Looking for a GT (2005-6), first time buyer would like to know a bit more.

[Shark01]

Refer to my last post on another post, "who cares what she said". lol

I do, she is very understanding about all this crazy stuff, the long hours working overtime, the extra jobs....if you subtract all this from a $250k car, I'm really paying just sweat equity + $100k for the car.....Diablo was the same way, cost me only $50k in real money.

 

[Tomcat]

I was wondering the same thing. Here is a list of his designs I found on the internet;

• Alfa Romeo Montreal
• Alfa Romeo 33 Carabo
• Bugatti EB110
• Citroën BX
• Cizeta-Moroder V16T
• De Tomaso Pantera SI
• Ferrari Dino 308GT4
• Fiat 132
• Fiat X1/9
• Iso Lele
• Lamborghini Countach
• Lamborghini Diablo
• Lamborghini Espada
• Lamborghini Jarama
• Lamborghini Miura
• Lamborghini Urraco
• Lancia Stratos
• Maserati Khamsin
• Maserati Ghibli II
• Maserati Quattroporte II (1974–1978) & IV (1994–2001)
• Maserati Shamal
• Renault 5 Supercinq
• De Tomaso Biguà (Qvale Mangusta)
• De Tomaso Pantera

The Designs of Marcello Gandini — 95 Customs

Marcello Gandini was born in Torino Italy in 1938. In previous articles, we have discussed the works of two other prolific Italian designers, Giorgetto Giugiaro's and Leonardo Fioravanti. Interestingly, all three were born within only several weeks of one another that year. There must have

www.95customs.com

I thought Tom Tjaarda penned the Pantera tho.

Correct...Gandini did:

• De Tomaso Pantera SI
• De Tomaso Pantera 'Prossima Generazione'

 

[Joehand1]

Agree with the miles thing, your best bet is to find a one or two owner with 15-25k miles since the lower miles cars may have issues from sitting

 

[Tord]

Hello, another new member here looking for knowledge about buying a FGT. Like many of you I have watched these for years and always wanted to get one but never did it. I unfortunately chose now to get serious when they are at their peak in price. As mentioned in earlier posts I would absolutely get a PPI but for my own knowledge what are some of the common known issues to look for and questions to ask when searching for a FGT? Relatively flexible regarding color, miles etc. as long as it is in line with the price. Any help, suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[extrap]

Hello, another new member here looking for knowledge about buying a FGT. Like many of you I have watched these for years and always wanted to get one but never did it. I unfortunately chose now to get serious when they are at their peak in price. As mentioned in earlier posts I would absolutely get a PPI but for my own knowledge what are some of the common known issues to look for and questions to ask when searching for a FGT? Relatively flexible regarding color, miles etc. as long as it is in line with the price. Any help, suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Here's a nice, 351-mile, all-4-options red one in Gainesville, FL You might even decide no need for a PPI since Rich Brooks did that August 2020 as well as servicing the car at the time in his shop https://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/threads/2005-ford-gt-red-white-stripes-4-option-351-miles.38206/

 

[PeteK]

More miles is better. The ones that don’t get driven seem to have more problems. If they just sit, seals dry out, fluids don’t circulate and get hot to drive off moisture, Freon leaks out, rubber bushings take a set, etc. and a car with 10,000 or 20,000 or more miles will cost less upfront, and you won’t depreciate it by driving it regularly.

Buying a low mileage car and not driving it is like marrying a supermodel and saving her for the next guy. I have 75,000 (s)miles on mine with only regular maintenance. Even the original battery lasted 16 years! I don’t care whether it would be worth $200,000 more of I never drove it. Get one that has been well-loved, and it will return the love to you many times over.

Edit 3/15/22: Let me clarify the earlier comment. I implied that cars with very low miles have more problems than cars that get driven regularly. That's a rule of thumb for machinery in general, but it really depends on the particular vehicle. If it's been regularly serviced and well preserved, like Extrap's, especially by The GT Guy, then you don't have anything to fear, beyond what just normally goes bad due to time and wear. If you want a really low-mile, virtually new car, then grab his.

 

[roketman]

More miles is better. The ones that don’t get driven seem to have the most problems. If they just sit, seals dry out, fluids don’t circulate and get hot to drive off moisture, Freon leaks out, rubber bushings take a set, etc. and a car with 10,000 or 20,000 or more miles will cost less upfront, and you won’t depreciate it by driving it regularly.

Buying a low mileage car and not driving it is like marrying a supermodel and saving her for the next guy. I have 75,000 (s)miles on mine with only regular maintenance. Even the original battery lasted 16 years! I don’t care whether it would be worth $200,000 more of I never drove it. Get one that has been well-loved, and it will return the love to you many times over.

Ditto here Pete!!

 

[GT@50]

More miles is better. The ones that don’t get driven seem to have the most problems. If they just sit, seals dry out, fluids don’t circulate and get hot to drive off moisture, Freon leaks out, rubber bushings take a set, etc. and a car with 10,000 or 20,000 or more miles will cost less upfront, and you won’t depreciate it by driving it regularly.

Buying a low mileage car and not driving it is like marrying a supermodel and saving her for the next guy. I have 75,000 (s)miles on mine with only regular maintenance. Even the original battery lasted 16 years! I don’t care whether it would be worth $200,000 more of I never drove it. Get one that has been well-loved, and it will return the love to you many times over.

Well, do you want my supermodel wife? She's got some miles on her but I had fun hammering her for a few years. There's a couple stretch marks on the seat and every once in a while I'll hear some freon leak out. She's older and not as shiny but still looks great.

 

[69b302]

Some of the common issues are below. Some cars may never have any of these, but they are the more common issues.

Dashboard gauges failing
Control Arm boots/Tie link boots dried out and cracked/split
Vents in the clamshell are plastic and will deform/melt slightly if driven hard in high temps.
Axle shaft bolt recall and airbag recall needs to be verified as completed
Dash leather pulling out from under defroster vents
Oil pump belt, should be changed if original
Steering wheel emblem corrosion
Tires age, how old are they if you plan on actually driving.
Power steering return line from reservoir to pump swelled/leaking


Good luck on your search!

 

[twobjshelbys]

Axle shaft bolt recall and airbag recall needs to be verified as completed

Note the difference between the axle bolts and the airbag recall.

The airbag is a true recall - ie, issued by the NHTSA. Ford is obligated to fix it no matter how old.

The axle bolt issue was a Technical Service Bulletin. It was not NHTSA recall. As such, Ford was only obligated to replace the parts and labor during the warranty period (maybe they extended it a little). But that is no longer the case. If you need the axle bolts its on your nickel. To find out if it was done ask a Ford service manager for the OASIS report.

Just an observation/opinion: I fail to see how when the car snaps the bolts and can't move (say, in the middle of the freeway) that that isn't a safety issue, but apparently not... Oh well.

 

[Specracer]

Welcome to the forum. There are relatively few known issues, these include, gauges, axle retaining bolts, air bag recalls etc. Note these really relatively minor. Pull up a chair here and dig through some of the threads that discuss these. There are several members here with 100k plus on their cars, with relatively speaking trouble free miles (routine upkeep). Enjoy the search, and hope you find what your looking for.

Hello, another new member here looking for knowledge about buying a FGT.

 

[2112]

Some of the common issues are below. Some cars may never have any of these, but they are the more common issues.

Dashboard gauges failing
Control Arm boots/Tie link boots dried out and cracked/split
Vents in the clamshell are plastic and will deform/melt slightly if driven hard in high temps.
Axle shaft bolt recall and airbag recall needs to be verified as completed
Dash leather pulling out from under defroster vents
Oil pump belt, should be changed if original
Steering wheel emblem corrosion
Tires age, how old are they if you plan on actually driving.
Power steering return line from reservoir to pump swelled/leaking


Good luck on your search!

I have had to address most of these..

Still the best car I have ever owned.
.

 

[SYCO GT]

.....she thinks one yellow car is enough.

She's right. If it's a Ford GT, then one yellow car is more than enough. Easy solution. Sell whatever yellow car you currently have and buy the GT.

 

[SYCO GT]

Any advice about what I should expect using the car to drive to work an hour each way from home and in traffic sometimes? Also have a home in the desert outside of Los Angeles about 2.5 hours away that would like to use.
Mike Kerns

Should be easier than most of what you have in your collection, save the Ranger. Perhaps do it 1-2x a week and use the Ranger the rest?

Black stripeless is a fine choice! Although I might be biased.

 

[PeteK]

I bought the red one with 207 miles on it, and the silver one with ~4,900 miles. Sent both directly to Rich Brooks, he went over both and addressed all issues, almost entirely routine maintenance. The red one did have a leaking A/C compressor (replaced), and the silver one had slightly leaking shocks (replaced). Both inexpensive to correct and no problem for Rich. Red one's A/C works perfect, even with only ~130 miles in my year and a half of ownership, and the silver one has no issues either. Both drive and operate like new cars and are fantastic. Everything works, no leaks.

Drove the red one to our January Cars & Coffee, absolutely no issues, A/C and heat work, literally drives, smells and feels like a brand new car. Drove the silver one to Cars & Coffee yesterday ... everything works. I'm just not seeing the major issues you describe. Did I get super lucky? Or are the issues you describe just not a big deal for Rich to handle?

Edit: Maybe the difference here is, I don't have a problem with shipping a $300k car to the expert to make sure all is good and take care of maintenance etc, whereas maybe you don't want to do that.

As for me, my cars usually have bug splats, bird shit, and dirt on them because I drive them as often as possible. The two dirtiest cars at the Rally 13 were mine and Mark McGowan’s. We both drove them over 1000 miles to get there. And loved every mile. I do have to admit that he won the dirtiest car title, because after two days, I broke down in a moment of weakness and ran mine through a car wash…

For someone who is looking for a GT and intends to drive it regularly, it's probably more cost effective to start with one with higher miles. But if you want a red low-mile car, it would be hard to find one better than Extrap's.

 

[PeteK]

Well, do you want my supermodel wife? She's got some miles on her but I had fun hammering her for a few years. There's a couple stretch marks on the seat and every once in a while I'll hear some freon leak out. She's older and not as shiny but still looks great.

Mine has more miles on her. Wanna swap?

 

[Shark01]

She's right. If it's a Ford GT, then one yellow car is more than enough. Easy solution. Sell whatever yellow car you currently have and buy the GT.

Nah, as much as I love my FGT the Diablo is still #1 in the garage:

 

[Shark01]

Hello, another new member here looking for knowledge about buying a FGT. Like many of you I have watched these for years and always wanted to get one but never did it. I unfortunately chose now to get serious when they are at their peak in price. As mentioned in earlier posts I would absolutely get a PPI but for my own knowledge what are some of the common known issues to look for and questions to ask when searching for a FGT? Relatively flexible regarding color, miles etc. as long as it is in line with the price. Any help, suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Because of the spread of pricing vs miles I think it is important to decide on the usage unless one has a $500k budget. I personally did not want to pay a premium for low miles (couldn't comfortably afford it either) because I knew my usage was 2-3k miles per year. So a sub-$200k driver grade car with a bunch of modifications that I wanted to do anyway was a good fit (market was different 24 months ago).

 

[PeteK]

Agree with Shark 01. Earlier I implied that cars with very low miles have more problems than cars that get driven regularly. That's a rule of thumb for machinery in general, but it really depends on the particular vehicle. If it's been regularly serviced and well preserved, like Extrap's, then you don't have anything to fear, beyond what just normally goes bad due to time and wear.

But it's a point of pride (or obstinance) for me to keep pulling on the other end of the rope against many of the guys who preserve and admire their cars as garage ornaments. I intend to use my cars like my body--to be totally worn out and missing a few parts by the time I skid sideways into my grave, hooting, "what a ride!"

 

[Gary]

All sage advice above and this board is the very best.

Your timing is good, FGT prices seem to have dipped a bit and we all know what P-car prices have done lately.

You will have little trouble finding a red car with your specs/$.

Good luck, enjoy the hunt!

Dipped? Have you checked Bring a Trailer? Through the roof.