Buying a GT, Year Differences? Options?

[Jsuit]

Hi all,

My name is John (Jsuit on Fchat)

I like many Ferrari owners have a great interest in the GT, I am looking for some sage advice on options and year to year differences. I did a quick search and found some disperse pieces of information but nothing solid.

Here is what I think I know.

Guardsman Blue (same as midnight?) with white stripes
2005 (just heard there were more options)
Red Calipurs
Mcintosh system
the Spoke wheels

Any other options?

Thanks for tolerating my newb questions.

John

 

[AZGT]

Basically, no differences - 05 had a grill, 06 doesn't - some have machined a-arms, most don't.

Only option choices

Big Mac radio
stripes
caliper color (black is standard)
side stripe delete
wheels.

At this point, hard to be too picky. Find a good one and grab on. Yep, you might pay more than you want, but it is less than it will be in 6 months.

 

[Jsuit]

Thanks

What should I expect to pay for a no story, low mile, example?

I assume maintance is no where near what I am used to for the Maranello (although not bad for a FCar)

John

 

[Empty Pockets]

Real world? $180K.

(And you're correct about the maint.!)

 

[Jsuit]

nice

Sounds well worth the money.

 

[shelbyelite]

I have lots of choices!

Guardsman blue?? Never heard of it, but yes, Midnight blue is a great color. Lots of good advise on this board. I will let the other owners answer your questions. If you want choices, give me a call. I have most colors in stock. Ready to go with low mileage. Many on this board have bought from me. All are more than happy. Best of luck with it and regardless where you buy it from, you will love the Sh*t out of it! :thumbsup

 

[AlohaGT]

Sounds well worth the money.

One gets much more value and enjoyment out of our GTs than what we've paid. There are multiple Fowners and FGT owners here with some great comparison write ups if you haven't already read.

Also, I've read and heard nothing but good experiences of buying from Shelby. Check out GTs for Sale section.

Hope you join us.

 

[fjpikul]

Jsuit, the first 400 or so cars in the '05 run had a speedy sleeve installed in the crank for a leaky seal. No one has reported any problems with this fix. The early to mid '05s also have the cast A arms on the suspension. There was a $10K price increase that went into effect July '05. If a car was ordered before July '05, it was not affected. Most '05s have a screen in front of the radiator. Late '05s and all '06s do not have this screen, but a slightly altered front bumper. There are plenty of pictures on the Forum to documnet these changes. Other than a latch change here or there, the cars are pretty much identical. Silver was offered only in '05. Tungsten and Heritage Blue Livery were offerd only in '06. Standard calipers were black, red and grey being a $750 option. Standard radio without subwoofer was a Sanyo with Macintosh radio and sub as a $4000 option. Center stripe is a $5400 option becasue they are painted on. BBS six spoke wheels are standard, BBS forged wheels a $4000 option. Livery paint job was a $13K option. Yo0u cannot import an American version into Canada. Canadian versions have a different front bumper (heavier), a longer rear bumper, nad no Mac option. By far and away, the best color is RED.

 

[MAD IN NC]

Js By far and away, the best color is RED.

Franky - great summary but you should have stated - Red is the most common color and the GT is not a common car! :rofl

 

[Waxer]

No, actually, Red is the right color for such an uncommon car!

:banana

 

[Fubar]

Guardsman blue?? Never heard of it

I think Guardsman Blue was the color that was used on the old AC Cobras. As I recall it is a light blue.

 

[Jsuit]

Great advice and information

I think based on the advice here, I am looking for:

2006 Midnight blue with white stripe
red calipers
standard wheels

I have the McIntosh system in my 550, so I really would like that in the GT

I did a search on the GT, Ferrari comparisons there was a decent amount of inaccurate info there but not surprising given that comparisons are based own one or two off personal driving experiences.

Example: The 99 and prior 550 Maranellos are much faster than (4.2 vice 4.7) o-60 than 2000 and 2001. (reason: EPA required pre-cat exhaust restrictors post 99)

Additionally Euro 550s are 400lb lighter
and Fiorano Handling Package 550s acceleration, braking and handling are a different world from a stock 550.

I wanted to figure out if there is any thing similar in the Ford GT world in terms of performance. Not comparing 550s to GTs, Comparing Ford GTs to Ford GTs

The reason I bring all this up is because I started with a U.S. Spec 550 and ended up with a Euro 99 FHP 550 which I am very happy with and want to add a Ford GT because it is just a beautiful machine with brutal power and race car like handling.

 

[roketman]

Midnight Blue

YUP, MIDNIGHT BLUE ROCKS !!
ALL THE fORD GT COLORS ROCK PICK ONE OR TWO !

 

[jaxgt]

Blue is a great color, and almost all will have the McIntosh stereo. While there are some deals out there for cars that sound better than others, you're best buying it from a reputable dealer such as those who are supporting this forum.

I don't think there is an appreciable performance difference between 2005 and 2006 stock GTs. Many people have done modifications, some as simple as a tune, that may affect their performance. For instance, I had my pulley swapped and a custom tune by TonyG, and have about 600hp at the rear wheels. Wow.

For what it's worth, I like the Ferrari's too. I've a friend with an F430 spider. The few times we've had our cars together, the general consensus is that most people honestly prefer the GT. Better lines and invokes racing memories. I'd get one before they continue to get more and more expensive. When I was looking initially, I waited a few months and wound up paying some $10,000 more than I could have early on. Still worth it.

 

[ROCMAN]

I thought I heard that 05's and 06's were the years to avoid. :confused :biggrin

 

[STORMCAT]

The build quality and some of the minor issues got better as more cars were built. The later 06's are the most debugged of minor fit , finish and buzzing noises etc.. But at the end of the day they're all good Or should I say fantastic !!..:thumbsup

 

[911teo]

As per improving the GT there are not very many areas that need/can be improved.

- Engine: this is the component that has seen the most options avaliable. You can go from a simple pulley swap ($600 and add 60-70hp) to a Twin Turbo set up ($35k and 1,000hp) going through a Supercharger swap (for a Whipple => $10k and 720-730HP). The choice is yours depending on how you want to use the car.

- Transmission: the Ricardo 6-speed gearbox was developed for the GT and it's an incredible piece of engineering. The only possible mod would be changing the diff ratio.

- Suspensions: the GT stock suspensions are really woderful. To better them you really need to vent into the competition range. Penske and AT (right guys?) offer packages of double and triple adj shocks/coilovers. The ride get a little firmier and you can lower the car (careful with the aerodynamic consequences) a little. The improvements will be evident if you track your car. The car has a tendence to understeer in corner entry. The upg suspension will allow you to sharpen up the turn in and dial out the understeer completely.

- Exhaust systems: there are a number of mufflers avaliable. Check the Tech session. At the top there is a sticky with a compilation of the muffler sounds. You can change the muffler only or go all the way and replace the headers.

- Exterior: there is little avaliable because the car is just perfect. But you can get a X1 treatment (avaliable until Aug 08), swap the front splitter and rear diffuser with more aggressive ones (Stillen), get a Guerney bubble if you are a tall driver and track the car.

- Wheels: there are a handful of options readily avaliable (I-forged). Then there is the custom race-wheel build route (CCW, Jongbloed, BBS, Fikse, Kodiak etc) and then there is the retro option in the making (for more info look up for Kirby's msg about the Halibrand GT40 wheels).

- Brakes: the stock Brembo are fine unless you extensively track your car. Swap the pads and change the fluid. There are talks of ceramic rotors being in development (they will possibly need a change of calipers too) and there are 6-piston caliper kits avaliable for the racers (Stillen)

- Interior: Kip Ewing has developed a nice carbon fiber catalog to choose from. Items include the ceter console, Mac sub enclosures, storage bins etc.

All in all Ford really did a wonderful job with the car at launch and the possible improvements are finite and debatable.

I think of the 6 options (color, Mac, wheels, calipers, stripes, year) that you have the most improtant is the color.

They all look great. I have had the chance of seeing a lot of them next to each other and I would be happy to drive home in any without any regrets.

The Mac is the most common options and it will be extremely rare to find a car without it.

Second most common option are the stripes. A car without stripes is considered very rare.

So after the color (Mac and stripes are given) I would not be too hung on the year, caliper or wheels.

Find the best car from a reputable source. The savings that can be had by venturing in the unkown are not worth it.

Good luck in your search. You are in for a treat. You won't be disappointed.

 

[AlohaGT]

Matteo prepared a very comprehensive list of potential mods - nice job. :thumbsup

A few other considerations:

Half-shaft bolt upgrade is a must. Most have done Accufab but factory now is an option.

Rear bumper delete improves aesthetics considerably, IMO.

Short throw shifter and Jay's low profile shifter ball is sweet combo.

In addition to Kip's superb CF parts, check out Brian's (Stormcat) CF replacements as well - center console (Mac relocate), SJB plate, bonnet...

Safecraft Halon fire supression system - better safe than sorry.

If you don't want to pop for the full on suspension swap, T&A lowering kit is an inexpensive alternative and gives the FGT a more aggresive look.

Kendall Pond aka nota4re, Cooltech, can hook you up on much of this including RBD, T&A, Halon, transaxle cooler and more.

Enjoy!

 

[Jsuit]

Awesome, thanks guys!

 

[Fubar]

One last thing to mention, I would think you are aware but just to be sure. In 2006 Ford offered the car with a Heritage paint scheme. It is the baby blue and orange colors (Shell Racing). It was a $17,000 option as I recall and is probably the rarest color option (although yellow would be a close second).

Good luck, let us know what you decide.