Three Things I Tell Every First-Time Performance Buyer

Every week someone walks in ready to buy their first fast Ford. Here's the conversation we always end up having.

1. Buy the chassis, not the horsepower

Power is easy to add later. A Handling Package, the right differential, good seats and the bigger brakes are not. Start with the car that's built to use the power it already has.

2. Manual or automatic — be honest with yourself

The 10-speed auto is quicker at the strip. The 6-speed is more fun in the canyon and holds its value with a certain buyer. Neither is wrong. Pick the one that matches how you'll actually drive it.

3. Order it if you can wait

Factory ordering gets you exactly the spec you want with none of the lot games:

• You lock the price at order
• You choose every option
• You skip whatever markup is on the lot that month

The tradeoff is eight to sixteen weeks. If you can wait, it's almost always the move.

The people who still love the car two years later are the ones who bought the spec they wanted — not the one that happened to be on the lot that day.

Questions on a specific build? Send me the details and I'll tell you straight.