens and extra TB.

As I said before, I know why Ford kept the old car and just changed the look a bit. But it has effectively diminished enthusiasm for the car. This shows up in sales.

so again, you can enjoy the car. It is an ok car. Please enjoy. But let’s not pretend it’s more than it is - the bare minimum to sell a 20 year old mustang in 2024+.

as a hardcore mustang fan wishing and praying for better leading up to the s650, here’s hoping the next gen is actually a true all new platform built with modernity and performance in mind.

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