Greetings from the Lone Star state! The weather is already warming up – wait… ::scratches head:: … did it ever actually cool off? – which means you gotta take advantage of the three beautiful spring days you get each season! And what better way to do that than getting a ride in an American muscle car. A 2014 Ford Shelby GT500 to be exact. “because, ‘Murica!”
> let’s circle back to the joy ride in a second <
So, the tale of the Mighty Mustang starts only a few months ago when said GT500 owner moved to the US from merry old England. Keeping the innocent, innocent, let’s call the owner Nigel, who moved to the US for a rotational work assignment. Amusingly, many Brits like to buy a Mustang while here in the States, so this car choice was not entirely shocking. So picture Nigel, Jason Statham-esque, but with a lighter accent. Car choice making sense? His description of the GT500: “This car is obscene. It’s also the worst car I’ve ever owned. But it IS fun.” To add some perspective, an AWD Porsche 911 sits back home waiting for his return. Not to mention various previously owned BMWs, as well as motorcycles. Did I mention he’s tracked motorcycles at Brands Hatch? It’s okay, that feeling is jealousy. It will pass.
As we progress this tale, here’s some food for thought – how well do you ever really know the used car you just bought?
After arriving from the UK, he got the GT500 shipped to Texas from an independent dealer in North Carolina. In England, vehicle records are a super big deal. So before purchasing the car he looked into the Carfax report, which signaled “all clear,” and also asked the dealer what maintenance had been done – to which the reply was: “brake pads and an oil change.” The GT500 was listed as having ~11k miles.
Barely into his assignment in the States, Nigel was already contemplating bringing the car back to the UK after the completion of his work. Knowing that the Carfax report would be important for the UK version of the DOT, the day after purchasing the car he returned to Carfax to print the results. Logging back into the system, Nigel discovered that the Carfax had been updated.
Well that can’t be good…
The new log included information pertaining to “Engine Replacement.” Digging deeper, Nigel discovered that the previous owner had an aftermarket tune added to the car’s ECU, which for reasons unknown resulted in catastrophic engine failure. How catastrophic? Eh.. just ended up melting cylinders 7 & 8, minor stuff really, there’s 6 other cylinders right? The car was brought back to Ford, who basically said, “Yep.. that’s gonna be a new motor.” Presumably that was not a favorable outcome for the pocket book, so the previous owner opted to trade the car back into Ford for something else, and the car was subsequently flipped to an Auction House, where the Independent dealer in NC bought it.
So the clock reads 11k… but what is the true mileage and origin of the motor in Nigel’s GT500? Did it come from a wreck? A recall? Or is it just someone else’s abused and ragged out 5.8L V8 with swapped peripherals, and who knows how many miles?
Attempting due diligence, Nigel immediately contacted the NC dealer to file his various complaints. The most obvious question to ask: “when I asked you what was done to the car why didn’t you mention this?!?!” To which the answer was “you asked about maintenance, this was repair.” At this point in the recounting of these twisted events, I mentally slam my head into a wall.
At the end of the day, Nigel is stuck with the car. No refunds, no returns. All sales are final. #5mile5minuteWarranty. And speaking of warranties, the car was still under the factory 5 year warranty – but oh wait.. a motor replacement voids that… (sigh). A truly heart wrenching and stressful experience. So what is next for our motorsports enthusiast, Nigel? In a recent review of his situation he said to me, “I’ve been here only a few months, but I am already embracing American culture, I’m suing them.”
As if the cake needed any icing, upon delivery, a quick once-over of the car revealed the rear tires were worn. Innocent enough, and comes with the territory. Nigel diligently went online and ordered a new rear set of Goodyear F1s, which is what the car came with from the factory, and had them mounted/installed at a Goodyear Tire shop. Unfortunately, or fortunately, as the case may be, it was raining pretty much daily around the time the new tires were mounted. I remember Nigel telling me “the car is absolutely undriveable.” So undriveable, that at every turn and every on/off ramp the car was an absolute mess, fish-tailing constantly. Upon further inspection of the rear, he comes to realize that the directional tires that should be left and right, were both lefts! An easy thing to neglect to double check for after the “pros” have allegedly done their job. Needless to say, left + left does not equal right, especially when you add in high horsepower and precipitation.
Circling back to the food for thought… How well do you ever really know the used car you are buying? Carfax only gets you so far… as far as the someone who filed a report on an incident. If the car was wrapped around a tree and fixed outside of an insurance company and no police reports were filed, then did it really happen? The old.. “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it..” conundrum. When buying a used car, you check for the usuals… rust, dampness, soft suspension, squishy brakes… but no one can be ripping interiors out to see if there are signs of repaired body damage, or locating engine stamps and trying to find out if its the original motor or not. You just have to do the best due diligence you can, and hope for the best.
>> Now, back in the passenger seat!
My impression of the GT500 from the passenger seat – Despite the stunning appearance and its allure, it’s an absolute handful! Making a simple turn from a stop and adding the tiniest amount of throttle, puts the car completely sideways. One could argue that’s fun, until you see a curb coming at you and you remember you just put groceries in the trunk… The GT500 does seem “easy” to bring back into control. Granted, it’s one thing to correct oversteer at 20mph, completely different to control the inevitable powerslide out of a turn at 50mph, 60mph or beyond. Even in a straight line, it’s not necessary to stomp on the gas to start breaking the backend loose.
The car sounds nice, but was surprisingly subdued and muted. I would have expected a lot more howl, as the hounds were released from their fiery depths. Also, as is the case with most modern cars… it barely feels like it’s moving even when it is. Modern cars are just so smooth, there is a disconnect from feeling truly engaged with the car. Not to mention, with the number of ponies under the hood, I was disappointed to not feel like I was really getting to know the beautiful Recaro seats under acceleration.
Like Nigel said, it’s not a bad car, but it’s not great either. I can only assume that the lower models like the GT350, 5.0 GT or the Eco-Boost are more composed and controlled, making them much more pleasurable to drive. I would still be curious to see how it handles with slicks, on a racetrack. Is the mustang tamed or is it still a wiId bronco?
In summary – ‘Murica. I wouldn’t want to drive it in the rain. ‘Murica. Not a grocery getter. ‘Murica. Maybe the GT500 has 660-too-many horsepowers for everyday use.
