How Much Does It Cost to Own a Shelby GT500 for Four Years and 28,000 Miles?

Maintenance costs on the Shelby GT500 are more extreme than on a typical Mustang, but so is the fun.

The S550 Shelby GT500 was first revealed back in 2019. The car is no longer the new kid on the block by any means. Five years is a long time in the automotive world. Ford doesn’t even make the S550 generation anymore. A model called the Dark Horse is now at the top of the Mustang performance tree. Not counting the invitation-only GTD. But cars like the GT500 don’t just fade away. Heck, people still talk about the 1967 iteration of the car. And the good thing about the latest GT500 being with us for a while is we now have a bit of perspective on what it is actually like to live with. It is easy for automotive journalists to gush over it when it is brand new, after they drive it for a single day on a racetrack. But what about over the long haul?

Edmunds Cars recently released a video on their YouTube channel that sums up their four-year, 28,000-mile adventure with the Shelby GT500. And they did a lot more with the car than simply drive it to cars and coffee events. They drag raced it, took it to track days, blitzed their favorite canyon roads, and used it as a daily driver for mundane tasks like picking up the kids from school. How did the car hold up to all of that? Was it reliable? Was it expensive to maintain? Did it get tiring after a while?

Shelby GT500

Over the top. That is the consensus on the GT500. From the power to the noise, to the color. The GT500 takes no half measures. 760 horsepower is addictive and the sound it makes while generating that power is just as addictive. If the Nissan Leaf EV lives at one end of the automotive spectrum, the GT500 is on the complete opposite end. The Shelby naturally is at home on a drag strip, but Ford really put the effort into making sure the car can handle as well. And it handles beautifully. That might be the most surprising aspect of the car. It is not just a straight-line warrior; it can carve corners as well. Even on a daily commute this car shines as it simply makes people smile. And for all its extreme performance it can be docile and comfortable enough to drive day to day.

Ownership Experience

Nothing in life is free, and that certainly applies to the joy you get out of a GT500. The good news is that the maintenance costs are no where near what you would pay for a German or Italian exotic with similar horsepower. But it is not a regular EcoBoost Mustang either. A simple oil change on the car was $230. Rear axle service was $389. Transmission fluid filter service was $1,326. A new set of tires was over $1,800. And the car chugged a gallon of premium fuel every 13.6 miles. But it is not just the costs that take some getting used to, it is the service experience itself. Not every tech at a Ford dealership can work on a GT500. So, limited techs mean longer wait times. A simple oil change was often a 2-day affair. More intensive services could take a week or more.

Summary

Was the Shelby GT500 worth it? Everyone on the Edmunds team said that they are going to miss the car now that they will be selling it. They will miss the power and sound. The sheer presence that the car has on the road. Until the S650 GT500 comes out, there is really nothing else like this car on the market. The Hellcats are dead, the Camaro is dead. Where do you turn for good old fashioned V8 thrills? You turn to Ford. And if you have the budget and you want the most thrills possible, you turn to the GT500.

Join the Mustang Forums now!