I called Dayton Ford in central NJ this afternoon, inquiring information on ordering for the new Shelby GT500. Man, did I get a shock! The salesman I talked to, Frank, told me they were only getting three in and they would all be ordered by the dealership. The owner was getting one for sure so only two would be available for sale. Basically, he told me I could come in and see if I liked the colors/options they had on the cars they ordered and if I didn't, too bad!

You no like the color? You no like the options? You want a car that fits YOUR tastes?? NO SHELBY FOR YOU, says the Shelby ****!

They didn't mention a thing about pricing, but if they're that elitist about ORDERING the cars, god knows how much they'll charge for them. What a joke. I can't believe my g/f's father recommended them. Stay AWAY from Dayton Ford in central NJ.

On a happier note, I called another SVT dealer in my area and they were much more receptive. They took my name/number down (said I was first on the list - woohoo!) and were very polite. They said that they should probably start taking orders sometime in the beginning of 2006 and Shelbys should starting hitting the showrooms around July/August/September (haven't we all heard THAT time frame before), and that I would be the first one they called when they got any more information. They also said not to hesitate to call for updates on ordering/pricing. So I guess we'll see how it goes in 10 months or so, lol. Man, this feels so far off... but at least I have my '05 to keep me busy this time around!




PS I am copyrighting the term "Shelby ****." Anyone else who uses this term without my permission owes me a bannana!

 

I think this is what we all need to do. Shop around. Avoid the crooks. If you look long enough, you will find an honest dealer that won't gouge you. IF you can't find one, wait until the flurry dies down. You will all get one at a reasonable price. I already have a deal worked out because I shopped around the last time Cobras were gouged. I opted not to buy one. While waiting fort the price to come down, they revealed the '05 Concept Mustang and I decided to wait. The salesman knows this story and knows I won't pay premium. I know he had 7 '03 Cobras at the end of '03MY and he still had 3 of them at the end of '04MY. He also had 2 '04 at the end. He still has one of the '04s.

 

Hey OBleedingMe, I emailed a bunch of SVT dealers here in South Jersey yesterday and Holman Ford took my name and number and added me to the list. What dealership put you on the list?

 

I love the internet! It is this kind of info. that is helpful to us consumers. Keep it up!

 

My family has bought 3 cars in the last 5 years from Dayton Ford. They are the most honest, polite people you could ever want to deal with. I have no affiliation with them, yet it enrages me to see someone slander one of the few good dealerships around. I had warranty issues with my 99 and Dayton took care of everything.

By reading your story, it appears they did nothing to try to swindle you. They simply are ordering the three cars they are allotted(which is obviously not very many) for their showroom-what is wrong with that?

Your GF's father recommended them for a reason. Go to some of the other dealerships in Jersey like Oasis and then complain about Dayton.

 

(shrugs) Well, maybe it was just that Frank guy, but he was definitely snobby. He almost acted offended when I said I wanted to order the car to my specifications... really, REALLY elitist. But hey, if that's your experience, maybe I'll talk to my g/f's father and ask him for the right people to talk to. That Frank guy was a real snob. He gave off the perception that you had to be special to get this car, and if they considered you special enough, then you would take what THEY ordered and like it! Really turned me off. First impressions in business are everything.

I'm also wary of them because they have a $2500 mark up on their '05s, which was why I didn't order from them back in August. They wanted 2.5k over sticker and the darn thing wasn't even being produced yet!!!

I agree with you about Oasis. I could SMELL the sleeze coming off those mothers!

 

The markup at Dayton really surprises me. They charged me MSPR-$500 on my 99 when they first came out. All the salesmen we've dealt with are no longer there, but they were all positive experiences. I sure hope they are not turning into another Oasis.

 

man, the dealers up north are crazy. my salesman down here when they got their first GT Verts in a dealer from jersey call and offered to buy all their 05GT's and verts at 500 over MSRP!! i can only imagine how much they were welling them for. on autotrader.com they have some 05GT verts listed for 44,500!

 

Have any of you guys tried freehold ford? That's where I orginally had ordered my car from before I got sick of waiting. They were a pleasure to deal with. They didn't have a good allocation for mustangs though. I ordered in November and was still c/u on march 7th. That's when i bought my current car off the lot locally.

 

Like I said, having that Bozo's name on it is going to put this car right out of all of your price ranges. You just keep sitting there drinking his coolaid. Henry Ford was pretty important to the Mustang, don't ya think? And the car allready had HIS name on it.

I have plenty of respect for what Shelby did in the 60's. But what has HE done for anyone lately? Him personally, not his corporate image. Oh, i remember, driving up profits. I mean what have they done here besides rehash 3 cars he designed 40 years ago? The 60's are OVER, deal with it.

 

Its not his name, its the limited run of the car vs. demand

 

I disagree. Making it a "Shelby" makes it collectible beyond simply to mustang fans. People who have no interest in Mustangs will be buying this car up.

 

Hey Charlie, I just wanted to let you all know something about the Shelby. It is too early for a dealer to know anything. I work at a dealer in Pa, and Ford had a broadcast for us via satellite. The Ford Mustang brand manager was there, so what he had to say, I take it as truth. They addressed some issues with all the GT orders, but no cars, to talk about the vert, but the real reason for the show was to discuss the GT500. Ford themselves have not announced anything in regards to allocation, firm pricing, allotment, etc...All they said was for dealers to keep a log of all the prospects for the car, and when concrete ordering info and price becomes available, then you can start talking about allocation. For this dealer to say to customers that they will get in so many cars is a total guess. They have no idea. My opinion, just keep in touch with them. I hope this gives you some relief .

 

Cars are not very profitable collectibles.

 

^ But they're pretty

 

I said it once, I'll say it again. Because this car is rumored to be a LIMITED EDITION, people are going to be clamoring for it. They're in love with the car for now. Luckily, there's at least 14 months for people to calm down.

I really don't see how you can call Carroll Shelby a Bozo for "not doing anything lately." The man had a heart transplant surgery back in 1990. He's 81 years old. He should have been dead for 5 years. To quote him from the Speed channel: "I'm living on borrowed time. Every day to me is like Christmas." He's hardly in any physical condition to work on a car.

It's got nothing to do with the 60s being over. I'm not 51, I'm 21, lol! It has to do with the fact that body style/interior of this car is based off of Carroll Shelby's designs. Therefore, Ford found it prudent to put his name on it. Maybe you liked the blandness of the 90s. I sure as heck didn't.

Anyway, don't worry about the price. The hype will DIE DOWN, like it always does. One of these at MSRP is a bargain. You show me a 450+ HP car for under 40k. Not that I would EVER pay over MSRP. No way, no how.

I just thought my experience would be amusing to post the story and to warn others about the dealership, or at salesman Franky-boy, that's all. This Frank guy really did sound like the Soup/Shelby ****!! I think everyone needs to simmer down (simm'ah down nah! - SNL reference) and wait for them to hit the showrooms and hype to die down. I'm sure Ford will make more than 7500. We'll be okay. No sense in worrying over something that won't even be CLOSE to production for the next 12 months!

Thanks for the info, 05fordgt. That's what the other dealership basically said. They were taking names, but they had no other information on the car yet.

 

Amen to that. Don't try and tell me he worked any of the engineering. :nono: I realize I wasn't around to see him whup Ferrari, but nothing I have seen that he truly worked on in the last 15 years have been worth anything. :scratch: Then of course we have to witness that horrible cross-breeding between an Audi TT, a Focus, and an original Cobra. :shock: <barf>

If I get my hands on one of these, I will be prying the hideous giant "shelby" letters right off the back 5 minutes after I get the keys. And no stripes unless it's white with blue down the middle only.

 

I'm going to shop for a used Dodge Shelby. I should be able to get a bargain on that, and it carries the Shelby name, too.