New Mach1

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Such a downer response... I have to ask why you own this year of car? I’m tired of reading why these car’s are so bad in your opinion... I think they are awesome. A Mach1 (although I don’t own one today); are great looking and performing machines, for its day. They were more than plastic and wording, they gave the owner the enjoyment of thinking they were driving an upgraded performance car. Nothing wrong with that.

 
I might be even more of a downer. 

I've lost my passion for new cars - totally.

I find them bland, humdrum, boring and annoying; with interiors offering nothing but an unremitting sea of dark plastic, dreary to own and live with ... like owning a tumble dryer or a washing machine.. the excitement has been all but extinguished. On top of that, the depreciation is so hard you almost pay for the car twice. You may get a kick out of my entry to the blog https://7173mustangs.com/wiki/investment-cars/

I remember being at a motorshow in London and Chevy were showing off the new Camaro before launch  ... they had a prototype on display...
I said to the sales guy, ...."you bring THAT out with a massive v8 and THAT interior ...and I'll buy one". It was all colour keyed and real tastefully done in red trim pieces in the dash and the doors and a light grey leather with deep red double stitch in the leather and nothing felt cheap. 

The face on the salesman's face dropped ... remarking " that interior wont be in the options list"
What is on the options list ? 
Dash will be dark grey ...and the seats will be dark grey ... with advanced components in ..let me guess... dark grey. 

..."...so it'll have the interior of a plastic dumpster then! ......nice"

<deep sigh>

 

 
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My reply to several of the responses. 

Yes, you could probably check all the option boxes and build the same car. You could do that with almost any car, excluding things like the Boss, and in '72, you could get the HO in a coupe or convertible. The point is it was an option package, that put it all together for you.

New cars don't bring me the same excitement now as they used to. I figure that's because I'm getting old and I've seen the same stuff over and over. My kids still get excited about new cars. That's probably as it should be, because I still drive a 20 year old truck with 230K miles on it. The idea of dropping 70K on a new truck staggers me, but the oldest kid has done it twice in the last 3 years.

On the new Mach 1, I do like the nod to our hoods. The last "new" Mach 1 had the shaker, and this one looks back to the NACA hood.

 
LOL you might be tired of hearing it but it is true. The 71 - 73 Mach 1 and some years before was nothing special. Base Mach 1 was 302 - 2-V not very exciting performance. Base Mach 1 had all vinyl upholstery and flat std. door panels not very comfortable. I do not think the plastic inserts in the carpet made it go any faster and the honey comb. plastic tail light panels has no speed in it either. The tape on the side with Mach 1 nothing there either. It was not a performance package strictly an appearance package. You could make a coupe or vert run with any Mach 1. All I have said is fact not an opinion at all. 

They do the same today get people hyped up that it is something special put a sticker on and charge huge mark ups and people believe it. When Ford only offers a 12,000 mile warranty on a new GT Mustang clutch with all the premium options that is pretty sorry I think. Link to the info on the law suit for those who own one you might want to take a look. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32828840/ford-mustang-transmission-class-action-lawsuit/#:~:text=Owners of Ford Mustang and,over issues with that gearbox.&text=Ford said at the time,replacement clutch-pedal parts available.

I like the old Mustangs because they are simple easy to work on and you don't have to invest thousands in computers and software to work on them. There was not great performance unless you invested in lots of extra aftermarket parts. For sure the new engines are better but they need to make the whole package stand up to that HP and stand behind what they build. For a clutch to fail before the first set of tires are worn it is not a very good design. Two weeks after we changed my son's 2018 GT flywheel, pressure plate and clutch a class actions law suit was started for just that reason. He also changed the shifter which is also in the suite. So it was not just a fluke they are all bad.

So I still stand behind my reasoning Ford is just trying to ride on the past Mach 1 to try and make more money and give you the least they can for the most money they can make. 

If you had to listen to the Ford buyers demanding a 3 - 5% price reduction each year you supply a part to Ford you might understand why I feel like I do. They get the parts cheaper each year, remove labor from builds, reduce the cost to build and raise the prices every year. The public bends over and just takes it.

 
LOL you might be tired of hearing it but it is true. The 71 - 73 Mach 1 and some years before was nothing special. Base Mach 1 was 302 - 2-V not very exciting performance. Base Mach 1 had all vinyl upholstery and flat std. door panels not very comfortable. I do not think the plastic inserts in the carpet made it go any faster and the honey comb. plastic tail light panels has no speed in it either. The tape on the side with Mach 1 nothing there either. It was not a performance package strictly an appearance package. You could make a coupe or vert run with any Mach 1. All I have said is fact not an opinion at all. 

They do the same today get people hyped up that it is something special put a sticker on and charge huge mark ups and people believe it. When Ford only offers a 12,000 mile warranty on a new GT Mustang clutch with all the premium options that is pretty sorry I think. Link to the info on the law suit for those who own one you might want to take a look. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32828840/ford-mustang-transmission-class-action-lawsuit/#:~:text=Owners of Ford Mustang and,over issues with that gearbox.&text=Ford said at the time,replacement clutch-pedal parts available.

I like the old Mustangs because they are simple easy to work on and you don't have to invest thousands in computers and software to work on them. There was not great performance unless you invested in lots of extra aftermarket parts. For sure the new engines are better but they need to make the whole package stand up to that HP and stand behind what they build. For a clutch to fail before the first set of tires are worn it is not a very good design. Two weeks after we changed my son's 2018 GT flywheel, pressure plate and clutch a class actions law suit was started for just that reason. He also changed the shifter which is also in the suite. So it was not just a fluke they are all bad.

So I still stand behind my reasoning Ford is just trying to ride on the past Mach 1 to try and make more money and give you the least they can for the most money they can make. 

If you had to listen to the Ford buyers demanding a 3 - 5% price reduction each year you supply a part to Ford you might understand why I feel like I do. They get the parts cheaper each year, remove labor from builds, reduce the cost to build and raise the prices every year. The public bends over and just takes it.
You go on an on and on... but, not in a convincing manner. Should be a nice camaro out there for you somewhere...

 
I've said this before on another entry............The new cars do everything better than our old cars,....but who cares? Nobody. Real car people, or, at least "car people", as I have defined in my mind, don't mind the tinkering, the lack of knowlegeable mechanics  at their local garage, or the having to special order darned near everything, including tires, for their cars. Others are leasing new cars, perhaps for write-off purposes or maybe work related, but leasing is not owning, it's like dating. Leasing you can walk away from the relationship without being committed to it. Still others, have no mechanical interests, and have difficulty figuring out which end of a screwdriver is held, and will keep driving the car into the ground, or when the ashtray fills up, whichever comes first. Another segment of the population gets a new car for status, to be seen in, maybe to make them feel like they're big shots, and some foolishly think they can handle a fast car like a race car driver and they drive their new car as the assholes they really are.

REAL car guys ( and girls) actually own their vehicle, deal with the maintenance, don't care what you think...they like their car, even if it isn't brand new. It's more than a car, it's an old friend that you can hang with, and it's more about the soul and personality our old cars have, than the lack of same in a new car. 

 
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Personally, while the 'shaker' scoop is popular (and many were let down when the new Mach didn't have it) I think a lot of people forget about 71-73 Mach 1s with ram air hoods.  In my opinion, a NACA/NASA styled hood like ours would have looked great on the latest Mach and worked well with the lines of the car. It would have also provided uniqueness from the GT, GT350 and even GT500. There are already 'heat extractor' vents in the hood, you'd think tooling to change and widen their shape to reflect 71-73 scoops wouldn't require a herculean effort. Just an idea.... 

 
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No Don I know he does not do any of his work and he knows very little about cars. I have never taken a car to a dealer except to have computer read and build an automatic transmission when I had no time. I worked across the table with Ford engineers and many others I know how they take advantage of everyone. We ran the roof panels inner and outer for BMW for the X-5 they were made on the same press line as a lawn mower deck for the Honda walk behind mower so the cost to stamp was the same. Just a couple extra hands to do the racking at the end. Cars, especially stamped parts are very cheap. I understand when those that have not lived the automotive life have not a clue. Just like me if you talk playing a musical instrument I have not a clue. I will always stand behind me saying the base Mach 1 was nothing special. It is all advertising hype that people eat up because they do not understand. 

 
Funny as recently I was talking with my wife about my interest in the subject car. She replied, "what does it do that the 2017 Boxster S doesn't". I lacked an answer though I really like the new Mach 1.

 
Funny as recently I was talking with my wife about my interest in the subject car. She replied, "what does it do that the 2017 Boxster S doesn't". I lacked an answer though I really like the new Mach 1.
Accelerate, Motivate, and Depreciate.

 
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LOL you might be tired of hearing it but it is true. The 71 - 73 Mach 1 and some years before was nothing special. Base Mach 1 was 302 - 2-V not very exciting performance. Base Mach 1 had all vinyl upholstery and flat std. door panels not very comfortable. I do not think the plastic inserts in the carpet made it go any faster and the honey comb. plastic tail light panels has no speed in it either. The tape on the side with Mach 1 nothing there either. It was not a performance package strictly an appearance package. You could make a coupe or vert run with any Mach 1. All I have said is fact not an opinion at all. 
Very late into the game here. I do not post much, and don't like to be confrontational.

Back in the day they were totally exciting. Why? The big three were the game in town for us under 25. We did not go to the BMW or Porsche dealership. I don't know if we even had one. The Japanese cars were not on the same par in quality at the time, and so if you were a car person, they were not on your "list".  I was thrilled when I got my 71 Mustang. Would have got a 429 but could not afford it. Were they a great car by today's standards... no, but that was not the time.

Enjoy today's cars today, and tomorrow tomorrow. I can only imagine what will be said about a 2020 Mustang in 40 years, if they care.

 
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