GT350 vs Boss 302... Hear me out.

[Champale]

A friend has a '12 LS (one of the silver/red ones), and I absolutely love it for all these reasons.

I'd buy it from him if it wouldn't be sacrilege to future collectibility to change the red trim bits to black, since I'm not a fan of the clown car treatment they went with on the '12 LS cars.

Silver/red 2012s are so cool!!

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[Trap]

Fair enough. I didn't drive a Laguna Seca. But the one I did drive sure didn't give me rough around the edges vibes. I actually thought it was a very comfortable and well behaved driver.

Did you drive it with the Red Track Key or just the standard key. There is a very noticeable difference in the two

 

[AZ_Ryan]

Did you drive it with the Red Track Key or just the standard key. There is a very noticeable difference in the two

I used the Red key.

 

[cholmes1]

Ok, I got to laugh at all the "Rawness" comments. The Boss has the exact same interior and solid rear axle as all the other S197s. It wasn't designed to be "raw", it just suffered from the same bland design of that platform era.

I'm not knocking the car at all. But you all act like the car was designed that way intentionally. It wasn't.

Agree. The Boss street and LS versions were not made more 'raw' just had fewer check boxes for the comfort elements that were offered to GT owners during that time. All S197s have hard cheap plastic and poor panel fitment.

Being fortunate enough to currently own a 2013 Boss LS (bought in 2015) and a former owner of a 2017 GT350R (bought the R new and had both at the same time), I prefer the Boss, and it's still in my garage. I am a bit older in my thinking, but I very much preferred the live rear axle and engine note in the Boss to match the muscle car 'feeling' and appearance. It's likely not a popular view on this forum, to be certain. Having grown up with 50's Chevy's and 70's Ford's the Boss feels familiar.

My 350R felt too refined in its road/track manners for a 'muscle car' and the interior/exterior was a bit nicer than my Boss but certainly not to European standards of fit and finish. After about four months of ownership, my R felt like any sports car with a fast revving engine. From that perspective, I traded the '17 350R for a '18 Porsche GT3 (non-touring w/o Weissach elements) and feel I have the best of both worlds, with my Boss being the harder-edged muscle car that shakes and rattles and the GT3 being a refined sports car my better half is willing to ride in. My young kids prefer the Boss because it's loud and shakes more.

For your question, " Where will we be in 10,20,30 years when something crucial goes up,?" I think both cars will hold their value well (the market is reflecting that already), especially for the Laguna Seca and R variants, but I feel certain the support for the GT350 will be stronger in perpetuity than the Boss variants. Having the Shelby name attached to the car immediately provides a layer of support and protection that FRPP Ford's don't possess. The 2000 SVT Cobra R is a great example. Only 300 were ever built, it is renowned for its amazing abilities, and the support and parts for it are nonexistent. I am already seeing this for the Boss 302.

The Boss is seen as simply a spicy Mustang GT, so many of its unique elements are no longer available or came from aftermarket providers like Mahle or Manley. It's a bit like a tractor in that respect. As long as you are not worried about it staying fully OEM, general Coyote and MT-82 parts will be very easy to find. The support for the GT350 and aftermarket elements seem much stronger. You likely will also have a much larger support group as Shelby clubs are everywhere, so owners are going to collaborate and work together to 'keep the car alive' and support those who want to stay OEM. 302 owners don't have a network to speak of and will never reach the heights of Shelby.

I wish you luck in your purchase. You can't go wrong with either, so it really depends on which car makes you feel the way you want to feel when driving it. The Boss is already well-outdated technology, and the GT350 will reach that state in about 5 years short of the engine, which will likely remain forever unique for Ford/Shelby. That uniqueness has pros and cons.

 

[ecoboost321]

Great discussion here, including members who have owned both cars. I remember seeing/hearing those Boss 302 mustangs around Detroit when they were released. They definitely rumble versus the GT350 scream/wail ! And I thought it was the coolest thing with the red track key and the factory installed side pipes

 

[MAGS1]

A friend has a '12 LS (one of the silver/red ones), and I absolutely love it for all these reasons.

I'd buy it from him if it wouldn't be sacrilege to future collectibility to change the red trim bits to black, since I'm not a fan of the clown car treatment they went with on the '12 LS cars.

I get what you’re saying but I actually kinda like it. Makes them stick out, you know it’s an LS with that color scheme. The black/red is a good looking combo as well. But we all have different tastes

 

[galaxy]

The king of Holy Grails. I believe it went for around $450K

https://www.hotrod.com/news/barrett...-blue-2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-leguna-seca/

 

[MAGS1]

The “rawness” comes from less sound deadening so it’s louder inside, lighter weight due to the rear seat delete, etc. So it’s less refined which is the definition of raw. From an overall engineering standpoint, no it’s not really different. But it still creates that raw feeling to some.

Agree with others, some great discussion and glad that folks that have owned or currently own both have chimed in with their experiences. I looked briefly at LS’s a couple years ago, of course at peak prices in 2022. Never pulled the trigger, they’re a blast to drive but the interiors did not age well at all. That combined with the prices at the time made them a pass for me. I’m sure 10 years from now S550 interiors will seem dated, it’s just the way these things go.

Still taking the 350 over the Boss. But both iconic cars in their own right

 

[Strokerswild]

I get what you’re saying but I actually kinda like it. Makes them stick out, you know it’s an LS with that color scheme. The black/red is a good looking combo as well. But we all have different tastes

I'll admit that the car has grown on me (to the point I consider owning it), but I'd still prefer that the '12 LS cars were a little more subdued like the '13s, which I like better.

 

[MAGS1]

I'll admit that the car has grown on me (to the point I consider owning it), but I'd still prefer that the '12 LS cars were a little more subdued like the '13s, which I like better.

That’s fair. Some great color combos in 2013 as well. Ford got really boring with their available colors for 2025, I hope they bring back some of the brighter/bolder colors for 2026

 

[fpa1974]

I initially got a 2017 GT350 and then a couple of years later after I had the chance to drive an R thanks for a member here, I swapped it for a GT350R (and yes you can definitely tell the difference especially for a pre 2019 GT350 vs the R - the suspension in general is better button-ed up and as many said the car feels smaller and nimbler as you drive it even on the street.
Anyways a bit later another member here convinced me to drive a Boss 302 and I really enjoyed it. Totally different experience than the GT350 but not in a worse way. I was able to find a Boss 302 in really good shape and snatched one around the bottom of the market for these. The result is below

Now the GT350 is mostly good enough OOB. The definition of 'good enough' is very personal. But the Boss, required a little work to bring it up to snuff. I ended up modifying the suspension quite a bit, but the result is awesome. At least with the current setup I almost can enjoy the Boss more on the street (and by no means it is faster than the GT350). It is a bit narrower, sounds awesome, the MT82 is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be, handles great now, has better ground clearance in the front even lowered on FP springs, in other words I worry less It is not nearly a right now type of car that the GT350 is but in the end it is not meant to be. And yes the interior is basic but it has all the things you need and works great. And TBH the initial quality, fit and finish etc (at least for mine) was quite a bit better than the GT350. I think the GT350 is objectively the better car but if we only cared about objectivity we would be all driving electric cars these days.

 

[DarthMalice]

Interesting discussion. I actually see the Mach 1 as more the spiritual successor to the Boss 302. I actually think the Mach 1 originally was going to be a Boss. In 2018, Ford showed a promotional poster that had the 2018 refresh and showed a Boss in the background. That is rarely not intentional in the marketing world. Everything about the Mach 1 is in line with the Boss. Track focus, NA engine that had a moderate bump (444 vs. 420; 480 vs. 460); upgraded handling...heck even the front end had similar elements. I think the Mach 1 name was ultimately used to reduce the outcry over the Mach E fiasco.

 

[K4fxd]

I love my coyote but a 408 stroker motor will out run it. If the electronics go out on the Windsor we can pop in a point dizzy and add a carb and drive anywhere.

Wait? where did this come from?

Ahhh a back up engine for the VooDoo when parts cost more than engine parts for a Ferrari.

or I'm just trolling..............

 

[Gray Area GT350]

That is a difficult question to answer. In bone stock form I would say the GT350 over the Boss. In modified form - meaning suspension mods (springs, shocks/struts, sway-bars, camber plates), MGW shifter, single piece driveshaft, a dual disc clutch and a good quality tune the Boss is quite a machine. Very fun to drive.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Just saying… it was designed press released as such:

Driving the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 was intended from the outset to be a visceral experience, packed with raw, unbridled performance across the spectrum: Acceleration, handling, braking, and top speed are all equally matched for perfect balance on a car operating within the framework of legally defined safety, noise and emissions regulations.

"The team at Ford wanted to offer their fellow Mustang enthusiasts something really special – a beautifully balanced factory-built race car that they could drive on the street," explains Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer. "The Boss 302 isn't something a Mustang GT owner can buy all the parts for out of a catalog or that a tuner can get by adding a chip. This is a front-to-back re-engineered Mustang with every system designed to make a good driver great and a great driver even better."

1 source of many:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...ing-legend-back-to-the-streets-100622794.html

Comparing the S197 B302 to an S550 GT350 or 350R is apples to oranges. Totally different suspensions, different handling aspects, different weight, and different center of gravity… as well as the obvious engine performance aspect.

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The comment RE: 2000 Cobra R:
Yes, of course there were only 300 total produced. Therefore parts for that model was extremely sparse THEN in 2000 and is obsolete now (that is, if you can even find any true used 2000 R parts anywhere)…. If you want NOS 00R parts, reach out to Jim @ PPI, he’s well known in the Mustang arena and may have NOS 00R parts in his inventory, or may have leads for legit buyers. So the 00R is a total exception to parts inadequacies…. The same can be said about the 107 1993 Cobra R’s that had specific 93R parts that are pretty much obsolete today…. You can’t compare parts availability of these 2 models to that of the S550 GT350’s - how many GT350’s were produced in comparison to the 93R and 00R…. Thousands of S550 GT350’s, might as well been cookie cutters…LOL

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And yes to the other post RE: FPC Coyote - if you have spare change of $30k, do buy that GT350 FPC Coyote and store it…. LOL…. am I joking? Come back to this thread in 10 years and tell us what a crated/palleted NOS FPC Coyote is bringing.

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