JGT_TreeFiddy
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2019
- Threads
- 8
- Messages
- 34
- Reaction score
- 71
- Location
- Houston, TX
- First Name
- Jay
- Vehicle(s)
- GT350
- Thread starter
- #1
After just over 4 years of ownership of the 350, a time came at the end of last year where I just wanted to try something different. After kicking the idea around for quite some time, I began to put some effort into searching the country for a GT500. Overall, I wasn't going to be too picky, as I was staying away from a CFTP and ultimately, would consider any year with about 5-6 different color options. So, I began with some searches, calls, e-mail's etc.
Fast forward to being about 4-5 weeks in, last month of '22, and I'm unsuccessful in finding a single allocation for a new car or let alone, identifying a dealer that would remotely entertain selling a car at sticker. I stayed patient, as I knew this sort of thing would just irritate me and turn me off more if I continued to press and get discouraged. Regardless, I didn't want to settle, so I pressed on. We all know car purchases end up working out on way or another. Once the end of the year passed, I decided to expand my search into the used market. Realistically, I was trying to find a dealer for a trade in on the 350, but knew that would probably be a stretch.
Being from Houston, the market wasn't exactly small, but, low and behold, I find what I feel to be the perfect car out in San Francisco, CA. A 2021 Carbonized Gray, Track/Handling Pack, Carbon Fiber Dash, a couple Steeda bit's and pieces, PPF, and the confidence knowing the car was meticulously cared for. With just under 4k miles on the clock, the owner was extremely pleasant and after some friendly conversations, we came to an agreement on the deal and I was ready to move forward. After a couple weeks, I arranged transport, booked a flight, and determine it's time to officially put the 350 up for sale on my end.
Fast forward to the week of the flight. I've cleaned up the 350, taken pictures, put up ad's on multiple platforms, social media, etc. For those who probably don't know, the 350 got enjoyed to the point of 31k miles over 4 years, had some HRE Flowform wheels, PPF, MGW Shifter, Borla ATAK, and ran flawlessly. Appearance wise, she could pass as clean as a 8-10k mile car. Even though I knew if priced the car accordingly, the representation, maintenance, etc, would hopefully put me in a position to move the car rather quickly, instead of falling into a wholesaler situation at the bottom of the market ($44k trade in). After listing the car for $50k or $52k with the HRE's, I get a deposit on the car within 12 hours off of Instagram, of all places. So, Thursday arrives (day of the flight) and with a non-refundable deposit in place, now I'm worried about potentially coming back home without a car, if this does not work out.
I arrive in San Francisco, owner picks me up from the airport and when he shows up in an X3 MComp, I knew we were good to go and indeed, we hit it off just fine. We arrive to the house, and there she sat, in all her glory.
At this point, we finalize paperwork, financials, etc, and I'm at the mercy of transport arriving. However, given an early morning delay, I had a 2-3 hour window before needing to head back to the airport. Ultimately, the owner was willing to lend a hand with assisting and with the title/extra key in hand, I headed back to the airport and had the pleasure of sitting there through a 4 hour delay.
Upon arrival, around 2:00am, I get home, get a few hours of rest and the new owner of the 350 asked if I could drive down and deliver the car that morning. Fortunately, he resided about 50 minutes south of me. So, I clean her up one last time, get paperwork in order, grab the wife and we head down south of Houston to drop the car off. Here she is, one last time. Again, new owner was great and made for an absolutely seamless transaction.
Well, at this point, I'm car-less. This situation never really crossed my mind, but I suppose I'm more thankful, as I really didn't have room for 2 cars. However, I will say, the 8 days waiting for the transport to arrive was...brutal. But, after a 2k mile hike, she made it down to Texas safe and sound.
I had a few goals in mind once I knew the car was mine. I wanted to PPF the remainder of the car, refresh the ceramic coating, remove the stipes, add a nice set of wheels, exhaust, and then dial in the stance appropriately. But, first, oil change...
Once I got done realizing the skid plate sat slightly in front of the drain plug, I got to enjoy cleaning up a ridiculous amount of residual oil. What a mess. Won't make that mistake again. Also, just in case you didn't notice, I hadn't registered the car yet at this point and was living life on the edge with my old GT3FIDY vanity plate.
After about 7-10 days, I got hooked up with E1 motorsports / E1 AutoSpa down here in Houston after they were recommended by a good buddy of mine. We went ahead and did a 1 step correction, removed the stripes, laid down PPF on the remainder of the car, and re-applied a couple layers of ceramic coating. I really didn't think the Carbonized Gray would have as much pop as it does. I could not have been happier with how she looked, especially in the garage under some harsher lighting. Lastly, you'll probably also catch onto the refreshed COHBRUH plate. It was either that or IMASN8K.
Once we got to this point, I sourced through hundreds of pictures, wheel combinations, etc. Ultimately, I knew that I wanted a very similar design to the HRE Flowform FF04's I had on the GT350. However, given our massive brakes, clearance issues I wasn't aware of, etc, I had no idea that my imagination would be slightly limited in this case. After driving myself nearly insane, I decided to just go for it and risk divorce/child support in the process. The owner of E1 Motorsports (Aadel) is a profound HRE dealer and we went through the options over a few day period. Originally, I was given a 6 month lead time. 6 months. After some discussions with style, finish etc, I received an updated ETA of 8-10 weeks, which I was more than happy with. Aadel could not have made this experience any more delightful. Now, we wait.
During this time, I went ahead and ordered a Corsa cat-back, which showed up relatively quick. Once I made an appointment for installation a few weeks later, Aadel gave me a shout and mentioned, "hey, I've got a surprise. HRE just sent me a tracking number for your wheels." Woah. It's only been 3 weeks at this point. Excitement became very real, very quickly. I was informed I'd be the only GT500 with the P104's, which we elected to go with in the "Frozed Clear Polished" finish. In the interim, I knew keeping these wheels clean would be an absolute pain in the ass. With that being said, Aadel originally had a CFTP, which he purchased pads for, to eliminate or assist with the brake dust and asked if I'd like them when the wheels got installed. Let's just say these have paid for themselves in the weight of gold. Enough talking, here she is after receiving some fresh HRE wheels and Corsa Cat-back.
A few of my DSLR pictures. A little better than the iPhone.
Now that the wheels are on, I knew lowering the car and completing the look I had in mind was extremely close. I figured a 1/2" to 3/4" of an inch drop would tidy things up just right. So, after reading some comments on this board, talking to a couple folks, I went with Steeda dual-rate springs. I didn't think the time would be best spent throwing in some CFTP springs, but I was somewhat reluctant, as I wasn't sure if our offset's (which were were conservative with), would end up being too aggressive for any drop at all. I absolutely HATE anything that rubs and knowing the potential was there where I'd have to back-pedal, made me a little bit nervous. However, that's the risk we take as enthusiasts. Always chasing that one, perfect look, that keeps you happy. So, on we went. These springs were installed today, 3/1/23.
Before:
During:
After:
For now, that's all she wrote, folks. Within' 6 weeks of ownership, I can say that this car far exceeds what I thought it would provide, coming from a similar S550 platform in the 350. I originally didn't believe that it would check all the boxes of being "that" much more of a car, but damn, I was wrong. A nice set of wheels, proper stance, a little more sound, and it's a completely different car.
After driving the car home today, there was not a single implication or sound of any rubbing, whatsoever. I will say that the ride is slightly "stiffer" in normal mode and you can definitely feel the change in sport. But, we're not driving a cadillac here and I think overall, it's a worthy addition. My only issue at the moment that I'm dealing with is an absurd rattle from the passenger side exhaust valve. My opinion of the corsa exhaust will be extended in a different thread if the replacement piece I'm supposed to receive tomorrow does not resolve the horrendous tin-can ticking noise, which is literally unbearable.
Hope you all enjoyed the last 6 weeks of this journey. We will continue forward from here and will throw up some additional pictures, once I get a little more time.
Cheers!
Jay
Fast forward to being about 4-5 weeks in, last month of '22, and I'm unsuccessful in finding a single allocation for a new car or let alone, identifying a dealer that would remotely entertain selling a car at sticker. I stayed patient, as I knew this sort of thing would just irritate me and turn me off more if I continued to press and get discouraged. Regardless, I didn't want to settle, so I pressed on. We all know car purchases end up working out on way or another. Once the end of the year passed, I decided to expand my search into the used market. Realistically, I was trying to find a dealer for a trade in on the 350, but knew that would probably be a stretch.
Being from Houston, the market wasn't exactly small, but, low and behold, I find what I feel to be the perfect car out in San Francisco, CA. A 2021 Carbonized Gray, Track/Handling Pack, Carbon Fiber Dash, a couple Steeda bit's and pieces, PPF, and the confidence knowing the car was meticulously cared for. With just under 4k miles on the clock, the owner was extremely pleasant and after some friendly conversations, we came to an agreement on the deal and I was ready to move forward. After a couple weeks, I arranged transport, booked a flight, and determine it's time to officially put the 350 up for sale on my end.
Fast forward to the week of the flight. I've cleaned up the 350, taken pictures, put up ad's on multiple platforms, social media, etc. For those who probably don't know, the 350 got enjoyed to the point of 31k miles over 4 years, had some HRE Flowform wheels, PPF, MGW Shifter, Borla ATAK, and ran flawlessly. Appearance wise, she could pass as clean as a 8-10k mile car. Even though I knew if priced the car accordingly, the representation, maintenance, etc, would hopefully put me in a position to move the car rather quickly, instead of falling into a wholesaler situation at the bottom of the market ($44k trade in). After listing the car for $50k or $52k with the HRE's, I get a deposit on the car within 12 hours off of Instagram, of all places. So, Thursday arrives (day of the flight) and with a non-refundable deposit in place, now I'm worried about potentially coming back home without a car, if this does not work out.
I arrive in San Francisco, owner picks me up from the airport and when he shows up in an X3 MComp, I knew we were good to go and indeed, we hit it off just fine. We arrive to the house, and there she sat, in all her glory.
At this point, we finalize paperwork, financials, etc, and I'm at the mercy of transport arriving. However, given an early morning delay, I had a 2-3 hour window before needing to head back to the airport. Ultimately, the owner was willing to lend a hand with assisting and with the title/extra key in hand, I headed back to the airport and had the pleasure of sitting there through a 4 hour delay.
Upon arrival, around 2:00am, I get home, get a few hours of rest and the new owner of the 350 asked if I could drive down and deliver the car that morning. Fortunately, he resided about 50 minutes south of me. So, I clean her up one last time, get paperwork in order, grab the wife and we head down south of Houston to drop the car off. Here she is, one last time. Again, new owner was great and made for an absolutely seamless transaction.
Well, at this point, I'm car-less. This situation never really crossed my mind, but I suppose I'm more thankful, as I really didn't have room for 2 cars. However, I will say, the 8 days waiting for the transport to arrive was...brutal. But, after a 2k mile hike, she made it down to Texas safe and sound.
I had a few goals in mind once I knew the car was mine. I wanted to PPF the remainder of the car, refresh the ceramic coating, remove the stipes, add a nice set of wheels, exhaust, and then dial in the stance appropriately. But, first, oil change...
Once I got done realizing the skid plate sat slightly in front of the drain plug, I got to enjoy cleaning up a ridiculous amount of residual oil. What a mess. Won't make that mistake again. Also, just in case you didn't notice, I hadn't registered the car yet at this point and was living life on the edge with my old GT3FIDY vanity plate.
After about 7-10 days, I got hooked up with E1 motorsports / E1 AutoSpa down here in Houston after they were recommended by a good buddy of mine. We went ahead and did a 1 step correction, removed the stripes, laid down PPF on the remainder of the car, and re-applied a couple layers of ceramic coating. I really didn't think the Carbonized Gray would have as much pop as it does. I could not have been happier with how she looked, especially in the garage under some harsher lighting. Lastly, you'll probably also catch onto the refreshed COHBRUH plate. It was either that or IMASN8K.
Once we got to this point, I sourced through hundreds of pictures, wheel combinations, etc. Ultimately, I knew that I wanted a very similar design to the HRE Flowform FF04's I had on the GT350. However, given our massive brakes, clearance issues I wasn't aware of, etc, I had no idea that my imagination would be slightly limited in this case. After driving myself nearly insane, I decided to just go for it and risk divorce/child support in the process. The owner of E1 Motorsports (Aadel) is a profound HRE dealer and we went through the options over a few day period. Originally, I was given a 6 month lead time. 6 months. After some discussions with style, finish etc, I received an updated ETA of 8-10 weeks, which I was more than happy with. Aadel could not have made this experience any more delightful. Now, we wait.
During this time, I went ahead and ordered a Corsa cat-back, which showed up relatively quick. Once I made an appointment for installation a few weeks later, Aadel gave me a shout and mentioned, "hey, I've got a surprise. HRE just sent me a tracking number for your wheels." Woah. It's only been 3 weeks at this point. Excitement became very real, very quickly. I was informed I'd be the only GT500 with the P104's, which we elected to go with in the "Frozed Clear Polished" finish. In the interim, I knew keeping these wheels clean would be an absolute pain in the ass. With that being said, Aadel originally had a CFTP, which he purchased pads for, to eliminate or assist with the brake dust and asked if I'd like them when the wheels got installed. Let's just say these have paid for themselves in the weight of gold. Enough talking, here she is after receiving some fresh HRE wheels and Corsa Cat-back.
A few of my DSLR pictures. A little better than the iPhone.
Now that the wheels are on, I knew lowering the car and completing the look I had in mind was extremely close. I figured a 1/2" to 3/4" of an inch drop would tidy things up just right. So, after reading some comments on this board, talking to a couple folks, I went with Steeda dual-rate springs. I didn't think the time would be best spent throwing in some CFTP springs, but I was somewhat reluctant, as I wasn't sure if our offset's (which were were conservative with), would end up being too aggressive for any drop at all. I absolutely HATE anything that rubs and knowing the potential was there where I'd have to back-pedal, made me a little bit nervous. However, that's the risk we take as enthusiasts. Always chasing that one, perfect look, that keeps you happy. So, on we went. These springs were installed today, 3/1/23.
Before:
During:
After:
For now, that's all she wrote, folks. Within' 6 weeks of ownership, I can say that this car far exceeds what I thought it would provide, coming from a similar S550 platform in the 350. I originally didn't believe that it would check all the boxes of being "that" much more of a car, but damn, I was wrong. A nice set of wheels, proper stance, a little more sound, and it's a completely different car.
After driving the car home today, there was not a single implication or sound of any rubbing, whatsoever. I will say that the ride is slightly "stiffer" in normal mode and you can definitely feel the change in sport. But, we're not driving a cadillac here and I think overall, it's a worthy addition. My only issue at the moment that I'm dealing with is an absurd rattle from the passenger side exhaust valve. My opinion of the corsa exhaust will be extended in a different thread if the replacement piece I'm supposed to receive tomorrow does not resolve the horrendous tin-can ticking noise, which is literally unbearable.
Hope you all enjoyed the last 6 weeks of this journey. We will continue forward from here and will throw up some additional pictures, once I get a little more time.
Cheers!
Jay
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