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GT350: Yay or Nay? Advice wanted :}

aram_g

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Hey guys. First post here and not entirely sure how the user interface works, so forgive me if any formatting or things like that are off on my post. I currently don't have a Shelby, and have never even owned a Mustang, but I'm very much looking forward to joining the (Shelby) club. I live in South Bay, CA (kill me :headbonk: ), and tried getting one through the Frontier Ford dealership in Santa Clara, but they're not budging below $20,000 ADM. After asking around on the Mustang subreddit I was made aware of a dealer in the midwest that would order the car for me without any ADM at all. I'd basically just have to pay for sticker + the shipment cost to CA.

Now, a few basic things about me; dunno if it matters but I'll say them anyways. I'm 26, make ~115k as an Engineer (just graduated with my Masters), $900 for rent, have no kids or gf, and have roughly 23k left on student loans which I just put $500/month towards with an occasional larger sum every few months. I don't do much but work here since I'm originally from LA and don't really know anyone up here. I'm saying these things because I just spend money on bare necessities, rent, and student loans, and I'm losing my mind to boredom. Now, I'm not looking to get a Shelby JUST cause I'm bored; I've wanted one ever since the 2016 came out, and I've been absolutely obsessed. I know that if I get this car I'm going to enjoy the f**k out of it and treasure it :headbang: .

What worries me is that I'd make a terrible mistake buying a car that costs half of my gross salary (according to the 20/4/10 financial rule for buying a car) and driving it as a daily. Given the fact that it has a high-sprung motor and machining tolerances are significantly lower than the Coyote V8, wouldn't reliability be low? I know there's warranty and everything, but if I get the car I'd want to drive it basically forever, more or less. On top of that, I've read that maintenance costs are roughly $180 for DIY oil change 10-10.5 quarts, $350+ for OEM pads, $1000 for OEM rotors, $1200 tires, ~$700 registration in CA, $250-350/month insurance (clean record & 26 y/o), bad gas mileage with terrible CA quality 91 fuel, $1000-2000 to clear bra the front of the car, gas guzzler tax, etc etc. What else should I be aware of besides these regular maintenance costs?

I know the typical GT350 owner on this forum definitely doesn't worry about these things, and I know I'm setting myself up for comments like "if you're worried about xxx then don't buy the car" for example, but I'm looking for other bits of advice, I'm not really sure to be honest. I've also noticed that a large percentage (or so I see on YouTube) of people that own this car don't live in CA and live in inner states. Being in the most expensive area of the most expensive state to live in isn't exactly encouraging me to buy the car lol. I know it's a bit of an awkward post, but any comments or bits of advice are greatly appreciated :cheers:
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Shift

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Hey guys. First post here and not entirely sure how the user interface works, so forgive me if any formatting or things like that are off on my post. I currently don't have a Shelby, and have never even owned a Mustang, but I'm very much looking forward to joining the (Shelby) club. I live in South Bay, CA (kill me :headbonk: ), and tried getting one through the Frontier Ford dealership in Santa Clara, but they're not budging below $20,000 ADM. After asking around on the Mustang subreddit I was made aware of a dealer in the midwest that would order the car for me without any ADM at all. I'd basically just have to pay for sticker + the shipment cost to CA.

Now, a few basic things about me; dunno if it matters but I'll say them anyways. I'm 26, make ~115k as an Engineer (just graduated with my Masters), $900 for rent, have no kids or gf, and have roughly 23k left on student loans which I just put $500/month towards with an occasional larger sum every few months. I don't do much but work here since I'm originally from LA and don't really know anyone up here. I'm saying these things because I just spend money on bare necessities, rent, and student loans, and I'm losing my mind to boredom. Now, I'm not looking to get a Shelby JUST cause I'm bored; I've wanted one ever since the 2016 came out, and I've been absolutely obsessed. I know that if I get this car I'm going to enjoy the f**k out of it and treasure it :headbang: .

What worries me is that I'd make a terrible mistake buying a car that costs half of my gross salary (according to the 20/4/10 financial rule for buying a car) and driving it as a daily. Given the fact that it has a high-sprung motor and machining tolerances are significantly lower than the Coyote V8, wouldn't reliability be low? I know there's warranty and everything, but if I get the car I'd want to drive it basically forever, more or less. On top of that, I've read that maintenance costs are roughly $180 for DIY oil change 10-10.5 quarts, $350+ for OEM pads, $1000 for OEM rotors, $1200 tires, ~$700 registration in CA, $250-350/month insurance (clean record & 26 y/o), bad gas mileage with terrible CA quality 91 fuel, $1000-2000 to clear bra the front of the car, gas guzzler tax, etc etc. What else should I be aware of besides these regular maintenance costs?

I know the typical GT350 owner on this forum definitely doesn't worry about these things, and I know I'm setting myself up for comments like "if you're worried about xxx then don't buy the car" for example, but I'm looking for other bits of advice, I'm not really sure to be honest. I've also noticed that a large percentage (or so I see on YouTube) of people that own this car don't live in CA and live in inner states. Being in the most expensive area of the most expensive state to live in isn't exactly encouraging me to buy the car lol. I know it's a bit of an awkward post, but any comments or bits of advice are greatly appreciated :cheers:
Check the maintenance plan cost. I was able to get mine for around $1800 for 8yr/60k mile @ 5000mi service intervals. It's basically the cost of the oil change, but it covers everything from clutch to pads and rotors. I also bought the 8yr/60k extended warranty for $1300~(keep in mind, these were prices from Aug '16)

Cost of tires installed from Costco is about $1400-1600 depending if the Michelin's are on a sale(like they are now, $70 off with free install). I paid $4,000 for paint correction, entire front end+roof clear bra, and Cquartz Ceramic coating on everything. It's about $2000 for just the clear bra on the front end.

I live in the bay, but a few years older. My insurance is about $1800 a yr for the car.

With that said, I still enjoy and love the car as much as the day I got it. The car embodies all of my dream car attributes, except that it's affordable. I never would have thought it was possible at this price point, and I thank Ford. I've only owned imports and econo cars up to this point. It's about triple the hp of any of my previous cars. Bonus is the car has depreciated less in two years than my previous Accord that I bought new.
 
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jlauth

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I think the fact that you are taking everything into consideration shows that you are responsible enough with money to handle it. As stated above make sure you put away your max 401K if you are able. ( My companies 401K fails the ACP Nondescrimination tests so i can only put in about 13k per year..not 18.5k like id prefer)

If you can stay away from the dealler markup that would be best. You could save money just flying somewhere in the midwest to look at/buy the car and have it shipped to you. That might cost you 2000-2500 total. You can get the car for MSRP somewhere.

Do you have another car to drive as well? I drive an old Neon 80% of the time. you have nicer weather and im not sure how long you drive is each day...but it helps with some costs.
 

Zitrosounds

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Hey guys. First post here and not entirely sure how the user interface works, so forgive me if any formatting or things like that are off on my post. I currently don't have a Shelby, and have never even owned a Mustang, but I'm very much looking forward to joining the (Shelby) club. I live in South Bay, CA (kill me :headbonk: ), and tried getting one through the Frontier Ford dealership in Santa Clara, but they're not budging below $20,000 ADM. After asking around on the Mustang subreddit I was made aware of a dealer in the midwest that would order the car for me without any ADM at all. I'd basically just have to pay for sticker + the shipment cost to CA.

Now, a few basic things about me; dunno if it matters but I'll say them anyways. I'm 26, make ~115k as an Engineer (just graduated with my Masters), $900 for rent, have no kids or gf, and have roughly 23k left on student loans which I just put $500/month towards with an occasional larger sum every few months. I don't do much but work here since I'm originally from LA and don't really know anyone up here. I'm saying these things because I just spend money on bare necessities, rent, and student loans, and I'm losing my mind to boredom. Now, I'm not looking to get a Shelby JUST cause I'm bored; I've wanted one ever since the 2016 came out, and I've been absolutely obsessed. I know that if I get this car I'm going to enjoy the f**k out of it and treasure it :headbang: .

What worries me is that I'd make a terrible mistake buying a car that costs half of my gross salary (according to the 20/4/10 financial rule for buying a car) and driving it as a daily. Given the fact that it has a high-sprung motor and machining tolerances are significantly lower than the Coyote V8, wouldn't reliability be low? I know there's warranty and everything, but if I get the car I'd want to drive it basically forever, more or less. On top of that, I've read that maintenance costs are roughly $180 for DIY oil change 10-10.5 quarts, $350+ for OEM pads, $1000 for OEM rotors, $1200 tires, ~$700 registration in CA, $250-350/month insurance (clean record & 26 y/o), bad gas mileage with terrible CA quality 91 fuel, $1000-2000 to clear bra the front of the car, gas guzzler tax, etc etc. What else should I be aware of besides these regular maintenance costs?

I know the typical GT350 owner on this forum definitely doesn't worry about these things, and I know I'm setting myself up for comments like "if you're worried about xxx then don't buy the car" for example, but I'm looking for other bits of advice, I'm not really sure to be honest. I've also noticed that a large percentage (or so I see on YouTube) of people that own this car don't live in CA and live in inner states. Being in the most expensive area of the most expensive state to live in isn't exactly encouraging me to buy the car lol. I know it's a bit of an awkward post, but any comments or bits of advice are greatly appreciated :cheers:
Machining tolerances are lower? Where is this coming from??
 

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Zombo

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Machining tolerances are lower? Where is this coming from??
I suspect he means tighter - numerically lower. For example, the deck plate honing of the cylinder bores yields "lower" roundness tolerance.

OP - You asked for advice - Here's mine.

IMO, the 350 is not an only car, daily driver. It's a big, fat, heavy gas guzzler - I love mine - wouldn't rid my life of it, but would not have it as my only car and be forced to DD it - I'd get a GTI, or something similar. Do you have a place to garage it - would that matter to you? How much driving do you do - how far do you go in your commute? Will it even warm up? Will you be nervous parking out at work, at stores, etc.? Mind stopping for fuel every 200 miles?

It is said "familiarity breads contempt" - I find this to be true. How will you feel about the 350 when it becomes a normal part of you daily life? Will it still be special? I can always tell when someone is driving a convertible car as their DD - how? The top is up on a beautiful day! They lost the appreciation because it is always accessible!

Financially, it doesn't appear to me that you'd be "pushing it". My first new car after Engineering School was ~60% of my salary at the time (I started @ $26K, way back when). However, practicing "delayed gratification" will most likely yield great results for you in the future. Best of luck!
 
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Demonic

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Financially you should be fine with the GT350 and no ADM. Since you'll take 2 years to pay off your student loans you may want to check into a quick refinance prior to applying for the car loan, but $23k is minimal as far as student loans go so I wouldn't lose sleep over that. The GT350 would only be a mistake if you pay an ADM and then decide in 2 years you're bored with the car and want a different car - at which point you'd then be suffering the loss of the ADM and any depreciation on the car. If you can buy one without the ADM and you know you're going to keep it for some time, then financially it shouldn't be much of a risk for you. If you aren't going to be tracking it, maintenance costs shouldn't be different enough from a Mustang GT to be life-altering.

All that being said, be wary of taking significant financial advice from guys on an internet forum. But at the same time, sometimes other car guys are the only ones you can talk to about how to look at the finances when cars hold a bigger significance in your life than to people who do their planning while looking at the car as just a vehicle.
 

Dr. JL

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The current GT350 is awesome. Get one as soon as your budget allows. It's not inexpensive to own or maintain, but that shouldn't be a con if your cash flow is sufficient. My only advice is to realize that this is a track car. Yes, it can be daily driven, but it doesn't have all the latest in driver aids and luxuries, especially for a vehicle at this price point.
Before you buy, call around to find exactly what you want and don't pay above sticker. My local Ford dealer has a RR w/white OTT stripes in the showroom. It's been there for over a month. They've had (what I would consider) rediculous offers up to this point. I'm confident a $2K under MSRP (+TT&L) would be accepted. PM me for specifics. Good luck.
 

Zitrosounds

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I suspect he means tighter - numerically lower. For example, the deck plate honing of the cylinder bores yields "lower" roundness tolerance.

OP - You asked for advice - Here's mine.

IMO, the 350 is not an only car, daily driver. It's a big, fat, heavy gas guzzler - I love mine - wouldn't rid my life of it, but would not have it as my only car and be forced to DD it - I'd get a GTI, or something similar. Do you have a place to garage it - would that matter to you? How much driving do you do - how far do you go in your commute? Will it even warm up? Will you be nervous parking out at work, at stores, etc.? Mind stopping for fuel every 200 miles?

It is said "familiarity breads contempt" - I find this to be true. How will you feel about the 350 when it becomes a normal part of you daily life? Will it still be special? I can always tell when someone is driving a convertible car as their DD - how? The top is up on a beautiful day! They lost the appreciation because it is always accessible!

Financially, it doesn't appear to me that you'd be "pushing it". My first new car after Engineering School was ~60% of my salary at the time (I started @ $26K, way back when). However, practicing "delayed gratification" will most likely yield great results for you in the future. Best of luck!
Ok, terminology, got it. The Voodoo has the required lubrication and cooling and is within Ford's manufacturing tolerances. Tolerances for engines from the big three seem to be rather consistent over the last 40 years (http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/365/a-tight-squeeze).

OP, buy the car if you want it. Sounds like you got it handled, YOLO. Just don't dismiss it because of supposed tighter (lower) tolerances, malarkey.
 

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loco_GT350

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IMO, the 350 is not an only car, daily driver. It's a big, fat, heavy gas guzzler - I love mine - wouldn't rid my life of it, but would not have it as my only car and be forced to DD it - I'd get a GTI, or something similar. Do you have a place to garage it - would that matter to you? How much driving do you do - how far do you go in your commute? Will it even warm up? Will you be nervous parking out at work, at stores, etc.? Mind stopping for fuel every 200 miles?

It is said "familiarity breads contempt" - I find this to be true. How will you feel about the 350 when it becomes a normal part of you daily life? Will it still be special? I can always tell when someone is driving a convertible car as their DD - how? The top is up on a beautiful day! They lost the appreciation because it is always accessible!

Financially, it doesn't appear to me that you'd be "pushing it". My first new car after Engineering School was ~60% of my salary at the time (I started @ $26K, way back when). However, practicing "delayed gratification" will most likely yield great results for you in the future. Best of luck!
I second this advise....
 
OP
OP
aram_g

aram_g

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OP - You asked for advice - Here's mine.

IMO, the 350 is not an only car, daily driver. It's a big, fat, heavy gas guzzler - I love mine - wouldn't rid my life of it, but would not have it as my only car and be forced to DD it - I'd get a GTI, or something similar. Do you have a place to garage it - would that matter to you? How much driving do you do - how far do you go in your commute? Will it even warm up? Will you be nervous parking out at work, at stores, etc.? Mind stopping for fuel every 200 miles?

It is said "familiarity breads contempt" - I find this to be true. How will you feel about the 350 when it becomes a normal part of you daily life? Will it still be special?
I have a place to garage it, big two-car garage in a private home. I work from home Mon/Tue/Wed so excessive miles in the next ~2 years isn't a huge issue. Work is 10 miles away, so I'd be able to warm up fully before driving out. I won't be nervous parking it at work since the company has huge parking lots and most spots are empty. I wouldn't mind stopping for fuel every 200 miles, my current car is already pretty bad at fuel. In terms of familiarity breading contempt, normally I'd agree to that, but in my case, I had a used 2006 Infiniti G35, which when I was 16 was my dream car, and I had bought it with money I had earned winning Violin competitions and I cherished every day with the car and driving it was exciting all ~7 years of ownership. Only ended up getting rid of it cause it got hydrolocked in a bad storm so I ended up leasing the Q50 since I needed something asap for my commute. Don't get me wrong the Q50 is an amazing car and is pushing ~340whp/355wtq with the JB4 Stage 1, but it's super quiet and smooth (and automatic) and isn't doing it for me anymore. I want that flat plane growl :headbang:
 

5.0 435

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I sold my GT350 years ago for this and can’t wait anymore. OMG, JC and holy shiit !

Ladies and Gentlemen the C8 !

From the C8 forum today with a lot of imput from those who have seen it.
C409CA49-8F7D-4923-B355-7A0DB056331E.jpeg
6A0D22E3-F561-4F13-913F-ED3BF438A028.jpeg
 
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nordique14

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I will not leap into whether this is a good financial decision or not other than to say that $900 rent in this area is very low (unless you live a in a tent). So make sure that is not going to go up any time soon.

If the dealership is ordering the car for you, then you can request a courtesy delivery at a local dealer. Only works if they are placing an order and not selling you a car off the lot. You would need to pay a fee (usually $350-500) to the dealership accepting delivery, but that is much less than having it shipped from the mid-west. The delivery dealership needs to be decided prior to input in the Ford order bank.

Do not deal with Frontier Ford. They are terrible. Wish they weren't as they are closest to me. They were not willing to do a courtesy delivery for me even though we bought my wife's Escape from them. Told me that it was too much hassle for them. I will not be hassling them next summer when my wife leases other Escape. I did find a local dealership willing to do a courtesy delivery. PM me if you decide to go that route.

Good luck with whatever you decide!
 

Shift

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Also don't make the same mistake I did. Find a dealership that will do courtesy delivery(delivered to a dealer you didn't buy it from, straight from the factory). I believe Morgan Hill will do it for you(the no ADM dealership here in the bay). I'm not 100% sure on the process except that it had to be done at time of order. Would have saved me $2200 had I known this.
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