Mustang Shelby

My local dealer wants $20K for "market adjustment". Some local knucklehead will pay that. But I won't. A year or two ago they had a GT on the lot. The wanted $200K for "additional dealer profit". And, yes, that's exactly what it said on the window sticker - "additional dealer profit".

And of course Ford wonders why they are doing so poorly. Everytime they make a car that more than two people want, ford builds them in low volume and/or on allotment such that their dealers decide to sell few with huge profit margins rather than sell volume.

I guess with the regular shelby having an additional 24K tacked on means the GT500 will remain absurdly high priced as well. Ford will continue to constrict supply by building low volume or allotment schemes that distribute the cars in fixed numbers to dealers so that there is no reason for any dealer to sell one at even as low as sticker.

Each model year ford will vary things slightly to try and keep this game going taking advantage of idiots while it's core customer base sits on the sidelines waiting for a fair price and one at time giving up on Ford and going to another manufacturer.

I don't think ford marketing doesn't understand that it isn't Ferrari and that while it makes the dealers happy to make one sale with 20K+ profit, it does neither Ford nor the dealers any good in the long run.

Maybe they are under the delusion that everyone or nearly everyone that could pay $42K (or whatever sticker is) for a GT500 but can't or won't pay $65K just settles for plain Mustang GT. Obviously out of touch as I by feel most people aren't settling for a lesser Ford product but rather becoming increasingly annoyed with Ford and considering manufacturers that don't play this game.

Solution: Get a regular GT and turn the wrenches yourself. You can buy all the Shelby GT upgrades from Ford Racing Performance Parts for under $3K. Do it this way and you save yourself $7K, plus the dealer/ stealer markup, and you'll have a car you can continue to modify without the worry of hacking up a "future collectible".

Problem solved.

Patrick

Well here's how that worked out last time.... I couldn't have the car being down while I turned it into a product development experiment. Thusly, modifications have been limited.

I'm talking GT500. The shelby GT isn't even worth thinking about. But the overcharging for them means the GT500 isn't getting reasonable any time soon.

I looked through the Shelby options and other than the Shelby serial number the rest of the mods that I liked were stock order Ford parts. I could care less about having Shelby on the trunk or on the dash it definitely won't make it any faster.

biggest mods I saw on the sticker were sway bars, lowered springs, exhaust change, and air intake.

Decoration was Shelby this and that on floor mats dash and trunk. some different decals on the fenders, and wheels.

Back when the original GT350 came out anyone could order it if you had the $$. It definitely was not 24K in price increases.

Actually for about 55K for the Shelby muskrat you could get a decent Corvette with more power.

I understand your dilemma. Many face/have faced the same situation. But you know this obstacle isn't Mustang specific. I myself have faced it many times and have ways to get my bolt-ons bolted on.

But he wasn't. He was talking Shelby GT.

Why not? Stock 13.6/7s @ 103 isn't that bad, is it?

Who cares? Why do you have to have a GT500? Why not just find a '03-'04 Terminator? Prices of those have to be fairly reasonable now and with a few _simple_ mods you can have an 11-second car.

So if you don't have to have the latest and greatest... again, problem solved.

Patrick

And when the engineering project goes foul on tuesday morning on your drive to work? Even through no fault of your own? Or even if you just missed some little detail because you didn't know about it? I like my cars to last a long time and being reliable. Turning them into engineering projects doesn't do well for either. I'd do it if all I had to do was reach into a parts bin to replace whatever broke.... like I do with the products I work on... so what if I burned up a gear, just reach into the box and get another one, there's only 439 left...

You replied to me. Reply to the OP then. The topic had grown where I stepped in.

Because as you clearly pointed it out, it's a gussied up GT with a jacked up price.

I don't. I can always buy a non-ford instead. Which is what Ford is encouraging me to do. Why people like you apologize for them I have no idea. Guess it's the same disease that has people identify with the democrats or the republicans.

I already own an SN95 mustang. I would need to do all the stuff I never got around to doing on the one I have. I also don't want someone's used car, plus I don't like the styling of 99-04. It grew on me so I don't find it revolting, but I still have no desire to own one. If were to cheap out and buy a used car, I would look for a 96-98 GT or cobra with the same color exterior and interior as my 97.

Latest and greatest.... the GT500 is hardly such by any technology measure. If I wanted latest and greatest there wouldn't even be a production Ford on the consideration list. The GT500 is the only new mustang that I find appealing. I think I've waited long enough for Ford to have them on sale for a reasonable price without unusal hassle. When I decide to stomach going to car dealerships, I'll probably start out with the chevy (corvette) and BMW dealers and branch out from there. I'd sooner spend way too much money for base 911 long before I give a ford dealer 65K for a new mustang of any kind.

Whoa, wait a minute, dude! Further down you state you're going to look at a Vette, BMW or Porshe, but here you're acting like you don't have a few extra bucks to buy/own a back-and-forth-to-work beater...? Or enough to throw a few bucks at a local mechanic to install your bolt-ons for you. Geeze, please don't play the sympathy card. Hell, I for one have peddled a bike to work more than a few times when the bolt-ons didn't get bolted on in time. And I knew a guy who changed a Fox over from an automatic to a 5-speed and he did all the work on a weekend, IN A PARKING LOT! And I'm sure there are others in here who can top this.

I know, but when I replied the thread was only two posts deep and I decided to talk to both of you at the same time.

Yes, but its performance, which IS available at a reasonable price if you do it yourself, is respectable.

I'm not. I simple stated an alternative. Buy a Terminator. And in a few years, when the next must-have Mustang comes out, a used GT500 will be a good alternative.

I don't suffer from this disease.

No, you wouldn't. A stock Terminator should keep you happy for awhile. And when that performance level gets boring for you, you know how well they respond to simple mods.

You're killing me! Dude, look around a little. You can find nice used Cobras... pampered Cobras. Many people buy these things, treat them like art work, then after a few years of ownership sell them when their "priorities change". I got mine with only 36,000 miles for less than half the price it went for when new. I found mine in less than a week. They're out there.

You're too picky. IMO the Terminators are awesome looking cars! Those big wide gum balls under that hunkered-down stance is menacing.

But if you want that big-league performance buying a used Terminator is a much better deal.

I'm talking about in Mustangland.

These days being the latest and greatest lasts about a year, maybe.

The base GT is still a pretty sweet deal. And a new Mach 1, Bullitt, Boss 302 are rumored to be in the pipeline.

If you've run out of patience, you got to do what you got to do.

Doesn't want to buy used, but is willing to get the new-car rape. Hmmmm...

I could find much better things to do with $65K than spend it on ANY one car.

Patrick

I guess my point is if the parts are Ford stock parts I think it is time to get the order numbers for the Shelby mods I want and order a GT with those options installed by ford. All it would be is a Special order car with a few Gizmos added. Personally I like the color scheme of the Hertz Mustangs (black and gold) with the few performance bells and whistles of the Shelby and I forgot to mention the Hurst Shifter that I like lots better than the stock one. Maybe we could come up with the Mustang with Options and name it the Phoenix Mustang (arisen from the ashes of Ford's stupidity)

I think I will go talk to the dealer this weekend and see if they can special order it. made my way HIPO with none of the Shelby appearance mods. I think they were called sleepers in the days of my youth like the 455 Buick powered 57 Vette a friend had in 1965.

I've turned enough wrenches on my '89 LX and I'm tired of doing it. Ford told us last summer they were going to deliver enough GT500s to get the price close to MSRP. They aren't doing this and I doubt they have any plans to do it. This latest Shelby is just another gouge at the wallets of loyal Mustang buyers.

I expected to be able to buy a 500 hp new Mustang with a warranty for under $45k. Ford promised me, and everyone else, this would come to pass. They think making a paltry few dollars on a limited run of Mustangs is worth the ultimate cost of loyal customers? I won't be buying a Mustang or Explorer or any hybrid from them again if the GT500 isn't sold in enough quantity to lower the sales price.

I see their sales numbers for April have tanked too. I now give Ford a

40% chance, at best, of surviving another 5 years as an independent automaker. Frankly, I don't care if they make it or not. Remember, this is coming from a guy that has bought only Fords for more than 20 years. As I said before, when they start losing loyal customers like me they are in some really deep $hit. Pulling stunts like they have with these Shelby Mustangs does nothing but damage, IMO.