FordGeek Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Ladies and gents... I'm hear to report the state of the FORD union; and I'm happy to report it is good! As most of you know my car came in yesterday and I was able to take delivery right before the dealership closed. For me, the 2 year journey to get one of these bad boys has finally come to an end...I couldn't take much more of the PSDS! I have enclosed a few pictures for your viewing pleasure and I've tried to capture a few key milestones in my journey. As soon as the shelby was unveiled at the New York auto show last year I immediately began a full court press with my usual FORD dealership to begin working the politics that would undboubtedly surface. Even before this, however, there were rumblings of a Shelby. I made my presence known every single day after that by making cold calls to the sales manager and the internet sales manager. All this "networking" finally paid off, with a little help from this site. The "little help" I'm referring to is one member (I think it might have been Five Oh) stated that although the order guides were not available yet, but the system was allowing orders to be entered given that all of the Shelby codes were there. On this hunch I went to my dealership and hounded the hell out of them to give it a shot; and you know what, it worked. A couple of weeks later when the order banks were officially opened, my order went through immediately. I originally had ordered Tungsten with Silver stripes, but then decided on the colors you see hear; I don't regret that change at all. The change was made the day the ordering officially began. The next big thing was getting my VIN assigned; this happened in early April. The status of my order was pretty stagnant and spent quite a bit of time in "Temp Delay"; this, as I understand it, is normal and part of the staging process before production begins. To make a long story short, the actual date of production on my car was June 14 with an initial ETA of June 23. This changed to June 30, then to July 8, and finally to July 15. It actually arrived late night July 10 and I picked it up late yesterday July 11. The reason for the one day delay was, as you might imagine, money driven. Apparently, a well connected fellow (knows the owner) was very interested in getting my car. He put $25K in front of the owner and asked for me to be "bumped" to a later production run. In other words, they would guarantee me a Shelby, but perhaps not until 2007. Luckily, the internet sales manager (whom I developed a really good relationship during my "networking" sessions with him) fought tooth and nail to have them commit to my deal. Which, by the way, was $5K over sticker; total drive-out after taxes and all was a hair north of $53K. Some of you might remember that after all of the madness on ebay and "market" values for this thing, I locked down the $5K back towards the beginning of the year, in writing. However, what I failed to take into account was the potential for a "hostile takeover" of my order. Luckily, everything turned out ok. And now, for the car itself. It's vista blue with tungsten stripes (you have to see it in person to really appreciate it; it's absolutely beautiful). It's all of the options except satellite radio (don't need it) and the crimson inserts (hate red). Here are my initial thoughts: 1.) The car is definitely very strong, but could use a bit more "grunt" from the exhaust. It also might be a logistical thing. My Terminator sounds loud as well with the 2 chamber flowmasters I have, and they sit mid-chassis. I've never had a car with rear mounted mufflers. Maybe this tends to downplay how "mean" it sounds to pedestrians. 2.) The shifter feels a bit alien to me. For those that have driven an SVT Focus, that's the sensation I get. However, the shifts are crisp and throws are pretty short. Regardless, I'll be looking to the aftermarket for something that feels a little more robust. 3.) The strut tower brace is there! One FORD publication has stated engineers didn't find value in it so it was scrapped. Glad to see it made it to production. 4.) The brakes are solid and can no doubt handle the abuse of some spirited street / road course driving. 5.) I ordered the Shaker 1000 and to be honest, I'm not that impressed. Additionally, the trunk mounted speakers take almost have of my trunk space away (refer to picutres)! I'm a musician and I usually play at Church...my guitar case doesn't fit in there! It's a bummer, but oh well. 6.) The engine does indeed have a plaque with the names of the folks that put the engine/car (not sure which one it is now) together and I'm happy to see this tradition was maintained. 7.) I compared my Terminator to my Shelby and the Shelby definitely sits higher from the rear; in fact, quite a bit. The strange thing is the Shelby looks lower from the front. This setup, however, is good for the drags where I'm willing to bet money the weight gets nicely distributed to the rear wheels. 8.) Is it worth the $5K markup; I definitely think so. Even at this price, there's few autos that will come close. On the way home from my 23 mile trip from the dealership, I received two thumbs up from Chevy drivers, one "honk" from a carload of teenage girls (that was strange considering I'm 35), and plenty of fingerprints on my windows during my short trip to the grocery store (plenty of "peeking" going on). I really don't know what to say. This is something else and this another car that is going to stay with me for the forseeable future. I love my terminator; but it's going to have to make way for the big dog. Excuse me for now, but I've got tires to waste!!!!! Good luck to everyone waiting for their car to come in; you will NOT be disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpretzel Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Congrats FordGeek!! That's the exact car I ordered. Thanks for all the info. Too bad mine is still stuck in the Material Hold wasteland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shel-b001 Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Ladies and gents... I'm hear to report the state of the FORD union; and I'm happy to report it is good! As most of you know my car came in yesterday and I was able to take delivery right before the dealership closed. For me, the 2 year journey to get one of these bad boys has finally come to an end...I couldn't take much more of the PSDS! I have enclosed a few pictures for your viewing pleasure and I've tried to capture a few key milestones in my journey. As soon as the shelby was unveiled at the New York auto show last year I immediately began a full court press with my usual FORD dealership to begin working the politics that would undboubtedly surface. Even before this, however, there were rumblings of a Shelby. I made my presence known every single day after that by making cold calls to the sales manager and the internet sales manager. All this "networking" finally paid off, with a little help from this site. The "little help" I'm referring to is one member (I think it might have been Five Oh) stated that although the order guides were not available yet, but the system was allowing orders to be entered given that all of the Shelby codes were there. On this hunch I went to my dealership and hounded the hell out of them to give it a shot; and you know what, it worked. A couple of weeks later when the order banks were officially opened, my order went through immediately. I originally had ordered Tungsten with Silver stripes, but then decided on the colors you see hear; I don't regret that change at all. The change was made the day the ordering officially began. The next big thing was getting my VIN assigned; this happened in early April. The status of my order was pretty stagnant and spent quite a bit of time in "Temp Delay"; this, as I understand it, is normal and part of the staging process before production begins. To make a long story short, the actual date of production on my car was June 14 with an initial ETA of June 23. This changed to June 30, then to July 8, and finally to July 15. It actually arrived late night July 10 and I picked it up late yesterday July 11. The reason for the one day delay was, as you might imagine, money driven. Apparently, a well connected fellow (knows the owner) was very interested in getting my car. He put $25K in front of the owner and asked for me to be "bumped" to a later production run. In other words, they would guarantee me a Shelby, but perhaps not until 2007. Luckily, the internet sales manager (whom I developed a really good relationship during my "networking" sessions with him) fought tooth and nail to have them commit to my deal. Which, by the way, was $5K over sticker; total drive-out after taxes and all was a hair north of $53K. Some of you might remember that after all of the madness on ebay and "market" values for this thing, I locked down the $5K back towards the beginning of the year, in writing. However, what I failed to take into account was the potential for a "hostile takeover" of my order. Luckily, everything turned out ok. And now, for the car itself. It's vista blue with tungsten stripes (you have to see it in person to really appreciate it; it's absolutely beautiful). It's all of the options except satellite radio (don't need it) and the crimson inserts (hate red). Here are my initial thoughts: 1.) The car is definitely very strong, but could use a bit more "grunt" from the exhaust. It also might be a logistical thing. My Terminator sounds loud as well with the 2 chamber flowmasters I have, and they sit mid-chassis. I've never had a car with rear mounted mufflers. Maybe this tends to downplay how "mean" it sounds to pedestrians. 2.) The shifter feels a bit alien to me. For those that have driven an SVT Focus, that's the sensation I get. However, the shifts are crisp and throws are pretty short. Regardless, I'll be looking to the aftermarket for something that feels a little more robust. 3.) The strut tower brace is there! One FORD publication has stated engineers didn't find value in it so it was scrapped. Glad to see it made it to production. 4.) The brakes are solid and can no doubt handle the abuse of some spirited street / road course driving. 5.) I ordered the Shaker 1000 and to be honest, I'm not that impressed. Additionally, the trunk mounted speakers take almost have of my trunk space away (refer to picutres)! I'm a musician and I usually play at Church...my guitar case doesn't fit in there! It's a bummer, but oh well. 6.) The engine does indeed have a plaque with the names of the folks that put the engine/car (not sure which one it is now) together and I'm happy to see this tradition was maintained. 7.) I compared my Terminator to my Shelby and the Shelby definitely sits higher from the rear; in fact, quite a bit. The strange thing is the Shelby looks lower from the front. This setup, however, is good for the drags where I'm willing to bet money the weight gets nicely distributed to the rear wheels. 8.) Is it worth the $5K markup; I definitely think so. Even at this price, there's few autos that will come close. On the way home from my 23 mile trip from the dealership, I received two thumbs up from Chevy drivers, one "honk" from a carload of teenage girls (that was strange considering I'm 35), and plenty of fingerprints on my windows during my short trip to the grocery store (plenty of "peeking" going on). I really don't know what to say. This is something else and this another car that is going to stay with me for the forseeable future. I love my terminator; but it's going to have to make way for the big dog. Excuse me for now, but I've got tires to waste!!!!! Good luck to everyone waiting for their car to come in; you will NOT be disappointed. Thanks for the pictures even the kids look happy. ENJOY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alloy Dave Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 New car! Let me be the first to congratulate you..very nice car. By the way, if you don't know how to drive a stick shift, I'll gladly come give you lessons. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mach1fever Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 very nice. That is the one combo I had not seen. Have a great time with it. I can't wait for mine. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambbo Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Hats off brother. BTW, Beautifull babys. I sure miss mine. Sorry, I have to post this. Jr. prom night for my oldest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSGT500 Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 FordGeek, Great news and congratulations! Thanks for posting all the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSR Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Congrats. FordGeek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07 Shelby Cobra Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Good for You Man!! Glad to see some photos finally!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipchay61 Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Congrats on the new family member! I sure like that Vista Blue! :bandance: Chip in SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdwaterHotrod Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 You gotta love it when a plan comes together! Bet you can't stop smiling or thinking about? Can you? I know I can't.....quick someone pinch me, I must be dreaming again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred13 Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Thanks for the info and pixs!! :bandance: Nice looking flamily!! Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
requis Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Thanks for the info and pixs!! :bandance: Nice looking flamily!! Enjoy! Awesome!! Great Story...Congrats on the Car! Cheers, Requis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaylan1521 Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Congrats Fordgeek! Look at the grins on you guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Mach I Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Way to go fellow Texan! Man would that look good next to my Mach 1! Have fun with it man!!! You are definately bringing the kids up right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastbackman Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Congratulations on the new ride. It is beautiful! Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CobraCrazy Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 FordGeek, Congratulations! I've got one on order just like yours, and like Rpretzel, mine has a material hold--hey maybe you got mine? I'll be over later to pick it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyvax Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Congratulations! Thanks for the pictures, it looks awesome! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydney-shelby Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 fordgeek, congratulations - car looks amazing - enjoy with your family congratulations car looks amazing enjoy with your family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2boxers Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 congratulations fordgeek. Im disapointed you switchd colors . I did the revers picked vistablue /tungsten stripes changed to tungstengrey/silver stripes. I would really like to see some one reseave this color. The photos you posted are alot better than whats on color buyers guide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbang Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 congrats Fordgeek. I envy you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt500hp Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 congratulations fordgeek. Im disapointed you switchd colors . I did the revers picked vistablue /tungsten stripes changed to tungstengrey/silver stripes. I would really like to see some one reseave this color. The photos you posted are alot better than whats on color buyers guide. [/quote Great choice! I went the same way with tungsten and satin silver stripes.... This color is awesome1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sssss Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Congrats brother,very nice looking color! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt50035 Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 great story and great looking shelby. i ordered the vista blue coupe with white striping. can't wait. driving me crazy. hoping to hear tomorrow my projected ship date. enjoy my man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linson Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Congrats FordGeek! BTW, thanks for the pic of the trunk, hadn't seen one of those yet. Now get out there and enjoy it! rpretzel, where the are our cars?!?!?! Mine is still on material hold as well, WITH NO VIN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crayonbreaking Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 congrats! have a great time driving it! soooo envious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobra76 Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Thanks for the pictures even the kids look happy. ENJOY. I have the some color coming as well. Good luck and congrats. JBJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcthorne Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Cool car. Neat to know there will be at least one other Vista Blue/Tungsten coupe in Houston. Mine is not even scheduled for production nor a VIN yet. You are a lucky man. I too did my homework. Had a deal since early 2005. Dealer flatly refused to honor it and sold the car elsewhere. I had to scramble with a very large email campaign to find a dealer in a small town that had not sold thier only unit yet. Not a PA or SVT dealer so will be a while I guess. Just hope things go forward at some soon point. Tired of waiting. Congrats and have fun with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanley07 Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 hey still enjoying your lil bitchass car hope u get jacked nerd!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68fastback Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Beeeuuutiful! Congrats Ford Geek... Hey, did you know you're parked in Bill SMith's parking spot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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