Opinions on a very tough choice - trade Exige S/Viper for Ford GT?

[SOCRATES]

No, I won't be tracking it. From what I have gleaned over the past year or two, there are very few reliability issues with the car. Granted you can't take them everywhere to be serviced, but I do have a few dealerships close to me that service them, thank goodness. The lack of warranty is a consideration, but again, I haven't seen many reliability issues with them at this point.

[fishguy]

how will the GT be used, and how are your current cars used?
do you take your cars on the track, or are they driven on public roads only?

that GT is beautiful!!!!!!!!

[tko211]

I would easily trade the Lotus and a Viper for the FORD GT.

The Lotus is Awesome but you can always come back into one for not that much coin and have a lot of used ones to choose from. Our beloved Lotus cars are also still depreciating.

The Viper in my opinion is a big heavy car that takes a lot of work to drive. It's cool in it's own right but no FORD GT.

I have been following the FORD GT's for the past 4 years very closely and what I can tell you is that they have stopped coming down in value and have held value evenly for the past 18-24 months with almost zero change. The GT is iconic, rare, fast, and handles very well. I have personally spoken with numerous owners who also own Ferrari's and Lambo's say that they actually prefer the FORD GT and place it on the top of the pile in terms of ownership.

I say do the trade, dump the Viper and then see how bad you might miss the Lotus. IF you still want the Lotus, go get one one used and add it to the collection. That's my opinion though.

[gpheck]

get the ford gt...

you can always buy another lotus (and for cheap from what I've seen lately)


...just curious though, have you at all considered the Rossion?

[MickOpalak]

The "Ford" GT deserves a lot of respect. It was designed and built by Saleen for Ford.

[eurosport]

Originally Posted by SOCRATES

Hi All,

Normally I don't ask for many opinions on things, but this is a VERY tough choice for me. I've been looking at getting a Ford GT for the past couple of years, but it has always been slightly out of reach. I'm now in a comfortable enough position to do so, but I'll have to trade both my 2009 Viper ACR, as well as the Lotus. I've had 8 Vipers so far, so that one is not a big deal for me, but the Lotus -- well, let's just say it's the best money I've ever spent on a car. So, would you do it?

enough with the Socratic questioning.....yes

[ItsThaMonsta]

Hard choice..... I Loooooooooooooove the Ford GT. But I also love both the viper and exige. And from what I see, Vipers and even more rare than Lotus. But I have only seen 1 Ford GT on the streets ever. The GT also has great performance. I would choose that over a lambo or ferrari any day. This would be an easy decision if the Viper wasn't involved.

[SteveLevin]

To me, the Ford is absolutely timeless. If you didn't know that it was an homage to a 40 year old car, you would never guess.

Not to mention it is an homage to the car of legends. People like Gurney, Foyt, Andretti, Donohue all drove them....

for me, it's the ultimate car, so it's an easy choice.

Steve

[Uncle Sam]

Yes.

[RichS]

So when do you get your Ford GT?

[Allan Gibbs]

Sounds like the Ford GT has a strong emotional appeal to you. Since none of these are practical cars, go with the GT. As others have said, if you want and Exige S (220, 240, or 260), you won't have a problem finding them in the future. In contrast, finding a Ford GT may be a little bit more of a challenge.

Good ahead. You know you've already made the decision.

[MikeLeuz]

I'll pile on... life is short... embrace every opportunity for new experiences. Go for the Ford GT. Both Exiges and Vipers are easy to find in the future if you really want to go back.

[RENDERMAN]

Ford GT, done!!

[D Britt]

Originally Posted by SteveLevin

To me, the Ford is absolutely timeless.

+1.

In addition to the performance, I think the GT is the most visually stunning car out there. Racy, but not over the top.

The new Ferrari may change my mind, though.

[milehitom]

I would not be able to resist the Ford GT. I got a ride in a friend's; by third gear, my sore neck popped. I never felt better!

I vote "Get the Ford GT."

Tom

[300hpMR2]

Originally Posted by jasper

I'd do it in a second. The Ford GT is one of the rare exotics that has actually appreciated in value. I've always wanted one as well, and it looks like you have found a rare stripeless variety. Used lotus can be had for cheap, so you could almost certainly pick one up in the future if you missed it. The Ford GT will be a classic and you won't lose money on it, the same can't be said for either the lotus or the viper. As far as what is more "fun" to drive, only you can answer that for yourself.

I agree with this. My friend has a 2006 stripeless black GT. He said it is the cheapest car he's ever bought when you factor in depreciation or the lack thereof. Even in this bad economy, I've seen 4 year old used GT's go for north of $130k.

The GT motor seems to be pretty solid. My friend and others have been able to get ridiculous amounts of power from mods without having to upgrade the internals.

GT would be a good investment.

Will you be driving it at a track? I recently did a driving event and another guy with a heavily modified GT participated as well. He was a novice driver and I'm not sure if he had any suspension mods. His monster GT was very hard to control. Too much power/torque. He spun out a few times on the first day.

[TheViper]

Others opinions don't matter, it's your subjective preferences that matter. That's why people make different choices.
Michael

[lotusforsale]

+1 on the Ford GT

[SOCRATES]

I think I know which way I'm leaning....

[Dmbrown34]

Originally Posted by Uncle Sam

Yes.

I second that...you cant really make a "bad" decision here.


The plus is that both the viper and gt can be driven to your local dealership. The Lotus not so much...I didnt look where you live...