33 replies to this topic

[lsquared]

Latest update from Ford Customer Service is ETA of 12/31 to my dealer. Sitting at Ramp 51 needing a ride to Virginia.

[b17drvr]

My local dealer just got one in this week on a dealer trade.  The cool part is the sticker has the original dealer name on it from SHELBYVILLE, Kentucky.
Nice care too. Black with the SVT and Track pack.
http://www.ryanford....-TX/vd/12602560

[lsquared]

Well, my car finally hitched a ride and is on its way to Virginia. Just got off the phone with Norfolk/Southern and the car should arrive at the local rail yard Thursday night. Talked to the dealer (about 20 miles from rail yard) and they tell me it might be after Christmas before the car is delivered to them. Told them, get off the stick and get the car home. Said they will try, we will see. Looks like it's going to be about 2 months total from order to delivery. Not bad considering some of the stories I have read. Now just hoping everything is good with the car.

[RickW]

lsquared, on 18 December 2012 - 10:42 AM, said:

Well, my car finally hitched a ride and is on its way to Virginia. Just got off the phone with Norfolk/Southern and the car should arrive at the local rail yard Thursday night. Talked to the dealer (about 20 miles from rail yard) and they tell me it might be after Christmas before the car is delivered to them. Told them, get off the stick and get the car home. Said they will try, we will see. Looks like it's going to be about 2 months total from order to delivery. Not bad considering some of the stories I have read. Now just hoping everything is good with the car.

Congratulations!  That was fast!  Glad to hear your car didn't spend an undue amount of time in "Area 51," unlike some others I have read about.  Seven or eight days from build to getting on a railcar seems to be above average.

I called SVT this morning and the guy told me my car went into production on December 14, which is three days before it was scheduled for.  Maybe some of your charm is wearing off on me!

Hope you have your GT500 in time for Christmas!

Rick

Edited by RickW, 18 December 2012 - 07:33 PM.

[lsquared]

I also found out thru all the conversation with a lot of folks at Ford that the build date that we are given is the "born on" date, the actual date the car is complete and rolls out the plant. My car actually left Ford on a truck to the rail yard at Melvindale Mi. where it was loaded on the train. It should arrive at Petersburg Va. on Thursday. I'm trying to to get it to my house before Christmas, so close..

[RickW]

This afternoon I called that number you gave me, and the lady said the car shipped out today.  Now I'm really stoked!  It's been 10 days or so since the car was built, so I hope it didn't get snowed on too much.  The lady couldn't give me an ETA, so I'll call the dealer tomorrow to see what they can tell me.  I think it's reasonable to expect to pick up the car a week from Saturday.

Edited by RickW, 27 December 2012 - 06:06 PM.

[lsquared]

Good luck. My car was 11 days from build date to delivery date. I called Melvindale rail yard, gave them the VIN and they gave me the rail car number that I tracked with Norfolk Southern Railroad. The Melvindale yard number is 734 246-1852. They were very helpful. I did put a lot of pressure on my dealer to get it to me ASAP and they came thru. Going to post some pics soon. You will not be disappointed, it is a beauty. Installed my Redline hood struts yesterday. Absolute mod, work great. I installed the black ones.

[RickW]

My dealer's sales manager confirmed that the car is in transit (his information told him that the car is still somewhere in Michigan), and his best guess for delivery is the week of January 7.  He said he should have more accurate information by mid-to-late next week, and he will text me with updates on a daily basis (I have no reason not to believe him).  He did say that once the car gets to the rail terminal (which is in a town about 30 minutes south of here), he will do everything he can to see that the car is trucked to the dealer, pronto.

So that's that.

On the plus side, I sent an e-mail to my insurance agent advising her of my upcoming trade (I gave her the car description, the VIN, and even attached a copy of the window sticker).  Going from a 2001 SVT Cobra to a 2013 GT500, I was dreading a significant rate increase, but I was pleasantly surprised with her response:

Great car, you must be excited! The day you trade in the vehicle we will replace your vehicle and issue you a new insurance card. Your premium will decrease and I do recommend higher liability limits For your Bodily injury and unisured motorist. Your current premium is $740 every six months once we replace and increase limits to 100/300/100 versus 30/60/25 your premium will be $543 every 6 months. Do you want towing and roadside assistance and rental car for an additional $10 per month?

Who knew?  (And this is with Farmers, which has a solid reputation for claim service.)  Maybe the reduced rate is a function of me being a geezer.  Or maybe it's because of competitive pressure within the industry, combined with the fact that I don't really have much contact with my agent because of automatic bill pay.  Either way, I'll take it!

I haven't really even begun thinking much about mods.  The only thing I've ordered so far are the front wheel-well stone guards from Shelby.  But I'm seriously considering Xpel applications for the front surfaces of the car, based on past experience living in the desert.  And ditching the Goodyears for the Michelins.  And a Watts link.  And a Bob's oil separater.  And hood struts.  And a Tom Tom, just for those road-trip adventures to places I've never been.  And the latest technology in radar detection.  And . . .  Well, as I said, I haven't been thinking much about mods or upgrades or add-ons.

[Squirrel 007]

RickW, on 28 December 2012 - 08:43 PM, said:

My dealer's sales manager confirmed that the car is in transit (his information told him that the car is still somewhere in Michigan), and his best guess for delivery is the week of January 7.  He said he should have more accurate information by mid-to-late next week, and he will text me with updates on a daily basis (I have no reason not to believe him).  He did say that once the car gets to the rail terminal (which is in a town about 30 minutes south of here), he will do everything he can to see that the car is trucked to the dealer, pronto.

So that's that.

On the plus side, I sent an e-mail to my insurance agent advising her of my upcoming trade (I gave her the car description, the VIN, and even attached a copy of the window sticker).  Going from a 2001 SVT Cobra to a 2013 GT500, I was dreading a significant rate increase, but I was pleasantly surprised with her response:

Great car, you must be excited! The day you trade in the vehicle we will replace your vehicle and issue you a new insurance card. Your premium will decrease and I do recommend higher liability limits For your Bodily injury and unisured motorist. Your current premium is $740 every six months once we replace and increase limits to 100/300/100 versus 30/60/25 your premium will be $543 every 6 months. Do you want towing and roadside assistance and rental car for an additional $10 per month?

Who knew?  (And this is with Farmers, which has a solid reputation for claim service.)  Maybe the reduced rate is a function of me being a geezer.  Or maybe it's because of competitive pressure within the industry, combined with the fact that I don't really have much contact with my agent because of automatic bill pay.  Either way, I'll take it!

I haven't really even begun thinking much about mods.  The only thing I've ordered so far are the front wheel-well stone guards from Shelby.  But I'm seriously considering Xpel applications for the front surfaces of the car, based on past experience living in the desert.  And ditching the Goodyears for the Michelins.  And a Watts link.  And a Bob's oil separater.  And hood struts.  And a Tom Tom, just for those road-trip adventures to places I've never been.  And the latest technology in radar detection.  And . . .  Well, as I said, I haven't been thinking much about mods or upgrades or add-ons.

You mention a Tom Tom. Did you order your car or get one off a lot? I'm surprized you did not get the electronics pack which included navigation.

[RickW]

Squirrel 007, on 28 December 2012 - 09:01 PM, said:

You mention a Tom Tom. Did you order your car or get one off a lot? I'm surprized you did not get the electronics pack which included navigation.

I did special order the car.  Call me "old school," but I never considered the NAV package.  Maybe I should've, but it seemed a bit expensive when I can get a Tom Tom for less than $200.  And I find it a bit creepy (not to mention ironic) talking to an onboard computer, dictating and confirming cabin temperatures and radio station settings and whatnot, as if I were talking to HAL 2000, when instead, I consider the 2013 GT500 as sort of a modern-day variant of the original AC Cobra, which didn't even have a heater or a radio.  The Tom Tom is a neat little gadget, but not a priority.  I've navigated the entire lower 48 with just road maps with no problem -- I just thought the Tom Tom might be useful in the cities.

Rick

[Snoopy49]

RickW, on 28 December 2012 - 10:22 PM, said:

The Tom Tom is a neat little gadget, but not a priority.  I've navigated the entire lower 48 with just road maps with no problem -- I just thought the Tom Tom might be useful in the cities.

Rick

Not to mention that the Tom Tom probably has lifetime traffic and maps, which the NAV doesn't have and it can be transfered from car to car, truck or motorcycle.

[Squirrel 007]

RickW, on 28 December 2012 - 10:22 PM, said:

I did special order the car.  Call me "old school," but I never considered the NAV package.  Maybe I should've, but it seemed a bit expensive when I can get a Tom Tom for less than $200.  And I find it a bit creepy (not to mention ironic) talking to an onboard computer, dictating and confirming cabin temperatures and radio station settings and whatnot, as if I were talking to HAL 2000, when instead, I consider the 2013 GT500 as sort of a modern-day variant of the original AC Cobra, which didn't even have a heater or a radio.  The Tom Tom is a neat little gadget, but not a priority.  I've navigated the entire lower 48 with just road maps with no problem -- I just thought the Tom Tom might be useful in the cities.

Rick

Oh, I see. 2010 HAL taking control.."What are you doing Dave?" "Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer do." Ok, I understand, was just a little curious I guess. I hear them old fashioned paper maps that we used to get free at the fillin' station could get you clear cross the whole dern country with no problem. I guess they could work too. Except when my wife reads them. Last time she used one all I remember is me asking, "What exit do I take?" and she said "Give me a minute, let's see, Uh, you take that last exit back there". I like to hear a sexy electronic voice say "Exit on the right in 2 miles, 1-1/2 miles, 1 mile, 1/2 mile, exit right now."

Edited by Squirrel 007, 29 December 2012 - 03:50 AM.

[bergenfelter]

Squirrel 007, on 29 December 2012 - 03:45 AM, said:

Oh, I see. 2010 HAL taking control.."What are you doing Dave?" "Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer do." Ok, I understand, was just a little curious I guess. I hear them old fashioned paper maps that we used to get free at the fillin' station could get you clear cross the whole dern country with no problem. I guess they could work too. Except when my wife reads them. Last time she used one all I remember is me asking, "What exit do I take?" and she said "Give me a minute, let's see, Uh, you take that last exit back there". I like to hear a sexy electronic voice say "Exit on the right in 2 miles, 1-1/2 miles, 1 mile, 1/2 mile, exit right now."

It is actually the HAL 9000 logic unit.  For you Kubrick purists - the letters H A L preceed the letters I B M in the alphabet.

The heck with the paper maps - just drive around until you find a water tower with the city name on it.

Edited by bergenfelter, 29 December 2012 - 06:08 AM.

[RickW]

bergenfelter, on 29 December 2012 - 06:07 AM, said:

It is actually the HAL 9000 logic unit.  For you Kubrick purists - the letters H A L preceed the letters I B M in the alphabet.

The heck with the paper maps - just drive around until you find a water tower with the city name on it.

Dang!  Sorry to suggest HAL 2000 when it should have been HAL 9000.  It's been a long time!

Interesting connection with HAL and IBM.  Any story behind that?

As far as driving around until you find a water tower with the city name on it, that doesn't work so well in the Desert Southwest.  We do tend to have good roads, though, which (unless they are on a reservation) lead somewhere, or at least to a convenience store, where one can get enough gas, beer, ammo, and snacks to get to the next place down the road.