Just Bought a GT

[rickisapilot]

OK, I took the plunge! Going to pickup a new GT tomorrow (6/6/06 . . . demons?) and drive it about 300 miles home. Any advice re pickup from the dealer & first little "cross-country" drive home? Hope to get at least a little sleep tonight :wink so that I'm well rested for the drive of my life (I hear it's better than a 777 at liftoff speed). :biggrin
----Rick

 

[Cyclenirvana]

Congrats!
Show us some pics when they are available!
The Ricardo gear shift is unbelievably easy to drive! Feels like a piece of cake compared to the Tremec shifter in my former C6 vette.
As White Petunia says, Backing up takes a little practice, but after trying this trick with my garage a dozen times, it is now a snap!
Be careful merging into traffic. I have found that the passenger B-pillar blocks your view when merging left or taking a left turn from an oblique position.

 

[nota4re]

Let me get this right. You're picking up your GT on 6-6-06? I guess you're not superstitious!

When I picked mine up just about 3 weeks ago, I was nervous as heck..... for about the first 3 miles. After that the car's utter driveability simply succeeds at convincing you that it's not going to do anything bad. I found myself doing my usual in and out of traffic on the way home just like I'd been driving the car for years. Kind of like that old baseball glove that just feels so good and brings back a lot of good memories.

The only unexpected nuance for me was the size of the A-pillars. For whatever reason, I still find it a bit difficult to make left hand turns when I'm on the inside lane and you have to navigate around a concrete divider.

The car is easy as pie to drive - especially on the freeway. You'll find yourself looking around for the cruise control in no time!

Make sure you get the cover, charger, manual, etc. Also, you may want to make sure the front and rear diffuser appendages are there and not scuffed, etc.

Oil needs to be checked when engine is hot and immediatel after shutdown. Don't let an over-caring dealer add oil when you don't need it! A 100 people will have a 100 different opinions on break-in. I think most will agree not to lug your engine and don't stay at a steady RPM for long periods. As such, if your cruising speed on the way home is ~75MPH, I would recommend 4th and 5th gear - and probably not much of 6th for any length of time.

Have fun!

PS What company do you fly for? I'm on one of them an awful lot lately!

 

[ROCMAN]

Congrats! The most important thing is bring a lot of gas money! :lol

 

[KJRGT]

Congrats and get ready for the time of your life! :cheers

 

[MAD IN NC]

Rick, make sure you have:
1/ Car cover,
2/ Front license plate holder (whether you need it or not)
3/ Trickel charger
4/ Owners manual
5/ Any thing else the selling dealer has (ie. DVD's, Books, Manuals, Source files, brochures etc...) cause once you leave you're in your own market,,,,,,

then most importantly:
6/ find a local dealer who can work on the car.... Send a note to the forum if you don't know of any nearby....


BTW- YOU'LL LOVE IT! Personally you have to watch out for the development of your own GT grin :cheers You'll get it!

 

[dbtgt]

Congratulations Rick! You are going to LOVE this car! :banana

 

[rickisapilot]

Thanks To Al!!!!

As you may know, I'm the one who started the thread, "To Buy or Not to Buy." Did a lot of research, & everyone on this forum has been absolutely fantastic in helping out. One of the BEST things about this car seems to be THE OTHER OWNERS, "Pit Crew," and "Spectators" (hope I left no one out) on this forum. As you know, I've wrestled quite a bit with this decision & knowing of this excellent resource (YOU) has mae the decision easier.
Answers: Heritage! / I fly for United Airlines, 777 out of Chicago O'Hare.
Thanks for all the help. As suggested, I've made a list for the dealer pickup. I'm already wearing the GT GRIN :biggrin This is gonna be cool!

 

[Neilda]

Congratulations on the car, you're going to love it.

The first drive advice has been covered - just take it a bit easy for the first 750 miles, keep it under 4,000 rpm for the first 500 and then gradually up from there.

Enjoy it and respect that little pedal under your right foot - it's nuclear!

 

[Gierkink]

I'm already wearing the GT GRIN :biggrin

Rick,

With all due respect you don't have the "GT Grin" yet. What you have is the "Pre-GT Grin" which is more about anticipation. You can only have the "GT Grin" (which is bigger and dumber looking) when you're driving the car or immediately after driving it. Remember these words as you'll know what I mean after you've driven a few brief miles.

Enjoy.

Rob

 

[bigdan40]

Good for you Rick, just try to remember it doesn't have wings but it can fly!!!
Also remember to change your "status" from spectator to owner. Best of luck...BD40 :cheers

 

[FB GT40]

Congratulations Rick. You’re in for the ride of your life. :biggrin Just got my Heritage last Friday night. Have about 200 miles on it so far and it’s a breeze to drive. Talk about broad market appeal? 8 to 80…everyone just loves this car. Don’t know how many cell phone photos have been taken of it but hundreds! Take it easy on break in, keep it under 3,500 rpm, watch the temp gauge, right side visibility has blind spots, aaahh, you’re a pilot and I’m sure used to safety procedures. Maintain them in the GT. Good luck and good travels!

Gordo.

 

[Spirit]

Congratulations Rick.
You made an excellent choice in color.
Your gonn'a LOVE IT it !!

 

[kosupply]

new gt

Congrats...you will love the car and everything written above is true about the car. I sold a 360 last August when the I bought the GT at Covert Ford just north of Austin. I drove it home to Houston and was just amazed. It blows away the 360 as far as driveablility. The 360 has to be wound up to high RPM to make you grin....these GT's are torque monsters!! I just turned 4000 miles with close to 1/2 of that on the track. I have not had to replace brakes or the clutch. The only issue I have had is engine temp and am working on that as we speak.The car is very durable....and in warranty. Except for taking it easy on the brakes for the first 500 miles or so, I have driven the car the way I was going to drive it. If you break it, they will fix it !! There have been a lot of fried clutches due to people trying to take off in 3rd gear because the shifter cants slightly toward the driver. All of the gears are more left than what you are probably use to. You get use to it pronto. Don't worry about accidently hitting reverse. I have not had the problem others have written about reverse. I just pop it left with my palm and push forward...it takes a sturdy effort to get reverse.

 

[rickisapilot]

This Thing Is Fantastic!

Just got back home with my GT. Drove it 350 miles today. No leaks, no rattles, no surprises, and VERY EASY & COMFORTABLE TO DRIVE!! My first drive was off the showroom floor, with just a couple of inches to spare on either side of the car. Took a little bit of back & forth, but I wasn't about to let the drooling salespeople do the task! Once out in the sunshine I couldn't stop driving around in the parking lot. Really exausted tonight from a LONG day, but I was a bit sad to have the journey end! What? PARK the thing??? Also: Gotta get a car cover! I'm in a condo garage & I gotta keep people away! I used the Ford cover tonight. Not the nicest fabic! I've ordered from CA Car Cover before & I know they make a good product. When I get a chance, I've got to wash this baby too . . . it's got bugs across the front end & windscreen. It will be awhile, but I'll post some pics when I've got time. BTW, I'm a reformed "70's Kit Car guy," and compared to those, the "visibility" & "mirrors setup" on the GT are non-issues . . . this thing has much better visibility & mirror coverage than anything "weird" I've owned & driven (and much better than a 777!). By far the FuNnEsT thing I've driven! Now I know why some want TWO . . . I want THREE!!! :banana

 

[rickisapilot]

Btw

I'll eventually need advice on a GOOD DEALER in the Chicago area for service / warranty work. Any suggestions? I'm more towards the northwestern side of the Chicagoland Area, but I'll go anywhere within a reasonable distance to get the best service ('cause it's so damn fun to drive anyway! :thumbsup

 

[AZGT]

As you know, I've wrestled quite a bit with this decision & knowing of this excellent resource (YOU) has made the decision easier.

You were sooooooo easy. :thumbsup

Now, repeat after me - "I need to buy AZGT a second GT".

You will wrestle with that for a little bit, but the (right) decision will come easier :biggrin

 

[Mad Max]

Ummm, if you ever fly into Detroit, and you need a place to keep your second one, I know a guy, nice guy, who would be more than happy to store it for you....free of charge.....just leave the keys.... :biggrin

 

[rickisapilot]

Mad Max . . .

There's a real nice Heritage GT at Ed Schmid Ford in Ferndale! Think they want MSRP. Go buy it, dude! :cheers It's soooooo close!

 

[Fyr-FtrGT]

Hi Rick,

I too received my Heritage on 6/6/06. It was delivered from a Ford dealer in Alabama. I used Reliable Carriers to get it here in Northern California. I don't get anywhere in a hurry with all the car enthusiasts asking me questions that I do not know the answer to. Thanks to this Forum, I will soon have most of the answers. Good luck with your car, and hope to run into you in the future.
--Gary Tryhorn