bretlasalle
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2015
- Threads
- 7
- Messages
- 234
- Reaction score
- 121
- Location
- San Francisco, CA.
- Vehicle(s)
- 2016 Shelby GT350R
- Thread starter
- #1
Well, Happy New Year - my base Avalanche Gray Shelby GT350 arrived 12/31/2015. Technically it arrived at the rail yard on 12/29/2015 but was not unloaded until after 4pm on the 30th or early am on the 31st. I have either purchased or referred my salesman/dealer to 17 sales since I bought my Boss 302 from them in March of 2013. I paid a $5k ADM on my Shelby, I thought it was fair in July when I placed the order and I think it is fair as I write this post.
I was lucky enough to get a phone call from my salesman at 8am on the 31st, he told me to get my butt to the dealer asap - he was going to drive me to the rail yard and we were going to pick up my GT350. When we arrived, the car had 5 miles on it. We then took the car back to the dealer to start the PDI process. I didn't let them wash it, just installed the splitter, a test drive (that I went on) and docs. This was the first GT350 delivered to this dealer, so the car garnered a lot of attention. Frankly, I felt lucky that I had the car within eyesight for the entire process.
The Shelby currently has about 150 miles on it and I haven't been north of 5k rpms yet, though I have taken it up Mt. Diablo at 35degree temps - so take these impressions with a grain of salt. Firstly, I really like the Shelby. I got in the GT350 and immediately thought that there isn't a person on this planet that would be disappointed with this car. There are many great reviews that have already been posted, so let me just compare this to my 2013 Boss 302. My first impression is that the GT350 is nothing like the Boss 302, comparing the two is almost irrational. In simplest terms, the Boss 302 feels like a muscle car and the Shelby GT350 feels like a sports car. The Shelby feels incredibly smooth on the road, no wonder the Base car owners think they have Magnaride! I have not taken the car north of 5k rpms, but after 3,850 there is a real push. I also, now understand why some people do not think it's loud enough. It is loud when the throttle is engaged, but not at idle. Doesn't have the stop light (lopey idle) presence of the Boss. I do not know if I have some sort of audio unicorn or not, but the stereo is ten times better than my Boss 302 stereo, the bass is a massive improvement. I picked up a Lincoln MKZ black label while I waited for my Shelby to arrive and put two 12" W3 JL Audio subs in it, I know car audio. Don't get me wrong, a base audi/bmw stereo is lightyears ahead of the quality - but as it compares to the Boss, the Shelby has a much better stereo. The car is certainly inspiring in the corners, feels like it would be very tough to upset the car. Heel toe shifts are pretty simple, thought the brakes are incredible so I could see some getting used to there. The Boss 302 feels much quicker off the line, even my wife thought so - though it's really too early for me to definitively make this statement. I took the Shelby up to Mount Diablo, CA this morning, 35 degree temps - something I wouldn't even consider doing in the Boss 302... I didn't push the Shelby, but it felt incredibly planted and the turn in is direct and quick. The steering doesn't feel numb, but I also wouldn't say it's exceptional. The clutch doesn't feel as laughably light as the 2015 GT I drove, but it is too light. I could see how some people would really appreciate it for daily driving, but I don't. Clutch spring will come out asap! Lastly, I was nervous about build quality before my Shelby arrived. I happened to walk into a dealer that had a GT350 in the showroom a while back and the panel alignment was terrible, the stripes were misaligned and the paint had debris in it. My car is near perfect, the driver side of the hood doesn't line up with the panel as well as the passenger side. Other than that, it's just about perfect. Pardon the jumbled thoughts, please do comment with any questions and I'll respond asap.
At the rail yard!
PDI process
Post Docs - the car is mine, time for some chewing tobacco!
New Years Date Night - #nodrinking
Mt. Diablo this am
I was lucky enough to get a phone call from my salesman at 8am on the 31st, he told me to get my butt to the dealer asap - he was going to drive me to the rail yard and we were going to pick up my GT350. When we arrived, the car had 5 miles on it. We then took the car back to the dealer to start the PDI process. I didn't let them wash it, just installed the splitter, a test drive (that I went on) and docs. This was the first GT350 delivered to this dealer, so the car garnered a lot of attention. Frankly, I felt lucky that I had the car within eyesight for the entire process.
The Shelby currently has about 150 miles on it and I haven't been north of 5k rpms yet, though I have taken it up Mt. Diablo at 35degree temps - so take these impressions with a grain of salt. Firstly, I really like the Shelby. I got in the GT350 and immediately thought that there isn't a person on this planet that would be disappointed with this car. There are many great reviews that have already been posted, so let me just compare this to my 2013 Boss 302. My first impression is that the GT350 is nothing like the Boss 302, comparing the two is almost irrational. In simplest terms, the Boss 302 feels like a muscle car and the Shelby GT350 feels like a sports car. The Shelby feels incredibly smooth on the road, no wonder the Base car owners think they have Magnaride! I have not taken the car north of 5k rpms, but after 3,850 there is a real push. I also, now understand why some people do not think it's loud enough. It is loud when the throttle is engaged, but not at idle. Doesn't have the stop light (lopey idle) presence of the Boss. I do not know if I have some sort of audio unicorn or not, but the stereo is ten times better than my Boss 302 stereo, the bass is a massive improvement. I picked up a Lincoln MKZ black label while I waited for my Shelby to arrive and put two 12" W3 JL Audio subs in it, I know car audio. Don't get me wrong, a base audi/bmw stereo is lightyears ahead of the quality - but as it compares to the Boss, the Shelby has a much better stereo. The car is certainly inspiring in the corners, feels like it would be very tough to upset the car. Heel toe shifts are pretty simple, thought the brakes are incredible so I could see some getting used to there. The Boss 302 feels much quicker off the line, even my wife thought so - though it's really too early for me to definitively make this statement. I took the Shelby up to Mount Diablo, CA this morning, 35 degree temps - something I wouldn't even consider doing in the Boss 302... I didn't push the Shelby, but it felt incredibly planted and the turn in is direct and quick. The steering doesn't feel numb, but I also wouldn't say it's exceptional. The clutch doesn't feel as laughably light as the 2015 GT I drove, but it is too light. I could see how some people would really appreciate it for daily driving, but I don't. Clutch spring will come out asap! Lastly, I was nervous about build quality before my Shelby arrived. I happened to walk into a dealer that had a GT350 in the showroom a while back and the panel alignment was terrible, the stripes were misaligned and the paint had debris in it. My car is near perfect, the driver side of the hood doesn't line up with the panel as well as the passenger side. Other than that, it's just about perfect. Pardon the jumbled thoughts, please do comment with any questions and I'll respond asap.
At the rail yard!
PDI process
Post Docs - the car is mine, time for some chewing tobacco!
New Years Date Night - #nodrinking
Mt. Diablo this am
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