Probably worth it if you plan to keep it a long time and do significant mods over the years (shifter, all of the
suspension, wheels, tires, chassis reinforcement and the works... even if you decide to leave the engine alone for some reason... but why?).
The 99+ GT has pretty good quickness on the street (sub 6 second 0-60 for manual... which you should enjoy), but even from the test drive I felt like I was cruising in an old granny's Buick... only with some added power and noise. Everything about the car is vague, from the clutch and shifter to the
suspension feel and steering. The seats suck, and the car just feels like a whale. It seems way too heavy and soft like it was made for old people with weak bones and a long right arm (for the shifter). In short, it is an ancient geezer-mobile with odd character and a half-decent motor.
Maybe I was spoiled by recent decades of driving tightly tuned, light and quick-ratioed cars which I modded to be even tighter and more responsive. But I remember this feeling (I'll call it nostalgia in my case) from driving cars made in the '60s during the '80s. Still, it can be a ton of fun if you look at it that way.
There is plenty of potential in the car, which is why I bought it, but you will definitely have to make changes to bring it out. It will also need wide tires in the back *immediately* to fill up those unsightly caverns under the rear fender wells and to make this really huge @ss of hers look like it was meant to be that way. She's got some serious junk in the trunk, if you know what I mean. Oh... and a
suspension drop all-'round to keep the bears in your area from trying to hibernate in the fender gaps over winter.
Look... until you mod it up real good, this car will not connect you to the road at all. To get a feel for what I am talking about, sit on a bag of marshmallows and hold a dildo in your right hand with your right arm stretched out as far as you can reach forward (until your back almost hurts and you bang your face on your right knee)... then, just after you 'shift' the dildo, while lifting up your left foot have someone suddenly shove you a little out of time with your foot movement. I hope you like surprises!
After that, practice barely touching the gas peddle in 'first' and 'second' gear while the shover makes annoying "clank" and "clunck" noises at random behind your head. <-- This is what it is like to drive in creeping traffic. Practice practice practice.
Or... you could go buy a much tighter 2005 and worry about first year Ford teething pains, which are almost inevitable (good luck with that!).
And no... I don't hate this car at all. I know what I bought into, and I'm just telling you like it is so you are prepared to take the bad with the good. Oh, there is plenty of good, but you have already heard all you need of that in these forums. <-- This forum is for Mustang fans, isn't it? Well there you go.
