I caught this video through HotCars where an older V8 Mustang GT performs with a new V8 Lexus IS500. And while that honestly doesn’t surprise me, for some reason it settled into my headspace this morning & kept circling around. First off – I liked the video. I appreciate the father/son dynamic with the old-school VS new-school points of view. Plus, the video is not too based in numbers & stats, and more on behavior, sensation, and application. But second… with all the tech we’ve started cramming into cars within the past 10 years…
Are we really making a better car??
In a lot of cases, no we’re not. We’re just making a more expensive car… with more opportunities for recalls now, and much more expensive/complicated repairs later. And the proof of that, is in all the mortgage-sized car payments that people have gotten themselves into. Manufactures are are giving us more & more deck-out options, and carpool-line posers are scooping them up like Chick-fil-A nuggets. But as tech is becoming even more prevalent that actual mechanics in the automotive industry… we need to have enough head on our shoulders to know when to say, “I don’t need it; I don’t want it.” That line is gonna be different for everybody.
But we’re at a point where a 10-year-old automatic Mustang GT will hold its own with a new top-model Lexus IS500. So where exactly is the value in that $50,000 price difference?? Hell you could keep your 10-year-old Mustang GT AND buy a Shelby GT350 for the price of the IS500 alone. Yes – the IS500 is a hell of a car with the 5-liter V8; we’ve driven a couple of them now. And I fully appreciate that Lexus lets the 5.0 V8 live in a sport sedan in 2023! But honestly… it’s not exceptional. It could be, but it’s just wearing too many layers. And as car prices keep going up & up, I keep asking myself, “Do I really even want all the stuff that’s in these things… that they’re making us pay for?”
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Heartbreaking how we’ve taken a step forward and 2 back. I miss the late 2000s where turbos were in hot hatches and there was plenty of affordable cheap tuners and sports cars, before the Crossover craze and turbocharged everything.
As crazy as the market is, at least it’s you can still find a fun toy like this, and make it your own
Could not have said that better myself