Thank you Nick and Mike Anderson

I'm thankful for the opportunity to have purchased my 2020 GT500 from you. Yesterday was a great day.

For anyone here that doesn't know Nick, his family runs a Ford dealership in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. I had the pleasure of meeting Nick and his father there yesterday and left with an Oxford White beast. I'm still a zombie after spending more than a day traveling there and back to Upstate, NY. I was in a hurry to beat some nasty weather and it somehow worked as planned. I'll share more after some cognitive function returns but this was how it played out in a nutshell.

The car was manufactured a couple of months ago at the Flat Rock plant.

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Once produced, it sat there for about a month. It finally shipped via railcar to the Voltz yard in Missouri where it then had a "Hold" placed on it from Ford meaning it would be a prisoner there for some time. After another month of sitting, Nick was successful in getting mine and another member's car out of there and to his dealership. Shots from the prison yard...

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I planned on flying in and driving home some time ago but the delays here pushed me from November to the end of December to mid January. Mother nature had to cooperate as there was no way I was driving home (1,000 miles from MO to NY) in snow or on ice. I saw a two day window where temps looked to be either right at freezing or slightly above so I quickly got a ticket and flew out yesterday, early in the morning. When I landed there was snow on the ground at the airport but some afternoon sun turned much of it to water. Anyway, it was a good day, albeit a long one. Nick and his father made it one of the most enjoyable buying experiences of my lifetime.


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And now at home...

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Driving from Missouri to NY in mid January and not needing snow tires? Buy a lottery ticket quickly.
I wonder your thoughts driving a stickless car.

Finally!
Congrats Tob! I can't wait to hear your thoughts after you get some rest. 27 hours is a long drive.

I've lived in Upstate, NY for much of my 54 years. I don't recall many days in January without snow and sub freezing temperatures. And don't get me wrong, it was cold outside but just warm enough to make this happen.

The weather all kinda lined up for him!

It really did and I had followed it closely in one week chunks since late November. We had crazy rains a few days ago on the same route I took that cleaned the salt off the roads for me. I made most of this drive in the dark in the evening and overnight hours. There were few cars on the road and 18 wheelers everywhere. The kept to the right and so did they which was very cool across Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. I had an iPod loaded up with the 60's/70's Motown, funk, soul, R&B, with a splash of Zeppelin thrown in.

I kept the car in bad weather mode as I was right on the cusp of ice for nearly all of the 1,000+ miles. I tested the limits of adhesion on many of the on/off ramps when I had to refuel - which was a lot. This car gets the worst gas mileage of any car or truck I have ever owned dating back to some 70's luxobarges I had. I fueled up 6 times and each time the dash would say I had ~230 miles until empty. Every time I stopped I would stretch, pimp slap myself while jumping up and down, and then stretch some more. I had numerous people approach me to talk or take pictures of the car including a rap group that asked me it they could have their photo taken with the car in exchange for them sharing a blunt with me. Sadly, I declined (but welcomed the photo). And I could tell when I was being paced for a better look while driving - it happens a lot.

With the car in shit weather/loud exhaust/sport steering and music loud enough to identify a few areas of interior panel resonance, I eventually became one with the car. This thing can cruise. Of note though, the Recaros should have been available when checking the Bondage/S&M option. Yes, the are great for the track and for short drives. After four hours, body parts were complaining. After 8, they were really uncomfortable. At 16 hours I felt like braveheart at the end when they tortured him to his death. Stay with the Base heated/cooled seats unless you track enough to warrant them - trust me. That said, I still like the Recaro's.:)

The DCT...****, is it ever good. It does start off weird with a kind of slow engagement when the selector is put in drive but that means little to me. On dry sections I manually shifted while getting on it and it was pure, unadulterated bliss. Most of the drive I had it in auto mode but would occasionally go manual mode and shift down a gear or two just to vary the rpm's for break-in.

Power...I knew it was there every moment I was behind the wheel but never pushed to the limit with traction so limited. I'm really looking forward to the coming summer to see if it tops the Whippled GT500 I used to have in terms of feel. At this point, I don't miss the TR6060 at all. I have a Fox coupe if I have the need to row.

Anyone who can make buying a new car (any car) at a dealership "the most enjoyable buying experience of my life" deserves a hearty pat on the back! Good on you @13COBRA ! And congrats to you @Tob!

Nick picked me up at the airport and drove me back to his dealership. His father, Mike, came out to greet me. Mike then drove me to his house to take a quick look at some of his automotive heaven. He had the GT350 I once owned (now with a Watson 4 pt with harnesses), a McLaren 650S, and one of the baddest 2 seat cobras I've seen. Heck, even his trailer impressed the living shit out of me. He's a genuine car guy and true gentleman and made me feel right at home. I could see where Nick gets his demeanor. And everyone that worked at the dealership was great - I honestly mean that. I'd say that part of the buying experience is what made getting the actual car so good. I've never seen that from a dealership before. I don't think I could ever buy a Ford from another dealer now as the letdown would really suck.


Yes, congratulations, Tob! I can't wait to read your write up as I know I'll learn something new and get great perspective on the new GT500.

You know, the experience wasn't unlike that of the GT350. When you sit in the car it is like sitting in a GT350, very much. But once you start the engine something changes and your senses start to recognize a difference in the air around you.

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The DCT seems to be far more engaging than I would have thought. It is always working for you such that it is ready to immediately unleash hell. A hair clunky on downshifts at times but I like that as I know exactly what it is doing and what gear it is in. I really look forward to pushing it on track and can't wait to hit up the Ford Performance Racing School.


I took the following shot right after unloading everything I had in the car and with the sun still low in the morning. Normally this time of year a quick drive around the block would have most any car or truck covered in a salty haze. Again, I got very lucky.

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As clean as the white is (and stays) I admit to looking over my shoulder at the Rapid car Nick had prepped to go to another customer. I had originally ordered Rapid and then changed to Oxford. I don't regret my choice and am happy for the gentleman getting this car. It looked very sharp.


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Today I wanted to get out into my shop and pull the wheels off for a close inspection. I hit a live raccoon in Missouri pretty hard. There was juice on the front passenger side of the fascia and splitter. Thankfully (and I'm sorry for the raccoon) the car bore no damage. I'll clean the wheels and underside of the car when I can and make mention of anything interesting I see.


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One thing I thought was pretty cool, the cover. I had them on my previous GT500 and GT350. But this one is different. Holy mother of God is it ever nice. It feels like the bed covering your wife would want on the first night of your honeymoon. I don't know why I chose red but I did. A break from black/gray/tan and I really like it.


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I'll be out of commission for a few days and will start poking around this thing as soon as I can. It was November of 2017 when Nick and I agreed to do this and I honestly didn't know it would be this good.
 
Good looking GT-500. Nice reward after the aggravation regarding the delay. The white paint looks good. Now....enjoy that beast! Sorry to hear about the racoon encounter. :eek:
 
Congrats on the GT500. This is how a car purchase, especially one like this should go down. Not surprised as Nick seems to be very active on this forum and a true car guy. Nice to see that there are still some Ford dealers out there that are run by true enthusiasts.

I had a similar experience/situation when I bought my Grabber Blue 14 from a dealer in KY. Flew out and drove straight home almost 1K miles to MA. Only difference for me was that I did it in September and didn’t have to worry about the weather. Was a pretty fun experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Congrats and I look forward to hearing more about the car in the coming months. These cars really do look amazing in any color, but especially so in white. Just beautiful!
 
Thanks man, that's good to hear. Having ordered the car on July 1st, I hoped for a fall delivery and a beautiful drive home but eh, it all worked out.
 

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