Mondie

One of the few negative things l have read about the XR6T is the potential insurance cost. l was pleasently suprised when l went into our local RACV branch last week to get a quote on our XR6T, l was quoted only $481 (our current car, a TS50 is also with the RACV at $850) Should mention we live in country vic, l am 32, my wife 27 and we are both rating 1. Makes me wonder what all the fuss is about, l guess the WRX can be ridiculous to insure, so the XR6T was assumed to be in the same basket. So how has everyone else got on with insurance? Have you been able to better my RACV quote?

Cost us an extra$1500, oh well its only money hey? Because we went for premium brakes we had to cough up another $300 for the spare alloy also. It will all be worth it though. Cant wait!!

$1500 is the price to upgrade from 17's to 18's including buyback, quite steep but after seeing them l think its worth the cost. They really finish off the look of the car. If you have ordered premium brakes then, as we found out, you also have to option the spare as an 18" (this logically should also apply to the 17's if you go for the brakes). Think it has something to do with wheel offsets. You would think that if your car is at FPV you could change the rims over, but the Ford system seems really clumsy and inflexible. l reckon if you pressure your dealer he should be able to organise it. Well worth it in my opinion if you can. Good luck!

The optional 18's are pictured in Wheels Oct 02 , bottom of page 19 on the Phantom ute. Same pic that is on Fords website. l seen them fitted on an XR that the dealer we bought from had just recieved into stock. Look great, really toughen up the cars apperance. Needless to say we optioned them. From the Spec sheet and what the dealer told me, the 17"s are standard on the XR8, with the same 18's available as an option. Apart from the 5.4 lt, l am not aware of any other differences between the XR6T and XR8. If rumours of the XR8 costing $52k are correct, by the time you added premium sound, an auto and maybe premium barkes or leather, you are looking at $60k on the road.

Good news LionHeart. How do you obtain such accurate updates? Do you contact your dealer or is there somewhere on Fords website where you can track a build with the SIDO? You used to be able to do this with FTE, not sure if you can with Fords site. l havent been able to find it. Nov 14th, that's less than two weeks you lucky dog!!

Chalk another one up for the non geeks. l am an engineer working in the Oil & Gas industry, mainly offshore on the rigs. Sounds glamorous, but aint. Pays the bills though.

From the several Ford dealers l spoke to, it is only the turbo that is slow to start rolling off the line. l read elsewhere it was due to gearbox dramas, but also read it wasnt...dont know. One dealer told me that the standard XR6 is so poular that they have put off building turbos to meet demand for the standard cars. But if the turbo is the so called hero car you would think Ford would want to get some out on the road so l doubt that reasoning l hope my dealer is right, the car is meant to go into build next week so l guess l will soon find out. Cheers Simon

We have a TS50 that has an auto box with tiptronic controls on the steering wheel. l love manuals, and when we bought the car l thought the tiptronic would be a good compromise with my wife, who preffered an auto (at the time) l guess for the first week it was ok, but l soon stopped using it and hankered for a manual. For me, there is no substitue. The manual may be no quicker than the auto (not the reason l want it) and it may be more limited in torque rating (wont be modding the car so doenst matter) but its just more fun to drive. You actually drive the car. It all comes down to personal preference, but l dont think a tiptronic box is a good substitute if you are considering or generally prefer a manaul IMHO. When we decided to go for an XR6T my wife agreed to a manual, and boy am l glad. Cheers Simon

Hi Saleen, Congratulations! We ordered ours on Monday, and the dealer called yesterday to say it was going into build soon, and will be delivered early Dec. Once we get the SIDO we will be able to get regular accurate updates on the progress of the cars build. The dealer changed a turbo he already had in the system to our spec which is the reason why we ended up with a Dec delivery. Salesman told me that the factory closes for the last 2 weeks Dec/firts 2 weeks Jan so l'm guessing you probably wouldnt see you car until early Feb. Roll on December, roll on. Simon

Hi guys, Yep, the phantom interior is the standard cloth. Got leather in the current car, and dont think l would pay any extra for it. Hot in summer, cold in winter and l get sick of rubbing wax into it to keep it soft. l think the 18's look great, seen them in person on a XR8 the dealer had just got into stock. Knew there was no going back... l was truly amazed to find this website existed considering how soon it is since the release of the XR6T. Most of us have not even driven one yet, netherlone taken delivery. l think the turbo 6 was a masterstroke by Ford, l'd much rather a strong 6 than 8. Smoother, more civil, lighter, less fuel, less weight in the front end etc etc. l keep thinking back to my all time favourite car, a 72 Bathurts XU-1 Torana, geez that car was fun. l reckon the XR6T will be the closet modern day equivalent to that, but with 3 kiddie seats accross the back. l can now have my cake and eat it too! Roll on December. Simon

Hi everyone, Just thought I'd share a bit of joy with you all. On Monday we ordered our XR6T. We went for Phantom with Phantom interior, premium sound and brakes, 18" wheels, manual, side airbags, momo, & tint. Went a bit crazy on the options, but oh well, the car is gonna be awesome. We presently have a 1999 TS50 that l cant wait to get rid of for this beast. Auto was never an option for us, the TS has tiptronic but after a week you give up on it. l thought it might be a good substitute, but it isnt. There is no substitute for a manual. l notice no one has gone for the optional 18's, am l the only person who likes them? Any thoughts on the Phantom interior, l read someone say they thought it was pretty loud. Took a chance on it as wasnt able to find a dealer that had a car with it. Have seen the blue which l liked, so cant imagine that Phantom could be that lairy. Any opinions? Cheers Simon