What factory options are upgradable from a 2020 base GT later if wanted.

[tw557]

I am in the market for a GT over winter. I've keeping my eyes out for a good deal. My plan was to get into a 15-17 premium in the mid 20's and start modifying it and having some fun as the warranty would run out. As many have noticed used car prices are pretty mind blowing especially from Carvana which seems to own about 50% of the GT's out there.

So a local dealer did say he can get me in a Base 2020 the color and trans I want for $31000. I never thought that to be possible. The premiums he has are pretty high though. 8 to 10 more. So my question is, how many options could I upgrade in the future if I feel I was really missing them, such as leather seats, Heated seats, premium sync radio, active exhaust, digital dash, and other things I would be missing.

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[JakeLethal]

I am in the market for a GT over winter. I've keeping my eyes out for a good deal. My plan was to get into a 15-17 premium in the mid 20's and start modifying it and having some fun as the warranty would run out. As many have noticed used car prices are pretty mind blowing especially from Carvana which seems to own about 50% of the GT's out there.

So a local dealer did say he can get me in a Base 2020 the color and trans I want for $31000. I never thought that to be possible. The premiums he has are pretty high though. 8 to 10 more. So my question is, how many options could I upgrade in the future if I feel I was really missing them, such as leather seats, Heated seats, premium sync radio, active exhaust, digital dash, and other things I would be missing.

Well, you could pretty much do a majority of the upgrade options as long as you don't need specific connectors for them i.e. heated seats, the sync etc.. I would say a good amount of the things that you listed are very attainable. Probably be much cheaper doing to a base than paying that extra for all of those options out the door as well.

 

[WildHorse]

It'll cost you more to upgrade those items listed 1 by 1 than to just get a premium right off the hop.

 

[Briebee72]

Plus one thing people over look with the 401a digital dash package is it is more then just the digital gauges, there are sensors in the rear bumper for blind spot and special mirrors with lights in them and other things not just the digital gauge . So yes for about 2100 you can buy a gauge cluster later but it wont have all the other OEM features. the best time to add oem features is at time of purchase.

 

[FatPat]

Just some guesses from me...

Digital dash - $2K
Sync 3 - $1500
Leather seats - doable, but hard to find OEM seats. Could go with a cover, maybe $700ish. Headed seats using the OEM buttons, probably expensive and not really worth it.
Active exhaust - Not sure if this is possible. Better off getting a Corsa system anyway for $2K.

Overall, if you really want these features, you should find a car that already has them. If you like to tinker, go for the base. Also, I'd guess your resale will take a hit when you decide to sell. Even though it technically has premium features, it's not a premium and will not sell like one. Some people may even avoid or under value your car at that point.

 

[cmxPPL219]

I am in the market for a GT over winter. I've keeping my eyes out for a good deal. My plan was to get into a 15-17 premium in the mid 20's and start modifying it and having some fun as the warranty would run out. As many have noticed used car prices are pretty mind blowing especially from Carvana which seems to own about 50% of the GT's out there.

So a local dealer did say he can get me in a Base 2020 the color and trans I want for $31000. I never thought that to be possible. The premiums he has are pretty high though. 8 to 10 more. So my question is, how many options could I upgrade in the future if I feel I was really missing them, such as leather seats, Heated seats, premium sync radio, active exhaust, digital dash, and other things I would be missing.

In the vast majority of cases, you are better off, and will save money, by ordering/buying the car you want now, vs. buying a lesser-equipped version, only to "mod it later" to what you wanted. It almost always ends up costing more. Not to mention some of the complexity with retrofitting some electronic items, on today's cars. It can be a lot of headache.

I've seen cases personally, where friends would buy the lesser model, and then go on and spend so much more to add in some features later on, and they all express regret.

IMO, the money should be spent on aftermarket mods, if so inclined, on items that are non-factory upgrades. In other words, don't spend that money making up for factory features you wanted - save it for performance/styling etc. mods that go over and beyond what you want from factory.

 

[Bikeman315]

Well, you could pretty much do a majority of the upgrade options as long as you don't need specific connectors for them i.e. heated seats, the sync etc.. I would say a good amount of the things that you listed are very attainable. Probably be much cheaper doing to a base than paying that extra for all of those options out the door as well.

Well it really depends on what exactly you are looking for and who would be doing the work. It could wind up costing you more. You are also adding in some of the the 401A package items along with the premium car.

By the way does the car your looking at have the 301A package?

Here are the features of the 400A.

400A Standard Features​

Power and Handling​

Selectable Drive Modes

Interior Features​

Heated and cooled leather-trimmed front seats

Leather-trimmed front bucket seats

Dual-Zone Electronic Automatic Temperature Control

9-speaker sound system with amplifier

SiriusXM® Radio

Aluminum foot pedals

Ambient Lighting with MyColor® and 4.2" Cluster

Heated and cooled leather-trimmed front seats

Leather-trimmed front bucket seats

Dual-Zone Electronic Automatic Temperature Control

9-speaker sound system with amplifier

SiriusXM® Radio

Aluminum foot pedals

Ambient Lighting with MyColor® and 4.2" Cluster

Bright chrome door speaker surround

Satin chrome instrument cluster register vents and cupholder surrounds

Angled Brush Aluminum instrument panel appliqué

Illuminated door-sill scuff plates

Premium door trim

Soft Door Rollover

Universal Garage Door Opener

Exterior Features​

Mirrors - body-color, heated with integrated Blind Spot mirrors and turn signal indicators

Pony projection lights

 

[Interceptor]

a base GT would make a great commuter.
I daydream about a base 6 speed manual, up grade the suspension, good wheels and tires.
Commuting would be a blast. Run the miles up for 5 years (warranty)then drop like a hot potato.

All those creature comforts are really nice, but then you are gonna need to be real careful not to scratch this, park here, put that on the seat.

The biggest would be the base center information console.

 

[tw557]

Probably my biggest issues would be the leather seats and of course the infotainment center. Although I am not that impressed with the premium that much to begin with. I had the premium in my Eco. I actually like the controls of the base just not the radio functions. So maybe aftermarket would work for me. Also aftermarket seat covers look nice and unique also. Digital dash low on my list as of now anyway. Active exhaust could be fun. Stealth in town, fun in the mountains. I'm just definitely not going to swing in the $40's for a loaded new gt with all the bells. So I just need to contemplate a older premium for a little less or 18ish for same or a little more then this new base. I need to have things to tinker on with the car I just expected it to be on a 16ish stock then do performance mods. Electrical mods aren't my best expertise.

 

[Andrew@Lethal]

I am in the market for a GT over winter. I've keeping my eyes out for a good deal. My plan was to get into a 15-17 premium in the mid 20's and start modifying it and having some fun as the warranty would run out. As many have noticed used car prices are pretty mind blowing especially from Carvana which seems to own about 50% of the GT's out there.

So a local dealer did say he can get me in a Base 2020 the color and trans I want for $31000. I never thought that to be possible. The premiums he has are pretty high though. 8 to 10 more. So my question is, how many options could I upgrade in the future if I feel I was really missing them, such as leather seats, Heated seats, premium sync radio, active exhaust, digital dash, and other things I would be missing.

I highly encourage getting the premium package right off the bat with all the options. Buying this stuff separate would cost more than to just get it all with the car from the dealer. You COULD do without the active exhaust and magneride and save your pennies there. Digital dash, leather seats, and the larger screen with SYNC are must haves IMO. Some people don't need that stuff and just buy the base and saves them thousands.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I am in the market for a GT over winter. I've keeping my eyes out for a good deal. My plan was to get into a 15-17 premium in the mid 20's and start modifying it and having some fun as the warranty would run out. As many have noticed used car prices are pretty mind blowing especially from Carvana which seems to own about 50% of the GT's out there.

So a local dealer did say he can get me in a Base 2020 the color and trans I want for $31000. I never thought that to be possible. The premiums he has are pretty high though. 8 to 10 more. So my question is, how many options could I upgrade in the future if I feel I was really missing them, such as leather seats, Heated seats, premium sync radio, active exhaust, digital dash, and other things I would be missing.

So ask yourself a few questions . . . how many of those options would be hard deal-breakers if they weren't present? . . . what do you really need to be happy with the car (I'm thinking in terms of minimum content for happiness as opposed to minimum content for some hard-to-define level of 'what-I-think-I-want' here)?

Think about how you're going to use this car, how you're actually going to be driving it.


The point about only modifying for various aspects of performance - and I'm going to include mods that improve driver composure here - was well taken. Appearance mods are kind of a 'maybe', as it's pretty easy to do things that end up looking dated after a while.

With electric/electronic/tech mods apparently not being your thing either, doing such aftermarket mods is likely to end up being quite costly.


Norm

 

[tw557]

I was really certain I had a plan. Get a 16-17 premium and have fun modding it. I like the front ends better and I'm not sold on the Gen 3 coated cylinder issues just yet. But then the dealer thru this base price out there and got me thinking. I've never owned a new car in my 53 year old life. Always buy a couple years old with nice options and let someone else take the depreciation. Worked well with Audi and Infiniti but damn the GT used prices are incredible. Heck gt350 used prices seem reasonable. There in the 40's now.

 

[BlackandBlue]

I was really certain I had a plan. Get a 16-17 premium and have fun modding it. I like the front ends better and I'm not sold on the Gen 3 coated cylinder issues just yet. But then the dealer thru this base price out there and got me thinking. I've never owned a new car in my 53 year old life. Always buy a couple years old with nice options and let someone else take the depreciation. Worked well with Audi and Infiniti but damn the GT used prices are incredible. Heck gt350 used prices seem reasonable. There in the 40's now.

I was at the exact same place you were in. Wanted a 1-2 year old mustang for 24-28. Ended up buying my 18 for 31.5k. 33k was OTD with taxes.

Get what you can afford and add stuff later. A 45k car will lose way more value the first year then a 31k car.

If you are getting a manual the 301a is less important although I think it’s the most important for creature comforts and overall experience.

 

[tw557]

Norm, good questions for thought. I am a mechanical engineer so I very much want to tinker with suspension, drive train and minor motor stuff. I can certainly follow good direction and deal with electronic stuff but not best at figuring out cpu stuff and such.

Of course the GT in itself is the main need to have. First I want the power delivery (low end) as best as I can get. Get the handling just right. Then exterior cosmetics I like to get just right, so no problem there. Then cosmetically probably like leather seats and better looking and working radio. But not a big touch screen fan. Buttons are fine by me.

When it comes to active exhaust and digital dash I never planned to have them in the first place as I was mostly planning for a 16ish year. It was once this 2020 deal came up it made me think maybe they are future options I could obtain.

But first and foremost I want this to handle as close to my ecoboost did and have some low end grunt.

 

[WildHorse]

Some people don't need that stuff and just buy the base and saves them thousands.

True I did save thousands on my 300A, but the number 1 reason was I wanted the lightest GT available. Now with go fast mods, etc., I'm still ahead over the premium moneywise & have a much, much faster/quicker car.

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