ProudPony

Categorically, yes, I would be miffed.
Would I try to sue GM for twice what I paid for the vehicle? Absolutely NOT.

Frankly, why would GM (or FORD or Roush et-al) do that anyways?
It wouls be so much easier to make the exact same 427 unit, but put special paint on it and cal it the "427 Purple Passion" or something. Put stripes on it, change the rims - anything to differentiate the same basic car.

If they were so dumb as to try to double the qty of the exact same car in the same year and everything... well, someone needs to be canned.... but not sued for millions. AT THE WORST, the buyer should be offered to sell their car back to the dealer at cost-paid. Getting out of your investment with no loss is PLENTY of security - can you imagine such a deal in the stock market?!?!

Darth Xed

I dunno... if I purchase somethign with specific terms, I expect those terms to be upheld completely and 100%.

Beign able to return the car might be an option, but then again, you wasted time, effort, they had your money for a period of time that could have been used for something else... not to mention leaving the original buyer disappointed and angry. I don't think car companies can afford to upset people who are actually buying cars these days.

That all said, this is all in a made up world, because I am totally on Ford's side after seeing what I presume to be the actual document in question. This particular lawsuit is baseless and a waste of everyone's time.

ProudPony

100% agreed there bud!

JasonD

Look at it this way, but on a much much smaller scale...yes, pun intended.

I produce and sell CamaroZ28.Com limited edition die-cast cars. When I say limited, they are limited to a certain number and this is referenced in a few places and on the product itself.

So take the 1st release that I did. I sold them for $9.99 and they have been sold out for a while. Not that I really would, but hypothetically...if I decided to make more of the exact same thing and start selling them, they wouldn't exactly be within the implied "limited" amount. I could expect people who bought the first one to feel mislead and justifiably so.

Should they demand that I pay them $19.98 for a particular loss? How are they out that money for my poor decision?

Silverado C-10

It appears their lawsuit has no chance now (assuming only 100 were sold as 2007's) but even if they won... the most they could get was the cost minus the price of a new GT, right? I mean, they still own the car...

bossco

+100, Barrett Jackson is bad enough

MustangEater82

**** 'em cars are made to be modded and driven. Not sit in a museum like garage and be babied as an "investment"


Why are poeple looking at cars as investment anyways, they always drop in value.

bossco

I could see some, its nice to take a gander at the past, epsecially historically significant vehicles, like the GT40's that brought home the only manufacturer's trophy.

I think the stoopid investor thing kicked off with Ferrari, when Enzo died they shot up in value like crazy (I guess not being one of the flock, he most have splashed some DNA on every car to leave the factory before he died -250 GTOs made some people some serious cash), then you have the BJ's phenomena where a bunch of drunks with fat wallets and big egos go bid crazy on whatever strikes thier fancy.

Darth Xed

I'd wish I would have gotten my hands on a 1996 Corvette Grand Sport when it was new, and was even able to pay sticker price.

Check the values on low mile 1996 Grand Sports, especially convertibles. $85k easy for somethign with 2000 miles or less.

ProudPony

I have SEVERAL old Mach 1 Mustangs that I paid $250 to $1500 cash for and drove or pulled them home. With a few grand in paint, body, and mechanical, they are now capable of $15k-$40k EACH, and still rising.
This one I bought for $250 in 1988, have $7000 in the resto, and wouldn't take $30k for it today.


I paid $3200 for a Florida Highway Patrol Mustang back in 2001, I've driven the snot out of it on road courses and shown it a bit - put maybe $2000 into it (tires, pads, rotors, new Ford hoses, etc to keep it operating at peak, but nothing special. I've turned-down $7500 for it as it sits. There is a group of investors now contacting all registered owners of SSP cars through their state DMV records (tracked by VIN) trying to buy them - it's on the web.

I have a '72 Mustang Grande with the 351 Cobra Jet/Ram Air package, C6, 3.25:1 9" Detroit Locker, PW, PS, PB, deluxe interior, loaded with everything. 42,000 original miles. Cost about $3900 new, I paid $1500 for it in a storage shed back in 1993, did nothing but a good cleanup, and it's worth north of $30k today.

These stories abound. Look at the prices of the 2003/2004 Mach 1 Mustangs - they never really fell. The only folks that took a hit on those are the ones who bought early and paid dealer rape.
2003/2004 Cobras are still mid to high $20's today with 70 - 100k miles on them and premium gas requirement.

I don't mind someone buying a car to put in their basement - if that's what they chose to do, but don't gripe if it doesn't go your way as it ages.
I think most "low-mile" cars that were bought in the 60s and 70s ended up as low-milers by accident or adverse conditions, NOT because they bought the car to be a time capsule. Maybe a young son was killed in a war and his car just sat in storage from where he left it, or a husband died and the wife never went to the barn to drag out the jalopy on her own. The story with the 42k mile Mustang I have above is that a family in New York (where the car was sold new) bought the car for their daughter - they wanted her to have a safe new vehicle for college. She drove it 4 years while attending UNC-Chapel Hill. The miles are from going back and forth from home in NY to school in NC. When she graduated, she got married and she and her new hubby got a new car. This one sat in a shed behind the hubby's parent's house in Winston-Salem for 12 years - the in-laws begging the kids to get it out of their yard. One day, my dad and I came along... spotted it under the shed but covered in weeds and growth. We talked to the father and looked the car over (I think I blew 2 loads in my drawers as I was checking all numbers matching and authenticating the Ram Air system, while the old man was telling us the story). The old fella gave us his son's and daughter-in-law's phone number, and said he would call them and ask them to please sell it to us. 2 days later, I was out $1500 and they were missing a car!

Point is - I think buying a new car to sit in in the basement or garage and "preserve" is a shame and a travesty. I agree with MustangEater82 that they are meant to be driven (the modification thing is conditional on just exactly what it s you are butchering). In the rare case that you stumble onto an old car that has been sitting - GREAT! But I have no sympathy for people who are speculating the market and trying to buy cars purely for returns on their investment.
You should buy a car because you like it, want it, and will enjoy it. If it goes up in value because you take care of it or the market goes your way - COOL!!! If not, you still have what you want - ENJOY IT!
If you want ROI and annual percentage increases, go to Edward Jones or Charles Schwab and buy something you can let sit on your desk and watch grow (or shrink).
The fact that the car is a limited-edition only means you will not see many like it on the roads or at shows. It's OK to pay for that exculsivity if that's what you want, but don't expect some guarantee for it. I think the limited-ed thing is getting too out of hand recently. I guess this is another reason why I personally backed out of trying to get a new GT500KR. I would drive the car, but I can't justify the dealer rape and insane markup to buy one and put the miles on it like I would want to, so I'll just keep playing with the old stuff for now. Practicing what I preach I guess!