My GT350R will likely be my last Ford car.

[stanglife]

After watching ~5 days of posts I would like to provide some feedback based on having owned 4 new generation GT350/R's (still own 3 of them) and was a custodian of two 2015 GT350's for the better part of a year with their combined mileage being ~25,000 miles. I can honestly say that I was very impressed with the body panel fit and gaps along with no suggestion of bumper sag or popping when these two early Tech Pack cars left my home.

Based on putting on ~2000 miles on all of the above 6 cars I have not experienced any of the 8 areas of concern that were listed except for item #5 which of course whereby we all experience some level of paint chips or road rash of some degree based on what part of the country that we live on and/or whether we track or drive on busy highways and roads. If your car has a PPF then of course that is probably a different story.

Having previously owned a number of M3's and M coupes I can tell you first hand that all of these cars were subject to paint chips and road rash as well and no one can tell me that as beautiful of a paint job that Porsche provides on their outstanding cars that they will be any different.

I had a recent conversation with a friend of mine who owns a very early 2016 GT350R (+14,000 miles and 7 track sessions) and during our conversation he mentioned that an acquaintance of his has a GT4, GT3, GT3RS and a GT2 with everyone of those cars having road rash and paint issues except for the GT2 based on having very few miles on it. Obviously this owner has some legitimate concerns and no different than we do but I don't care if our cars come from Germany, Japan, Italy or the U.S. the factory paint/process is subject to paint chips and road rash and has been for a number of years now.

With respect to the new generation Boss 302 cars being far superior in build quality to the GT350/R's again that has not been my experience based on having owned 8 Boss 302's over the last 7 1/2 years and having driven them ~15,000 miles over that time period.

I am not here to suggest that Ford does not have engine issues and/or quality build issues on some GT350/R's and certainly respect all of the posts from every member here but I have to say that my experience has been quite positive so far for not only the Shelby's in question but also for the Boss cars.

Obviously our GT350/R's are massed produced HP vehicles are not perfect builds but I am certainly very thankful that Ford went out on a limb and produced a HP Mustang that is powered by a FPC engine and in the case of the R model providing a 2 seat Mustang that comes with CF wheels and a CF rear spoiler and all for ~$67,000.

In spite of some noted short comings these cars are possibly the best bang for the buck out there in my humble opinion.

:cheers:

:amen:
Could use another 100hp - but I'm always going to say that!

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[MrCincinnati]

Based on putting on ~2000 miles on all of the above 6 cars I have not experienced any of the 8 areas of concern that were listed except for item #5 which of course whereby we all experience some level of paint chips or road rash of some degree based on what part of the country that we live on and/or whether we track or drive on busy highways and roads. If your car has a PPF then of course that is probably a different story.
:cheers:

All due respect.. 2000mi per vehicle is pretty low to evaluate most of the concerns from OP. That’s nearly showroom fresh - especially considering (assuming) the level of care and storage quality your fleet likely experiences.

The bumper gap, for example, has a Ford bulletin for the repair it’s so widespread.

You’re a Ford guy. Deeper than a lot here I’d presume. So I get it. But that you’ve owned 4 Rs and not seen any of the issues in that list tells me either I should get lotto numbers from you and play it religiously, or your use case is somewhat outside the norm.

That said - totally agree on bang for buck.

 

[rebellovw]

I'd still happily buy a GT350 over a Porsche and man I've loved the 911 since I was a teenager (I'm 52). The 911 is timeless but there is just something about the s550.

 

[PP0001]

All due respect.. 2000mi per vehicle is pretty low to evaluate most of the concerns from OP. That’s nearly showroom fresh - especially considering (assuming) the level of care and storage quality your fleet likely experiences.

The bumper gap, for example, has a Ford bulletin for the repair it’s so widespread.

You’re a Ford guy. Deeper than a lot here I’d presume. So I get it. But that you’ve owned 4 Rs and not seen any of the issues in that list tells me either I should get lotto numbers from you and play it religiously, or your use case is somewhat outside the norm.

That said - totally agree on bang for buck.

Appreciate your comments!

Having had two 2015 GT350's in my garage for a year both of which had ~13,000 miles on each car is certainly enough time to evaluate some of the issues listed at least in my opinion. I drove those cars on many occasions including one longer trip from up North and these cars had no issues other than the ever prevalent paint issue that we all experience.

I get that some of our cars have issues and certainly understand and feel for the owners that have some issues but there are many of us that have had very positive experiences with these cars with myself being one of them.

I have stated my experiences with these cars therefore time to move on.

:cheers:

 

[PP0001]

And what does road debris with consequent paint chips have to do with shoddy fit/finish anyway? A Rolls Royce with 30 layers of paint with still get rock chips from the road.

Agreed and suggest that you reread concern #5 which pertains to paper thin paint thus my response with respect to nicks up front and in quarters.

Done.

;)

 

[kskpsu]

Wow, took some forum time off. Ripe for the cliche forum response, Ron Burgundy’s “well that escalated quickly”.

My $0.02. Yes, on average, german cars are built better. Cross shop what you’ll get for the same price...a loaded BMW 340? Awesome car. It’s also not in the same league mechanically. The economics are not rocket science...pay for brand/presitge or better manufacturing/quality control, and get less content. I have cars where I prioritized the former, but with the GT350R, addressing the latter has been awesome...I grin like an idiot every damn drive.

FWIW, my $95k 2016 Porsche Boxster Spyder had a paint defect in a rocker that was more obvious than any flaw on my GT350. Porsche eventually gave me $1000 to respray it or leave as is, so the only point of differentiation is a manufacturer that backs up their cars better...they are also the most profitable car company in the world, so their margins permit such support. Dealer service? My anal, out of pocket $250 oil change at 1k miles resulted in a massive oil leak on my gararge floor due to an improperly torqued drain plug. After sending pics, and telling the dealer I rectified it on my own, their response was “glad you figured it out”. Not until I destroyed them on a corporate survey did they comp me a free oil change and also sent me a “care package” of 911 etched beer glasses. On my BMW 1M, the exclusivity of only 740 cars in the US led to an absolute $hit show for initial service. My car got the wrong diff fluid, and after relentlessly arguing (their contention was the wrong part # on my paperwork was due to bulk vs bottle), they eventually realized they messed up. There were guys that got 10W-60 poured into their engine, the go-to oil for bespoke M motors at the time, which the 1M does not have. Point being, dealer incompetence is a wide spread problem and as likely as death and taxes (cliche FTW). I’d actually rather bet on the GT350 being a car a Ford dealer/techs adore being handled properly than another high priced Porsche rolling through the turnstyle.

I’m not going to engage in a pi$$ing match on what the Shelby is or isn’t. I knew what I was getting, and I therefore don’t care about my bumper fit and finish. But that’s me. Good time to roll out another cliche; 1st world problems. Mulling over tradeoffs between a GT350 and Porsche is a situation I am glad we are all in. For most of us, a long week of half-a$$ing it is coming to an end while we still debate these “problems”. Reach for a solid bourbon and enjoy closing out strong! I am going with a glass or two of Rowan’s Creek. Good stuff, but the proof is a little intense. Cheers (one last cliche!)!

 

[stanglife]

Well said

 

[Minn19]

All due respect.. 2000mi per vehicle is pretty low to evaluate most of the concerns from OP. That’s nearly showroom fresh - especially considering (assuming) the level of care and storage quality your fleet likely experiences.

The bumper gap, for example, has a Ford bulletin for the repair it’s so widespread.

You’re a Ford guy. Deeper than a lot here I’d presume. So I get it. But that you’ve owned 4 Rs and not seen any of the issues in that list tells me either I should get lotto numbers from you and play it religiously, or your use case is somewhat outside the norm.

That said - totally agree on bang for buck.

I wish my two GT350 experiences were the same as his. I still had one on my 16 that I haven’t seen anybody else mention. I had a hole in the weather stopping between my back windshield and the body. My daughter and I went through a touch less car wash and she says “ Daddy it’s raining back here.” I turn around thinking what the hell and sure enough it was a light drizzle. Thankfully on the side of where my daughter wasn’t sitting. That one took two weeks to diagnose and fix. While they were at it they adjusted a bunch of other panels lamenting what we do here about factory build quality and lack of it.

My 17 experience has been bunch better, but the panels are embarrassing in some spots and my dealer has offered to fix them. Over spray under the hood etc and the interior rattles pretty much everywhere. But, I still smile every time I drive it and obviously knew what was getting to when I bought it for a second time. Luckily nothing major mechanically except for two drivers side CV boots that were leaking. Very common problem for all of the GT350s.

I agree with the above poster that spending more money on “premium” brands doesn’t always get you better quality or service. But, I never had nearly the issues with 6 past and present BMWs. All I really had was a squeaky/rattling interior (nothing like either of my GT350s) and some warped rotors that the warrantied without even a conversation. But, I have seen others that have gone rounds with BMW and Porsche like we have here. Nobody and no manufacturer/dealer are perfect, but as the poster said you generally get better of both with premium brands.

A guy named Nick Murray has a whole channel of car reviews. Look him up as he got his start because he had a lemon 911 and Porsche wouldn’t buy it back. They finally did after he started doing videos of all of the issues.

 

[Minn19]

My mistake for assuming that the two most glaring examples might possibly be some of the main reasons why someone might be selling. Totally flawed logic. I have no idea what I was thinking...

Don’t worry about it. Most of us get what you are saying and why you did it. No biggie the world will go on. ;)

 

[Bladex10]

Ford is definitely going to have to step up their quality control if they want to start selling $70-80k Mustangs. Some of these quality issues i'm seeing is just not acceptable for that price range and im usually one to not even complain about that stuff.

 

[UnhandledException]

I put 25,500 miles on my gt350 and quality doesnt bother me.

I will however buy a gt3 for other reasons (smaller, nimble, easier to drive at limit, unique engine and sound etc).

The only part of GT350 that bother me is absymal air conditioning. It just doesnt cool enough.

 

[EF300]

Ford is definitely going to have to step up their quality control if they want to start selling $70-80k Mustangs. Some of these quality issues i'm seeing is just not acceptable for that price range and im usually one to not even complain about that stuff.

Agree it is not unreasonable for a flagship car like a GT 350 or 500 to be held to a slightly higher standard.

 

[UnhandledException]

Agree it is not unreasonable for a flagship car like a GT 350 or 500 to be held to a slightly higher standard.

You guys need a reality check. $58,900 is what i paid for mine and thats really not that high for any car forget sports car.

 

[Minn19]

You guys need a reality check. $58,900 is what i paid for mine and thats really not that high for any car forget sports car.

No offense, but that is pretty high to the average person. Most of us are fortunate enough that it isn’t really that high to us, but it is still a larger chunk of change.

 

[Minn19]

Agree it is not unreasonable for a flagship car like a GT 350 or 500 to be held to a slightly higher standard.

Just wait until somebody says it isn’t a brings up the GT..........

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