Having just picked up my 2012 Shelby yesterday morning this is my opinion. (If bad grammer bothers you, just skip reading
)
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st I had to fly nearly 500 miles to a fantastic dealership that found the car I wanted. I found Jeff Greenly from Yocum Ford on another forum. Made an account and wrote him a pm within 48hrs he found the car on the 3
rd day he personally went to the dealership that had the car and drove it back to his dealership! THAT is an exceptional sales experience, that is an individual that has dealership support to make something like this happen. I couldn’t find a single dealer in my area that even wanted bothered finding the car. At Kenny Ross Ford I provided the salesman with all of my contact information and what I was looking for…a sales lead. How much easier or more so how much lazier can these dealerships get. Kenny Ross never even called me back! I guess they are making enough sales not to worry about some slipping through the cracks. At Washington Ford I went to look at a Black Shelby, when the salesman went to get the keys from the mgr in the “box” I overheard the mgr Kevin tell the salesman “don’t waste your time with them”. Phitts Ford in Canton OH wanted to sale their White SVT Shelby and pretty much followed up every other day and asked me what it would take to sell the car. I was honest with them, I liked the car but it was optioned the way I wanted. The glass roof red car I wanted to buy at Guess Ford in Carrollton OH wouldn’t budge on the price and someone else bought the car.
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nd, I am very happy with the new Shelby, it has the look and the performance I wanted in a vehicle I will use as a toy. To me it’s a modern day muscle car. When comparing the fit and finish of this vehicle to some my foreign car purchases… I can tell you this, the fit of exterior body panels particularly the hood is off, the materials used on the interior are a very cheap looking and feeling. I expected this I knew the Ford was not going to reach the standards of our Infiniti’s. I wanted and bought a $50,000.00 Saturday night cruiser, if you would spend that same money on many foreign vehicles you would be amazed at what you get. I am not knocking Ford in any way. I after all just bought this car because I wanted it. But if you want to talk about fit, finish, and build materials there is nothing to compare. I don’t think it’s the case I know it because I have owned American and foreign vehicles over the years. I have owned at least 5 Ford vehicles, mustangs a t-bird and 2 explorers and nothing has changed still cheap plastic interiors. Come to think of it out of 4 Shelby’s we looked at not a single one had a hood that was evenly spaced. All have had larger bodylines on the right or left sides and of course the then the front edge that meets the grill is off. I will have to go through my posts but I bet you can see it in the… “Which color do you like best” post I made. Overall I got what I expected, I’m not disappointed but it is an area the American Dealerships just aren’t in the same game. In the scope of vehicles Ford makes would you think the Shelby is high enough in the Hierarchy to have some extra care taken while being assembled? Or is sloppy workmanship from Shelby? Either way pretty lame and yes if you couldn't tell it irritates, I think the front of the car is one of the most attractive features it has and it screams poor workmanship. Maybe my wife and I are the only ones that notice this stuff.
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rd, For myself this car means something more than just another car. It reminds me of the muscle car era. The Shelby look is just awesome from every angle, the stripes, wide tires, burning rubber, hearing the tires chirp as you go through the gears. Seeing people’s faces when they hear the exhaust when you fire it up. When you are launching when the light turns green and your start to breath heavy… My foreign cars don’t make me feel the same way. When I let out the clutch I don’t think about the hood not being perfectly centered (and since the stripe does line up I can’t adjust the hood without making the stripe look jacked up) or why did they take some much time to make the A arm interior plastic look like fabric instead of just using fabric, and what’s up with the suede shifter boot? I asked a question on here once, I think its lame that the vette and other **whatever brand** cars are crushing the Shelby’s quarter mile stats. I was told you really can’t compare the Shelby to a vette, viper, or whatever the other brand was… they are just in a different class. That’s true in a few ways. You know what you’re buying when you buy a Shelby, it’s not a luxury brand, and I bought the look and the raw feel of power. It’s a Ford and I love it for what it is, not what it isn't.
I am a car guy brand doesn't really mean anything to me. My experience is that brand loyalty means nothing, anyone that thinks because they have only owned Ford, Chevy, BMW, Infiniti or any other brand exclusively makes their brand the best is kidding themselves. Buy the best you can afford, based on your experiences and others you trust. I believe that each brand has a specific demographic they appeal to. The dealerships obviously know this and cater to it. Some offer latte bars, massage, and nail services, because their cusotmers demand and expect to be treated like they are something special. Me I am just a regular guy, beer, boobs and burnouts. I love my new car, I am going up to the cave to give it it's first real detail now.
Edited by Ecrissman, 25 February 2012 - 07:14 AM.
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tesgt350, on 24 February 2012 - 05:49 PM, said:
