Serious question for guys who actually drive these cars a lot


dr914

GT Owner
Feb 11, 2009
252
Marietta Georgia
I originally bought mine to drive, and ran up 10 thousand miles in no time. What happened, besides the doors, lack of luggage space, impossibility to park, lack of vision/not being able to see the four corners, wideness/ size of the car, is that the replacement parts evaporated and the cars went through the roof, discouraging me from driving it every day. I could imagine some knuckehead plowing into the car with his Toyota, damaging the fender, then not being able to find one and destroying the value of my car. When I purchased, I thought: "Well this is the price of a new Porsche Turbo, not so much money, so I can drive it until it drops and have a good time with it!" Not so for the above reasons. Don't get me wrong, I love and cherish this car and will keep it for the rest of my life, but not a daily driver!
 
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soroush

Ford Gt Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 8, 2007
5,256
almost 70k miles on my blue car (I bought the car with 30 something thousand miles on it 10 years ago) so i put about 40K on it in a span of 5 years unfortunately I have not driven it much lately in the last 5 years but most of the miles were put on in if the first 5 years of ownership. and that was along with another 05 Gt that I put about 12k miles on.. for a period of time the high milage car was my daily driver used to drive it in the rain and all other weather conditions. if fact , I remember there was a video of me driving my car in the rain taken by some random people 7 or 8 years ago at a time when most people still had less than 2500 miles on their cars and someone here posted it on this site and most people were shocked that someone would drive their car in the rain...
 

ChipBeck

GT Owner
Staff member
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 13, 2006
5,770
Scottsdale, Arizona
23,700 miles on mine. Charley and I spent 10 days or so driving around Europe and we carried all of our clothing and gear with us in the '06 GT. Flat garment bags behind the seats, bag on the passenger floor, and the frunk full. Compared to the new GT the old one is like a Suburban! I only take it to restaurants where I can self park and pay the valet to watch it or where I can see it. Charley and Peggy and I have had a blast in that car and most of my miles have been Rally related or traveling to other car events. Some times I spend a whole day seeking out the best mountain roads in AZ. My body will wear out before my 2006 GT does so I'm good to go. If a car is too valuable to drive and enjoy then it's too valuable own IMO. My old GT, to me, is kind of like living in Scottsdale. The more I traveled all over he country and the world the more I came to appreciate and love Scottsdale, Arizona. The more vintage & modern high performance/super cars that I have a chance to drive the more I love the feel, balance, sound, and analog involvement of the 2006 GT. Driving the old GT is like playing tennis, driving some modern supercars is like playing PONG. Every time I get in it's a thrill, it never disappoints me, I love that car. And there really isn't anything that can go wrong with it that Rich can't make brand new again. All the best.

Chip
 

Tomcat

GT Owner
Is that car a Pantera?.......No
In a HomeTown car show 1 block from my residence I was able to put my Pantera right next to my GT... The question above never came up :)
 
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GT Bill

GT Owner
Jun 4, 2007
39
California
I put 31,000 miles on mine in 13 years, including two trips from LA to Monterey (got to run Laguna on one of those), a trip to Vegas, a trip to Santa Barbara, a trip Palo Alto, a trip to Salt Lake City (was pretty cool showing up for the 2017 Ford GT press launch in my own GT...) and a trip to Denver and back for the 20-year high school reunion (driven non-stop, both ways).

The reason you should drive the 2005-2006 Ford GTs as much as possible is because YOU CAN drive them as much as possible. They have a truck engine, a stout transmission and an extremely well engineered chassis. If the annoying Auto Meter gauges hadn’t been an issue the 2005-2006 GTs would rightfully have a reputation for ZERO issues. And in the world of over-priced exotic cars, losing the occasional gauge is a pretty minor problem. Certainly not cause for a flatbed, like so many other issues in the exotic car world.

I’ll never forget the epiphany I had on my drive back from Denver. About 4 miles before the I70/I15 interchange (which for people who don’t know the area is in the middle of nowhere) a light rain started to fall. I remember reaching for the wiper switch while thinking ”Hmm...I don’t believe I’ve ever used these before...” Of course they came on, worked fine, and I kept driving. It was, you know, almost as if the car was a real car or something.

And then I actually got angry. It occurred to me that there are literally thousands of these cars sitting in various states of bubble wrap all over the planet instead of being driven. What an insult to the very capable engineers who built (and stress tested) these vehicles to be used as REAL CARS, not garage furniture. BTW, when I drove to the 2017 Ford GT intro, just north of this same freeway interchange in Utah, a light (couscous-sized) hail fell on my GT for a few minutes. And, as always, everything was fine.

In my 13 years/31,000 miles the car stranded me exactly...ZERO times. Though I should state for the record it stranded Doug DeMuro (the car’s current owner) within a few months of buying it from me, requiring a flatbed. The cause? Negative battery cable connection — a somewhat common problem that, had he or I known, could have been fixed in a few minutes by the side of the road. I’d never experienced it so when he called me I couldn’t help, but as soon as he called Mr. Brooks (after the car was at a shop) it was identified and fixed in minutes, and he was driving.

Anyway, as for tips on enjoying these cars as they’re meant to be enjoyed:
1. Watch out for the cold tires. You probably know this, but it can’t be overstated. Even with my experience I unintentionally spun 90 degrees, twice, in my car, both within 5 minutes of starting to drive it (no damage either time, but both times I couldn’t believe I forgot the cold tire rule). And that was with the Bridgestones. If you’re still using the original F1 tires...well...just don’t.
2. There is more space in the car than most people realize. Creative packing/placing of items makes all the difference. My GT’s interior was lined with items behind the seats, in the passenger footwell and in the small cargo area on the drive back from Denver (with my wife). But the total volume of cargo we were carrying would have surprised most GT owners. As others have stated, the key is soft, malleable luggage and/or simply placing individual items (like shoes) where they fit, not in a bag. If you can move either (or both) seats forward from their furthest back position you can fit a lot of tall items behind them.
3. Park on end spaces or away from others. I very commonly was backed into a space with greenery or nothing on my driver’s side. You can always pull the car forward to let your passenger in, as long as you can get in the driver’s door.
4. And tell every passenger, about 10 times, to “watch your head” on the doors. Five times during entry and five times during exit should do it. Like the cold tires, there’s no such thing as focusing on this item too much. People forget, even after they say “Oh yeah, I got it” and it’s completely counter-intuitive to think there’s a door/roof hovering out there, away from the car. The physical reminder is painful at best and could cause serious injury at worst (one of the Motor Trend writers had to get stitches...).
5. WRAP YOU CAR — I never wrapped my 2005 GT because I didn’t trust the technology back then. My car’s paint held up surprisingly well given the odometer reading, but get close and the pits along the leading edge, and the lower rocker panels, are depressing. I’m a huge fan of this tech today. It’s really gotten good. Of course the shop applying it is critical too. Centerpunch, I think you’re relatively close to Columbus, Ohio. If you can get your car to Esoteric Detailing it’s worth the trip. And the cost.
6. Fuel range can vary from 180 to 250 miles. It’s really all in how it’s driven. During my Denver run I got 280 out of one tank because at a constant 75 mph the tach is reading around 1,600 rpm. But when going between Grand Junction and Denver it’s easy to drain the tank over those passes if you shift and gas it a lot. Actually, I distinctly remember leaving it in 6th gear on the run up to Eisenhower tunnel from Denver, without dropping below 70 mph. With the stage one upgrades the car makes great torque, even below 2,000 rpm.
7. Put a Battery Tender quick-release fitting on the battery, and run it up past the cargo liner for easy access. This isn’t a quick process because the original battery tie-down bolts are a pain in the ass, but it’s worth the one-time PITA process to make it easy to hook up.
8. Be willing to deal with attention...but it’s good attention. People universally love this car. I’ve driven nearly every type of exotic car, and people DO NOT universally love most exotics. Some people openly dislike them. I was sitting at a red light in the passenger seat of a convertible Lamborghini last year during the press launch, in Newport Beach, and as the cross-traffic was making its left turn in front of us a guy yelled out “Asshole” as he drove by. Pretty funny when it’s not even your car. But the GT never get’s that type of attitude. People love it. Be friendly and they’ll love you too.
9. Make sure you use good fuel. There’s no knock sensor on these cars, which I didn’t know until I heard it pinging a few years ago and asked Rich Brooks how that was possible. Turns out I had bad gas from a bad gas station, and I’ve avoided that brand ever since (and never had another problem). As bad as pre-detonation is on any engine, it’s really bad on forced-induction engines, so don’t skimp on gas quality and use a stabilizer if it’s going to sit for awhile. I like the Sea Foam additive.
10. As stated above, watch out for the negative battery ground issue. Not sure you can call it “common” but it happens enough that every GT owner should know about it. If you know the battery is fine and you get zero power when you turn the key on, this is very likely your issue.
11. If you can still find them, get the Ford Performance short shifter, trans cooler and exhaust system. All of them make the car better. No downside to any of them.
12. Be prepared for gauge failure. Unless your small gauges have all been upgraded to newer Auto Meter gauges, it’s going to happen at some point. And even with the upgraded small gauges the larger (tach and speedo) gauges haven’t been re-designed by Auto Meter, so they’ll likely fail at some point. BTW, in the spirit of “DRIVE YOUR GT“ I’ll note that, from my personal experience to everything I’ve seen, I genuinely believe corrosion causes the gauges to fail, and the corrosion happens from sitting too much. None of my gauges failed for the first 7 years of ownership. Then, for various reasons not of my design, my GT went into semi-hibernation around 2012. At one point it had sat for months before I went to start it, and that’s when the oil pressure gauge was dead. I’ve lost the tach and vacuum gauge since then, and I’m convinced it was the sitting around that caused them to fail. Most of these cars sit too much so I think everyone just assumes it’s a universal problem, but my experience of driving the car regularly for 7 years, and then not driving it much for a couple years, suggests otherwise...

These cars really should be driven and enjoyed. Not many exotic cars look as good as the 2005-2006 Ford GT. Combine that with their rock-solid dependability/durability and they are easily the best real-world exotic ever made.

Karl,
Nice job. I've got 28,000 miles on mine and love it.
Just got the 2020 - great car but as I told Ford - I won't be selling the 2005 to get the new one!
New Subject -
I am sure you remember this picture. Chris Embree scouted it out the day before the race, and then I shot it on race day.
I showed it to a Ford VP at the Historics. He liked it. It is now on the Ford GT Enthusiasts web page. :)68 Crosses finish line.jpg
Regards,
Bill
 

Maverick1966

New member
Jan 27, 2017
2
Denver, CO
I put 31,000 miles on mine in 13 years, including two trips from LA to Monterey (got to run Laguna on one of those), a trip to Vegas, a trip to Santa Barbara, a trip Palo Alto, a trip to Salt Lake City (was pretty cool showing up for the 2017 Ford GT press launch in my own GT...) and a trip to Denver and back for the 20-year high school reunion (driven non-stop, both ways).

The reason you should drive the 2005-2006 Ford GTs as much as possible is because YOU CAN drive them as much as possible. They have a truck engine, a stout transmission and an extremely well engineered chassis. If the annoying Auto Meter gauges hadn’t been an issue the 2005-2006 GTs would rightfully have a reputation for ZERO issues. And in the world of over-priced exotic cars, losing the occasional gauge is a pretty minor problem. Certainly not cause for a flatbed, like so many other issues in the exotic car world.

I’ll never forget the epiphany I had on my drive back from Denver. About 4 miles before the I70/I15 interchange (which for people who don’t know the area is in the middle of nowhere) a light rain started to fall. I remember reaching for the wiper switch while thinking ”Hmm...I don’t believe I’ve ever used these before...” Of course they came on, worked fine, and I kept driving. It was, you know, almost as if the car was a real car or something.

And then I actually got angry. It occurred to me that there are literally thousands of these cars sitting in various states of bubble wrap all over the planet instead of being driven. What an insult to the very capable engineers who built (and stress tested) these vehicles to be used as REAL CARS, not garage furniture. BTW, when I drove to the 2017 Ford GT intro, just north of this same freeway interchange in Utah, a light (couscous-sized) hail fell on my GT for a few minutes. And, as always, everything was fine.

In my 13 years/31,000 miles the car stranded me exactly...ZERO times. Though I should state for the record it stranded Doug DeMuro (the car’s current owner) within a few months of buying it from me, requiring a flatbed. The cause? Negative battery cable connection — a somewhat common problem that, had he or I known, could have been fixed in a few minutes by the side of the road. I’d never experienced it so when he called me I couldn’t help, but as soon as he called Mr. Brooks (after the car was at a shop) it was identified and fixed in minutes, and he was driving.

Anyway, as for tips on enjoying these cars as they’re meant to be enjoyed:
1. Watch out for the cold tires. You probably know this, but it can’t be overstated. Even with my experience I unintentionally spun 90 degrees, twice, in my car, both within 5 minutes of starting to drive it (no damage either time, but both times I couldn’t believe I forgot the cold tire rule). And that was with the Bridgestones. If you’re still using the original F1 tires...well...just don’t.
2. There is more space in the car than most people realize. Creative packing/placing of items makes all the difference. My GT’s interior was lined with items behind the seats, in the passenger footwell and in the small cargo area on the drive back from Denver (with my wife). But the total volume of cargo we were carrying would have surprised most GT owners. As others have stated, the key is soft, malleable luggage and/or simply placing individual items (like shoes) where they fit, not in a bag. If you can move either (or both) seats forward from their furthest back position you can fit a lot of tall items behind them.
3. Park on end spaces or away from others. I very commonly was backed into a space with greenery or nothing on my driver’s side. You can always pull the car forward to let your passenger in, as long as you can get in the driver’s door.
4. And tell every passenger, about 10 times, to “watch your head” on the doors. Five times during entry and five times during exit should do it. Like the cold tires, there’s no such thing as focusing on this item too much. People forget, even after they say “Oh yeah, I got it” and it’s completely counter-intuitive to think there’s a door/roof hovering out there, away from the car. The physical reminder is painful at best and could cause serious injury at worst (one of the Motor Trend writers had to get stitches...).
5. WRAP YOU CAR — I never wrapped my 2005 GT because I didn’t trust the technology back then. My car’s paint held up surprisingly well given the odometer reading, but get close and the pits along the leading edge, and the lower rocker panels, are depressing. I’m a huge fan of this tech today. It’s really gotten good. Of course the shop applying it is critical too. Centerpunch, I think you’re relatively close to Columbus, Ohio. If you can get your car to Esoteric Detailing it’s worth the trip. And the cost.
6. Fuel range can vary from 180 to 250 miles. It’s really all in how it’s driven. During my Denver run I got 280 out of one tank because at a constant 75 mph the tach is reading around 1,600 rpm. But when going between Grand Junction and Denver it’s easy to drain the tank over those passes if you shift and gas it a lot. Actually, I distinctly remember leaving it in 6th gear on the run up to Eisenhower tunnel from Denver, without dropping below 70 mph. With the stage one upgrades the car makes great torque, even below 2,000 rpm.
7. Put a Battery Tender quick-release fitting on the battery, and run it up past the cargo liner for easy access. This isn’t a quick process because the original battery tie-down bolts are a pain in the ass, but it’s worth the one-time PITA process to make it easy to hook up.
8. Be willing to deal with attention...but it’s good attention. People universally love this car. I’ve driven nearly every type of exotic car, and people DO NOT universally love most exotics. Some people openly dislike them. I was sitting at a red light in the passenger seat of a convertible Lamborghini last year during the press launch, in Newport Beach, and as the cross-traffic was making its left turn in front of us a guy yelled out “Asshole” as he drove by. Pretty funny when it’s not even your car. But the GT never get’s that type of attitude. People love it. Be friendly and they’ll love you too.
9. Make sure you use good fuel. There’s no knock sensor on these cars, which I didn’t know until I heard it pinging a few years ago and asked Rich Brooks how that was possible. Turns out I had bad gas from a bad gas station, and I’ve avoided that brand ever since (and never had another problem). As bad as pre-detonation is on any engine, it’s really bad on forced-induction engines, so don’t skimp on gas quality and use a stabilizer if it’s going to sit for awhile. I like the Sea Foam additive.
10. As stated above, watch out for the negative battery ground issue. Not sure you can call it “common” but it happens enough that every GT owner should know about it. If you know the battery is fine and you get zero power when you turn the key on, this is very likely your issue.
11. If you can still find them, get the Ford Performance short shifter, trans cooler and exhaust system. All of them make the car better. No downside to any of them.
12. Be prepared for gauge failure. Unless your small gauges have all been upgraded to newer Auto Meter gauges, it’s going to happen at some point. And even with the upgraded small gauges the larger (tach and speedo) gauges haven’t been re-designed by Auto Meter, so they’ll likely fail at some point. BTW, in the spirit of “DRIVE YOUR GT“ I’ll note that, from my personal experience to everything I’ve seen, I genuinely believe corrosion causes the gauges to fail, and the corrosion happens from sitting too much. None of my gauges failed for the first 7 years of ownership. Then, for various reasons not of my design, my GT went into semi-hibernation around 2012. At one point it had sat for months before I went to start it, and that’s when the oil pressure gauge was dead. I’ve lost the tach and vacuum gauge since then, and I’m convinced it was the sitting around that caused them to fail. Most of these cars sit too much so I think everyone just assumes it’s a universal problem, but my experience of driving the car regularly for 7 years, and then not driving it much for a couple years, suggests otherwise...

These cars really should be driven and enjoyed. Not many exotic cars look as good as the 2005-2006 Ford GT. Combine that with their rock-solid dependability/durability and they are easily the best real-world exotic ever made.
 

Maverick1966

New member
Jan 27, 2017
2
Denver, CO
Wow! Well said! There are many Ford GT owners who should read your post and get with the program. I believe that they would be rewarded.
 

2112

Blue/white 06'
Mark II Lifetime
Love these types of threads.
 

roketman

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Oct 24, 2005
7,994
ma.
OK MY O2
I bought 3 extra factory car cover bags.
Firstly they fit perfect in the trunk, footwell and behind the seats.
as long as you don't put any liquids in the trunk you are all set.As you know the trunk heats up to 150 degrees.
once the bag is in the trunk you can still get shoes and other small items on top and around the bag
Next which I learned from traveling x country with Mark McGowan is suction cups with hooks on them to hang items.These go on the inside of the rear window.You can hang a variety of cloths that you don't want wrinkled. Or hats!
You can also stuff
I now have 53k of smile miles on mine.Its truly a wonderful and comfortable car to travel in.It also gets pretty good gas mileage! We averaged about 22-24 per gallon cruising at 75mph
 
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sr71

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
May 22, 2007
512
Calgary, Great White
Mine has just over 37k miles. With Corona I am not able to get a direct flight from Phoenix to Calgary, so once again I will be driving. Several trips back and forth before. Nuisance is with so much closed, most of the trip will be on I-15, (boring as tears) rather than "how can I make this trip interesting''.

The following pictures are of the unloading at the end of one of the trips. Yes it all came out of the GT and yes, you could still sit in the passenger seat. Luggage takes a bit of creative packing. If you need or want any tricks, PM me. So I don't clutter up the thread.
330_32053671602_3713_n.jpg330_32053676602_4020_n.jpg
 
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Oct 14, 2009
367
Alberta, Canada
I thought the borders were closed to everything except commercial traffic. How are you able to get across the border?

QSS
 

2112

Blue/white 06'
Mark II Lifetime
The following pictures are of the unloading at the end of one of the trips. Yes it all came out of the GT and yes, you could still sit in the passenger seat. Luggage takes a bit of creative packing. If you need or want any tricks, PM me. So I don't clutter up the thread.

I would have been impressed without the two soft side suitcases.
.
 

sr71

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
May 22, 2007
512
Calgary, Great White
I thought the borders were closed to everything except commercial traffic. How are you able to get across the border?

QSS
Canadian returning to Canada. Been down since the middle of January, but now my travel medical insurance is due to run out.
 

centerpunch

ex-GT owner x2
Mark II Lifetime
Sep 16, 2005
952
OH/NC
Luggage takes a bit of creative packing. If you need or want any tricks, PM me. So I don't clutter up the thread.

That's what this thread is for. (I should know, I started it!)

I'm sure many folks here would appreciate hearing your "creative packing" tips.
 
Oct 14, 2009
367
Alberta, Canada
Canadian returning to Canada. Been down since the middle of January, but now my travel medical insurance is due to run out.
It should be a quick stop at the Coutts/Sweetgrass border. Have a safe trip. Maybe we'll see you out here in Canmore this summer.

QSS
 

sr71

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
May 22, 2007
512
Calgary, Great White
The show in Canmore is usually mid August, so maybe things will have opened up by then. We could do a side by side.
 
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sr71

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
May 22, 2007
512
Calgary, Great White
I usually use soft side standard airplane carry-on size suitcases, (since sometimes flying is involved), one behind each seat. Don't pack anything breakable and you can use some pressure to push the seat back. The size is determined by the airlines, and because of that there is extra space beside the carry-on, next to the consul. I got two folding lawn chairs, had my local alterations place put zippers from end to end in the bags they came in. You could have something custom made, but these are easy and work well. Fill with shorts, socks, rolled t-shirts, a hoodie (Canada eh?). Zip shut and put next to the consul so they don't fall out repeatedly when the door opens.
The carry-ons are fairly short, so a couple of small purse/duffels (shown in one of the previous pictures) will fit on top of them, and not obstruct the view out the rear window.
I got a small cooler case, hot knifed a couple of slits in the carry straps to fit over the buttons holding the web behind the seats, so it stays put. Keeps a cold drink, camera, phone etc. from flying around when braking or cornering. If you still have that big Mac speaker, you may be hooped for this one. Somehow in all my years, I finally saw a picture of that speaker first time just a month ago. Ugly. Reeaaly ugly. Has all the esthetics of a toilet sitting at you elbow.
Rollerblades, tent, small sleeping bag, aerolite, ground sheet, California duster, extra shoes, all get finaggled into the front trunk.
A small bag will fit comfortably at the front edge of the passenger seat under their knees.
I showed the pictures on the Forum several years ago, and several members called BS. So now you have the story of how it was done.
Take a trip, make stories. The car is beautiful, but it's more beautiful in motion.
 
Oct 14, 2009
367
Alberta, Canada
The show in Canmore is usually mid August, so maybe things will have opened up by then. We could do a side by side.
Our cars side by side would look excellent. Kinda like the instructor (you) sitting next his apprentice (me). It would be appropriate. After all, you were one of my inspirations to buy my car.

QSS
 

BIGFOOT

GT Owner
Jan 18, 2012
739
Northeast
I get worried leaving it at the restaurant......
But no issues going to coffee etc in the AM.

I’ve gone to the nursery in it and bought a few plants. Smallish.
 

2112

Blue/white 06'
Mark II Lifetime
I get worried leaving it at the restaurant......
But no issues going to coffee etc in the AM.

I’ve gone to the nursery in it and bought a few plants. Smallish.

I don't leave mine unattended.
.