Too Many Dark Horses going abroad?

[Northern Goat]

Well, I guess mine may show up in July/August...I was the sixth and final DH allocation at my dealership (Beach Ford in VA Beach) and they have been keeping me apprised of my order weekly. Their first allotment was an order they were required to do (according to them) and it arrived full DH, Dark Matter Gray, handling pack, automatic and all...2nd allocation was a 6 Speed in Blue Ember and it arrived...the 3rd allocation never arrived/I thing it was canceled by the customer, but I was informed that the fourth allocation was going to be built in April (this month), and the fifth allocation in May...mine was still listed as "unscheduled-clean." At this point, I can only hope that mine will be built in June/July timeframe and then delivered probably in August... but you have to admit if it arrives in August that will be almost a year from ordering... by then the plant will be working on the '25's. LOL And yet when you go to Autotrader, you will see that there about 350 DH's unsold nationwide....throw in the ones that have been sent to Canada, Mexico, Europe, Middle East, etc., it's not a wonder that the chasis numbers of the most recent DH's are now in the 5000's. Unfortunately, I believe that summer will be here and gone before it arrives. On the positive side, the dealer is selling it to me at MRSP. I am beginning to think I might just trade in my aging C5 and pick up a C8 since they are pouring into dealerships (in fact, they are even selling some below MSRP) and can be had for about $5-7K more than what the DH will cost me. And let's face it, the C8 will easily leave a DH in the dust...only thing is, I love the roar of the DH's 5.0L (love the Mustang's thundering hooves)...something the C8 (even with the performance exhaust) can't replicate. The C8 though swifter, is just too smooth and not as much feedback, and obviously less fun to drive.

You are obviously doing something wrong my friend.
Called my dealer on Saturday to see what my '20 C8 is worth on a DH.
Monday morning made the deal. I didn't want any of the 3 DH they had in stock
Monday afternoon they located my exact build from a dealership that had 6 in stock.
Will be picking it up tomorrow.

We must be hoarding them all in Canada. LOL

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[IIIdtpIII]

Hi, I am from Australia. Put down a deposit for a Dark Horse in September 2022, after nearly 2 years my DH just arrived 2 weeks ago (one of 1000 Dark Horses only coming to Australia)

 

[erocker]

The self-entitlement is just amazing.

 

[Radiant]

I would like to add a 3rd option..... only child? (not saying that every only child ends up this way- but that there is a higher probability lol)

Yeah, I was gonna say, that's not "generational", that's "special child syndrome".

I do believe that one of those DH's headed out of country should have been mine...

That's just silly. There are Dark Horses sitting on dealer lots in the United States, and have been for months, you could go buy one today. International buyers don't have that luxury, those enthusiasts are having to wait several extra months for the boats to arrive.

 

[Hasler74]

Yeah, I certainly feel entitled since I purchased 6 Mustangs from Ford since 1987...4 of them GTs...yeah, good customers should have a priority assigned to them.

oh because you buy a car every five years, you should have priority over me that kept my mustang for 15 years, or the person that saved and finally is in a position to get their dream car? How about the fan that always wanted America muscle but no cars were available down under. You think you are better than everyone else and should get special treatment?

You are type of entitled customer every business hates. You think just because you shopped with them before you deserve special treatment to the detriment of everyone else.

 

[Radiant]

Hasier74, I certainly feel entitled...in addition to the 6 Stangs, I had 10 other Fords/Lincoln Mercury besides them

You've bought 16 new vehicles from a dealership. Were they not willing to burn a priority allocation? Or make a trade with one of the dozen dealerships with a Dark Horse sitting on their lot? Did you reach out to the national, volume dealerships who ship allocations?

I ask because, there are Dark Horses for sale in the United States right now. It's just weird to get mad at other countries for getting a slice of the pie, just because the salesperson you went to botched your order.

 

[Skye]

I'm happy Ford sells the Mustang overseas. Thirty percent of sales over the years have been in countries other than the US. Buyers are just as enthusiastic about the car and brand as we are. Maybe more so because it can be so difficult to attain. It has helped the car and Ford survive.

Ford's allocation process is weighted towards dealers who sell the most cars. But it also makes allocations available to everyone. I'm happy with that. If Ford made any model exclusive to a certain clientele or weighted the system towards certain buyers, it would be an deterrent to most considering a purchase. And they'd go elsewhere.

How much did the OP pursue buying somewhere else, securing an allocation at another dealer? I found 254 DHs, new, nationwide: 250 are black or gray (LOL), 2 blue, 1 red, 1 white. Did the OP reach out to these dealers to see if a sale was possible? Confirm status of their allocations? GT500 buyers were cold-calling throughout the country, with several being successful. We had a few here do the same in looking for a DH, with some scoring a victory.

What was the relationship with the dealer? A lot of vehicles bought previously and that's cool. I have not done it, but am aware of some buyers and salespeople that go hunting and fishing with one another, attend BBQs, that kind of thing. I'm not implying anyone has to do that to secure a DH, but from the posts thus far, it reads like the buyer/dealer relationship was antiseptic at best.

As to the sense of entitlement, it's a factor that has to be taken into consideration when reviewing the fail. To those on the receiving end, it's a total turn-off. If the trait was ever part of the exchange, it certainly didn't help.

Edit,

I'm left with the idea that the relationship the OP thought they had with their dealer and the actual dynamics, differed.

There can be a lot to these threads, but as a GM or salesperson, I should have a good feel from the regional tag-ups as to how many allocations are actually going to be filled and for whom. For premier clients, if I'm left the chance of no sale, I can think of two options.

The first would be to horse trade an allocation with another dealer; they do it all the time. That might bring a higher cost, but secure the build I'm looking for. Or the dealer could search inventories, find one and trade dealer stock. You get the idea.

The second, one I would not do for someone generating good sales, would be to shake hands, call it what it was and pass along some leads.

Obviously, things didn't work out. Allocations and fulfillments don't always run well and there can be flaws. But for a mass-produced car for, er, the masses, the system is about as good as it can be. Ford does seem to have been struggling with the DH. I don't think it's an engineering or design issue. But the allocations, builds and overall schedule have been "weird" and inconsistent from the start. Maybe it's a new part or assembly, a new supplier, QC changes, too many orders, a new process, etc. IDK. Hopefully in MY25, things will be smoother.

 

[MJS54]

Yeah, I was gonna say, that's not "generational", that's "special child syndrome".




That's just silly. There are Dark Horses sitting on dealer lots in the United States, and have been for months, you could go buy one today. International buyers don't have that luxury, those enthusiasts are having to wait several extra months for the boats to arrive.

Well, it's all water under the bridge...DH never showed up...so I traded in my C5 (23 yrs old with 30K miles on her) and bought a brand new C8 back in early June...ran into one DH in my area at a stop light and I "smoked" him so bad he got behind me at the next light...I'm happy now.

 

[Upacurb]

Well, it's all water under the bridge...DH never showed up...so I traded in my C5 (23 yrs old with 30K miles on her) and bought a brand new C8 back in early June...ran into one DH in my area at a stop light and I "smoked" him so bad he got behind me at the next light...I'm happy now.

You sound like you should have bought a Tesla if all you care about is smoking people from lights - if thats what makes you happy....

Ive driven quite a few C8s- I want to like them...I really do but they - well between the lack of exhaust noise and the steering......I wasnt a fan - (talking base C8- not Z06)

They drive closer to a Tesla then an exotic.....not to mention they are like the Toyota Camry of Scottsdale and Southern CA- feels like there is one on every corner......

I do have to say the Z06 was much better when I drove it- I could rock that car....have yet to drive an E-Ray

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