mikeljgt500kr Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 I am looking at buying one, a 2006, but not having seen one in person since I turned down several in 2006 which had $30K or so ADMs, I am wondering about the downsides of them. I understand about the lack of modern tech features, like traction/stability controls, cruise control and cup holders, but how about road noise, cabin noise, and what seems like no luggage space for any trip? How uncomfortable/impractical would they be on long trips? Are they just track cars? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 (edited) The answer to this any many other questions are found on www.fordgt.com and www.fordgtalley.com. This is a mustang forum, not many people have GTs. P.S. If you join fordgtforum READ and use SEARCH. These kinds of questions aren't tolerated well on those forums since it's already been hashed many times. The size of the luggage compartment is certainly an issue. You go to a car show and can't even get a small coleman 6-pack cooler in it. Basically, think of the trunk as a size match to the car cover in the duffel bag. Others claim they have moved whole houses in them, but the amount of stuff packed around the passenger don't make it look very comfortable. Oh, and don't put anything in there you don't want to melt, because it will. The lack of cruise control precluded me from driving it on longer trips but I've found you can't use cruise most of the time anymore. Road noise is medium but mostly from tires. You really can't hear the engine behind the glass. If you need or want nannies like stability and traction control don't get one. This is an analog supercar. It handles like Cobra. Many were wrecked in the first few miles. The rear end breaks loose on the drop of a hat with the factory tires (ignoring that they are now almost 10 years old, so you'd want to replace them anyway) You can get sideways simply by shifting from 2nd to 3rd. Get the Bridgestones they are grippier in cold conditions but still not perfect. My single beef is visibility. Some people, especially on the track, really don't like the size of the A-pillar. But rear visibility is not a problem for the simple reason that something that doesn't exist can't be a problem. There is none. It's a giant moving blind spot. In city traffic you have to make a reservation on Tuesday for a lane change on Thursday. For this reason mine is for sale. Oh and don't forget the gauges. They WILL fail. Speedhut has a complete replacement and Autometer has released replacements for all but the tach and speed (larger gauges) so if you have a failure the recommended route is still to replace with speedhuts. Oh, and the doors: Everywhere you go will need two parking spaces. The doors simply cannot be opened wide enough for ingress/egress in a single (new age) parking spot. Find Jeremy Clarkson's video of him doing the snake crawl to get out. It was supposed to be a funny slam of the car, but it is true. Edited May 17, 2015 by twobjshelbys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 (edited) Here's another really big downside: Parts. Many simple wear parts are simply no longer available. Remember the gauges? If you can find some of them from Ford (some are out of stock with no date) they are about $800. Body parts are incredibly expensive: A front fender is about 15K. I was going to buy a door and have a gurney bubble put in and the naked door with none of the parts like window lifters, handles, etc) was about 20K and that was in 2011. The rear clamshell is over 30K. Headlights are about 5K and noone second sources them. And you can't replace the bulbs so if one goes out you're all in. The wheel hubs have been out of stock at Ford for over a year (although it looks like the OEM may have made them available). Control arm bushings are not replacable, so if you need new ones you replace the whole arms. I think about 1K each. The little gas cap thing (capless, the slider thing that self-closes) gets jammed frequently - 2K.for the filler neck because the parts aren't available separately. The rear diffuser part, which will get clipped, is 3K (and I need one becasue I backed into a curb). The factory supercharger is no longer available, so if it fails (as mine did) you hope it can be rebuilt (as mine was) or you switch to an aftermarket. [There are take off sales of the S/C but they are priced similarly to the whipples.] Edit: Since this is the cost of ownership topic I'll add about Insurance. For the reason of parts above, with almost any accident these days the car is totaled, frame damage or not. For this reason insurance is increasing annually. When I got mine in 2011 the rate was under 2K a year for a stated value coverage. It is now over 4K. Edited May 17, 2015 by twobjshelbys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 (edited) The upside: It's the fastest, most stable car I've ever driven. At the FGT rally here in October I took mine on the track for the first time. I reached the limit of the Corvettes used at Bondurant, but I never even approached the limit of the GT. Gary Patterson drove my car (having him an an instructor was awesome!) and he said the same thing. Edited May 17, 2015 by twobjshelbys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeljgt500kr Posted May 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 Thank you two, I knew you had the most experience here in these cars so hoped you would answer. I hated to join yet another forum and ask rookie questions, many do not like that I know. I am torn here, I really wanted a more modern car for road tours and rallies, on longer trips and weather exposure than I dare take my Cobra. But I am concerned this is not that car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 Thank you two, I knew you had the most experience here in these cars so hoped you would answer. I hated to join yet another forum and ask rookie questions, many do not like that I know. I am torn here, I really wanted a more modern car for road tours and rallies, on longer trips and weather exposure than I dare take my Cobra. But I am concerned this is not that car. I'm afraid you would be disappointed. I had a Cobra (CSX4005LA) before the GT. My wife hated the Cobra and did the Vampire Cross every time she walked by it so I got the GT - it had air conditioning (oh, when it works, lots of A/C controller problems too, and repair involves removing the entire dash), regular 3-point seat belts (although I installed 6-point harnesses for track) and a 12V socket for an ipod. She liked driving in it, but the lack of luggage space meant we never went anywhere. II noted that I matched HP:weight of the Cobra with the GT, and it can get just as squirelly as a Cobra just as easily so I in essence got covered wagon with essentially the same driving characteristics as a Cobra (except you can't see out of it). Think of it this way: You're "always on". I think the reason there is no cruise is that having it would in fact be dangerous. We did do the road tours with the GT rally folks and it was a fun drive. At one stretch I asked her how fast she thought we were going (with the pack) and she said 50. We were almost 95. The GT is not "modern", really. But if you're looking for a car that you can take trips on, and not worry about what happens if something happens, I think the GT is a mismatch for that usage model. It's not modern by any stretch of the imagination. If you want an exotic, I think McLaren's are awesome. If you want something stupid fast to track get a C7 Z06. If I were buying a car today (and not 4 years ago) I would not buy a GT. P.S. I drool over the new 2017 GT and will probably come real close to buying one but ultimately will not do so. It will suffer from the same issues of parts, but probably even sooner. Plus, I'm not sure I'll fit in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 And by the way, if you balked at 30K ADMs then, the reality is you're now queued up to pay a 200K ADM... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeljgt500kr Posted May 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 Thanks Tony! Good advice for sure. I love my 50th Anniv. FIA Cobra, but my wife doesn't, sound familiar? I am still tweaking it but it is crazy fast with that 331 stroker and Webers. Totally impractical, but still fun. I have a 2012 ZR1 that I took to the Texas Mile to get my 200+ MPH Club t-shirt. And have been using it and my 2013 GT350 for tours and rallies. But I was looking for something new to join the fleet. I have been looking at Porsche 911 Turbo S's, and GT3s, they have all the bells and whistles, and are considerably cheaper than the GT, but Porsche's will depreciate like a rock, so lots of choices and trade-offs. I have owned a Porsche before, ran the wheels off it (200K miles) and really enjoyed the Porsche Club around here. I have several friends here with McLarens, but I just can't warm up to the "look" of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 Cobras are a tinkerer's dream. Every time I took it out there was something more to do. I even went through it and tightened every nut and bolt and it still would come loose. But it's a race car. I'm sure when the race was over Bob Bondurant gave the mechanics a list of squeaks and rattles to fix before the next race Mine also was a very unique car - it was alive. The nuts and bolts mated and reproduced and dropped little baby nuts and bolts on the garage floor. I have no idea where they came from since I could never find any missing. The other thing is it ate MSD-6ALs like candy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeljgt500kr Posted May 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 So far none of those issues, I do have one interior screw that backs out no matter how many times I tighten it, but I need to do a better inspection too. The most aggravating problem has been the diff breather that spits gear oil inside my right rear wheel well. But that seems to be stopped, I got tired of "changing diapers" around it to keep the area clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39Mustang Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 You can always build one of those Superformance GT40's that'll sure wakeup any neighbors If money is not an issue hard not to say a 911 Porsche GT3 or a Ferrari 458 Speciale If things go right for me I got my eye on a Mercedes SLS AMG GT Coupe... this car along with the original 66 GT40 MKII are the best 2 cars I've ever seen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 You can always build one of those Superformance GT40's that'll sure wakeup any neighbors If money is not an issue hard not to say a 911 Porsche GT3 or a Ferrari 458 Speciale If things go right for me I got my eye on a Mercedes SLS AMG GT Coupe... this car along with the original 66 GT40 MKII are the best 2 cars I've ever seen A friend of mine had a Ford GT and got concerned (in 2011) about parts availability and sold it for a SPF GT40. He is always tinkering with it. And they are very small inside, the seats are built into the pan (just like the new one) and you can reach from the drivers side and touch the passenger window (just as with the new one). My best description is "claustrophobic". Another of my car show friends in Vegas shares that assessment. So unless you want something as equally raw and uncomfortable as a Cobra, stay away from any GT40 replica. After all they were a race car first. It is certainly not a car that you want to have to drive across country. Uncivilized is a kind description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeljgt500kr Posted May 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 I have looked at some other super cars, after my experience with my AMG SL55, I will never have another MB. The BMW i8 looked great, but then you find out it is a hybrid junker with 1000 lbs. of batteries in the trunk. The McLaren 650S is nice but odd design, but I need to really drive one. The Porsche 911 Turbo S is my choice now after driving some, it is so much faster and quieter than the GT3 it is not even close, and it is AWD. Used prices on the Porsches and McLarens are really going down fast, so it is like catching a falling knife as to when to get in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuickSilverShelby Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hey twobjshelbys, thanks for the education on the Ford GT. I've been eyeing one for several years but after reading your review on the parts issues and lack of storage, I may have to reconsider going forward. QSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hey twobjshelbys, thanks for the education on the Ford GT. I've been eyeing one for several years but after reading your review on the parts issues and lack of storage, I may have to reconsider going forward. QSS I knew the boot was small, but didn't know how small until I tried to put my pop cooler in and the lid wouldn't close. It's a great "drive on windy roads" car. It's maybe just not "practical". Some people drive them as daily drivers. Like I said, visibility is my #1 hot button. There is none. The FGT is a modern version of the original, and the original had one purpose: go forward, fast. So looking behind you was not part of the requirements doc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08KR525 Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Tony I'm still looking for the right car, but it's tough. These cars are 10 yrs old now and lots of them have stories and issues. I may broaden my search and start looking at other manufacturers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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