I'm with you, no stripes and definitely no sub.
I feel like the stripe/no stripe position is pretty evenly split. I like both and I think that’s because the car looks so good either way. Same with color — car looks good in every color, so it‘s really up to buyer preference and how strong it is (I’m pretty fussy on my car colors, so even though the 2005-2006 looks good in all of them there are only 2-3 that I would buy).
The wheels question is more interesting. I really liked the look (and the easier cleaning) of the base wheels, but when all the Ford GT team folks told me the weight advantage of the optional wheels (which is substantial) I felt I had to go with them.
I like the red brake calipers best but it’s not a huge issue for me if they’re black or gray.
BTW, all of this has proven true for the new Ford GT. Looks good in every color, and with or without stripes, but’s I‘m pretty fussy and would only want to pay for one in a few colors — through I’m probably more flexible regarding colors on the new one than the 2005-2006 models. It just looks so good in almost any shade.
AND — on the new Ford GT I like the base metal wheels better than the carbon fiber in terms of pure visual impact...but the carbon fiber wheels are so substantially lighter than the steel wheels I had to go with them (getting a carbon series also meant I had to go with the carbon fiber wheels...but I already bought a set of the base aluminum wheels that I still need to get tires on and mount).
Finally, with regard to the 2005-2006 audio system, that’s the most interesting option. I’m confident that people who demand “four option cars” are doing it either out of ignorance (i.e. zero experience with the car) or for speculation purposes (convinced four-option cars are a better long-term investment). For people highly familiar with the car and not hung up on future value, the NON-MAC option is far superior. It replaces the Mac’s obnoxious central subwoofer with a functional storage pocket, giving the car more functionality while simultaneously making it easier to see the engine through the mid-lite glass, all while saving weight and $5,500 off the original purchase price.
This difference is so compelling that plenty of GT owners — “in the know” — went through the trouble of replacing the factory subwoofer with the factory storage pocket so they could enjoy both benefits. Of course this happened a lot when the car were just a year or two old. I’m betting it never happens these days out of fear of hurting today’s GT values. Plus that storage pocket part was never cheap, and I shudder to think what it costs these days...
But for me, the NO-MAC adds substantial value. If I was shopping today I’d likely not consider a Mac car, which would really cut down my purchase options while making a NO-MAC car more valuable. At least to me.
