Shelby GT500 soon Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 There comes a time when that special someone in your life says those three little words....no...not those...when the wife answers your question on buying a Shelby GT500 with "Sure, Buy one". Looking for any advice or what you guys have learned in your buying experiences. I'm looking at 2007 - 2009, Tri-black Convertibles. Can't break the bank but it appears a budget or $25,000 - 35,000 should get me started with this addiction. I've read through this forum and seen one important item to check/ask about is the TSB on the clutch. Seemingly there are lots of good candidates in a nationwide search, great low mileage. I'm struggling with the idea of buying one "sight unseen" and having it shipped up to Mass. I travel a lot for business and will be attempting cross my travels with potential cars. One question, I can see the carfax, I can look up the VINs....are there websites that can confirm what is standard features or not. For example: one online Shelby looks great, but on the doors, the panel insert is cloth. Haven't ever seen that online or in the cars I've seen in person. I've had my share of muscle cars over the years (most when I was a dumb kid and didn't know what I had). Honestly never thought I would be able to get a Mustang Shelby GT500, but here we go. I learned long ago to put trust in people that share your interest so I thought I would post here. Hopefully, in a few short months I'll be changing the user name to match the ride. Thanks for any advice you can give. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew DeSpirito Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Hi, and welcome! You already identified the biggest potential issue - the clutch TSB. Find one that's built after the TSB applied, or one that had it performed (get proof!), and you're good. As far as options...there were very few on 2007-2009 GT500s. There was a Premium Trim Package (leather-clad dash), Shaker 1000 stereo, navigation on the later 2007s and up, and a car cover. Not much else, if I recall correctly. I can tell you that both interiors, all black and the black/red, came with leather door panel inserts. Either someone did a door swap, or it's not a real GT500. The VIN is a dead giveaway...it should start with 1ZVHT88S (coupes) or 1ZVHT89S (convertibles). Anything else isn't a real GT500. Good luck with your search! There should be plenty of low-mileage Shelbys looking for a good home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew DeSpirito Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Let me be more specific for you... For the 2007 GT500 there were the following options: Side Stripe Delete (52S) Over-the-Top Stripe Delete (52T) Shaker 1000 (918) Sirius Satellite Radio (50S) GT500 Premium Interior Trim Package (68S) Navigation (58X) - only on later 2007s For 2008, same as above, plus: HID Headlamps (51H) Ambient Lighting (95M) For 2009, same as 2007 and 2008 above, but Sirius became standard. There was also a Red Stripe Appearance Package, on white or black coupes or convertibles, for all 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnf Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 On the clutch issue, I wouldn't worry about whether or not the TSB has been done or not. If you fine the car you are looking for, and all looks good then buy it. Just budget for a clutch replacement and go aftermarket. This will provide a larger platform for more HP from mods. Good luck with your search. Wrong color, but my dealer has an 07 Grabber orange vert on the lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grabber Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 my dealer has an 07 Grabber orange vert on the lot. nice find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelbyKR664 Posted July 6, 2014 Report Share Posted July 6, 2014 /The GT500 is a great car for the money. You should also consider a 07/08 Shelby GT. They can easily be had for your budget. An occasional GT/SC comes up for sale as well. A cherry GT/SC 13k miles recently sold on this forum for around $29k. From what other TS members have said, this was a steal. The 08 Shelby GT's offered a convertible in Vista Blue. Bottom line, all good choices. Good luck in your journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Fest Posted July 6, 2014 Report Share Posted July 6, 2014 Great advise from all. I too struggled with buying from photos and videos. In the end it took me several months to find the right car and I ended up flying halfway across the country to see it in person. On eBay there is a dealer that has several GT500 and Shelby GT for sale. I think it is located in Texas. Another great place to look is on cars.com Good luck with the search! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali_KR Posted July 6, 2014 Report Share Posted July 6, 2014 Welcome aboard. You've come to the right place, loads of info and good folk here too. As mentioned previously, I wouldn't worry about the clutch TSB, after all these are 5-7 year old cars now, and I've driven two first gen clutch cars 20k and 30k without issue. Triple black vert is an easy one to find. Of course, it may not be in your vicinity. You're not going to find a decent one for under 32k, coupes yes, but not a 'vert. Sure there may be one out there somewhere, but convertible tend to hover around 35k There's a 2007, one owner, factory stock, 16k on the odo for 34k near me, Good luck in your hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby GT500 soon Posted July 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 I want to thank everyone that posted. My search is already providing more cars than I thought and I'm shocked to find several cars with under 10K and some with under 5K. The option listing was absolutely great to have...thank you MadManMoon. The price advice was correct also, looks like the $25,000 - $30,000 range is out....most are coming in mid to upper 30s. Hate to say this with Grabber watching....but yea...it has to be Tri Black. I mentioned it to the wife. One of my first cars was a 1970 Mach I in Grabber Blue (bought and sold in the 80s), but she gave the permission to buy and would like a black GT500 (small price to pay I'd say). Clutch issue does seem to be a good negotiating point so far. Looks like others have said, I'll probably take awhile to find one and then have to fly out (which is fine). Any advice on who is a trust worthy auto shipper? I assume if it is a dealer that is something they have quick connections, but private sellers I assume won't. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mavisky Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Keep your eyes peeled, snagged my car 4 months ago and the dealer was asking $35k for it with the TSB done and Nitto NT555's on it in place of the crap goodyears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT NAJA Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Shelby GT500 soon, Welcome to Team Shelby! Sounds like you're off to a good start researching the acquisition of your first Shelby. The 07-09 GT500's are favorites among enthusiasts and have lots of potential. Nothing more beautiful than a just washed/detailed black paint finish and a vert is a top shelf option. As others have stated, the clutch is no big deal. You want to find an unmolested specimen that has low side miles, undamaged body panels and sound mechanicals. When you find a potential candidate, don't hesitate to ask here for a local Team Shelby member to scope it out first on your behalf so you save yourself the cost of a potentially wasted flight. Reliable http://www.reliablecarriers.com/ and Intercity http://www.intercitylines.com/ are 2 favorites for car hauling. Good luck and let us know how your search progresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teledatageek Posted July 19, 2014 Report Share Posted July 19, 2014 On the clutch issue, I wouldn't worry about whether or not the TSB has been done or not. If you fine the car you are looking for, and all looks good then buy it. Just budget for a clutch replacement and go aftermarket. This will provide a larger platform for more HP from mods. Good luck with your search. Wrong color, but my dealer has an 07 Grabber orange vert on the lot. Hello! New member here and I'm looking for a Grabber Orange Vert - prefer 2008 as I would like the black stripe but not ruling out 07. Can you tell me what dealer has the 07? Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayton shelby Posted July 19, 2014 Report Share Posted July 19, 2014 Here's a Tri-black convert on CL with 8k miles. No price, but might be worth a call. They are definitely out there. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/4573267036.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnf Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 Hello! New member here and I'm looking for a Grabber Orange Vert - prefer 2008 as I would like the black stripe but not ruling out 07. Can you tell me what dealer has the 07? Many thanks! Sent you a PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torch40 Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 I want to thank everyone that posted. My search is already providing more cars than I thought and I'm shocked to find several cars with under 10K and some with under 5K. The option listing was absolutely great to have...thank you MadManMoon. The price advice was correct also, looks like the $25,000 - $30,000 range is out....most are coming in mid to upper 30s. Hate to say this with Grabber watching....but yea...it has to be Tri Black. I mentioned it to the wife. One of my first cars was a 1970 Mach I in Grabber Blue (bought and sold in the 80s), but she gave the permission to buy and would like a black GT500 (small price to pay I'd say). Clutch issue does seem to be a good negotiating point so far. Looks like others have said, I'll probably take awhile to find one and then have to fly out (which is fine). Any advice on who is a trust worthy auto shipper? I assume if it is a dealer that is something they have quick connections, but private sellers I assume won't. Thanks again. Drive it home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teledatageek Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Have a question... As posted earlier, I have my sights on getting a Grabber Orange GT500 Vert. The color is near and dear to me as I had a 1970 Boss 302 and a 1970 302 Fastback in that color. That of course limits me to the 2007 to 2009 years and boy there aren't many of them out there! Looking at pricing, I wonder if looking at a 2010 in Grabber Blue is worthwhile - another favorite color - had a 1970 Mach 1 428CJ in Grabber Blue. Is the jump from the 2007 - 2009 series to a 2010 worthwhile for the price difference? Speaking of which, I have seen prices all over the place. It seems like a 2007 should be high $20's? Presuming a slight jump for a 2008 or 2009. What about a 2010 in terms of fair price? I'm thinking a vehicle with 30K miles or less ideally.... Appreciate the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68flashback Posted July 28, 2014 Report Share Posted July 28, 2014 I bought mine privately but it was within an hours drive. However, I wondered how to get it checked out mechanically. I found a service that sends a mechanic and a van loaded with all the diagnostics and tools to the car. The work was done in the owners driveway in a couple of hours. I got a 30 page report with details on everything - including pictures of every nick and mark on the car. I added the carfax report for about $20 more. The total price for this was around $150 - pretty cheap insurance. My advice would be - after doing the above and knowing that the price is in range - go drive the car. They are a different animal and you need to know you feel good in the car. Then if you buy it, forget the shipping - drive it home!!! Hope you find what you are looking for! Gregg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY500SS Posted July 28, 2014 Report Share Posted July 28, 2014 Lots of great advise here. You might be lucky and find a car near another TS member that could take a quick look before to spend airfare. I did that and it worked out great. Best of luck with your search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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