Vermilion

The difference that I'm looking at between base and premium is about 3000 bucks. REALLY the only thing I want is a leather steering wheel. I know people have switched out GT500 wheels in their 2010 and 2011 stangs. I wouldn't mind having MyColor as well and have heard of people swapping those out as well.

Leather is nice but, here in the south its BLAZING hot right now and even with tint it would be killer. So not a big deal for me. Can always buy the skins or get some Wet Okole seat covers. I listened to the base stereo the other day and its pretty good for only being 4 speakers. Course adding my own sub/amp and aftermarket headunit would make it 5x better.

I guess at this point I'm debating whether a leather wrapped steering wheel and MyColor gauges are worth 3000 bucks. I'm not sure how much the gauges are but, I know the GT500 wheel can be bought for right at 300 bucks. I wonder how much the 2011 leather wheel is.

I kind of wish Ford would let you choose a few premium options for the base car. Oh well, they've got plenty of extra options already.

Warthog5

OUCH! It's almost $500 for the front and rear seats.

onegoal

Well I have an 06 premium and here in St. Louis in the summer it's not that hot inside it the car as long as I use window shades. No hotter than a cloth car IMO.

the premiums are nice to have with the leather stearing wheel and that.

The base 2011 GTs look cheap on the inside and don't have full instruments like the premium does. I guess it's made for someone who just wants it for the speed or will be stripping it and using it on the strip.

If you want a premium but don't want to pay the price wait until next year for a used one or when the 2012 comes out.

MrChicken

I have two 2011 GT premiums, one red with black leather and the other black with black leather.
Without Tint they are insanely hot inside, with tint they are just bearable if you use a windowshield shade.
What has worked out well for us is the remote start, just a couple minutes of run time before you get in makes a big difference. You still get some heat soak from leather, but if you rememeber to aim the vents at the seats and crank the fan up before you get out you can make the car much easier to live with by using the remote start. The RS should be a big plus in winter as well.

The Ford remote start is good for at least 100 yards in line of sight, at least double what I get from the key fob . I use mine through tinted glass at the office at that distance. In parking lots, if I can see it, it will work. The other day the wife used hers and the car was about fifty yards away with 4 rows of parked cars in between, we could not see the car when she used the RS.

My son has the base stereo, the shaker 500 in the premium is noticably better. Having Sync is a big deal, and Sirius has become something for us that isnt an option anymore

If you've never had any the premium options, you wont miss them. Once you have them you'll likely get attached to them pretty quickly.

DanB2398

I agree with MrChicken the premium package is much better. I had an 2006 that was a base model, and this is much better. I did have an 08 gt vert and i though the shaker 500 sounded much better in that one. This one is ok but kinda sucks compared to my 08's shaker sound. The leather the sirius and the ambelient lighting make the car worth it for me just makes it looks so better inside, but i will changing out the speakers on the shaker 500 though they suck. Everything else is with the premium package is awsome

JIM5.0

To me, the premium package is the way to go if you want a road cruiser, but if you plan on modding the hell out of your car to go fast (tranny switch, engine upgrades, etc.), the base GT is the way to go since a Shaker radio, leather, 6 gauge cluster, sync, and all that jazz does nothing to make the car faster.

To impress the friends and show off on a weekend night, blast some music, and enjoy the comfort and feel of leather seats, premium is your car.

To mod the hell out of and hit low 11's and high 10s at the track, the base one is the way to go.

Vermilion

I just don't need the leather or sync or sat radio. I had sirius years ago and they pissed me off and vowed to never go back to that crap. I'll probably mod it some but nothing extreme. Tune, CAI, exhaust, tires thats about it.

If I can get a leather wrapped wheel and the MyColor gauges I will be just fine. But, even the gauges aren't that big of a deal.. just hate that plastic steering wheel.

If I can get the premium for a good price then I'll probably go for it but, if I can get the base even cheaper (close or under 30k) I'll jump on it instead.

Alec

That's kind of what I'm planning for mine. My '05 6er is a base model but down the road I'm hoping to do some premium upgrades - leather, mycolor etc. We shall see

venomisback

Base model here. I'm just gonna pick up leather covers and a new steering wheel. That will work for me.

Gaspi101

I was in the same boat as you---The dealer offered to put leather on a non-leather car for $800.00. But the sync and satellite radio sold me on the premium....I would go for that, really.