backafter20

I've pretty much decided that I want an 08 Shelby GT coupe, and I'm willing to sell my car and travel to get one if I have to. I currently have a local dealer willing to go X-plan on the SGT, not in writing, but agreed to over the phone. I live in snow country, not the greatest place to sell my GT Mustang in January. Should I just wait till spring when my car will have more appeal, but have more miles and less tread on the tires, and hope the SGTs will still be available. Or try to sell the car now, just to see what happens? Also, should I remove the CAI and tune so as not to scare off those who may think that I've abused it (which I haven't)? Being mechanically intact and using regular gas could be a selling point, but then again, so could being able to bark the tires with an automatic. Guess it depends on the buyer? (What's a used SCT and JLTII worth?) Some here (Hi Mark!) feel that the SGTs will be more of a bargain the later I wait, but I'm concerned about the limited supply of them this year. The dealer honestly told me that he would not be able to give me what I would want for my car, so selling it first is a must. I do have another vehicle to drive if I need one. Opinions?

bored out

Put it on the market and test the waters.

I would take the cai off and reflash. Any potential buyers will want the warranty with no questions asked.

Sell the cai and tuner seperate. On average, used jlt2/sct will get you between 250-350 for them.

backafter20

Thanks Tom, that's what I was thinking. I've been offered $17k by a dealer for my car. Not what I was hoping for, but that was for a trade on an 08 SGT (with pretty much all I wanted) at invoice. The salesman said that he could give me a killer deal on the Shelby, or a killer deal on my trade-in, but not both. At least he was honest. I was hoping for at least $20k on my car, based on KBB and what other 05 GTs are being advertised for (not necessarily selling for) locally. The SGT is $39.5k which is supposedly invoice, MSRP of $42.8k, including the 9500 for Shelby and GGT. I was also told that I only pay sales tax on difference between purchase and trade-in, so that would save about $1200 in tax doing the trade in. I know I want the car. I'm just having trouble justifying the extra expense for a car that really isn't that much different from mine, except that it's a "real" Shelby. Wife is telling me to wait for spring. Opinions?

shaun_beauchamp

Skip the "real" Shelby and keep what you have. The depreciation schedule on S197 non-verts is crazy right now. Love what you got and pay it off. Someone will have a used Shelby GT in a year or two and you can trade-up then. You live in Denver, land of the sand blasted paint jobs and chipped up glass. You really don't need to depreciate the Shelby from MSRP and then have the wife tell you "I told you so".

freyke

I no longer have my Mustang GT (05 w/19000Mi). I was on the virtually the same quest you are on now. I found that (for me at least) $43K for a Shelbly with only 25 more BHP than my 05 was a little silly; especially when it really is nothing more then around $2800.00 of off the shelf FRP parts botled on along with some decals. My old 05 GT had lower rocker panel stripes (GT300), K&N panel filter, Hurst Shifter, Flowmaster Cat-Back. With that said, I'm fortunate enough to be a GM employee of sorts (Raytheon-Hughes) and am eligble for GMS pricing (essentially same a Ford A-plan). I ended up purchacing a new 2007 Type 2LT Corvette for $42.5K. Had I not gotten the GMS price, I'd would've kept my GT. I just don't see the value in the Shelby GT. I did trade-in my GT and recieved $17K towards the deal. I had to fight for that though, as the initial offer was for $16K which in my mind was a deal-breaker. Anyway, the rest is history.


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topoffGT

I agree with Shaun. Pay off the Mustang GT and enjoy it. If you MUST move forward with your plan, try Craig's List and post some nice pics of your car. At least that way it won't cost anything to test the waters.

Tony Alonso

Why do you want the Shelby? Is it the performance enhancements, the appearance, the the cache of owning a Shelby?

Many would probably tell you, on a purely financial basis, to sell you car then buy one, or keep it and wait for a Shelby in the used market.

I would do "what it" analysis until I could get a dollar value to help make the decision. Is that dollar value worth the emotional appeal? I am thinking that's what it will come down to in your decision process.

Good luck!

karman

I agree, keep it.
$17K is about right for a trade at a dealer (maybe $16K here).
I can't see doing it unless you can get a private sale over $22K.

poldrv

Personally I would keep what you have....but if you want to trade up you should wait till the snow goes. Mustangs tend to sell better in warmer weather.

Rob O

+1 Keep what you have and use the $ you would have spent on the ShelbyGT for suspension & engine mods & you'll have something that'll blow them into the weeds...just my .02

boduke0220

I'd probably get the shelby.
sure it costs more and he could probably whoop one with his current car.
But hey its a shelby, and if its a black on with the silver stripes, go for it!

backafter20

Wow, thanks guys. My motivation is purely emotional. I don't know why I am so obsessed with everything Shelby. It goes back a long way. Every one of my favorite cars have been touched by Shelby, and I'm not even a Ford fan. I do realize that I can make a much better car for less money, but it will always be a modified GT, never a "real" Shelby. Yes, I also realize that a Shelby is just a modified GT as well. There is just something about that exclusivity, that mystique, the piece of history that anything Shelby seems to become. They aren't making any 09 SGTs, and there will probably be only about 1000 blue coupes made this year. (the rest are verts, GO California cars, or BJ specials) I missed out on the $12k 68 GT500KR in 1984. I just don't want to regret not getting something when I had the chance, again. Your "just keep what I got" advice rings loud and clear, however. I do love the car I have, and would be royally ticked to sell it and then not get the deal I was hoping for on the SGT. My car gets lots of compliments, but I have spoken to so many people who have modded their GTs so much that they will never be worth half what they have in them. I can't count on the SGT to be an investment, but I can't help to be attracted to it. I'm still on the fence about this, but I do really appreciate everyone's perspective. Keep it coming, if you're so inclined.

Gooch

Right now buying a V8 retail is for suckers. I have been looking for a an 06-07 GT from my father who is a dealer in TX. He called me last week to tell me an 07 Shelby GT just went through auction with ZERO bids starting at 28k. This car only had 4k miles on it. That is a huge loss to take on an almost brand new car. If I were you, I would make nice with a smaller dealer that goes to auction and have him find you one at a much better price. Right now these GT's are being given away, there is no need to pay retail, just be patient.

tdbrown75

I bought a car new becuase I plan on keeping it. I don't want somthing someone else abused and tore up, we are not talking a Honda here! Maybe I paid 3-4K more then I could have gotten a used one, but I could not care less. The man is looking to buy a shelby and I am sure he feels the same way.

Tim

bored out

Jim, 40k for a SGT seems a bit high. Try Michael Morris from Wayne Morris Ford in Georgia, he might be able to do better than that. He moves Shelby's alot and you could try to work x-plan. Good luck bro!

crazyhorse

Jump on the Shelby while you can. I have seen in your recent posts how passionate you are about the car. Don't miss out on the opportunity to own something that stirs your emotions like that. In ten years, the couple thousand dollars difference in price won't mean anything. The grins the car provides for you will be worth all the extra pennies.

I passed on a new Mach 1 in 2004 thinking I would pick one up cheap later. Last I checked, they still weren't cheap. The ones that are available, were usually kinda beat up.

Even though the SGTs aren't getting much love now, they will in the future. The GT350s of the 60s were "just a GT with upgrades" back then, too.

backafter20

You guys are showing me both sides of the fence, with most of you saying to stay where I'm at. I really can see the logic of doing that. My head says to keep my GT and maybe do a few more mods. My heart is all Shelby, however. I have contacted Michael Morris. He says that the 08s are mostly going for sticker now, but will come down soon. The local guy I talked to last night offered me the exact car I wanted at invoice. Of course he wanted me to give him my GT. He said he'd give me $20k for my car if I paid sticker for his. I just wish there were some really big, obvious differences in what I already have and what Shelby offers, to justify such a transaction. As it is, the biggest difference is price and a little CSM#. Getting a gently used SGT a few years from now wouldn't be too bad, but buying new is preferred, and anyone who buys one of these to use gently is thinking of the car as an investment, so will probably keep it quite awhile and then expect Barrett-Jackson prices. I don't think we can count on history repeating itself. They'll probably be worth more than a regular GT someday, but not as much as the originals.

backafter20

Other points to consider:

1. The lack of an 09 SGT, along with some other tidbits of info, lead some to believe that there is a GT350 in the works. (no hard evidence here) SAI is a small company. They can't work on huge numbers of cars at once, and the SGT was a get-it-to-the-customer-quick car. Maybe it was just an interim vehicle, with something much better and more developed on the horizon? (with ADMs to match!)

2. With the relatively high numbers of GT500s being produced (compared to the 60s) and the number that are being stored away like museum pieces (unlike the 60s), it is possible that they will depreciate at a reasonable rate in the next five years or so. They might not be too expensive on the used car market. Ideas?

bored out

As you already know, dealers want to make money. Your dealer is not giving you any kind of break by changing the price on your trade. That is still 3k that he makes. There is no difference then not taking the 3k off the car.

Maybe try to sell you car privately for more than 17k then use that money to buy the SGT for the price you want!

2006GT500

I went through the exact same thing with my old car. I couldn't get out of it, what I had in it, but made a deal with the dealer on my GT500 and couldn't pass it up. I was just like you, I wanted a Shelby, didn't want to lose my a$$ on my car. In the end I had to buy the Shelby.