Questioning Gen 2 voodoo reliability

[Shanksfornothin]

Hey all! First post here. I’ve been sent to this forum by others so I’m hoping to get answers from real owners I need.
I’m a huge Mustang fan I’ve owned several GT’s over the years. The V8 with the manual is going away forever right before our eyes and I want to get that last one before they don’t exist and the price gets out of reach, and for me it’s already creeping on that line of unaffordable. Whatever I buy is a car I keep forever. For the foreseeable future will be a daily at least until it’s paid off at the bank (72 months)
All that being said. It’s been a dream to own a Shelby and I think we can all agree the GT350 is special. But seeing that I need it to be a daily, and that I want to keep it literally forever all this talk of engines blowing up ect. Scares me. And a 30k replacement motor would be the death of me, and getting a car that NEEDS a warranty doesn’t appeal to me. All the horror stories seem to be from Gen 1’s so my real question is is the Gen 2 reliable and relatively safe for me to go for or do I need to lower my expectations and stick to a Mach 1 because I know the 5.0 is rock solid. I do like the look of the Mach 1 and the history so I’m sure over time I would love it as much, but It’s not “special” and it’s not what the heart wants but this amount of money I can’t be rolling the dice every time I start it. I don’t plan on tracking it. Just spirited driving here and there. Which my sound like “just get the Mach 1” but I’ve driven the Shelby and that sound…that feeling…the cobra on the steering wheel, it’s a feeling I can’t replace

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[Angrey]

The entire issue is a mess from a number of inputs and outputs.

First, the only people that have real access to un-clouded data is Ford. And obviously they're not going to reveal one way or another (for a number of reasons, most of which has to do with potential suits).

There's ego involved. Anyone who's bought a newer version of something has to convince themselves it's better than the old version (regardless of whether that's true). They run around parroting the idea and even delude themselves.

Second is internet myth. How many internet myths persist, not just about the voodoo but mustangs in general. "The flat plane crank doesn't do well with boost."

Here's some perspective on the matter. If you built a lawnmower and sold the same exact model for 5 years, which year would you expect to have the most defects? The first year. Why? Those have been in service and use for the longest. Which would you expect to have the least amount? The last year. Simply because they've been in service and use the least. Nothing is different, but if you called the first 2 years "gen1" and the last 3 years "gen2" you'd have people running around convinced the gen2 is more reliable, even though they're identical.

I've had my car long enough to remember when Ford moved the goal posts. When the GT350 was new to everyone (including stealerships) you could get your motor replaced at the drop of a hat. Gradually, Ford started tightening the requirements and what was previously a replacement became "normal consumption."

In all fairness and honesty, it's IMPOSSIBLE to verify one way or the other if the Gen2's are more reliable or resistant to replacement failure. Again, only Ford has all the necessary data we'd need to do a deep and meaningful analysis.

People who've had issues go online and post about it. The thousands upon thousands who haven't aren't motivated each day to weigh in and post how great it is they haven't had issues.

Ford should have never fielded a 12:1 compression motor on pump fuel. To that end, my PERSONAL OPINION is that gen1 or gen2, the voodoo is a ticking time bomb because you roll the dice every time you fuel up. 93 isn't infallible or consistent.

Ford added safety with the Gen3 Coyote with direct injection (which we don't get).

If it were me, I probably would NOT choose to buy a voodoo that's not on E85. The 93 is just too crappy sometimes. OR, I'd run octane booster with each fill up. The other thing you could do is get a custom tune and have it neutered a bit for safety.

As far as oil consumption, there's TONS of theories, but I can give you some advice.

Always warm the motor fully before increasing the RPMs. It isn't a mini van. The pistons aren't hypereutectic. They need time to warm and expand fully. Warm to at least 180F cylinder head temps. Then drive.

Give the car the FULL SAUCE every once in awhile. The rings need to mate properly to the cylinder bore. This means a full load flogging (i.e. like a full on 4th gear rip to redline).

Run a catch can, at least on the passenger side.

At the end of the day, everything is a mechanical risk. Choose accordingly. It's not controversial to say that the Gen3 coyote has less replacement risk.

 

[BlkMach10510]

Hey all! First post here. I’ve been sent to this forum by others so I’m hoping to get answers from real owners I need.
I’m a huge Mustang fan I’ve owned several GT’s over the years. The V8 with the manual is going away forever right before our eyes and I want to get that last one before they don’t exist and the price gets out of reach, and for me it’s already creeping on that line of unaffordable. Whatever I buy is a car I keep forever. For the foreseeable future will be a daily at least until it’s paid off at the bank (72 months)
All that being said. It’s been a dream to own a Shelby and I think we can all agree the GT350 is special. But seeing that I need it to be a daily, and that I want to keep it literally forever all this talk of engines blowing up ect. Scares me. And a 30k replacement motor would be the death of me, and getting a car that NEEDS a warranty doesn’t appeal to me. All the horror stories seem to be from Gen 1’s so my real question is is the Gen 2 reliable and relatively safe for me to go for or do I need to lower my expectations and stick to a Mach 1 because I know the 5.0 is rock solid. I do like the look of the Mach 1 and the history so I’m sure over time I would love it as much, but It’s not “special” and it’s not what the heart wants but this amount of money I can’t be rolling the dice every time I start it. I don’t plan on tracking it. Just spirited driving here and there. Which my sound like “just get the Mach 1” but I’ve driven the Shelby and that sound…that feeling…the cobra on the steering wheel, it’s a feeling I can’t replace

It seems like you are very worried about something going wrong and not being able to afford it or wanting to buy a warranty for it. Maybe you should wait until you are ready financially for it or are willing as Angrey said that you are willing to take the risk as evey vehicle carries some risk no matter what make and model it is. A car as a daily no matter what, it is going to have more wear and tear which puts more chanbce of failure of parts just because you are using it everyday. If you can afford the mainteance on it which is what you shouldf be asking the GT350 folks including the worse case scenario especially since you want it has a daily and you think you can afford it then buy it, until then you should wait because you are not ready financially. I would also look at the insurance for it. My fyi is look at all aspects of it before you buy one so you can figure out if you can afford it or not. Good luck on what you choose.

 

[Shanksfornothin]

It seems like you are very worried about something going wrong and not being able to afford it or wanting to buy a warranty for it. Maybe you should wait until you are ready financially for it or are willing as Angrey said that you are willing to take the risk as evey vehicle carries some risk no matter what make and model it is. A car as a daily no matter what, it is going to have more wear and tear which puts more chanbce of failure of parts just because you are using it everyday. If you can afford the mainteance on it which is what you shouldf be asking the GT350 folks including the worse case scenario especially since you want it has a daily and you think you can afford it then buy it, until then you should wait because you are not ready financially. I would also look at the insurance for it. My fyi is look at all aspects of it before you buy one so you can figure out if you can afford it or not. Good luck on what you choose.

maintenance is not an issue, nor is usual wear tear and things that go wrong. I’m aware of the insurance. If I couldn’t afford that I wouldn’t be looking at either car. My concern is a 30k engine replacement. That is primary concern. I think an entire engine replacement should be considered a category of its own of “things that can go wrong” on a car that doesn’t see the outside of a public road. That being said I’m open to listening to additional maintenance/things that go wrong that a 5.0 would normally deal with

 

[ecoboost321]

Hey all! First post here. I’ve been sent to this forum by others so I’m hoping to get answers from real owners I need.
I’m a huge Mustang fan I’ve owned several GT’s over the years. The V8 with the manual is going away forever right before our eyes and I want to get that last one before they don’t exist and the price gets out of reach, and for me it’s already creeping on that line of unaffordable. Whatever I buy is a car I keep forever. For the foreseeable future will be a daily at least until it’s paid off at the bank (72 months)
All that being said. It’s been a dream to own a Shelby and I think we can all agree the GT350 is special. But seeing that I need it to be a daily, and that I want to keep it literally forever all this talk of engines blowing up ect. Scares me. And a 30k replacement motor would be the death of me, and getting a car that NEEDS a warranty doesn’t appeal to me. All the horror stories seem to be from Gen 1’s so my real question is is the Gen 2 reliable and relatively safe for me to go for or do I need to lower my expectations and stick to a Mach 1 because I know the 5.0 is rock solid. I do like the look of the Mach 1 and the history so I’m sure over time I would love it as much, but It’s not “special” and it’s not what the heart wants but this amount of money I can’t be rolling the dice every time I start it. I don’t plan on tracking it. Just spirited driving here and there. Which my sound like “just get the Mach 1” but I’ve driven the Shelby and that sound…that feeling…the cobra on the steering wheel, it’s a feeling I can’t replace

Have you driven either a Mach 1 or GT350 ? If not, I suggest you do, because will help you answer which car is right for YOU. GT350 has special feel in many areas (brake feel, shifter feel, etc) and of course big one is the sound and power delivery of the Voodoo V8. Since you will not be driving full throttle on a track, you may not like the lack of low end torque, and buzzy nature of the Voodoo.

Again, I would start with test drive first if possible and then re-evaluate.

 

[Shanksfornothin]

Have you driven either a Mach 1 or GT350 ? If not, I suggest you do, because will help you answer which car is right for YOU. GT350 has special feel in many areas (brake feel, shifter feel, etc) and of course big one is the sound and power delivery of the Voodoo V8. Since you will not be driving full throttle on a track, you may not like the lack of low end torque, and buzzy nature of the Voodoo.

Again, I would start with test drive first if possible and then re-evaluate.

I have driven the 350 recently, and I LOVED it. I drove a Mach 1 when they were new a few years ago I remember liking it ok, but not being blown away like I was with the 350

 

[matthewr87]

I used to think that 30K for a replacement Voodoo was a lot of money. But then I saw a Porsche dealership invoice for a replacement 4.0 TT V8 that is in my wife's Cayenne GTS (around 90K) and suddenly 30K didn't seem so bad anymore

 

[Shanksfornothin]

I used to think that 30K for a replacement Voodoo was a lot of money. But then I saw a Porsche dealership invoice for a replacement 4.0 TT V8 that is in my wife's Cayenne GTS (around 90K) and suddenly 30K didn't seem so bad anymore

Omg that’s horrifying. I can’t imagine

 

[young at heart]

Hey all! First post here. I’ve been sent to this forum by others so I’m hoping to get answers from real owners I need.
I’m a huge Mustang fan I’ve owned several GT’s over the years. The V8 with the manual is going away forever right before our eyes and I want to get that last one before they don’t exist and the price gets out of reach, and for me it’s already creeping on that line of unaffordable. Whatever I buy is a car I keep forever. For the foreseeable future will be a daily at least until it’s paid off at the bank (72 months)
All that being said. It’s been a dream to own a Shelby and I think we can all agree the GT350 is special. But seeing that I need it to be a daily, and that I want to keep it literally forever all this talk of engines blowing up ect. Scares me. And a 30k replacement motor would be the death of me, and getting a car that NEEDS a warranty doesn’t appeal to me. All the horror stories seem to be from Gen 1’s so my real question is is the Gen 2 reliable and relatively safe for me to go for or do I need to lower my expectations and stick to a Mach 1 because I know the 5.0 is rock solid. I do like the look of the Mach 1 and the history so I’m sure over time I would love it as much, but It’s not “special” and it’s not what the heart wants but this amount of money I can’t be rolling the dice every time I start it. I don’t plan on tracking it. Just spirited driving here and there. Which my sound like “just get the Mach 1” but I’ve driven the Shelby and that sound…that feeling…the cobra on the steering wheel, it’s a feeling I can’t replace

OP, re-read your post slowly and as objectively as possible. You’ve really answered your own question-it’s right there on the page. If the 30k replacement cost would really “be the death of you” then the 350 is out of your budget range right now. Learn to be happy with the “not special” Mach 1. Which, by the way, is actually pretty special. I’m not sure how “special” is measured but I can tell you as the owner of a couple that if public attention counts for anything I don’t know what kind of car it would take to garner more.

Plus, one more thing you may not have considered. Unless you’re tracking it regularly a lot of the 350’s wonderful potential may go unused. It’s a lot easier to get the most out of a 7500 rpm Mach 1 on the street than an 8250 rpm 350. And there’s a good chance you’d find a Mach more suitable as a daily.

Don‘t take this as me throwing off on the 350; far from it. I may have one some day. But while I would hate a huge engine replacement bill it wouldn’t derail my train. In fact, because of the manual trans I’m thinking I might actually prefer one over a 500, come what may with the engine. But space limitations dictate that I’d have to cash in both my Mach 1s (one manual + one automatic) and I’m not ready to make that jump yet.

 

[Ahung12]

I picked up my 2017 GT350R like two weeks ago and have been daily driving it. I have not gotten the warranty (yet), and the car is still running fine. I may not get the warranty at all, and I suspect that my car will continue to run fine. This leads me to think that the "Gen 1" does not need a warranty, and if internet myth is to trusted, then neither does the "more reliable Gen 2".

Need is different than want though, and so while the car obviously doesn't need a warranty to run, some owners may want the warranty for peace of mind. If that is you, and the GT350 is your dream car and in fact within your budget, then what is $3k-$4k for the warranty?

Or go ahead and get a Mach1, and see if you get out of the car every time thinking:
a. "At least I didn't have to buy an extended warranty!"
or
b. "I wish I got the GT350."

 

[Shanksfornothin]

I picked up my 2017 GT350R like two weeks ago and have been daily driving it. I have not gotten the warranty (yet), and the car is still running fine. I may not get the warranty at all, and I suspect that my car will continue to run fine. This leads me to think that the "Gen 1" does not need a warranty, and if internet myth is to trusted, then neither does the "more reliable Gen 2".

Need is different than want though, and so while the car obviously doesn't need a warranty to run, some owners may want the warranty for peace of mind. If that is you, and the GT350 is your dream car and in fact within your budget, then what is $3k-$4k for the warranty?

Or go ahead and get a Mach1, and see if you get out of the car every time thinking:
a. "At least I didn't have to buy an extended warranty!"
or
b. "I wish I got the GT350."

Ok that last Q/A was a good point, but eventually the warranty runs out, I can’t have it on one forever.
I feel like my ultimate question still isn’t really getting answered. From Gen 2 owners, is this a car I can count on. Or is it the ticking timebomb some say it is?
anyone out there with 60-100k miles on it ?

 

[Inthehighdesert]

No offense. But this has been gone over at nauseum. Me personally, I wouldn’t deive a 350 daily, but it’s not because of mechanical worries. I would however drive a Mach1 daily. I boosted one at 1100 miles without a hesitation. The 30k motor gets thrown around quite a bit, but the reality is if there is an internal issue that comes up(highly unlikely in stock trim) going through the long block won’t be any where near that 30k number. As for track use. Track use is unforgiving, unless you’re driving Ms. daisy. It just is what it is. If you accept that there’s additional maintenance and the chance you’ll be replacing parts, its all good. I’m going to leave alone the ticking time bomb bs. That’s internet garbage.

Ok that last Q/A was a good point, but eventually the warranty runs out, I can’t have it on one forever.
I feel like my ultimate question still isn’t really getting answered. From Gen 2 owners, is this a car I can count on. Or is it the ticking timebomb some say it is?
anyone out there with 60-100k miles on it ?

 

[Shanksfornothin]

No offense. But this has been gone over at nauseum. Me personally, I wouldn’t deive a 350 daily, but it’s not because of mechanical worries. I would however drive a Mach1 daily. I boosted one at 1100 miles without a hesitation. The 30k motor gets thrown around quite a bit, but the reality is if there is an internal issue that comes up(highly unlikely in stock trim) going through the long block won’t be any where near that 30k number. As for track use. Track use is unforgiving, unless you’re driving Ms. daisy. It just is what it is. If you accept that there’s additional maintenance and the chance you’ll be replacing parts, its all good. I’m going to leave alone the ticking time bomb bs. That’s internet garbage.

Hey I agree this is talked about A LOT on the internet but it’s always posts that get derailed from the point or it’s all gen 1 talk, or it’s someone saying they have 5k miles when it blew up but 4k were track miles or I didn’t know if didn’t have oil in it. Like no kidding it blew up but I find very little real conversation about gen. 2 motors that supposedly “fixed” the issue. I’m cool with additional maintenance, I’m not cool with buying a new motor entirely and I don’t think that’s an outrageous ask, nor do I think “I can’t afford the car” because I don’t just have 30k laying around at a moments notice to spend on a new motor. That’s all I really want to know, can I buy this car with confidence that I can drive it and have fun for 100k miles. If not then I’ll get a Mach 1 and be ok

 

[Postal Bob]

Many will not agree with what I'm about to say, but I'll state my opinion anyway.
I dont see the GT350 as a daily driver. Mine is a 2nd vehicle, for those days when I can take it out and enjoy most of what it has to offer. But anytime I'm driving it around town, and am caught up in the daily stop and go traffic, I'm frustrated. This car wants to go, and go fast. It only comes alive once you hit 4K rpm's. It does not do well mulling about town doing 35 mph. You'll barely get out of 2nd gear. Think of it like owning a thoroughbred race horse, and only using it for leisurely trail rides. You're wasting it's potential.
That, and taking it to the various parking lots filled with people who can care less if they ding your car when they get in and out of theirs. For that reason, if I happen to enter a parking lot, I park far away from everyone else.
I also considered buying a Mach 1, after I bought my GT350. The idea was to use the Mach 1 as my daily, and save the GT350 for the weekend cruising. But that never came to be as owning 3 vehicles was beyond my finances. For all I do, I needed my pickup, and not a 3rd vehicle.

 

[pilotgore]

Hey all! First post here. I’ve been sent to this forum by others so I’m hoping to get answers from real owners I need.
I’m a huge Mustang fan I’ve owned several GT’s over the years. The V8 with the manual is going away forever right before our eyes and I want to get that last one before they don’t exist and the price gets out of reach, and for me it’s already creeping on that line of unaffordable. Whatever I buy is a car I keep forever. For the foreseeable future will be a daily at least until it’s paid off at the bank (72 months)
All that being said. It’s been a dream to own a Shelby and I think we can all agree the GT350 is special. But seeing that I need it to be a daily, and that I want to keep it literally forever all this talk of engines blowing up ect. Scares me. And a 30k replacement motor would be the death of me, and getting a car that NEEDS a warranty doesn’t appeal to me. All the horror stories seem to be from Gen 1’s so my real question is is the Gen 2 reliable and relatively safe for me to go for or do I need to lower my expectations and stick to a Mach 1 because I know the 5.0 is rock solid. I do like the look of the Mach 1 and the history so I’m sure over time I would love it as much, but It’s not “special” and it’s not what the heart wants but this amount of money I can’t be rolling the dice every time I start it. I don’t plan on tracking it. Just spirited driving here and there. Which my sound like “just get the Mach 1” but I’ve driven the Shelby and that sound…that feeling…the cobra on the steering wheel, it’s a feeling I can’t replace

Previous 2019 owner here…. I sold my car at a profit immediately after getting my engine replaced under warranty. I dropped a valve on track at 9,200 miles (approximately 5k miles were track miles).

I personally know of 4 people with 2019-2020 cars who have also blown engines, along with 2 who have blown engines on a 2016 and 2017 car.

This has been discussed ad nauseam, but I think you’ll find that a small amount of “gen 1” engines burned an excessive amount of oil. I haven’t read of a single case of 2019-2020 burning oil. 2019+ engines did have some differences, but it’s unclear if it made the engine any better…. Likely not unless you planned on feeding it 10+ psi boost. Late 2019’s and early 2020’s seemed to drop valves at a much higher rate IMO due to a bad batch of valves with material defects. It seems like many happened relatively early in their lives.

Most of these engines will live normal healthy lives…. But the more time you spend at or near redline, you’re drastically reducing the life of your engine. All but one of the engine failures I know of happened to cars that were tracked by drivers regularly in the advanced class. These are guys that are pushing 9 or 10/10’s and spend a decent amount of time near redline. I have it on very good authority that EVERY SINGLE track attack car, some with as little as 23,000 miles, have received at least 1 new engine. Some had two engines replaced and fewer still had 3 new engines. Heck, even the ford racing team ditched the voodoo engine for reliability issues as soon as they were contractually able to.

If you’re really worried about having to rebuild the engine (which you can do much cheaper than $30k for new) and it would break the bank, then buy the Mach 1 as the coyote is known to be bullet proof (as you mentioned.) Personally I don’t like the styling as much in the Mach 1, but it performs similarly to the gt350 on track and has a super reliable engine.

Best of luck on your decision.

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