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Need some ideas and help from the board...

TommyBehindTheDeuce

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Will be long just to set some background, but short version is that I am trying to come up with ways to surprise my father with the GT350 I have a deposit on.

My father, 74, had a 65 HiPo fastback when he got out of college. That car was stripped for its motor and found burned after a couple of years of ownership.. He did pretty well in his career and eventually got into Porsche’s, and started to race older ones in HSR/SCCA at places like Road Atlanta, VIR, Mid-Ohio, etc....Just club stuff and he was competing against himself more than being out front. He is no pro but he knows what he is doing behind the wheel.

He has talked over the last 10 years about getting a Mustang...either a Shelby, a Shelby conversion (Super Snake), etc. never pulled the trigger which was a good thing as his last Porsche, a 993, went up in value the longer he held it. He sold that about 3 months ago.

He has been told that he has the markers for Alzheimer’s and that it is a matter of time, so he and my mother put his Mtn house of 33 years on the market to give him flexibility if/when that happens. My mother died suddenly 3months ago, his house is now under contract, and he has what he needs to fund the rest of his life once his house closes. Very stressful time as he moved out this week and closing is on Monday. If I could find an R in a good color and price and get it here quickly I would, but no luck so far. And he will be just as happy with the Magnetic with black stripes as he would with an R.

So, now that the mustang is a true sports car and not a drag car, I have been looking for a 350 for him, which will be a surprise. I haven’t been able to commit to a car until his closing goes through Monday, so it is tougher to negotiate with dealers. But I found a GT350 in Athens, which is 2hrs south of his place in the mountains. I have a deposit down on it and assuming the sale goes through, I’ll buy it next week.

I needed a way to get him to Athens to keep the surprise intact, and a buddy got us into a UGA practice next week. My current plan it to tell him we need to meet my buddy before practice and pass the Ford dealership on the way to his place. I will tell him we have 30 mins to kill so we may as well drop into the Ford dealership. That is about as far as I have gotten.....the salesman and dealership have said they will help stage out anything I need.

One thought is to ask if we can drive a GT, and when they go to bring one around, I’ll go to the restroom and go get in the 350 and pull up where they told us they would meet us in the GT.

Any better ideas? I think the above would be fine, but this will be a very special day for him given all of the chaos in his life recently and I want to put some thought into it.

TL;DR - have a car on deposit at a dealer as a surprise for my father. Once I get him to the dealer, how is the best way to surprise him and tell him the GT350 is his?
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Tank

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Heartbreaking story. My condolences. I think you have a terrific plan. Have them put the GT350 out front w a bow on it. Let him check it out then spring it on him. I think that would be surprising enough. Keep it simple. Thanks for the opportunity to weigh in on such a personal matter.
 
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ctandc72

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My dad is 73 - this hits home for me.

Personally, I'd have the car detailed at the dealership and put inside the showroom. Front and center - so when you two walk in, it's what you see.

Have a card sitting in the driver's seat or on the dash,in an envelope with your Dad's first name on it. Make it simple. "Dad enjoy your new car."

Just my suggestion.
 
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TommyBehindTheDeuce

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My dad is 73 - this hits home for me.

Personally, I'd have the car detailed at the dealership and put inside the showroom. Front and center - so when you two walk in, it's what you see.

Have a card sitting in the driver's seat or on the dash,in an envelope with your Dad's first name on it. Make it simple. "Dad enjoy your new car."

Just my suggestion.
I like it a lot....leader in the clubhouse.
 

tdzee

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Wow Dude :eyebulge:

Amazing story. You are quite the son to be doing all this stuff for your family. My condolences on your loss and you have a totally AWESOME plan. I can only imagine your Dad will love it.

Pls let us know how it all goes. Good luck. :cheers:
 
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stanglife

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I'd understand if you want to just keep this between you and him but I'd love to see video of this - tugs at a car guys heartstrings.
 

Krogen

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I love it. Great plan. For some reason my screen got a little foggy when I read your post. . .

Please let us know how this plays out.
 

Zitrosounds

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Athens, TN???? I live in HSV, AL and would make the drive to show support with another 350.
 

cattivo

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If you can drive really well, take him out on one of those Jeff Gordon "test drives" in the actual car. Do whatever (safe) shenanigans you can, then let him have a go at it. Take him back to the dealership with him thinking y'all got away with something. Have the dealership (since they're in on it) go over the car and make it like they could tell you went joy-riding and say he's gonna have to buy it.

A little cruel, but you two seem like you have a great relationship. Give him a good laugh!:headbang:
 

Mjc1241

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I assume you mean Athens, Georgia? If so, I will be at Atlanta Dragway on Saturday morning just to watch some racing. It would be my honor to show support for you and your Dad. What day are you looking to do it? I live in Conyers, GA. My brother and I lost our Dad last year so this story pulls my heart strings a good bit. Please let me know if how we can support you. What dealership are you using in that area?
 

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rb92gt

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Great Idea

This is awesome.
Consider having it in the showroom with a sign on it:

SOLD
New Owner: Your dad's name.
 

CaptainUnderpants

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How about putting on those stick on letters, spelling your last name with an initial for the first name, like in the Ford performance racing school. If it could be subtle and tasteful that would be cool.
Maybe have it say "Driver: F. Lastname" down low on the back side window in 2 inch high letters.

Have the car on the showroom floor and just start talking about how cool the car is until he notices the name. This might work.

If he doesn't notice it, then you just have to say "hey, the guy who drives this car has the same last name as us!"

You can even ask the salesperson about the car and he can tell your dad it is already sold to a guy who is going to race it, which will explain the lettering, he can pretend to not know who you guys are.
 
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PP0001

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My dad is 73 - this hits home for me.

Personally, I'd have the car detailed at the dealership and put inside the showroom. Front and center - so when you two walk in, it's what you see.

Have a card sitting in the driver's seat or on the dash,in an envelope with your Dad's first name on it. Make it simple. "Dad enjoy your new car."

Just my suggestion.
Great suggestion and I like your ideas.

Nothing better than seeing a fully detailed high performance vehicle sitting in the middle of any showroom as that certainly does it for me.

If the dealership has some stanchions to put around this special vehicle that would certainly add to the event as well.

In addition to the above I would suggest that the GM or GSM be involved as they can truly make this a special event for his Father.

Based on the circumstances provided by the OP I am sure that the dealership will go out of their way and can come up with some additional ideas for this special event.

Looking forward to hearing how it all turns out!!

:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 

bodam

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It would be cool to have it detailed and sitting on the showroom floor, let him see it and drool over it. You can talk it up, what it has, what it can do.

Then, in the middle of your conversation, have the GM walk over and put a Sold sign on it.

Say, oh man, some lucky SOB just got themselves a sweet car.

Then have the GM return, only to add another sign that says, congratulations Mr. XXX
 
 








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