QOTD: What Price Performance?

by Tim Healey

Published: July 28th, 2023

I concluded my 2024 Ford Mustang GT review by pointing out that if you order a fully-loaded GT it will cost you around $60K, and that strikes me as expensive -- especially for a model that once offered V8 power for a relatively low price.

Some of you in the comments -- yes, we do read them -- agreed with me, while others thought that $60K for a GT was actually still a bargain. Others pointed out that if one was judicious with options, you could get a GT decently equipped for under $50,000. Do you really need the Performance Pack or magnetic ride (which requires you to buy the Performance Pack)?

Some of you would no doubt point out that the EcoBoost has become the "cheap speed" version of the Mustang -- the four-cylinder offers plenty of power and the car is fun enough that maybe you don't need the V8's muscle and sound. I certainly used that narrative in my EcoBoost review.

I bring this up because I think the definition of "cheap" has changed when it comes to performance. According to Cox Automotive, the average transaction price for vehicles is now over $48,000, as of May. So relative to the ATP, a judiciously equipped Mustang GT is "affordable performance."

On the other hand, many of us aren't in a financial situation where we can afford a vehicle that costs over $40K. Salaries and wages haven't necessarily kept up with the cost of cars, for a variety of factors I don't have time to get into here.

So, I ask of you, B and B -- what is now the right dollar amount for "affordable" performance? I certainly think Honda's Civic Si, which starts at under $30K, fits. There's also a slew of sporty cars in the $30,000 to $40,000 range that are attainable for a lot of folks. Cars like the Volkswagen Jetta GLI, Subaru WRX, and so on.

The Mustang, of course, is not the only performance car in that $40K-$60K range. It's not the only car that would start a debate over whether it is affordable or not -- Nissan's Z, Toyota's Supra, and others like the Honda Civic Type R are in a similar boat.

So, what say you? At what price does a performance car stop being affordable? Or is it all relative, depending not just on market forces but also on the size of your bank account?

Sound off below.

[Image: Ford]

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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2 of 55 comments

FormerFF on Jul 31, 2023

I recently picked up a 2017 GTI for use as a daily driver and track rat. On the street, I can't use all the performance that it has, and on the track it keeps up with traffic, although I do have to give point bys to well driven V8 powered cars. Cars like the GTI, Civic SI, Toyobaru twins, MX-5s, and GR Corollas are plenty for all but the most dedicated drivers.

2 Reply
Joe65688619 on Aug 18, 2023

The automakers' margin in in the options for a give platform - you're seeing, by volume, fewer base models being made, and higher premiums for premium models. Fleets are are still sucking up the inventory priced at the bottom of the market, so yeah, to get into a "performance" car, you're having to spend some $$$. As long as the demand is there this will continue.

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