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Anyone trade their GT350R for a Cayman GT4?

dsm_mikey

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Hey all!

I love my GT350R!

Seriously considering selling my 2016 GT350R for a new 718 Porsche GT4 w a manual for a couple reasons:

1. Out of warranty issues a d expense w the GT350R
2. Weight...the GT4 is 600 lbs lighter than a GT350R. Should go through less consumables on track

Man...tough decision.

Anyone done it and regret/love their decision?

Mike
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galaxy

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1. What expensive issues have you had? Or are you living a “what if” life?

2. About a year ago I was in your exact same shoes. Had access to a brand new manual car. It was gorgeous. I didnt do it for two reasons…1, I knew I’d regret it. 2, another member on here that also owns a GT3 said that if he could only keep one car, he’d keep the 350 every day.
 

honeybadger

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I don't have personal experience with this, but I've had a few friends make the jump (both ways). From what I've seen, it typically boils down to:

1. If you're Porsche fan that jumps into the GT350R because you want something a bit more raw, you love it for the time you've had it, but you end up going back to Porsche for the refinement, performance, and reliability.

2. If you're a Ford/American Muscle fan that wants to step up to the Porsche level, it's fun for a while, but eventually the cost and lack of DIY serviceability along with missing the Ford community pulls you back.

My guess is your answer will depend on which one of those group you fall into more.
 

DrumReaper

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Hey all!

I love my GT350R!

Seriously considering selling my 2016 GT350R for a new 718 Porsche GT4 w a manual for a couple reasons:

1. Out of warranty issues a d expense w the GT350R
2. Weight...the GT4 is 600 lbs lighter than a GT350R. Should go through less consumables on track

Man...tough decision.

Anyone done it and regret/love their decision?

Mike
What’s your chassis # if you don’t mind me asking?
 

CarbonZ

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I'd prob rather have the gt4 personally. Can't go wrong either way though. Both have pros/ cons.

Not sure what the out of warranty issue is, but extended warranties are fine if you can get one.
 

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ZX3ST

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Hey all!

I love my GT350R!

Seriously considering selling my 2016 GT350R for a new 718 Porsche GT4 w a manual for a couple reasons:

1. Out of warranty issues a d expense w the GT350R
2. Weight...the GT4 is 600 lbs lighter than a GT350R. Should go through less consumables on track

Man...tough decision.

Anyone done it and regret/love their decision?

Mike
No personal experience with a P-car here but I did seriously consider a 718 GTS or GT4 when I bought my GT350.

I have 2 track buddies with a GT4. We chatted for a while and came to the conclusion that track consumables aren't all that much different.

And if you're worried about OoW expenses, I think the strut tower and gearbox debacles put the GT4 on the same playing field REAL quick.

All this to say, I wouldn't be moving to a 718 strictly to save $$$.
 
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dsm_mikey

dsm_mikey

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1. What expensive issues have you had? Or are you living a “what if” life?

2. About a year ago I was in your exact same shoes. Had access to a brand new manual car. It was gorgeous. I didnt do it for two reasons…1, I knew I’d regret it. 2, another member on here that also owns a GT3 said that if he could only keep one car, he’d keep the 350 every day.

As far as issues I have had, it has been minimal up to this point. Had a starter replaced and a couple recalls taken care of. Nothing major. Not concerned while the extended Ford warranty is in place. (Until May 2024)

I do track the car. If I didn't track it, I wouldn't worry about durability. I did purchase the 8year extended warranty. Good til 2024. I just want to make sure Im covered and the next buyer is as well.

I really like the idea of a mid engined car that weighs quite a bit less than the Mustang. I am guessing lap times would be similar so thats not the reason.

It is a difficult decison for sure. The GT350R has been paid off and is very, very fun on and off track. I would have to sell this to get the Porsche.

Chasis # is GR0250

Thanks for all the feedback!!!
 

NoXiDe

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I've been considering the other spectrum. I don't think the grass is any greener on the other side of tracking the GT4 or the GT3 when referring to consumables. Been wondering about the ND, NC, NA platform since the beginning of this last summer. Would like to go with an ND due to it's much more modern interior design as I like to share a middle line between therapy cruises during the week and track life. Sadly, even the ND blows transmissions and their on revision 5. That would be a loss of several hundred ponies which I'm not sure I could accept; right away at least.
 

Hack

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The Porsche would be great on track, but less fun than the GT350 on the street. One of the issues with modern cars - they are too capable and can be boring. Not the case with the GT350, but I think on the street that's where you will be in the Porsche.

I think Mustangs are too big, heavy and high off the ground and I prefer the lighter, smaller and lower Porsche as well, but Porsches are NOT performance bargains. You pay a lot for what you get with Porsche.

I'd say if you have Porsche money, your best bet is to set some of it aside and be able to fix the GT350 if something goes wrong with it.
 

-RAC-

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I have owned a couple of 911's and they are great track toys. Flog them all day no problem and drive home. After driving them cross country they do everything great. The only Porsche I would own now day is any GT cars or a turbo. BUT, the biggest problem with Porsche is it does everything great and that makes it boring. . There is just no charisma and it is a magnet to attract other dudes. Still a great car with racing history. Plus they never stop building the 911, it's an icon car. I am sure the GT4 is awesome. I even looked at them when buying my GT350.

But my GT350 has charisma in spades. I have owned it less then a year and it never get old driving it. Winter has stopped me just shot of 12K miles. Plus many more women have approached the car. I would never give up the GT350 for a Porsche, ever. Not saying I would not add a GT car or Turbo to the garage at some point.

Just a different view point
 

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stanglife

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Do what I'm doing - try to convince the wife to get a GT4 and then you have both ;)

Really, I've always loved the GT4 and with the new one, wow. For me, the reason I'm not jumping ship is the sound of the 350R can not be beat and I keep hearing of how very long the gearing is in the GT4...I just think that would make it no fun to drive on the street.
 

UnhandledException

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If I may give you the perspective of a person who has owned GT350 (74,500 miles), C7 ZR1 (18,000 miles) and a 991.2 GT3RS (9,500 miles):

- American cars here are very unrefined. This is both a good thing. Good in a sense that they feel very classic, almost like the days of those Saturn V rockets in the Apollo program, but its a bad thing that from NVH to interior fit and finish to things like oil filter being very hard to get access in the GT350. You look at the american cars and you are reminded that they are all about value and that means cost cutting everywhere.

- You look at the Porsche and the precision both interior, exterior, and underbody is immense. You remove the GT3RS bumper 1,000 times and it will go back the same way with no sag, none of that “the bumper flexes and the clear coat is chipped away”. The car is made to be serviced. Every little detail has been carefully thought through. Removing the engine and transaxle as one piece can be done as short as 30 minutes and can be put back right away. Try doing a clutch replacement of the corvette or the mustang. It is a fucking disaster. Every time you attempt, its like doing open heart surgery. You have to remove the exhaust, then the driveshaft, then you have the subframe then you have all the wiggling of hoses and brake lines in the way. When you get under these cars and work on them, then you realize Germans are just not cutting corners. I bet Americans could do it just as good but then it wouldn’t be $60,000 GT350 or $140,000 ZR1 would it? This is what most people forget and miss entirely. You… get… what…. You…. Pay… for. Period.

- Then there is the fun aspect. American cars have substantially more straight line performance. You are not going to get the thrust of the vodoo from the 414 hp 8k rpm N/A. Not even close. You may come close with my GT3RS but if power is you thing, just forget about it. In curvy roads, I am 2-3 mph faster in my 520 hp gt3rs than my 755 hp ZR1. When curvy roads is my thing, porsche it is. So much balance. So much pace, and so consistent. But when i m on a highway or long stretches of road, porsche does get boring. The 2-3-4th gear WOT run of a ZR1 is faster than a 737 taking off. Its impossible not to smile ear to ear.

- The aftermarket for Porsche is at a level that isnt even close to aftermarket for american cars. You are not going to find youtube videos of rock music playing in the background and $1,500 for a full exhaust. The headers and exhaust on my GT3RS costs $13,000. The customer service, quality of the product, performance of the product are just unparalleled. Made in USA, USA engineers and welders. Not mom and pop shop in Florida welding T304, its 321SS. On a 500 hp/337 ft lbs car, it indeed ads 40tlbs and 30 hp. It isnt “porsche tax”. It is just better. I’ll even say that how much better the aftermarket for Porsche is much more than the actual car being better than the mustang/corvette. I dealt with aftermarket companies that were just plain awful. Like walmart customer service.

- Of all the cars I have owned, GT3RS is abused the most. I have times that i kept that car at 8000-9000 rpm for over a mile and a half. I have done launch controls 11 times in a row and I have pushed that car to its limits. I cannot get the oil temp to above 198F and water temp to above 203F. It has not burned an ounce of oil, not a tea spoon (and oil monitor is precise to 200ml increments) and oil reports are as clean as drinking water. Literally no metals. Want me to tell you about my piston slap or typewriter tick of my GT350? That it drinks a quart of oil every 1,000 miles. My lead levels have been high last 30,000 miles. ZR1 drinks oil too, on average 1 qt per 1,200 miles. It has a transmission leak. Coolant leak. Basically every kind of fluid leaks/burnt. I turn off rev matching in the ZR1 and heel and toe above 4k rpm and in as little as 20 miles, it consumes 1/8th of a quart of oil. If I drive it like most corvette owners below 3k rpm, oil consumption is nil. But redlining it or throttle decel just kills it. Tells you so much about tolerances. GT350 is much worse. It uses so much oil when driven the same way, I havent driven it like that in 2 years in fear of it dying on me.

- Even given the above. I like my american cars because I like the heritage and the history behind them. I love them for what they are which is why GT3RS isnt a replacement but an addition. The sound GT350 makes on a cold winter night in a forest with that V8 echoing just gives me goosebumps. It is one of those things that I can never let go, no matter how much oil it uses and how much piston slap it has every morning.

I would try to find a way to own both cars.They are so different that if you loved the R, you will miss it. If you hated it, you wont but then you would have sold it by now wouldnt you?

Let me know if you have any specific questions.
 
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Tonymustang302

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That may be the best answer ive ever seen on the internet….and 100% true
 

SchnellGT350

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Sold my 981 GT4 in January 2021. It’s was an amazing car. Needed more power and I went through the Dundon Motorsports catalogue (if you are serious about a Porsche GT car you should look them up). It was an expensive trip but the quality of the parts is insane. Had never had an American V8 and wanted to try it. Have been really enjoying it so far. Was shocked at how cheap hood quality parts are which makes playing with this one a little more fun. You also have to ask yourself what kind of attention you want. I sort of felt like a douche with the big winged GT4. Next time it will be a GT3 Touring.
 

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This is the final generation of internal combustion before the 718 platform goes fully electric. My hunch is this will keep waitlists long and prices high as enthusiasts jump in for their final chance of buying the “last hurrah” of traditional 718 architecture.
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