ZL1 >>>> to a GT or DH?

[Upacurb]

Im going to start a Dark Horse vs. GT vs. Mach 1 vs. GT350 thread - can you imagine the blood bath it would become





notice I didnt include EcoBoost- sorry- they dont qualify to play : P

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[sjerven]

I chose a Dark Horse over a ZL1 for the following reasons.

• The Mustang has more interior room, ergonomics, and better visibility than the Camaro. I had no headroom and could not sit straight in my 5th gen Camaro.
• The new generation Mustang offers many technology and other improvements over older models.
• The 6th-generation Camaro is 8 years old and very little has changed. The new Mustang looks like a Camaro in some ways which I love.
• Looks are subjective. I love the way the chopped roof looks on the Camaro, but it compromises the interior and visibility of the car.
• The C8 Corvette has a higher build quality, gets more attention, and is faster than both Mustang/Camaro. But I still love the look and size of American muscle cars.
• Dark Horse > Mach 1 > GT350 - each year gets better IMO.
• I don't see the need to add a supercharger, and not sure how I could use that extra power on the street, whether it's a ZL1 or GT500. It's very hard to put the power down with a front-engine rear-drive car.
• The Mustang 5.0 sounds better than the C8 or Camaro.
• The GT and Mach 1 seem like the best value.
• Overall the Mustang seems more comfortable and better suited for the street. It's also amazing on the track.

 

[Upacurb]

I chose a Dark Horse over a ZL1 for the following reasons.

• The Mustang has more interior room, ergonomics, and better visibility than the Camaro. I had no headroom and could not sit straight in my 5th gen Camaro.
• The new generation Mustang offers many technology and other improvements over older models.
• The 6th-generation Camaro is 8 years old and very little has changed. The new Mustang looks like a Camaro in some ways which I love.
• Looks are subjective. I love the way the chopped roof looks on the Camaro, but it compromises the interior and visibility of the car.
• The C8 Corvette has a higher build quality, gets more attention, and is faster than both Mustang/Camaro. But I still love the look and size of American muscle cars.
• Dark Horse > Mach 1 > GT350 - each year gets better IMO.
• I don't see the need to add a supercharger, and not sure how I could use that extra power on the street, whether it's a ZL1 or GT500. It's very hard to put the power down with a front-engine rear-drive car.
• The Mustang 5.0 sounds better than the C8 or Camaro.
• The GT and Mach 1 seem like the best value.
• Overall the Mustang seems more comfortable and better suited for the street. It's also amazing on the track.

Yep each year gets better

 

[Jays Stang]

find a Darkhorse with handing package and automatic (my build) and recaros

This is my car! Would u recommend super charging it? I'm very happy with the ride and styling.

 

[Jays Stang]

stuff like cooled seats which the DH oddly doesn't have

My DH has cooled seats.

 

[cstraley]

This is my car! Would u recommend super charging it? I'm very happy with the ride and styling.

It's beautiful! Don't supercharge it, it will lose all of it's value and it's snappy throttle response! Autotrader is loaded with S550's that have super low miles that are worthless because the owner supercharged them!

 

[Upacurb]

It's beautiful! Don't supercharge it, it will lose all of it's value and it's snappy throttle response! Autotrader is loaded with S550's that have super low miles that are worthless because the owner supercharged them!

I agree with this also.

when it comes to resale value.. most get scared by large mods for fear of getting someone else’s problem…

On the Mustang platform as it is 500 hp creates a nice balanced car

yes the gt500s and supercharged mustangs are fun but the extra power is kind of useless off the line on the street so unless you are just looking to do 60 rolls or building a track car..I’m a huge fan of staying naturally aspirated

I should say though.. a GT500 … I don’t know what magic Ford has but those cars from a 30 or 40 roll on the street are pretty damn impressive..

 

[cstraley]

I agree with this also.

when it comes to resale value.. most get scared by large mods for fear of getting someone else’s problem…

On the Mustang platform as it is 500 hp creates a nice balanced car

yes the gt500s and supercharged mustangs are fun but the extra power is kind of useless off the line on the street so unless you are just looking to do 60 rolls or building a track car..I’m a huge fan of staying naturally aspirated

I should say though.. a GT500 … I don’t know what magic Ford has but those cars from a 30 or 40 roll on the street are pretty damn impressive..

I purchased a new 2020 GT 500 and it was great but it really had too much power imo. The car would literally break loose just driving around when you weren't nailing it. Fun at first then it started stressing me out lol. 500hp is about perfect imo.

 

[Q6543]

Im going to start a Dark Horse vs. GT vs. Mach 1 vs. GT350 thread -

simple
DH>M1>GT>gt350

 

[cosmo73]

I owned a ‘20 ZL1 and now the ‘24 GT and while do miss the ultra focused purpose and power of the ZL1, it is not a good street car. Putting the power down is almost impossible with street tires and the interior ergonomics frankly stink. If you are driving on public roads 99% of the time the Mustang is the better choice. It is more comfortable, better technology, sounds better and is quite fast enough for the street.

I also owned a ‘22 M240i and I agree wholeheartedly with cstraley that it is a better car than the M2 and the best value by far in the BMW line-up. The B58 is quite amazing and the ZF 8-speed is no joke.

 

[Zcarmenb28]

I went from 2018 GT Premium with PP1, MagneRide, and A10 to a ‘21 ZL1 A10. I considered keeping both cars but after a few days realized there was never a time when I would have chosen to drive the GT over the ZL1, so I sold the GT. When people say the GM trans tuning is light years ahead they mean it. The A10 in the GT was clunky and indecisive compared to the ZL1. The handling in the ZL1 is also light years ahead. The PP1 was bouncy as hell on less than perfect roads, the ZL1 is calm and composed on the same roads. Considering the Dark Horse is essentially mostly the same car as the S550 with a few minor upgrades and apparently even worse steering, I couldn’t voluntarily go from my ZL1 to a Dark Horse. Crazy, the DH is heavier than the ZL1 by 100+ lbs, too. Plus, I personally think the ZL1 looks much better than any GT or DH. The ZL1 interior feels more sports car than Mustang sedan, also. Think of the ZL1 as an entry level supercar with Camaro sheet metal and the interior feels plenty good.

 

[TTown]

I went from 2018 GT Premium with PP1, MagneRide, and A10 to a ‘21 ZL1 A10. I considered keeping both cars but after a few days realized there was never a time when I would have chosen to drive the GT over the ZL1, so I sold the GT. When people say the GM trans tuning is light years ahead they mean it. The A10 in the GT was clunky and indecisive compared to the ZL1. The handling in the ZL1 is also light years ahead. The PP1 was bouncy as hell on less than perfect roads, the ZL1 is calm and composed on the same roads. Considering the Dark Horse is essentially mostly the same car as the S550 with a few minor upgrades and apparently even worse steering, I couldn’t voluntarily go from my ZL1 to a Dark Horse. Crazy, the DH is heavier than the ZL1 by 100+ lbs, too. Plus, I personally think the ZL1 looks much better than any GT or DH. The ZL1 interior feels more sports car than Mustang sedan, also. Think of the ZL1 as an entry level supercar with Camaro sheet metal and the interior feels plenty good.

Pretty good take. I do think the Mustang sounds a lot better and that's not an insignificant factor when considering grins from just driving around town.

I know it's almost blasphemy in auto enthusiast circles to consider anything other than 1/4 mile and Nürburgring times as the baromter of a good sports car.... [That's not a dig at anyone, just a viewpoint that there are other considerations for some. After all, that's one reason many can't get into silent EVs, etc.]

 

[GripTime]

Great thread. The ZL1 cabin is just too small/claustrophobic to me so it's not something I can drive. I love handling. When I got my 2006 GT all my first mods were suspension, power came much later. The DH is as fun to drive as cars that way 500 LBS less IMO. If you have time and a budget the carbon wheels on the DH may just give it that extra something to really make the handling shine.

 

[horned-toad]

I also owned a ‘22 M240i and I agree wholeheartedly with cstraley that it is a better car than the M2 and the best value by far in the BMW line-up. The B58 is quite amazing and the ZF 8-speed is no joke.

but it's still a slush-box. Why can't BMW just put manuals in everything? Yeah, I know they would have to run it thru Emissions, but they should bring the diesels over here as well.

 

[drkchai]

Great thread and super relevant for my current situation. Of my recent fun cars (21 gt500, 22 camaro ss 6mt, C8 base, R8 q perf, currently a C8 z06) my personal favorite happens to be the camaro (least favorite being the base c8). The tremec 6mt obviously played a role but the whole car just felt right to me, in terms of all inputs. I plan on moving from the c8 z06 to another manual car. Currently looking at DH (love the tremec 3160 gearing and coyote) and ZL1 (i know i will love the car but the super tall gearing turns me off a little bit). I may just go back to another camaro ss, thats how much I like that car lol.

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