At what point does the 2016-2020 GT350 become age and cost prohibitive?

[350 Feet]

I just don’t understand how a car that’s been sitting for 6 years is somehow worth more money when I consider flat spotted tires, dried out seals, and only god knows what mouse has a winter condo in the undercarriage. I get asking for high blue book or even a little higher than that for low miles one owner rare color but some of these clowns act like they should be paid for their service of not driving a car. Maybe when I try to buy one, I’ll neg the car and try to play a fast one.
“Oh if it’s such a great car, why didn’t you drive it? Is it supposed to sound like that? What do you know, you don’t drive it ever. I know you’re asking $85k but I’ll offer you $65k since it seems you don’t even like that car. I’ll do you a favor and get it out of here for you since it’s probably in the way of a good car you’d actually want to drive, unlike this embarrassing POS you didn’t even want to be seen in. Rare color? That’s an interesting way to say undesirable. I mean if everybody wanted it then it wouldn’t be rare right? C’mon guy, now I’m doing you two favors. 65k to have a wife not nagging about the ugly car garage you don’t even drive is worth it I think.”

Now, you could try that approach with me, but chances are that you’d be walking home in the cold, alone.
Hardball works on some; not all.
Can’t fault a guy for trying I guess.
Cheers

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[Cobra Jet]

To answer the general question about costs….

10 years after production, Ford discontinues parts for the vehicle. This means the parts are no longer manufactured and any unique parts remaining are no longer sold over the counter at any Ford Dealer Parts Dept. I’m not talking like the common maintenance parts that can be bought anywhere from local stores to online parts houses - I’m speaking specifically of unique parts such as crash parts (body panels both metal and urethane), splitters/spoilers, insignia floor mats, insignia seats/seat covers, some unique drivetrain parts, wheels, specific interior parts like gauge clusters, etc etc…

Vehicles that are produced in limited numbers - such as the Ford “GT” line, the SVOs, the SVT line, the Shelby’s, Mach 1’s, Bullitt, 50th Anniversary, etc - the UNIQUE product line vehicles - any unique parts to those cars that separates them as limited number/low production vehicles apart from the “general” cookie cut Mustangs - those specific parts will be:

- harder to find used (undamaged), “new” or commonly referred to as NOS (new old stock) as the years pass

- prices for those parts will increase drastically due to limited quantities produced and as years pass limited quantities available. The prices do and will become exponentially much higher and out of reach of the common folks/hobbyists

- common or known sources will dry up making parts replacement for wrecks, repairs or restoration expensive depending on the part(s) needed

I’ve been in this Mustang hobby well over 30 years now - seen it all so to speak…. Even owning a limited prod SVT vehicles myself, the above is all fact. You have to know what you own, what you’re getting into if keeping it long term AND if you are smart you’ll buy some of those unique parts now to have “just in case”, because later down the road if you’re still in it - you’re not going to be happy paying the higher prices OR finding out the part isn’t even available anymore at all - not the factory provided NOS, used, or repopped by some offshore vendor.

The bigger question for those seeking to buy a unique vehicle like the S550 Shelby would be this:
- Do you have the finances or funds to put out of pocket for a replacement engine OR any of the unique parts needed for that engine if/when there is a major repair needed?

The heart of the S550 Shelby’s would and will be the most expensive to replace down the road … not just an entire engine replacement, but anything that is totally unique to that engine. These aren’t your every day Ford 5:0 Coyotes sitting in someone’s garage, yanked from an F150 to be built for a Mustang, or littering salvage yards, etc…

Aside from the engine - the other expensive and hard to find will be:

- Entire front clip: hood, fenders, rad support structure, forward bumper cover supporting structure, inner fenders to engine bay. These pieces were all totally unique to the S550 Shelby’s. They’re not common parts or even easy to come by in the market today - let alone another 10-15 years from today. Those parts will be $$$$$$ if needing replacement or for repair.

Sure the S550 Shelby is just a Mustang, but it has enough unique one-off parts on it that will make future repairs costly when the market dries up for those parts.

Back to the 10 year parts cut off from Ford…. So when that time comes, the parts are consolidated from the Dealershios and warehouses and auctioned off by the pallets. Specialty bidders hoard those parts up, sit on them and then years later will start putting them up for sale at exhorbitant prices…. As I stated earlier in the thread, IF you can still get those unique parts now, do so if funds permit - more so if you’re one who’s going to keep your S550 Shelby for long term (20+ years)…

Many just want a S550 Shelby, but don’t take into consideration the overall costs of owning one (or insert any other unique vehicle here) - again not the general maintenance aspect, but what has been mentioned above…


In no way am I suggesting not to buy any specialty vehicle like a S550 Shelby, I’m just giving the big picture instead of being focused on just the “car” value.

 

[MAGS1]

As Phil mentions above, the “specialty” cars are usually more desirable and there’s less of them, that drives the price. Specifically to the 350/R, it’s a high revving, NA flat plane V8 that makes 526hp with a manual, something we may never see from Ford again. Not to mention all of the unique body pieces that you won’t find on any other S550 Mustang, most everything on that car was designed specifically for that car (yes, some of the parts were used on the Mach later in the S550 cycle). Jamal Hameedi did an episode with Jay Leno to talk about the 350/R and all of the unique design features, it’s a good watch and highly recommend finding it on YouTube.

Also consider, Ford has moved away from the legacy nameplates for S650 (Dark Horse instead of Mach or Boss, did not renew the licensing agreement with Shelby, etc.). That makes the legacy nameplate cars, especially the S550’s, more valuable because it looks likely that we’ll not see those nameplates again anytime soon (or possibly ever).

 

[sk47]

Hello; To follow up on the recent two posts of MAGS1 & Cobra Jet. The 1963 Oldsmobile I restored in the picture i posted a bit back. I started with a complete car. All the trim was in place. Glass was good. Only one small area of rust to be repaired. Being a low production car meaning the body was only produced one year that was critical.
I scoured salvage yards in my area and wound up with five junkyard engines. Oldsmobile & Buick aluminum block 215 cu in. Turned out the aluminum was often eroded internally with the older antifreeze. I put together a good engine and likely could have made at least one more. A part hard to come by was the guts of the rear differential. Wound up finding one in Indianapolis IN during a trip to see my father. Good hubcaps turned out to be a hard-to-find item. All the parts went with the car when I sold it.

I have toyed with the notion of getting an older Mustang. Frankly I like some of the older ones better than the new. A thing is I have a fair idea of what i could be getting into and i am no longer young with unlimited stamina. Logic tells me to just buy a new 2025 GT and avoid the struggle. I just am having trouble pulling the trigger as I find i do not much like the 2025 GT so much.
I went to a local dealer yesterday to take a second look at a new 2025. Decided to try an automatic version but did not enjoy that much. Took a short test drive and was offput by the touch screen. Not that it was not workable. More that it would be very distracting when driving, at least for a while. Might eventually learn.

 

[OldbutNew]

To answer the general question about costs….

10 years after production, Ford discontinues parts for the vehicle. This means the parts are no longer manufactured and any unique parts remaining are no longer sold over the counter at any Ford Dealer Parts Dept. I’m not talking like the common maintenance parts that can be bought anywhere from local stores to online parts houses - I’m speaking specifically of unique parts such as crash parts (body panels both metal and urethane), splitters/spoilers, insignia floor mats, insignia seats/seat covers, some unique drivetrain parts, wheels, specific interior parts like gauge clusters, etc etc…

Vehicles that are produced in limited numbers - such as the Ford “GT” line, the SVOs, the SVT line, the Shelby’s, Mach 1’s, Bullitt, 50th Anniversary, etc - the UNIQUE product line vehicles - any unique parts to those cars that separates them as limited number/low production vehicles apart from the “general” cookie cut Mustangs - those specific parts will be:

- harder to find used (undamaged), “new” or commonly referred to as NOS (new old stock) as the years pass

- prices for those parts will increase drastically due to limited quantities produced and as years pass limited quantities available. The prices do and will become exponentially much higher and out of reach of the common folks/hobbyists

- common or known sources will dry up making parts replacement for wrecks, repairs or restoration expensive depending on the part(s) needed

I’ve been in this Mustang hobby well over 30 years now - seen it all so to speak…. Even owning a limited prod SVT vehicles myself, the above is all fact. You have to know what you own, what you’re getting into if keeping it long term AND if you are smart you’ll buy some of those unique parts now to have “just in case”, because later down the road if you’re still in it - you’re not going to be happy paying the higher prices OR finding out the part isn’t even available anymore at all - not the factory provided NOS, used, or repopped by some offshore vendor.

The bigger question for those seeking to buy a unique vehicle like the S550 Shelby would be this:
- Do you have the finances or funds to put out of pocket for a replacement engine OR any of the unique parts needed for that engine if/when there is a major repair needed?

The heart of the S550 Shelby’s would and will be the most expensive to replace down the road … not just an entire engine replacement, but anything that is totally unique to that engine. These aren’t your every day Ford 5:0 Coyotes sitting in someone’s garage, yanked from an F150 to be built for a Mustang, or littering salvage yards, etc…

Aside from the engine - the other expensive and hard to find will be:

- Entire front clip: hood, fenders, rad support structure, forward bumper cover supporting structure, inner fenders to engine bay. These pieces were all totally unique to the S550 Shelby’s. They’re not common parts or even easy to come by in the market today - let alone another 10-15 years from today. Those parts will be $$$$$$ if needing replacement or for repair.

Sure the S550 Shelby is just a Mustang, but it has enough unique one-off parts on it that will make future repairs costly when the market dries up for those parts.

Back to the 10 year parts cut off from Ford…. So when that time comes, the parts are consolidated from the Dealerships and warehouses and auctioned off by the pallets. Specialty bidders hoard those parts up, sit on them and then years later will start putting them up for sale at exorbitant prices…. As I stated earlier in the thread, IF you can still get those unique parts now, do so if funds permit - more so if you’re one who’s going to keep your S550 Shelby for long term (20+ years)…

Many just want a S550 Shelby, but don’t take into consideration the overall costs of owning one (or insert any other unique vehicle here) - again not the general maintenance aspect, but what has been mentioned above…


In no way am I suggesting not to buy any specialty vehicle like a S550 Shelby, I’m just giving the big picture instead of being focused on just the “car” value.

All excellent points.
Some have waited long enough for everything to be reproduced by the aftermarket. Mustang is the only vehicle I'm aware of that can buy a brand-new 1967 model of. From the body-in-white, through the interior, engine, powertrain, trim, all of it. Part-by-part or turn-key. (Revologycars.com) I do not include the Shelby kit cars or the like. Either way is a serious pile of cash. Way more than I paid for mine!
We are still on the downward side of the Fox body curve. For a while there, the wealthy collectors were paying stupid money for low-mile cars. Not always "Special" cars either!! A clean, 20K mile 5.0 Notch was getting $30K PLUS!! We aren't that far away from being able to scratch build one!
Will you be able to get a 5.2 Voodoo is 2030?? Will the S550 be available in its entirety 58 years from now? Who knows? Place your bets.

 

[wingnutt]

Will you be able to get a 5.2 Voodoo is 2030?? Will the S550 be available in its entirety 58 years from now? Who knows? Place your bets.

placed my bet a couple years ago, and will be doubling down one day…this car is just too dam much fun, and I also lived thru the foxbody craze. I bought a used 5 liter notch back in 1991 for 3500 bucks and sold it when I joined the military, by the time I had the space and tools to get back in, flat out couldn’t afford it…not letting that happen again

 

[Strokerswild]

To answer the general question about costs….

10 years after production, Ford discontinues parts for the vehicle. This means the parts are no longer manufactured and any unique parts remaining are no longer sold over the counter at any Ford Dealer Parts Dept. I’m not talking like the common maintenance parts that can be bought anywhere from local stores to online parts houses - I’m speaking specifically of unique parts such as crash parts (body panels both metal and urethane), splitters/spoilers, insignia floor mats, insignia seats/seat covers, some unique drivetrain parts, wheels, specific interior parts like gauge clusters, etc etc…

Vehicles that are produced in limited numbers - such as the Ford “GT” line, the SVOs, the SVT line, the Shelby’s, Mach 1’s, Bullitt, 50th Anniversary, etc - the UNIQUE product line vehicles - any unique parts to those cars that separates them as limited number/low production vehicles apart from the “general” cookie cut Mustangs - those specific parts will be:

- harder to find used (undamaged), “new” or commonly referred to as NOS (new old stock) as the years pass

- prices for those parts will increase drastically due to limited quantities produced and as years pass limited quantities available. The prices do and will become exponentially much higher and out of reach of the common folks/hobbyists

- common or known sources will dry up making parts replacement for wrecks, repairs or restoration expensive depending on the part(s) needed

I’ve been in this Mustang hobby well over 30 years now - seen it all so to speak…. Even owning a limited prod SVT vehicles myself, the above is all fact. You have to know what you own, what you’re getting into if keeping it long term AND if you are smart you’ll buy some of those unique parts now to have “just in case”, because later down the road if you’re still in it - you’re not going to be happy paying the higher prices OR finding out the part isn’t even available anymore at all - not the factory provided NOS, used, or repopped by some offshore vendor.

The bigger question for those seeking to buy a unique vehicle like the S550 Shelby would be this:
- Do you have the finances or funds to put out of pocket for a replacement engine OR any of the unique parts needed for that engine if/when there is a major repair needed?

The heart of the S550 Shelby’s would and will be the most expensive to replace down the road … not just an entire engine replacement, but anything that is totally unique to that engine. These aren’t your every day Ford 5:0 Coyotes sitting in someone’s garage, yanked from an F150 to be built for a Mustang, or littering salvage yards, etc…

Aside from the engine - the other expensive and hard to find will be:

- Entire front clip: hood, fenders, rad support structure, forward bumper cover supporting structure, inner fenders to engine bay. These pieces were all totally unique to the S550 Shelby’s. They’re not common parts or even easy to come by in the market today - let alone another 10-15 years from today. Those parts will be $$$$$$ if needing replacement or for repair.

Sure the S550 Shelby is just a Mustang, but it has enough unique one-off parts on it that will make future repairs costly when the market dries up for those parts.

Back to the 10 year parts cut off from Ford…. So when that time comes, the parts are consolidated from the Dealershios and warehouses and auctioned off by the pallets. Specialty bidders hoard those parts up, sit on them and then years later will start putting them up for sale at exhorbitant prices…. As I stated earlier in the thread, IF you can still get those unique parts now, do so if funds permit - more so if you’re one who’s going to keep your S550 Shelby for long term (20+ years)…

Many just want a S550 Shelby, but don’t take into consideration the overall costs of owning one (or insert any other unique vehicle here) - again not the general maintenance aspect, but what has been mentioned above…


In no way am I suggesting not to buy any specialty vehicle like a S550 Shelby, I’m just giving the big picture instead of being focused on just the “car” value.

Well put.

Just a few years ago, I was seriously looking for one of my dream cars from the '80s to add to the fleet, a 1985.5 or 1986 Mustang SVO, preferably a comp prep car (had to be bone stock). So, me being a sucker for research and details, I began the deep dive, looking for every scrap of information I could. Including buying a couple of very good books on them, where I learned just how many bespoke parts made up this model. Turns out, a lot of those parts are extremely hard to come by, and if you do you'll be paying whatever the ludicrous asking price may be. Meanwhile, the values of these haven't even gotten close to the V8 Foxes, so owning one felt more and more like a losing proposition in the long run when cost and availability of parts entered the equation, along with the weak values of the cars. Shame, since they're such a cool Fox.

 

[MAGS1]

Well put.

Just a few years ago, I was seriously looking for one of my dream cars from the '80s to add to the fleet, a 1985.5 or 1986 Mustang SVO, preferably a comp prep car (had to be bone stock). So, me being a sucker for research and details, I began the deep dive, looking for every scrap of information I could. Including buying a couple of very good books on them, where I learned just how many bespoke parts made up this model. Turns out, a lot of those parts are extremely hard to come by, and if you do you'll be paying whatever the ludicrous asking price may be. Meanwhile, the values of these haven't even gotten close to the V8 Foxes, so owning one felt more and more like a losing proposition in the long run when cost and availability of parts entered the equation, along with the weak values of the cars. Shame, since they're such a cool Fox.

Oh man, wish I knew you were looking. A local guy here had an SVO (a real one), bone stock. Only modification is that he had it repainted. He semi-restored it, and I say semi because he just replaced things that actually needed to be replaced. Nothing more. All original parts as well. I believe he sold it, but I haven’t seen him in a while. He splits his time between Chicago and Florida.

 

[Strokerswild]

Oh man, wish I knew you were looking. A local guy here had an SVO (a real one), bone stock. Only modification is that he had it repainted. He semi-restored it, and I say semi because he just replaced things that actually needed to be replaced. Nothing more. All original parts as well. I believe he sold it, but I haven’t seen him in a while. He splits his time between Chicago and Florida.

Looks like a beauty, sunroof car too. Funny thing, I never found the right car when I was looking for the better part of two years. Now that I've filled the garage stall, they've popped up regularly. Such is my existence.

 

[MAGS1]

Looks like a beauty, sunroof car too. Funny thing, I never found the right car when I was looking for the better part of two years. Now that I've filled the garage stall, they've popped up regularly. Such is my existence.

The elusive part for him at the time was the rear spoiler. You can see a bit of oxidation on the left side of the lower spoiler, he was hoping to replace it with one that was in a little better shape. I’m hoping I run into him again at a C&C next season to see if he ever ended up selling it.

I see a lot of different Mustangs (and sports cars and muscle cars in general) around here and to-date, that’s the only SVO I’ve seen.

 

[BrakeFade]

This has turned into a classic cars thread? I sold my ‘91 E34 M5 several years ago and have regretted it ever since. Looking to buy another in the next year and keep it until I croak. Like everyone is saying, parts for old cars are insanely priced. You just can’t buy most of the parts anymore. So the keeper of the parts is usually making out like a bandit.

 

[MAGS1]

This has turned into a classic cars thread?

Sure, why not! Made it pretty far before it got derailed LOL

 

[Strokerswild]

Well, technically we're sort of still on topic....

 

[wingnutt]

This has turned into a classic cars thread?

well, all ya need is a 25 year old vehicle “of historic interest”

so yea….almost

 

[GrabberBargeCaptain]

Till engines stop being manufactured.

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