Les' observations are close to mine, and I think some of his thoughts on the GT also came from my feedback, as I recently got my 2006 GT.
It sure feels like more that 450HP to me, but it is also deceptively smooth. At 80 mph in 2nd gear if you nail it, run the thing to the fuel cut off, grab third and keep after it, the car is really very fast. But it doesn't neccesarily feel fast if that makes sense. It is not violent, Ford did want a flat torque curve and it has that. If you drive the car in anger, i.e., jump on it in first gear, it will smoke the tires and go sideways like the 550HP car it is.
The exhaust is WAY too quiet. Ford Racing does sell a $2500 Borla muffler though to fix that - will somebody please make a bandit graemlin? LOL
I have researched upgrades and am currently waiting for a comptuter reflash program that I can swap the super conservative factory tune with. For example, in a stock car, at 150 degrees water temp the engine has something like 32 degrees total timing. At 190, standard operating temp, they pull out 10 degrees of timing! Now go take your Yenko and set the total timing at 22 degrees. I bet Les would be bitching from the passenger's seat about that thing being a dog also.
I am told by a very reliable source inside Ford AND by an aftermarket tuner that a new supercharger pulley of 2.7" in diameter will give you 18 psi boost vs. 12 psi stock. This with a computer reflash will gain over 100 Hp and 115 ft./lbs of torque AT THE WHEELS. Supposedly near 700 HP at the crank.
The exhaust, while quiet, costs no horsepower from dyno testing. The car is no more quiet than a new Ferrari, let's say, that also has to meet strict European noise standards.
I have not seen 2005's selling at $10k off sticker, but that does not mean they haven't. I think the market has finally settled down and you can buy a car for MSRP. The new Z06 likely caused a lot of this, as it is this year's girl. However, with Ford having just announced the GT is done and they are stopping production early, I think the market may firm up a little? Who knows - all I know is that this is the kind of car you want to buy NEW, not a 2 year old one that has been thrashed by many owners or perhaps crashed and put back together. I think GT's on the secondary market in a few years will be like Mustang Cobras or the Grand Nationals were - a lot of "low mile crean puffs" that really have had a hard life. Check out
www.fordgtprices.com for a market report.
Oh, and I agree with Les about the fit and finish. The car is really put together well and I think is a nicely done car. It is a true American Supercar, and in spite of its early problems and the corporate types de-tuning it and muffling it within an inch of its life, it is a hell of a car for the money.
One last tip: Don't make the same mistake I did and get the McIntosh stereo. The ONLY storage space in the whole damn interior is between the seats, and when you get the stereo they put a big bazooka subwoofer in there. When I say the only space, I mean it - no door pockets, no glove box, no bin behind the seats, etc. So when it gets dark you have to throw your sunglasses out the window. LOL
Colin