Hi guys, I have been a long time fan of the GT500 and with current GT500s seeming to drop in value faster than my 2003 Cobra I am thinking of upgrading and getting a GT500. I know about some of the issues but what should I look for when buying one of these? I think i'm going to by a very low mile car (under 15,000mi) is their a year to avoid? any major TSBs? I am aware of the clutch issue on the 07s but thats it... What is a good price for one? I have seen low mile examples sell for 35-38k range....Also when did certain options become available, like HIDS, Navigation...thanks in advance guys I look forward to learning a thing or two about GT500s

 

I think Nav was available on late build '07s, '08 for sure. HID's and Ambient lighting both became options in '08. I'll add more stuff as I think of it.

Also the Premium interior trim option, with the stitched/padded dash, console lid, armrests, auto dimming mirror. Can't remember for sure about heated seats in the 500, but my 08 SGT had them ($250 option IIRC) and I don't think they were available in '07.

 

For a coupe, I have seen them popping up more frequently in the low $30's range. Here's a nice deal in north central WI

2008 Red GT500 coupe

 

Really? Heated seats in the south?

 

I loved them. We don't have snow, salt, gravel on the roads all winter, but it still gets cold. I can't stand a lot of hot air (it smothers me) so on the days when its in the 40s and sunny, its nice to go for a cruise and have your *** warm without suffocating from the heat blowing. It pisses me off that they weren't available on the 500, I'll miss them this winter.

 

I would be looking at TSB's that have been done to or lacking on the car. I have a 09 and fortunate not to have outstanding TSBs. The clutch is a big issue on some GT500s. You can do some searches for more details.

 

yeah dude!! I use mine everyday in the winter!!!

 

Upgrading?

 

I think I'm mostly upgrading in refinement. My Cobra has served me well and with only 19k on it still worth a decent amount. It makes 460RWHP and 458Tq with minimal mods but a GT500 has more mod potential and more than anything else I've been itching to buy an S197

 

Do the 09 models have fewer clutch issues? I'm thinking that it is worth the extra 2-3k to get an 09 and get the newest possible GT500 of this generation within reason. Some people are asking 2010 GT500 money for 2009s. I figure with news of the 650HP GT500 coming soon that even more 07-12 GT500s will be on the market

 

For some reason I get the link to work I have seen a 20k mile 2007 listed for 29k in Texas I'm in Massachusetts I wonder what the shipping would be part of me thinks I should avoid the first year I know that 04 cobras have less issues than 03.... any mechanical changes In 08-09?

 

Been thinking the same thing. Either time for an upgrade to a first gen GT500 or a S/C.

 

The clutch issue is I believe a problem in pre-mid year 2010 gt500's. Of course you may never experience the problem, that's the way clutch and transmission tsb issues go. If it happened 100% of the time it'd be a recall instead of a tsb.

 

Wow I thought that was sorted out before the 2010 arrived. I wonder if the clutch issues appear after a certain amount of time. Most of the cars I have been looking at have very low miles for the age, under 15,000 in most cases

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by 97GT03SVT

Hi guys, I have been a long time fan of the GT500 and with current GT500s seeming to drop in value faster than my 2003 Cobra I am thinking of upgrading and getting a GT500. I know about some of the issues but what should I look for when buying one of these? I think i'm going to by a very low mile car (under 15,000mi) is their a year to avoid? any major TSBs? I am aware of the clutch issue on the 07s but thats it... What is a good price for one? I have seen low mile examples sell for 35-38k range....Also when did certain options become available, like HIDS, Navigation...thanks in advance guys I look forward to learning a thing or two about GT500s

No issues w/my clutch or tranny. It's not as widespread as you may think... People w/problems tend to post complaints, people w/o issues post nothing; hence, the perception is skewed.

As mentioned, ambient lighting and HIDs were an option in 08. Interior upgrade, Shaker 1000, and nav are the only other options available on the 07-09 MY. Heated seats have never been an option on the GT500, at least not from 07-12 MY. If you’d like to learn more, check out fordgt500.com and/or teamshelby.com. You’re right; the mods are endless… and fun. Here's a link to some of mine: https://themustangsource.com/f727/gt500-pics-481874/


Price… varies greatly. You’ll have to perform your our market analysis (craigslist, autotrader, ebay, etc.), but 30K +/- is a ballpark figure. Good luck.

 

The issue centered around the flywheel, the 1st gen flywheel had windows around the clutch that allowed the flywheel to warp and the clutch start slipping, that was the TSB issue, otherwise in a case like mine it was constant use in a mix of driving. The day that sealed the fate on my clutch was essentially a traffic jam across the whole city.

If your driving a GT500 (prior to the '10 models I guess) and its on the orginal clutch in moderate to heavy stop and go traffic its going to wear out at an comparably (by comparably I mean with a regular car)accelerated rate especially if your slipping it alot in traffic.

I've been told in my AO that the clutch on alot of the GT500's here last only about 6-7k. I got 18k before the car was undrivable and it had started slipping around 16 or 17k.

 

What are the major engine upgrades between 2010 and the 2007-09? Is it just the cold air kit? I'm thinking a white w/ blue stripe 09 GT500 with 2010 GT500 wheels is pretty much my dream car... at the moment it tends to change every couple years. In high school I lusted over a Yellow 98 Cobra in College it was a Sonic Blue 03 Cobra now it is a toss up between a 2007-09 White/blue GT500 or a 2011 Grabber blue white stripe GT500

 

The biggest upgrade would have to be knock sensors on the 2010+ cars that allowed for more aggressive tuning along with the cold air, I think the 2011 GT500 also got a bump in exhuast size. Up from 2.5 to 2.75 and that added 5-10ph as I recall. The 2010+ cars also went with a larger clutch with organic material I think, definetly a big diameter clutch though.

Internal mods beyond the sensors were pretty much nil until the 2013 model debuted and discounting the switch to an aluminum block.