My “Brand-New” Mustang GT Premium: The Joke’s on Me

You’d think trading in a fully customized Camaro with less than 25,000 miles would get you something better. Something shinier. Something brand new.

The car in the picture? That’s the one Harper Ford sold me. But when I got it, it looked nothing like that. By the time it landed in my driveway, it was scratched from tearing off the Dark Horse wrap, dinged from installing a light bar, and beat up like it had just come out of a demolition derby.

Here’s what “brand new” meant at Harper Ford:

• Scratched paint from the wrap removal.
• Deeply scored rotors.
• No radiator shroud.
• Tires already near replacement.
• Navigation console that blanks out completely, leaving me unable to tune the radio, turn on AC or heat, or use any of the features I paid for.
• Limp mode on the freeway, right as I was merging — nearly causing an accident.

Borla Atak exhaust with “active valve control”? Except… nope. The “active” part was imaginary.

Performance package? Sure — if you count a package of lies.

Brand new? Not unless “brand new” means “recently de-wrapped like a clearance rack toy.”

Turns out my GT Premium wasn’t just scratched — it was a failed cosplay. Harper Ford slapped a Dark Horse vinyl wrap on it the year the Dark Horse launched, then paraded it around like a stunt double.

And parade it they did:

• Doughnuts in the lot.
• Peeling out like a Fast & Furious audition.
• Tires roasted so hard the car looked like it was on fire.

The abuse was so bad that when I complained about the bald tires, they didn’t even bother arguing — they just handed me a new set. That’s not customer service; that’s an admission of guilt.

The rotors? Scored to hell. Repairs? Denied.
The car’s been back half a dozen times — still not fixed.

And the Lemon Law? Forget it. Ford’s attorneys decided the best defense was comedy:

“Your Honor, it was actually the customer who abused the car… the one thousands of people saw us joyriding, and the one we ourselves posted videos of our employees roasting the tires on.”

Yes, their legal strategy is to gaslight me with footage they uploaded themselves. You almost have to respect the confidence. Almost.

I’ve tried to settle this matter amicably. Ford Motor Company’s attorneys? Radio silence. Apparently “amicable” isn’t in their vocabulary.

So here I am — with a lawsuit, a pile of repair orders, and the world’s most expensive used stunt car disguised as “new.”