- Sep 1, 2005
- 704
For the last two years or so, I have gone through periodic skepticism about the supercar merry go round. I've alluded to it here, but never really explored it. Many of you know what I'm talking about; the never ending quest to have the latest, bestest, fastest, coolest offering. For me, the existential crises began when I sold my Carrera GT and Ford GT in pursuit of the Next Big Thing. That didn't happen, but along the way, I bought a new McLaren 12C. That car was fantastic -- a real game changer, and it altered the way I looked at and felt about the modern sports car. There was just one little problem: it was called the 650S. That car was announced, and the 12C, as much as I loved it, seemed...stale. So, I traded the 12C, took a financial lashing, and embraced the 650S. Yes, it was better, faster, leaner, meaner. It was awesome...until the 675 was announced. My outstanding dealer called and asked if I wanted to have one of the first ones out, and of course, I said yes. Another financial whipping ensued. But man, was that car cool. I mean really, really, cool and really, really, fast. It was the car I decided I could keep forever. But then...three numbers...720. Do I need to go on?
Meanwhile, there was this other nagging and inconvenient truth that began to hijack my mental sharing time: Sir, suppose you DO keep the 675LT forever. Pray tell how you will pay for out-of-warranty repairs? How will you deal with, say, a transmission issue requiring a complete replacement of the sealed, unserviceable gearbox? Will you pay the equivalent of two new Toyotas to keep the thing going? And if you don't repair/replace the dang thing, what will you do with your $400,000 carbon fiber wonder? Maybe use it as a boat anchor? Well, responded the guy car side of me, how 'bout this: just make sure you don't own one of these supermodels without a warranty. Which means, Sir, that you need to just get the newest, bestest, fastest model before the prior one goes out of warranty. That, then, takes us to to aforementioned conundrum. If you are anything less than super- stupid- wealthy, it costs a fortune to upgrade cars every 14 months, whether it be a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, or a McLaren. I had to jump off the merry go round because I was beginning to notice that I was naked and everyone else, especially the guys who were selling me the cars, were dressed.
I need to pause for a moment here and take great care to clarify something that is very important to me: this is NOT a rant against McLaren, I have been the recipient of all of their fabulous hospitality in England on four different occassions. They are among the world's finest engineers. They build cars which are simply astounding feats of skill and imagination. Their cars work, and mine were comparatively trouble free. When they weren't, they were fixed promptly and thoroughly. I cannot and will not blame McLaren for releasing new cars, each one better than the last. McLaren is a car company. They are in the business of building and selling cars. I get that. I applaud it. But I simply can't keep up with it. There are plenty of guys who can, and to them I say go on wif yor bad selfs.
So, just as I was grappling with these thoughts, the application process began for the New Ford GT. I was smitten with the car, besotted if truth be told. I completed an incredibly persuasive and articulate essay on why I thought I should have a new Ford GT. I never submitted it. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Man, do I love that car. Man, do I want one of them. Man, am I thrilled every time that magnificent V6 gives a wholesale spankin' to the yurrupeans. Instead, I took a big retro-step. I went back, back, back, to a simpler time. To a car that I really can keep forever and which I won't want to replace every 14 months.
So here are my questions, and I'd sincerely like to hear the responses from the FGT community. Have any of you ever felt this way, and if so, how did you deal with it? For those of you guys who are waiting for the New FGT, what are your thoughts? If you knew that Ford planned to replace it with a newer, faster, better car in 14 months (which I do not think is even remotely on the table) would it change the way you look at it? Hmmm...
Meanwhile, there was this other nagging and inconvenient truth that began to hijack my mental sharing time: Sir, suppose you DO keep the 675LT forever. Pray tell how you will pay for out-of-warranty repairs? How will you deal with, say, a transmission issue requiring a complete replacement of the sealed, unserviceable gearbox? Will you pay the equivalent of two new Toyotas to keep the thing going? And if you don't repair/replace the dang thing, what will you do with your $400,000 carbon fiber wonder? Maybe use it as a boat anchor? Well, responded the guy car side of me, how 'bout this: just make sure you don't own one of these supermodels without a warranty. Which means, Sir, that you need to just get the newest, bestest, fastest model before the prior one goes out of warranty. That, then, takes us to to aforementioned conundrum. If you are anything less than super- stupid- wealthy, it costs a fortune to upgrade cars every 14 months, whether it be a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, or a McLaren. I had to jump off the merry go round because I was beginning to notice that I was naked and everyone else, especially the guys who were selling me the cars, were dressed.
I need to pause for a moment here and take great care to clarify something that is very important to me: this is NOT a rant against McLaren, I have been the recipient of all of their fabulous hospitality in England on four different occassions. They are among the world's finest engineers. They build cars which are simply astounding feats of skill and imagination. Their cars work, and mine were comparatively trouble free. When they weren't, they were fixed promptly and thoroughly. I cannot and will not blame McLaren for releasing new cars, each one better than the last. McLaren is a car company. They are in the business of building and selling cars. I get that. I applaud it. But I simply can't keep up with it. There are plenty of guys who can, and to them I say go on wif yor bad selfs.
So, just as I was grappling with these thoughts, the application process began for the New Ford GT. I was smitten with the car, besotted if truth be told. I completed an incredibly persuasive and articulate essay on why I thought I should have a new Ford GT. I never submitted it. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Man, do I love that car. Man, do I want one of them. Man, am I thrilled every time that magnificent V6 gives a wholesale spankin' to the yurrupeans. Instead, I took a big retro-step. I went back, back, back, to a simpler time. To a car that I really can keep forever and which I won't want to replace every 14 months.
So here are my questions, and I'd sincerely like to hear the responses from the FGT community. Have any of you ever felt this way, and if so, how did you deal with it? For those of you guys who are waiting for the New FGT, what are your thoughts? If you knew that Ford planned to replace it with a newer, faster, better car in 14 months (which I do not think is even remotely on the table) would it change the way you look at it? Hmmm...
I would personally never do that. Have i lost money on cars? plenty of times. A big part of the reason I bought the 05 ford gt was because I realized even at 180K there is good value, but I never thought there is good value because the price might go up I genuinely thought I would get 180K worth of enjoyment out of the car even if I don't make a dollar back and so far i feel like I have received every pennys worth, so much so that as soon as I realized how much value there was in that car I bought a second one, and almost bought a third but alas Im not a baby boomer and my senses kicked in and said enough is enough. I wish they hadn't. The GT has timeless lines, easy to maintain, plenty of performance, simple to work on and repair, and cool factor off the charts.(not to mention a badass forum with great bunch of guys) for me the car was clearly underpriced and current market trends seems to agree with me. Besides my black GT will leave a Bugatti Veyron in the dust in the mile, so I guess what I said about not needing to have the fasted was just a little lie
