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Comparison Test: 2005 Ford GT versus the new Ford GT

It is my obligation as a journalist to provide full disclosure on my relationship to the 2005 Ford GT and the new Ford GT. I owned a 2005 Ford GT for 13 years and put over 30,000 miles on it before selling my GT to Doug DeMuro. I’m also the owner of a 2019 Ford GT. The good news? When I do a comparison between the 2005 Ford GT and the new Ford GT I know from which I speak. The bad news? I’m arguably not the most unbiased person to get your Ford GT information from.

My 2005 Ford GT on its way to the new Ford GT press introduction

Okay, you’ve been warned. Now, let’s talk about the two coolest cars ever made.

The new Ford GT is instantly recognizable as a track weapon

How Could I Sell My 2005 Ford GT???

It’s safe to say my identity, both personally and professionally, has been closely tied to my 2005 Ford GT for more than a decade. The car was featured on a long-term blog for 3 years after I bought it, and it’s had plenty of additional updates since. You can read the entirely of this ownership blog on this site (use the “Ford GT Ownership” link to scroll through them all). My Ford GT also made several high-profile appearances in media stories over the years, including this interview on Autoline After Hours, this color correction story on Forbes and this comparison of all three generations of Ford GT on Kelley Blue Book.

2005 Ford GT After Sale

“How could You??!” That’s the general reaction after selling my 2005 Ford GT

As you can imagine, having that kind of shared history with a car is hard to give up, and the reaction I’ve gotten since announcing my Ford GT sale doesn’t really surprise me. “What?! How could you???” is the theme of most responses. Rarely a single “what’s the amount your looking for??” which is a bit surprising considering the number of people who look for rides like this on car selling sites like Grays. So why am I looking to sell?

Ford GT Fix-a-Flat, Owners Rally, Fuel Filler Nozzle, Fabulous Fords Car Show and Bluetooth

This month a question about the Ford GT’s fix-a-flat chemical sealant was asked. Specifically, how long does it last before it needs to be replaced? Other topics of discussion included the confirmation of a second annual Ford GT Owners Rally, the specific nature of the GT’s fueling procedure, the car’s popularity at Ford car shows, and the need to install a bluetooth microphone to keep phone calls legal. The odometer turned over 8,200 miles in April of 2007.

2005 Ford GT Long Term Fix-a-Flat

The Ford GT doesn’t have a spare tire, just a fix-a-flat system

Ford GT Fix-a-Flat System

April 2, 2007 at 7,928 miles

In my battery-charging adventure last weekend I had occasion to take a close look at the Ford GT’s “tire repair kit” (being a modern performance car it, of course, has no true spare). The kit is pretty impressive in that it combines a tow hook, air compressor and “fix-a-flat” tire sealant into a compact package that fits in the GT’s compact cargo bay. But in looking at the kit I noticed the “expiration date” of the sealant — in this case it’s February of 2009. It made me wonder what an owner is supposed to do post February 2009?

Ford GT Gets a New Head Unit and Needs a Battery Charge

In March of 2007, 18 months after getting my 2005 Ford GT, I had finally lost patience with the weak factory audio system. When I ordered the car I didn’t want the “upgraded” McIntosh audio system for reasons I’ve already mentioned, but that base Sanyo head unit, even by 2005 standards, was simply archaic. Basically, it offered AM, FM and CD as media options. No satellite radio. No DVD. No audio inputs. My tech-geek nature simply couldn’t deal.

Thankfully, even with the limited options forced by the GT’s single-DIN housing for a head unit I was able to find a highly advanced (by 2005 standards) JVC unit and install it myself. The installation process did kill the GT’s battery.

2005 Ford GT Long Term Audi Head Unit

My 2005 Ford GT’s base factory head unit was too archaic for my tastes

Ford GT gets a New Head Unit

March 12, 2007 at 7,610 miles

After several months of considering a head unit upgrade for the Ford GT I’ve taken the first steps. The factory unit is passable, but that’s about it. Sound quality is rather impressive for a two-speaker system with no external amplification, yet the Sanyo head unit can’t even play MP3s. And if you’re looking for an external audio input to play satellite radio or an iPod through…well, you’ll have to look really hard.

Ford GT Attends an SAAC Rally and a GT Owner Rally

2005 Ford GTs Long Term SAAC Rally

2005 Ford GTs at a 2006 SAAC Rally

After 9 months of ownership my 2005 Ford GT had 3,500 miles on it. There were no mechanical issues to report but I did attend two Ford-specific driving events with my GT. The first one was set up by the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) and the second was a Ford GT owner rally event set up through the Ford GT Forum.

2005 Ford GT Long Term SAAC Owners

2005 Ford GT owners at SAAC Rally in March 2006

I had joined the Ford GT Forum about 3 weeks after getting my car, in September of 2005, and I quickly realized how amazing the Ford GT owner’s group was. After publishing some photos on the forum from the SAAC event there was immediate interest in having a SoCal GT owners rally. This was in March of 2006, and the Ford GT was still very new, so spotting one on the street was quite rare. You can imagine the reaction we got from other drivers with 12 of them parading through Malibu.

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