Here's what really impressed me with the Tundra:
"It's spectacular, delivering its test-topping 381 hp and 401 lb-ft of torque in an effortless, silken flood, hurling the Tundra to 60 mph in
6.3 seconds and through the quarter-mile in a remarkable 14.8 seconds at 93.7 mph."Going 0-60 in 6.3 seconds and running the 1/4 mile in 14.8 seconds!
540hp is the early suggested hp. Much like when the GT500 was being created hp went from 450 too 500hp this car is believed to go 600plus hp!!! Now keep in mind this is an anniversary hence the 1k units being produced and the sticker from what I read is going to be close to $50k. Now please tell me were on earth are you going to find a production vehicle with that much hp for so little a price? Would you rather Ford charge over $100k just so the market doesnt adjust the price at the dealership? Or better yet flood the market with these cars so there is nothing special or unique to them and we complain that everyone has a "me too". Those of us who remember in the late 80's the insurance companies tend to jump in and ruin things too. Lets face it all I here is a bunch of people complaining cause they want the car but cant afford it so they will drop their loyalty to Ford cause of this, does that make sense? Not to me it doesnt unless its a quality issue, producing the cars we want them to produce at a low production is no new game for any manufacturer so you are just jumping from one to another. Just remember a steed for every need and an aftermarket that will set you apart.
I could be very happy with my old LX sporting a 427W (in front of the current T-56 manual), full Maximum Motorsports suspension and a set of killer brakes. Plus, I would have a car that is APPRECIATING in value.
I guess I will have to make myself a Ford customer with "limited availabilty" too.
I want Ford to live up to their statements of last spring and summer. They told us the GT500 would be produced in volume and so far I don't see this happening. This is why they are loosing me as a loyal customer. If they had said the GT500 (and its variants) were going to be produced in limited numbers to keep prices high then I wouldn't be complaining.
I'll believe it when I see it.
And I've seen more of those in the flesh than I have new GT500s.
Exactly. In all my reading on mustangs I've never heard of there being an availability issue for the shelby mustangs and huge dealer mark ups. Apparently when they made only 1,000 that's because there were only a
1,000 buyers unless it was a model that was there just to make a racing quota. Remember, the there are 1970 shelby mustangs that were LEFT OVER 69s. There was a lot more to choose from and considerably fewer people in the market back then.I do tend to wonder how many have actually been made as well.
Note the ';)'. just making a joke at GM's habbit of putting classic nameplates on FWD cars...
Nowhere. Because you won't get one with less than $10-25K dealer markup.
Actually, what difference does it make to a buyer who gets the money? Do I care if it's the dealership or ford? Not really. Although Ford advertising a car for an MSRP $20K less than it actually sells doesn't make for a happy customer base.
The old 'exclusivity' argument. It's a manufacturered product, there is ultimately nothing about it that makes its owner special. If you want something special have a one of a kind car built for yourself or build it yourself. Then you have something special.
The 'SUV jealously' argument. It has nothing to do with what I or anyone else can afford. I could go out right now and out bid any reasonably thinking person for a new GT500 mustang by thinking unreasonably. The question is, do I want to pay upwards of $70K for powerful mustang. No. Base Porsche 911 money for a mustang? not bloody likely.
The brand loyalty comes from being treated fairly and honestly in addition to getting good product. Ford is not living up to its end here.
And with that, you destroy your exclusivity argument for a GT500.
Note Ford's statement: Just 1000 GT500KRs will be produced, and the first batch will arrive in dealerships in the spring of 2008. Ford says the regular GT500 has been selling incredibly well, so we're guessing there are going to be a lot of angry people out there wishing they'd waited for the KR.
Patrick
My take on this KR thing is Ford is starting to see, or expect, a drop in the demand for the GT500 so they are turning it up a notch to entice those few left with enough disposable income to buy (aka get gouged). On the bright side this might signal a breaking point for pricing on the GT500 since it will no longer be at the top of the Mustang food chain. Time will tell but you're right about there being some angry people that just spent $55k-$60k on a GT500.
The funny thing is that Ford probably did almost nothing to get those extra ponies for the KR. Forty more hp is just a computer program tweak away. Especially on a blown engine. It should be enough to keep the bidding frenzy going. I wonder how many current GT500 owners will dump their car to get a KR. I bet more than a few will and that might help lower the prices for the ones still sitting on the dealer's lots.
That's the risk of buying a new manufactured product as a collectable. It could be rendered not-so-special the next year. Or in some cases it takes awhile. (Like the 1973 mustang convertibles)
*IF* ford keeps building them. The problem is that ford has a habbit of canceling production or saying from the get go 'this many, no more'.Ford seems to not only disregard people who could only or prefer to buy more expensive cars used, but it's own profits when it limits production. The dealer gets more, the buyer gets higher resale value, but what does ford get?
Look at GM. They have the corvette. Do they piss off corvette buyers like this? Not that I've seen. I may be wrong because I don't follow it that closely but it appears that GM continues to build better vettes in an effort to please people who buy one each new generation. It does not seem difficult to find used corvettes in really good condition a generation or two behind current, even on a dealers lot. This churning seems to work well for GM on all fronts. Seems to work for dodge with the viper too.
GM has much more respect for the Corvette loyalists. They can buy a certain generation and pretty much know it won't change much until the next gen model comes out which will have marked improvements all the way around. Then they trade up and are happy with the overall process. GM has kept it this way for decades because it works. In Ford's defense they do follow this model with the base Mustang and GT but not with the Cobra.
It seems that since they slapped the Shelby name on it they now have a right to gouge us loyalists for all they can get. My biggest problem with Ford on this whole subject is how they touted the GT500 was going to come in at a certain price point and they were going to make enough of them to ensure the MSRP they stated was realistic. They have yet to deliver on this promise and if they don't then I won't be loyal to them in the future.
Michael Johnson wrote in news:gNmdnednTeUjd5LbnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
These are all good points IMO. But the other side of this whole thing is all the little niggly things that you have to deal with. These cars are 15 years and older, and having to deal with stuff like vacuum door locks, ashtray spring, visors, old heater core, sagging headliner, etc. is a PITA.
LOL!
I'm torn now between buying new (or recent) and redoing the LX. Perhaps actually seeing these cars will have an impact.
Michael Johnson wrote in news:e6Kdned4D- JcdZLbnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
And it weighs well over 5000 lb. to boot. The six-speed tranny is also nice. The only thing I'm wary of is that it's a whole new truck and a whole new drivetrain. Next year should tell a better story of how this truck fares against the competition.
Michael Johnson wrote in news:qbidnSeDgIIE1I3bnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
The Corvette is GM's crown jewel; the car and it's followers are treated as such. It's an atypical car for GM. Not so with Ford.
This is exactly what I meant above. GM actually shows respect for Corvette owners; Ford does the opposite.
If it were a DC, Ford or Chevy that might be a concern. The Tundra has been around for a while and I'm sure much of the old trucks are tweaked and migrated to the new one. Toyota is good about making a vehicle ready for production. It is one of the main reasons they are kicking Ford, GM and Chrysler's asses.
Well as we all know with the 2007 GT500, not in a Ford showroom...
Would you rather Ford charge over $100k just so the
True but, for me, the emotional tie to the car makes those naggy little things easy to take. Plus, I think having a car "I" can repair if I choose is a luxury nowadays.
Even if I end up buying something new I could not bring myself to sell the old LX. I can see me driving it around town when I'm 75 years old and making all the teenagers drool.
You're exactly right and it is why I really get pissed over this whole affair. Where Chevy rewards loyal buyers Ford tries to gouge us at every opportunity. Chevy always produces enough Corvettes to ensure the demand is met at roughly the MSRP, or less. Even the new Z06 didn't get too outrageous considering it is in nearly the same league, performance wise, as the Ford GT.
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