Since I don't know any better I'm going to buy a 2005-6 Ford GT - Sorry for the sarcasm!

[ToddM]

All of you will have more expertise than I, so perhaps you can share some tips on buying a 2005-6 GT.

Is total mileage critical in the evaluation? I am considering one with 18,000 miles, which seems like a lot, since typically they are not driven as a daily driver. It's really not a lot of miles considering it's almost 20 years old, but I see big difference in prices on the low mileage one. Should I be concerned about mileage.

What about servicing them. Do Ford dealers service GT's? My experience has been that a good mechanic is the key to buying older cars. Regretfully, I can not fix anything. A few years ago I had a 67 Shelby GT500 which I loved but unfortunately I had the worst mechanic in the State of California. Ended up selling it prematurely because I couldn't handle the stress. He had it more than I did.

Do you have to routinely pull the engine at some point in it's life. My son asked the question, "is a maintenance hog?". Seemed like a reasonable question. Are they high on the maintenance list? I live 40 miles north of LA, so if someone knows of a good mechanic in the area a name and number would be helpful.

Every old car that I have purchased (numerous) have always been done on good faith from a dealer. I've yet to examine a car personally, while nieve, I count on people having integrity. Ha you laugh!

So if any of you have some tips for me or can point me in the right direction is will be greatly appreciated.

What other things should I be thinking about?

Thanks,

Todd

 

[Submoose]

ok, I'll wade in.
Mileage shouldn't be a concern, maintenance records would be nice, however. Some service parts are hard to find so pay someone to do a proper Inspection before you buy. You will get other responses that will guide you on that front. Many LA folks on this forum who will help. You can find answers to just about any question as you are not the first to ask. Shocks, Belts, Battery, Tires are critical to this and any older car. You may have to be patient as you sort your car. Engine out is not a "thing".
I have had my car for a bit over a year. It needed work and parts and the answers to everything came from the folks on here. (it did test my nerves a bit but the car was just at Rally 14 and I've put ~2,500 miles on it in that year. Wouldn't trade the experience for anything.
-Zach

 

[twobjshelbys]

.-1 mentions service parts. There are some ordinary wear items that Ford no longer stocks, like trunk struts and other just regular stuff. Other parts are simply not available at all. Some people here and other places have sort of become a small "after market" by making the struts, etc. I agree with submoose not to minimize the importance of a pre-purchase inspection done by a GT expert, even if you have to fly that person in.

When they were introduced Ford dealers could send a tech to a specialized training session. But that was 20 years ago and many of those techs have moved on to other opportunities (or retired!) Check nearby dealers to see if they have a GT trained tech. If you say where you are people may be able to point you to a place that has one.

Depending on when it was last done - check service records - you should probably just have it gone over by one of the known masters here (yes, ship it) and have every ounce of fluid and some belts and hoses replaced. I wouldn't leave this to a dealer unless it's a GT trained tech. Or just ship it to Rich.

There's really only once choice for tires: Bridgestones. Search the forum for many topics that give the sizes.

Overall, the forum SEARCH is your friend. Virtually anything you can think of asking has already been asked here, and many of them many times more than twice. Use search before posting new "how to" and "where can I find" questions.

I don't think anyone has ever mentioned pulling an engine. And even if you did, it wouldn't be that difficult since the engine/transaxle as a unit is readily accessible.

There are folks that do drive them like daily drivers with 100K+ miles, and the good news is that "it's just a Ford". Reasonably reliable, easily serviceable and a hoot to drive.

Good luck!

Oh, I forgot about gauges. Gauges are the car's weak point. Do not get gauges from Ford. Form-fit-function replacements for the small gauges are available from the original contractor - Autometer. Replacements for tach and speedometer are regrettably only from Ford. Rich (GT Guy) has been rebuilding them but don't see a lot of feedback. You can replace the entire panel - all gauges - with Speedhut. Some like the look, I preferred the original.

But you want to get into it knowing that it's a no-nannies car and that it has alot of HP and torque that can spin you around in a heartbeat.

 

[ToddM]

Thanks for the extraordinarily quick responses. Very helpful - please keep them coming when you have time - Thanks Todd

 

[GT@50]

I'm refreshing a 2000 mile car. Outside the ordinary fluids, belts, hoses, axle bolts, hood struts and tires it needed rear shocks and a clutch master cylinder. I have 20k miles on mine and my master and shocks are fine. I know others that drive them and they're fine too. So, don't let miles worry you.

 

[PeteK]

I'll give you a very strong opinion, backed up by experience. If you want to drive your car, buy a car that has been driven regularly, and drive it more; or buy one with very low miles, and leave it in your garage or private museum. The cars that get driven regularly have fewer problems because the parts get moved and lubricated, prevent corrosion from forming, and seals stay pliable. Fuel system parts last longer because the fuel doesn't get old and gummy.

The example above of GT@50 replacing the brake master cylinder was due to the fluid not getting circulated and replaced regularly, with corrosion buildup because the parts weren't exercised.

Counterexamples: I have almost 90,000 miles, two others here are past 140,000 miles, and other guys with 50,000+ miles on theirs, rarely have problems. Replacing the rear tires regularly is a "problem" you want to have.

Evidently, you are not mechanically apt. Therefore, you must get a PPI by someone who knows these cars well. Since you are north of LA, you are lucky to have a GT expert nearby. That's Kendall Pond ("nota4re" on this Forum). He's in Santa Clarita.

 

[ToddM]

Found a Ford dealer who services the Ford GT outside of LA. Galpin Ford - Thought I would share the info. Narrowing the chase

 

[roketman]

Found a Ford dealer who services the Ford GT outside of LA. Galpin Ford - Thought I would share the info. Narrowing the chase

I’m another guy who has owned since new (2006) .the car now has 61,000 miles a shear enjoyment driving! These cars are bulletproof
Have no fear of driving it! Everyone who sees it can’t believe it has more than 10 l on it !As it has been well taken care of .And yes if you are clever at packing g ,you can travel with it!

 

[FlagstaffGT]

Still rock solid (except for the $40 sending unit failure years ago on a rally trip so add another 2400 miles).

 

[GKW05GT]

View attachment 70720
Still rock solid (except for the $40 sending unit failure years ago on a rally trip so add another 2400 miles).

I can attest to how solid this car is and most GTs. Borrowed on a Grand Canyon trip 20K or so miles ago and performed perfect!

 

[QuickSilverShelby]

View attachment 70720
Still rock solid (except for the $40 sending unit failure years ago on a rally trip so add another 2400 miles).

Interesting. So if we pull the sending unit no additional milage is added to our cars odometer and I am still able to drive?

QSS

 

[2112]

When you do a search, go to Google and type in the subject and FordGTforum.com

This typically helps you narrow the choices down to what you’re really after.

PS I would not use my local dealer for anything on this car.

 

[Shark01]

Mileage is only important in budgeting....the higher the budget, the fewer miles one can expect.

My car has 33,000 miles and a couple of stories.....and is probably only worth around $270k. But I didn't want a car to look at and rub with diapers, I wanted a highly modified one I could drive hard with no excuses and no guilt....and damn it delivers!

 

[ToddM]

So good news for me. Just made a deal for a 2005 GT, Black, less than 4000 miles. Doing paperwork and harvesting funds. Will probably take delivery in a week or so.

Had a question about how the GT handles speed bumps and driveways with a modest slope. Do they bottom out. Do they have some kind of lift system? Anyone experiencing a problem with that or if you can provide some insight? Thanks

 

[twobjshelbys]

So good news for me. Just made a deal for a 2005 GT, Black, less than 4000 miles. Doing paperwork and harvesting funds. Will probably take delivery in a week or so.

Had a question about how the GT handles speed bumps and driveways with a modest slope. Do they bottom out. Do they have some kind of lift system? Anyone experiencing a problem with that or if you can provide some insight? Thanks

You'll have to try it out but the front splitter often scrapes. I had to approach my driveway at an angle to get the left front over the "california curb" and then rest would clear OK.

There are a couple of places that make curb steps that soften the approach. They are formed but "hollow" so water flows through them so as to not create too much of a dam.

 

[extrap]

So good news for me. Just made a deal for a 2005 GT, Black, less than 4000 miles. Doing paperwork and harvesting funds. Will probably take delivery in a week or so.

Had a question about how the GT handles speed bumps and driveways with a modest slope. Do they bottom out. Do they have some kind of lift system? Anyone experiencing a problem with that or if you can provide some insight? Thanks

Congrats!! But no, unfortunately there's no factory lift system. I haven't made contact on a speed bump so far, but I go reeeally slow, creeeeping up and over and even down the backside. And my driveway has a single transition that sure feels like the car should hit but it never has yet. Also, note to keep in mind, my front has been lowered 3/4" - 1" via the perches method. In case you wanna try to measure your driveway, here are the relevant measurements I made of my '05 when setting up my trailer and ramps ... and as you can see if you can creep over speed bumps, you'll prob clear all but something higher than ~4.5".

 

[FlagstaffGT]

So good news for me. Just made a deal for a 2005 GT, Black, less than 4000 miles. Doing paperwork and harvesting funds. Will probably take delivery in a week or so.

Had a question about how the GT handles speed bumps and driveways with a modest slope. Do they bottom out. Do they have some kind of lift system? Anyone experiencing a problem with that or if you can provide some insight? Thanks

It will only scrape on the bottom. You need never even see it. Scrapes happen, don’t worry about it (from a well scraped bottom!). The worst that would probably occur is you would need to straighten the aluminum rods that hold it in form to remove the “smile” when it bends the rods.

 

[extrap]

It will only scrape on the bottom. You need never even see it. Scrapes happen, don’t worry about it (from a well scraped bottom!). The worst that would probably occur is you would need to straighten the aluminum rods that hold it in form to remove the “smile” when it bends the rods.

That's definitely the more fun approach ... shit happens, occasionally you're gonna scrape, nothing tragic, don't worry, be happy

 

[twobjshelbys]

That's definitely the more fun approach ... shit happens, occasionally you're gonna scrape, nothing tragic, don't worry, be happy

And resistance is futile. Many times here I've seen people buy a new splitter because theirs is scraped only to get it scraped again.

 

[GT@50]

Watch for the risers at gas stations.