Lotsa Inventory [ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS]

[Upacurb]

Just a few comments-

By me there are multiple new 2024 Dark Horse- painted stripe manual transmission carbon wheels- now marked off like 14K and still sitting.....

Mustangs have never been practical or good family cars - ever ........

The Dark Horse is a great car. I dont think the car is the issue.

I think the name is the issue. Anyone who thinks young people dont care about names like Shelby or Cobra, I invite you to come hit up a local car show with me - I get tons of young people who are very interested in my car and know exactly what it is. I have parked next to Dark Horses and these same kids dont seem to show the same interest.

Im sorry to go here - but on a high end performance car - which is what I think these cars are now.....they want the interior to feel more unique. The screens are great but if you covered up the Mustang on the steering wheel it could be any luxury/high end car.

So most of my comments are not just based on my feeliings- but talking to all my friends kids who are also into cars. When the new Mustang first starting hitting the streets I would ask them what if I traded my car in for an S650 as I wanted to see if I was just getting old or .....and so this post is a summary of what most of them felt as they also felt they didnt hate the Dark Horse name....they didnt think it was bad....but it just wasnt the same as Shelby or Cobra

Input is 5 teens between ages of 14 and 18

I took my youngest daughter (age 13 at the time) for a test drive in a Dark Horse - then after asked if I should trade my car for a Dark Horse - just tell me which car she liked better and wanted to be our fun car - she told me absolutely not that the dash looked like my parents Mercedes and not a fun car. She said all the guages and buttons in my car felt more like a fun car.

I will say that ignoring the screens and name...from a driving perspective....Ive driven multiple handling pack Dark Horses now- incredible cars......I thought very fun......definitely more refined then my car.

Sponsored

 

[BuckeyeBOSS]

Just a few comments-

By me there are multiple new 2024 Dark Horse- painted stripe manual transmission carbon wheels- now marked off like 14K and still sitting.....

Mustangs have never been practical or good family cars - ever ........

The Dark Horse is a great car. I dont think the car is the issue.

I think the name is the issue. Anyone who thinks young people dont care about names like Shelby or Cobra, I invite you to come hit up a local car show with me - I get tons of young people who are very interested in my car and know exactly what it is. I have parked next to Dark Horses and these same kids dont seem to show the same interest.

Im sorry to go here - but on a high end performance car - which is what I think these cars are now.....they want the interior to feel more unique. The screens are great but if you covered up the Mustang on the steering wheel it could be any luxury/high end car.

So most of my comments are not just based on my feeliings- but talking to all my friends kids who are also into cars. When the new Mustang first starting hitting the streets I would ask them what if I traded my car in for an S650 as I wanted to see if I was just getting old or .....and so this post is a summary of what most of them felt as they also felt they didnt hate the Dark Horse name....they didnt think it was bad....but it just wasnt the same as Shelby or Cobra

Input is 5 teens between ages of 14 and 18

I took my youngest daughter (age 13 at the time) for a test drive in a Dark Horse - then after asked if I should trade my car for a Dark Horse - just tell me which car she liked better and wanted to be our fun car - she told me absolutely not that the dash looked like my parents Mercedes and not a fun car. She said all the guages and buttons in my car felt more like a fun car.

I will say that ignoring the screens and name...from a driving perspective....Ive driven multiple handling pack Dark Horses now- incredible cars......I thought very fun......definitely more refined then my car.

I agree with most of this, except the DH interior. Mine is a DH premium and the interior is "nice", but it's not up to the interior of my TRX nor my wife's BMW. Also, the upgraded sound system isn't even close to the TRX.

 

[Q6543]

@Gregs24
Morgan wallen 2 sold out back 2 back shows at Michigan stadium… 80,000 plus people each night, and THIS IS THE BOTTOM OF THE K in K shaped economy
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1khRnw5sxb/?mibextid=wwXIfr

just a textbook perfect example, those articles are lying clickbait

 

[MidwayJ]

Mustang, and now especially DH variants, are not practical or truly realistic as a family throw everyone in for go everywhere and all the things primary driver. Don't get me wrong, people do accomplish this, however, I know mine has a worthless backseat. Trucks and SUVs work much better for this.

Mustangs of all generations have never been popular for throwing a family in to go everywhere. The issue is much of the demographic that likes Mustangs can't afford a 2nd or 3rd car.

 

[Paul's stable]

IMO DHs are sitting on lots for a few reasons -

1. Price. They're overpriced for what they are. As mentioned above, a lower trim Vette, used Porsche, or M3 isnt much farther away in that price range.

2. Demand. They are track focused, specially Mustangs that that have a very niche demographic in a competitive market. See #1.

3. Performance. There isnt enough HP separation from the GT. Unless you get the Tremec, its just a slightly warmed up GT from a Performance standpoint. Thats not a knock on the car (they are great). But the average buyer will never use it on the track to appreciate the extra cooling.

4. Economy. We are in a K shaped economy. People with money are doing great and buying more expensive cars with premium import names. Lower middle class people are struggling and cant afford an expensive and impractical high end mustang. Very few people are in between right now.

Now is a great time to scoop one up for a deal if you're in the market for sure! I pitty the people who paid dealer markups 2-3 years ago.

I'm one of those people who bought his DH in December of 23 paid full price and had my supercharger put on the following May. So that is a small penalty to have had this car to drive the last two years. Worth it to me.

 

[Paul's stable]

Just a few comments-

By me there are multiple new 2024 Dark Horse- painted stripe manual transmission carbon wheels- now marked off like 14K and still sitting.....

Mustangs have never been practical or good family cars - ever ........

The Dark Horse is a great car. I dont think the car is the issue.

I think the name is the issue. Anyone who thinks young people dont care about names like Shelby or Cobra, I invite you to come hit up a local car show with me - I get tons of young people who are very interested in my car and know exactly what it is. I have parked next to Dark Horses and these same kids dont seem to show the same interest.

Im sorry to go here - but on a high end performance car - which is what I think these cars are now.....they want the interior to feel more unique. The screens are great but if you covered up the Mustang on the steering wheel it could be any luxury/high end car.

So most of my comments are not just based on my feeliings- but talking to all my friends kids who are also into cars. When the new Mustang first starting hitting the streets I would ask them what if I traded my car in for an S650 as I wanted to see if I was just getting old or .....and so this post is a summary of what most of them felt as they also felt they didnt hate the Dark Horse name....they didnt think it was bad....but it just wasnt the same as Shelby or Cobra

Input is 5 teens between ages of 14 and 18

I took my youngest daughter (age 13 at the time) for a test drive in a Dark Horse - then after asked if I should trade my car for a Dark Horse - just tell me which car she liked better and wanted to be our fun car - she told me absolutely not that the dash looked like my parents Mercedes and not a fun car. She said all the guages and buttons in my car felt more like a fun car.

I will say that ignoring the screens and name...from a driving perspective....Ive driven multiple handling pack Dark Horses now- incredible cars......I thought very fun......definitely more refined then my car.

Not sure if Fords target demographic was 14 to 18 year old's. Shelby's used to mean something when he was alive and putting input into his cars. Now Fords Dark Horse SC is the same car as a Super Snake. Shelby now is a car modification business these days. Don't get me wrong they look cool it's just in my opinion the Shelby brand is not what it used to be.

 

[Gregs24]

@Gregs24
Morgan wallen 2 sold out back 2 back shows at Michigan stadium… 80,000 plus people each night, and THIS IS THE BOTTOM OF THE K in K shaped economy
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1khRnw5sxb/?mibextid=wwXIfr

just a textbook perfect example, those articles are lying clickbait

Not really sure how that is an economic indicator / statistic!

 

[Skye]

I've been doing some data mining the last few days (because that's what all the cool kids do).

Number of DH on offer at Autotrader, nationwide: 883

New: 590

Used: 293

Number of Mach1s on offer at Autotrader, nationwide: 129. Of a population we suspect of 18,000.

People don't have a reason to buy a new DH when there are so many used ones available. I haven't been tracking the used ones, so IDK if that inventory is trending lower or not.

An additional working thought I have to help explain the numbers involves Quality Control.

Difficult to go week-to-week and not read of yet another Ford recall. Loose clutch lines, cylinder head problems, oil leaks, BCMs, wiper motors, etc., on the 7Gs alone.

For those that can afford new and shopping around, it'd give any of them pause. For those with, having to return to the dealer yet again to clear a recall is annoying at best.

https://data.transportation.gov/Automobiles/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/mu99-t4jn

Number of Toyota recalls, last five years: 82.

Number of Ford recalls, last five years: 458.

Toyota North America and Ford NA each sell about the same amount of vehicles in the US (2M+).

Edit,

"Can't swing a dead cat without hitting another Ford recall."

Yet another factor would be insurance costs. Buying something a few years old can capture 99% of the performance with a much lower insurance bill.

New or used, the first several years of operating expense is still mostly oil changes and tire rotations. Cost to maintain is no more expensive on most used than new.

 

[Gregs24]

I've been doing some data mining the last few days (because that's what all the cool kids do).

Number of DH on offer at Autotrader, nationwide: 883

New: 590

Used: 293

Number of Mach1s on offer at Autotrader, nationwide: 129. Of a population we suspect of 18,000.

People don't have a reason to buy a new DH when there are so many used ones available. I haven't been tracking the used ones, so IDK if that inventory is trending lower or not.

An additional working thought I have to help explain the numbers above involves Quality Control.

Difficult to go week-to-week and not read of yet another Ford recall. Loose clutch lines, cylinder heads, oil leaks, BCMs, wiper motors, etc. For those that can afford new and shopping around, it'd give any of them pause.

https://data.transportation.gov/Automobiles/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/mu99-t4jn

Number of Toyota recalls, last five years: 82.

Number of Ford recalls, last five years: 458.

The other thing is that the 2023 DH and the 2026 DH are very similar and unless you specifically want a later colour then why not buy a low mileage second hand car.

DH auto struggles to sell here in the UK, there are some unsold cars from 2024. GT's sell much quicker as here the differences are of little value unless you are going to track the car. Our GT's are all top spec as built here.

 

[Zig]

You're basing your arguments off of Fox News bullshit. Enjoy your sinking ship led by exploiters, grifters and pdf's.

Who cleans the (solar) panels?

 

[hawkbox]

You guys are all funny... I knew there would be some good theological fights about the topic but this is good. (Popcorn chewing ensues)

Happy sucky smokey sunday my fellow pony car nerds! Don't know how crappy the air quality is where you are but i am certain all of our air filters on cars, trucks, and the house will be black by the end of the day today by the sheer fires of Mordor burning all round the western frickin US and canadia.

Fun facts - Numbers, fiscals, marketing, sales, and boardroom info doesn't lie!

While I can agree buying a few year old makes sense to all of us consumers in the old demographic for Muatangs, the demographic being shot for here is not the used market... Ford doesn't make that sweet sweet primary money on the secondary market. They are only making the money on the first sale (mostly lol).

Ford does however love Licensing, maintenance agreements, and replacement parts which are arguably a better money maker anyway - just ask Cisco Systems...

Getting us back to the Ford perspective from the manufacturer out to us the consumer...

Ford has never claimed to make vehicles that will last forever and never have provided us with a guarantee that their product will never break.

If your product never breaks, you can't sell a replacement.

Ford makes one of our favorite vehicles to bitch and complain about and we will keep buying the product because they have the magic combo of hardware, tech, looks, feel, smell, and target demographic - You guys.

Dealers love recalls and maintenance - this means they make a truckload of billback money from Ford to fix their half assed rush to market tech.

Ford is like a rock star, omg we had a recall - read this like Ford got shitfaced, rented a hotel room, lit the couch on fire and surfed the mattress down the side of the hotel and got arrested...they have a product that everyone now needs.

The product makes us feel a certain way, some more hottly than others, We buy it, we love it, and then complain about the problems and sell it and start over again with another Ford that we are excited about and jump up and down about.

Replace [Ford] with your favorite product here.

Ok, long winded sunday mernin biz diatribe over. Hopefully for someone its more than already know intellect.

Its not just Ferd that operates like this - literally every market product that is sold directly to the consumer follows this exact same marketing model. (You know whether you will admit it here or not you all shop Amazon or Wallyworld so pffft lol)


A slight observation of the data mining numbers above (not saying its wrong data or arguing it in anyway, just expanding)


There is no single source for all of the global toyota recall campaigns by toyota globally, data is not consolidated by global governments, however the data available -

Toyota Motors Globally (available data) - 5 years
sales - apprx 54.3 Mil
Tracked recall campaigns 256
Some individual campaigns impacted Multi Mill units
Expected final recall number of units impacted, 30+ Million apprx

Ford Globally
Sales - 21.5 apprx total global vehicles
Recalls - 440 apprx
Most recalls - 2025 153



Ford absolutely has a lot more records with available data, however the only data recorded for this is tracked in the US by NHTSB and there are no consolidated global numbers

As a final note, neither Toyota nor Ford publish their global numbers about impact and numbers.

End of rant, hope you all laugh a bit and have a fabulous day!

 

[Will2]

@hawkbox hints at the concept of "planned obsolescence".

The modern business model is to force everyone to keep paying forever, not just once. Like subscriptions, OEMs want you to buy/lease a new car every 3 years, just like a new iPhone every year, new fast fashion every season, etc. The name of the game across every industry is pumping out disposa-trash.

It's against OEM interests to make a reliable car that lasts forever. They want to make the quality barely good enough so the lawsuits cost the same as building it properly would cost. Because few people actually sue. And even if they lose lawsuits, delaying that business cost a few years down the line is more advantageous than spending it up front to build cars properly.

The cleverest Ford engineer designs stuff to break just after the warranty period, because then when you/2nd owner bring it in for service, they profit again. Then expensive parts, proprietary/anti-DIY stuff, it all adds to their bottom line.

 

[LouG]

Not sure about the Millies and Zoomies being into car and bike culture. Some may be, I think most don't care. They have Uber and those basterd E scooters.
You just have to look at the superbike owners, nearly all greyheads now. And they're getting too old for them and moving to ADV's.
I'm guessing cars are similar. Being a really small market for cars here, it's really hard to find an interesting new car affordable for normal human beings. In the 80's and 90's there was much better choice right through the price levels.

 

[keithwalton]

The other thing is that the 2023 DH and the 2026 DH are very similar and unless you specifically want a later colour then why not buy a low mileage second hand car.

DH auto struggles to sell here in the UK, there are some unsold cars from 2024. GT's sell much quicker as here the differences are of little value unless you are going to track the car. Our GT's are all top spec as built here.

Multiple stop sales and late deliveries haven't helped the UK figures.
For the next 6 months your only option will be a used car as all new sales are on hold until at least January and high chance the used car will have an open recall on it as well as only the first batch of cars (may/july'24) build are escaping the recall for now. Although they all had the water leak issue.

Ford are offering 0% apr this Quarter on cars they cant sell, but will lock it in.

I am tempted to trade to an adriatic blue version. It might arrive before my current deal ends.

 

[hawkbox]

@hawkbox hints at the concept of "planned obsolescence".

The modern business model is to force everyone to keep paying forever, not just once. Like subscriptions, OEMs want you to buy/lease a new car every 3 years, just like a new iPhone every year, new fast fashion every season, etc. The name of the game across every industry is pumping out disposa-trash.

It's against OEM interests to make a reliable car that lasts forever. They want to make the quality barely good enough so the lawsuits cost the same as building it properly would cost. Because few people actually sue. And even if they lose lawsuits, delaying that business cost a few years down the line is more advantageous than spending it up front to build cars properly.

The cleverest Ford engineer designs stuff to break just after the warranty period, because then when you/2nd owner bring it in for service, they profit again. Then expensive parts, proprietary/anti-DIY stuff, it all adds to their bottom line.

Ding Ding Ding! This exactly and you totally get it!

Yep, I didn't call the term planned obsolescence out directly - I have recently gotten in the habbit of using colorful descriptions rather the the regularly used pundent hammered sound bites and terms that have been used 1 way negatively or another.

I really only follow the money, after all its what truly decides and defines everything in the world no matter where you live lol.

Sponsored