Norton Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 I finally took delivery of my GT500 on 9 November. I'm a long-time Mustang owner, having bought my first (an '89 LX 5.0 Hatchback) new in 1989. I upgraded to a new '97 Cobra in 1997. I found myself quite taken with the new GT500 earlier this year, so I ordered one from Phil Long Chapel Hills (CO) on 18 Jun. For nearly four months, they told me mine was their "#1 of 3" allocations. When I began pressing for answers about what was taking so long in mid-September, they admitted they didn't have an allocation for my order, which had somehow become "#3 of 2". :do what: I immediately began searching for another dealer, with the car I wanted, at a reasonable price. My search spanned the entire country, with possibilities located in NC, KY, WI, and WA. In the end, the GM of Whitney's Value Ford in Elma, WA was the first to offer a written deal, with absolutely no pricing games, on a car that was actually available. My son and I drove the car home to Colorado over the Veterans' Day weekend. It was a great trip, aside from some inclement weather in eastern OR and western WY. The car was surprisingly stable throughout, making it home without a scratch.I'm not planning any real "mods" for it, though I added a Redline Tuning Quick-Lift System for the hood, Viper Ultra Window Tint, and a Rogue Radar Mount. An Airaid SynthaFlow Air Filter, Stone Guards, LED bulbs for the driving lights, a short billet radio antenna, and upgraded floor mats are all on my wish list.No good pictures of it yet, but here are a few from when I took delivery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san6279 Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Congrats! I'm impressed by you drive home. Most say the OEM tires are garbage in any type of inclement weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grabber Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Congrats. The car looks fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT NAJA Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Norton, Congrats on your new 2013 Shelby GT500. She's a Black Beauty! Enjoy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svtkeith Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Congrats enjoy and keep the rubber side down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewarbc Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Congrats from Texas. It looks awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave 316 Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 congratulations Norton. Enjoy her. I too started with a '91 GT and have upgraded every few years. i have a great appreciation for the progress that Ford has made Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twawsico Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 More congrats from Texas! I definitely approve of the paint/stripe combo. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnf Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Congrats. I have followed your quest for the car in this forum. Glad it all worked for you. Enjoy the ride. Its an awesome car !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norton Posted November 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Thanks, guys! I'm thrilled things worked out, in spite of my local dealer's shenanigans. As others have said, the car is definitely worth the wait! It's everything I hoped and more. As for the OEM tires being garbage in any type of inclement weather, my experience is proof that's not necessarily the case. That said, I NEVER intend to repeat the experience. The car was absolutely stable, but that didn't do much for my stress level. I'm not knocking the car or its tires, but I do NOT recommend choosing to take it through what I ended up traversing, courtesy of some overly optimistic weather and road reports. Looking forward to MANY fair-weather miles... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffJ Posted November 25, 2012 Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 Congrats! I hope to see it around sometime!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickW Posted November 25, 2012 Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 Hey Norton! Glad to hear you got your car, that it's the car you wanted, and that you got it safely back home. It's a shame you got the runaround from your original dealer, and you are right to diss them. So tell us: How did you find the Recaro seats and the general demeanor of the car on the long road trip? Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS Racing Posted November 25, 2012 Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 Congrats on the ride, It si stories like yours about the origional dealership thet scare the crap out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norton Posted November 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 So tell us: How did you find the Recaro seats and the general demeanor of the car on the long road trip? The Recaros are worth every penny they cost! We spent a lot of time sitting in them, covering about 1500 miles in three days. They are some of the most comfortable car seats I've ever experienced, and I've been in a LOT of (domestic, import, sports, and luxury) cars. My only real complaint is that, since they're manually adjusted, there's no "memory" for each driver's preferred adjustments. I found the car itself very comfortable, even over long distances. SVT did a GREAT job of "taming" the horsepower and torque, all of which is available on demand, yet totally manageable. The fact that I had NO problems with the inclement weather and poor road conditions I encountered is a testament to what a great job they did and how effective the AdvanceTrac system is. My advice is to take some time becoming familiar with, and adjusting, everything (e.g., seats, suspension, steering, mirrors, electronics pkg, etc) the way you want it BEFORE striking out on any long trips. Doing so was key for me. Congrats on the ride, It si stories like yours about the origional dealership thet scare the crap out of me. Thank you! Having experienced what I did, I completely understand your trepidation. In addition to the local dealer's failure to deliver on promises they made, Ford's response was wholly unsatisfactory. (They blamed everything on the dealer, and said there was "nothing" they could do to help me, despite the fact that the dealership has a big blue oval out front... In short, they were no better than the dealer.) My faith in the brand was somewhat restored, however, by two dealerships I encountered on my search. The first was Parkway Ford in Winston-Salem, NC and the second was Whitney's Value Ford in Elma, WA. Ed Woods from Parkway and Chuck Smith from Whitney's are both consummate professionals. When he learned of my plight, Ed bent over backwards to secure an allocation for me, even enlisting the dealership's owner in the attempt to do so. The herculean effort he put-in was a far cry from the inaction and lack of contact I experienced from the local dealer that held my deposit until about a week ago. Ed never even asked for a deposit, as he worked to get me the car I wanted, explaining that we’d ink our deal only after he found one. While ultimately unsuccessful, Ed exhausted all possible avenues, while keeping me well-informed with regular updates. Chuck was the first to offer a written deal, with absolutely no pricing games, on a car that was actually available. When my son and I flew-in to take delivery of the car, he handled everything, including our transportation from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He meticulously fulfilled all of my special requests (e.g., no "extra" miles on the car, no front license plate bracket, no logos or stickers, pristine copy of the window sticker, etc). Since mine was his only allocation for the MY, he even gave me ALL of his Shelby promotional materials (i.e., posters, data sheets, calendar, and DVD). I enthusiastically recommend Ed or Chuck to anyone in the market for a new or used car. Either gentleman is a right choice when looking for a good deal and impeccable service. (PM me if you'd like their contact info.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ingram4868 Posted November 25, 2012 Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 Great ending to your search. Congratulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Haney Posted November 25, 2012 Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 Norton, I'm glad that your quest has come to a successful end. Now enjoy the car! It looks great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky Posted November 25, 2012 Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 Thats a great looking car and I hope you enjoy every mile in it, congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kawwy600 Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 congrats on the new edition! she looks very sleek! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Alibi 2 Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Congrats & good luck with the new ride.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickW Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 The Recaros are worth every penny they cost! We spent a lot of time sitting in them, covering about 1500 miles in three days. They are some of the most comfortable car seats I've ever experienced, and I've been in a LOT of (domestic, import, sports, and luxury) cars. My only real complaint is that, since they're manually adjusted, there's no "memory" for each driver's preferred adjustments. I found the car itself very comfortable, even over long distances. SVT did a GREAT job of "taming" the horsepower and torque, all of which is available on demand, yet totally manageable. The fact that I had NO problems with the inclement weather and poor road conditions I encountered is a testament to what a great job they did and how effective the AdvanceTrac system is. My advice is to take some time becoming familiar with, and adjusting, everything (e.g., seats, suspension, steering, mirrors, electronics pkg, etc) the way you want it BEFORE striking out on any long trips. Doing so was key for me. Thanks for the info, Norton. Much appreciated. I did download the SVT Owner's Supplement and the Mustang Owner's Manual, just to gain a little familiarity before I take delivery. But yes, I will take your advice and make myself completely familiar with all the adjustments, systems, etc., before hitting the road. And I expect that long road trips will wind up constituting the bulk of the mileage I put on my GT500. Good luck and enjoy! Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITHERTZ66 Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 My favorite color combo. So menacing and sexy at the same time! Congratulations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norton Posted November 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Thank you, all, for your kind words! I'm really enjoying the car but look forward to the return of warm weather... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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