ASU05GT

I got a call from my Ford dealer on Friday. The 2007 Shelby GT that I placed a deposit on in October has been ordered. The biggest issue for me was to make sure I got a white car with a 5 speed. Details are sketchy at this time, but I was told that it is going to be white with black interior and ......an AUTOMATIC.
I am very dissappointed, but I was told by the dealer that their allotment will only include so many manual transmission cars. I also was hoping to be able to order the car exactly how I wanted it, but I guess the allotment process won't let that happen. My deposit was for #9 of the 10 Shelby GT cars they were expecting to get, so I am guessing the people in line in front of me got the manuals.
I asked for more information about the car to help my decision process and they said that I will get more news next week. I asked them to please do what they could to get me a 5 speed manual car.
While I am happy have one of these cars coming to me (@MSRP), I really, really wanted a 5 speed manual.
I will keep you all posted on what I hear. If anyone out there is familiar with dealer allotments, I would be interested to hear how that works. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Hollywood_North GT

Personally, for me, that would be a non-negotiable deal breaker.

I just wouldn't even consider one of these cars with a slush box.

Webba

Think about the decision you are making. You are going to pay mid 30's or more for a car you dont even get to pick the options on. Tell your dealer to stick it up his a*s and find a new dealer.

MilStang

Agreed, I would fly somewhere and drive the car I want back instead.

05fordgt

The dealer is full of BS. Get your deposit back, and head to another dealer. I know Ford has allocation limits, but a dealer cannot tell you how to order YOUR car. If you want a 5-speed, you get to order a 5-speed. Plus, I'd like to really know how they figured they are getting 10 Shelby GT's, as Ford hasn't said a word (at least iin my region) in regards to allocation, and allotment.

MilStang

The sales gods have spoken!! I would go with what Jeff says, I was under the impression that no one knew how many they were getting just like the GT500's when they first came out.

HOTLAP

+1 - this is your hard earned money - get what you want - patience is a real virture at this point in the ordering process. I'd call every dealer in the area to get a stick. I rented the GT-H and nice ride - except it only came with the auto tranny......get what YOU want!

Call KC and see what his dealership is getting in - I bet he could order you a stick....would be an easy ride back from Cali as well!

jayguy

I just saw another thread where you can pick your car up at Shelby, Amy B. posted it on BON and someone re-posted here. That's not the most fun drive from LV to Glendale, but it's not bad. You should be able to order the exact car you want from any dealer in the country and pick it up at Shelby, or at a local dealership (like the one you're already dealing with) just to rub it in their faces. It's a Courtesy Delivery, and usually only costs a couple hundred extra for the dealership you pick it up at to prep it.

blkstang06

Sound's like the dealer is trying to really get you to back out of the deal!.. with the collectivity of this car being a true Shelby conversion! I have reservations that any dealer is going to sell this car at MSRP!

1 COBRA

Chances are there is another interested party who wants the A/T and the dealer is counting on you to decline.

ASU05GT

Thanks alot to everyone for their input. I will be sure to take all of these views into account when I speak with my dealer next week.

Meanwhile, I decided to do some homework so I stopped by another dealer in town to ask about their Shelby GT strategy. Like many other threads, it took some explaining (they thought I was talking about a GT500). They were suprised when I told them that my dealer was able to order already. In the end, they insisted that they will have ADMs on these cars, this dealer's was probably going to be $5,000 to start but he did not want to get into a pricing discussion. This dealer is currently doing $20,000 ADM on the GT500.

Then I called another dealer across town. He knew exactly what car I was talking about. He said that I could order the car exactly how I wanted it, but it would not be @ MSRP. I relayed my story to him and he said that because 'My Car' was an Automatic, that was why they might let it go for MSRP. He said a 5-speed manual car will be more valuable and will fetch a premium $$$. (which is counter to any Mustang price list I have seen - unless the Hurst shifter and the new rear end gears push it over the top, generally AT is about a $1k option) In any event, I would have to come down to the dealer and negotiate the ADM with 'the bigwigs upstairs'.

So I am looking forward to next week's talk with my dealer. This experience is going to be interesting...

05-1947

Agreed! I have not been notified of the dealers allocation that I work for yet either. Also, the dealership I work for is in the top 20 for mustang sales, so their allocation should be large.

amyb

Jeff is correct, you can order the car with what ever options you want other then the ones we have locked in. So if you want electric seats, rear defog, etc you can have it


Amy

SteelTownStang

All this SE crap is getting out of hand. If you guys keep letting these dealerships push you around, the problem is only going to get worse. It's a simple decision, if you want a 5-speed, then settle for NOTHING less. That's the whole point of ordering the car in the first place. If you don't get exactly want you want, as soon as the excitement wears off, and it eventually will, you'll regret it... I know this from experience. Looooong story... I ordered my current car black/black, they screwed up the order, it came in black/dove. As much as I wanted that car regardless, I knew that I wouldn't be happy in the long run... I had them re-order it and I'm happy that I did...

ASU05GT

I had a talk with my dealer. The car is currently UNSCH/CLEAN in the system.
07 Mustang GT Premium 140A Pkg
Performance White / Lt Graphite
Automatic Transmission
Interior Upgrade Package
Sirius Satellite Radio
Active Anti Theft
GT Upfitters Package

I guess this is the trade off for not dealing with ADMs, you get what they got. The color combo is very Arizona friendly, so it sounds like they ordered what would sell easily out here. The car is 'mine' @ MSRP unless I back out. They have a waiting list of people who don't mind the AT so the car will sell whether I buy it or not. Regardless, I am assuming that Shelby Autos in Las Vegas would be able to put the Shelby goodies on it before I pick it up if I decide to stick it out.

Now I will take the time it takes to build the car to decide what I want to do. I am very interested to see if the market for these cars is as strong as it appears - if ADMs continue as the early cars arrive. Since this is not exactly the car I wanted, market factors will factor more into my decision.

Paleoc

The allocation Ford is making to the dealer is: 1 manual followed by 1 automatic followed by a manual...etc. So if you are locked in for car #2, it is going to be an automatic. See: http://forum.shelbyautos.com/index.php?showtopic=362

GottaHaveIt

Give the Automatic to the other guy and tell him to give you the manual but what color is it ?

Hollywood_North GT

Repeat after me: Get the car you WANT.

You are the CUSTOMER shelling out the hard earned money in a marketplace where Ford's ability to sustain itself is in question. Remember this well >>

THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.

JonW

When I ordered my '05 GT 5-speed, I had to go to three dealers to get it. In the end, the dealer I ordered it from had a large Mustang allocation and was able to get me a 5-speed in about 6 weeks. At that time there was a constraint on 5-speeds, and the dealers only got a ratio of around 10% 5-speeds.

Call around to some big dealers and see what they have to say. Those that have a larger Mustang allocation may have better luck getting you what you want.

ASU05GT

These are all good points, and I have contacted the other dealers in town. I am sooo burned out of the dealer experience. My problem is that out of principle, I refuse to pay ADMs. Sure - they are helpful and friendly to start with, but once you enlighten them to their OWN products and they realize how interested you are, they pull the ADM card.

I am not going to pay $5k to someone who I needed to explain their OWN product to. Heck, the dealers around here should be paying me a consulting fee for my services of preparing their sales staff on their products.

I know Ford and Shelby's strategy is 'A Steed for Every Need'. I guess this is the dealer's way of pricing people out of the cars that people are actualy excited about, and in my case, it is working. It worked before on the TBirds and GT-500s, so why stop now?

My dealer I have dealt with since 1996 was knowledgeable, agreed to charge me MSRP, and they are delivering a Shelby GT . Because of the allocation rules, I just have to decide if the AT will work for me. I am ok with this - this is the price of not having to go through the normal dealer experience.

I rented a GT-H to mimic the car that has been ordered for me, and it is really a fun car to drive - even with the AT. (Amy, you have done a great job - if the GT-H is any indication of what is coming - we are in for some really neat cars ) I liked the suspension and the exhaust on the GT-H more than anything else - and these things can be duplicated for less money.

My job now is to decide if the 5-speed is really that important to me. If so, I will order a stock GT and put the Ford Racing parts on it myself and create my own car that exhibits the things I liked about the Shelby GT/GT-H. In the long run, a Shelby GT may be worth more, but I think that actually being able to drive a car without the heavy price of entry and minus the albatross that is 'special edition' may be the better way for me to go.
Thanks for all of your input...I apologize for the soliloquy