Final gut check - about to buy a GT350

[Tomster]

Yea, I don’t mean to come off as an ass. Sometimes it’s difficult to get your opinion across without sounding like one though.

Mayne you ought to go back and read your crap and reassess.

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[stanglife]

For what it is worth, and just one Shelby fan's opinion :

I have had a Shelby GT500. I also think the Shelby GT350 has the coolest sound of a stock car ever! And to have the Shelby marque with an S550 suspension would be phenomenal, I'm sure. I have seen so many positive reviews related to GT350 handling. OTOH I have ZERO interest in the new GT500 with a slush box. Sure. It's faster. Not what I am looking for as I want to row my own in my weekend toy. I wanted a GT350. I was close to buying one. But there are faaaar too many blown motor posts, C&C stories (I know of 1 person locally) and our test track has has nothing but issues related with engine shake with the GT350.

I wish it was more reliable. I'm sure it is still a fraction of 5% but it's more risk than I'd be willing to take on a car with no or mere months remaining warranty. I have no empirical data, but I know there were enough stories to scare me off. Again, you can say it is a non-issue, but I've seen and heard more stories related to this engine than any in my lifetime (53 y.o.). Perhaps it's a social media effect. Too many of those stories are accompanied by photos, so I don't think it is urban legend. If I were rich, I'd still have one... because I could afford a new engine.

YMMV. Lot's of GT350 owners with no problems. I have 2 buddies with GT350s...one blew a motor, one didn't. From what I have heard Ford took care of them all. They all had happy endings.

Every owner of every model will defend their choice to the death. I get it. For my money though it was too much risk. And I reeeealy wanted one. That said, I didn't opt for the M1, because there is no convertible option and the M1 was not enough better than a PP1 vert...but I really value the ragtop...again not the fastest...just the funnest. It was a tough decision. No motor problems and my choice is 1. GT350/R, 2. GT PP1 convertible, 3. Super close choice to 2 =Mach 1. If number 2 and number 3 we're priced the same, I'd prolly choose the M1.

I love the Shelby Heritage. You can say the Voodoo is as reliable as anything out there (Coyote), but that is not the public perception. Again. I really wanted to be able to buy a GT350, but I feel like it would be rolling the dice.

Happy for all the folks who have not had issues and hopefully any issues that do arise happen before warranty is up.

Best wishes OP! Hope you never have to test the warranty. You have one of the coolest cars made in the last 10 years...enjoy the hell out of it!

Come on over to the dark side! ;) No really - these cars have had the spotlight on them since the beginning. While there have been a few growing pains... the popularity of the car and social media has definitely hyped up the issues. A couple recalls and perhaps it wasn't communicated in advance to owners how high strung of an engine this is - they didn't check the oil..or changed oil (had it changed) but didn't screw the oil filter on tight enough... lots of user error (but fueled by the special needs of this platform) that got blamed 100% on failure of the engine because NO ONE was risking not getting these covered under warranty. If my filter backed off and I lost all oil pressure - you can bet your ass I'm screwing that thing back on, pressure washing the car and taking it to the dealer to play dumb ;)

Anyway, this is all to say - there have been some problems but it's definitely overblown - especially on the forums. If you spend time looking for issues, you're going to find them. As others say, "they just regurgutate what they hear" The rest of us are enjoying some incredible cars but you done as often see people on here (or any product site) talking about the good experience they've had - they are out enjoying . I sold my first 16R with 12k or so miles and the new owner has added quite a few track miles at this point. My experience owning the car was so good, I bought another one.

 

[mldonovan82]

Mayne you ought to go back and read your crap and reassess.

That’s a tall task when you’re berated by those who feel the need to “defend” their car at the cost of ignoring their surroundings. I never said anything you can’t read countless times in this forum. Again, you seem to take pleasure in instigating and drawing up more discussion.

 

[lunatect]

Show me the data that shows it’s not an unreliable motor. See how stupid that sounds?

If you have convinced yourself the voodoo issues don’t exist or are isolated/limited. Cool.

Lol. You are the one making a claim without any evidence. Tell us what percentage of GT350 motors are involved.

 

[BryanCO]

 

[Tomster]

That’s a tall task when you’re berated by those who feel the need to “defend” their car at the cost of ignoring their surroundings. I never said anything you can’t read countless times in this forum. Again, you seem to take pleasure in instigating and drawing up more discussion.

It is so simple..... Stick to what you know. Avoid topics you know nothing about. Translation.... don't hang around other forum sections and 'dis other people's cars that you know nothing about. It's very bad form. You came here and decided to (try to) school many subject matter experts while at the same time talk smack about a car you have no practical experience with. I think I should point out that all you know about GT350s is what you have read little about resulting in a skewed and inaccurate conclusion. Here you find yourself arguing with people who have a lot of experience with this car, me included. You are a newb who shows up and tries to show everybody up with that genius purchase decision of yours. If the GT350 was such a problem, why would they be selling for the prices they are right now, used? I'll answer that one, and that is because (as others have pointed out), it will go down in history as one of the best cars of its kind that has ever been produced. Yours? definately not.

You are new here. Your behavior is trollish. I've seen people like you come and go, and lately that has been via a strike of the ban hammer. If I were you, I would be very careful. If you want to stick around here for the camaraderie, then you also have to mind your manners and apply a little common sense. Common sense like knowing your surroundings (as you pointed out). You are in the wrong forum section to go picking fights with GT350 owners. Maybe it's time to tuck tail and go back to where you belong.

One good deed deserves another, so I will make a few comments about you and your car. Seems fair, right? The difference is that you won't find me hanging around your insignificant section of the forum making comments like you did here. Nobody cares about your Mach 1 parts bin car, especially in this section of the forum. You have your own section of the forum. It can be found here. If you go to the main forum splash page, count down 11 times to find your section. Ever wonder why it is so far down the page? Hmm, I wonder. Well, I suspect it is because the car is of no major significance. Go ahead and take a moment to see how the cars are listed. And there is yours, way down at the bottom of the list. There you can go on and keep fooling yourself and continue to pat yourself on the back while congratulating yourself for single handedly outsmarting the rest of the mustang crowd for making this genius purchase of yours. Here is a reality gut punch. Your car is essentially a parts bin leftover of the GT350. It was an alternative for the 3rd pedal crowd because they were going to stop GT350 production. It checked a box so that Ford could have a GT350ish product without incurring any major development costs. Sad but true, most think of your car as a compromise.

You are here for the camaraderie, lol, what a joke. You are here to troll, plain and simple. Trolls eventually are shown the door. Please keep doing what you are doing. That would be nice and most certainly would get you a front of the line pass to an ejection seat ride. Your opinion of your car in the context that you presented has no place in this thread and especially in the GT350 section.

Now, on a more civil tone. I welcome any healthy respectful discussion. That is what a forum is. I have been a member here for a very long time and I have spent a lot of time with the GT350 and other variants. I have contributed a lot to this forum for the sake of sharing ideas and enjoying the camaraderie. I suggest you become part of the solution and less of the problem.

Mind your manners.

 

[TommyBoyDIY]

I had the same thoughts as OP. I loved the mystique of the 350 but without the given opportunity I was given to pick up a nice example at a fair price I would of ended up with a GT or possibly a 2013 boss 302, which is what I was originally hoping for. The 350 was my unicorn if I could pull it off. I like the unique aspect and even the danger of reliability of this vehicle. I know it sounds strange. Yes, some of them had issues but if you keep an eye on everything on a regular basis it pays off. I love the 350, it is completely different than a GT driving experience wise and the sound, don't get me started on the sound. I would like to drive a Mach 1 to compare but I'm positive it won't be completely similar. Get whichever car excites you and keeps you excited. Everytime I take her out for a rip, some hard accelerations, and hard corners I just have to grin with enjoyment. To me that's all that matters. Enjoy life.....(mic drop)

 

[mldonovan82]

It is so simple..... Stick to what you know. Avoid topics you know nothing about. Translation.... don't hang around other forum sections and 'dis other people's cars that you know nothing about. It's very bad form. You came here and decided to (try to) school many subject matter experts while at the same time talk smack about a car you have no practical experience with. I think I should point out that all you know about GT350s is what you have read little about resulting in a skewed and inaccurate conclusion. Here you find yourself arguing with people who have a lot of experience with this car, me included. You are a newb who shows up and tries to show everybody up with that genius purchase decision of yours. If the GT350 was such a problem, why would they be selling for the prices they are right now, used? I'll answer that one, and that is because (as others have pointed out), it will go down in history as one of the best cars of its kind that has ever been produced. Yours? definately not.

You are new here. Your behavior is trollish. I've seen people like you come and go, and lately that has been via a strike of the ban hammer. If I were you, I would be very careful. If you want to stick around here for the camaraderie, then you also have to mind your manners and apply a little common sense. Common sense like knowing your surroundings (as you pointed out). You are in the wrong forum section to go picking fights with GT350 owners. Maybe it's time to tuck tail and go back to where you belong.

One good deed deserves another, so I will make a few comments about you and your car. Seems fair, right? The difference is that you won't find me hanging around your insignificant section of the forum making comments like you did here. Nobody cares about your Mach 1 parts bin car, especially in this section of the forum. You have your own section of the forum. It can be found here. If you go to the main forum splash page, count down 11 times to find your section. Ever wonder why it is so far down the page? Hmm, I wonder. Well, I suspect it is because the car is of no major significance. Go ahead and take a moment to see how the cars are listed. And there is yours, way down at the bottom of the list. There you can go on and keep fooling yourself and continue to pat yourself on the back while congratulating yourself for single handedly outsmarting the rest of the mustang crowd for making this genius purchase of yours. Here is a reality gut punch. Your car is essentially a parts bin leftover of the GT350. It was an alternative for the 3rd pedal crowd because they were going to stop GT350 production. It checked a box so that Ford could have a GT350ish product without incurring any major development costs. Sad but true, most think of your car as a compromise.

You are here for the camaraderie, lol, what a joke. You are here to troll, plain and simple. Trolls eventually are shown the door. Please keep doing what you are doing. That would be nice and most certainly would get you a front of the line pass to an ejection seat ride. Your opinion of your car in the context that you presented has no place in this thread and especially in the GT350 section.

Now, on a more civil tone. I welcome any healthy respectful discussion. That is what a forum is. I have been a member here for a very long time and I have spent a lot of time with the GT350 and other variants. I have contributed a lot to this forum for the sake of sharing ideas and enjoying the camaraderie. I suggest you become part of the solution and less of the problem.

Mind your manners.

I don’t need to know ANYTHING about the GT350 to observe the obvious public complaints (ironically in this forum) about the motor. Not sure why this is hard for you to comprehend. I’m not hanging around this section for any reason other than to defend myself at this point. You’re the latest guy to throw punches at the end of a brawl. Kind of cowardly don’t you think? I won’t be bullied out by someone like you who has nothing intelligent to say. You can talk trash about the Mach 1 all you want. It won’t hurt my feelings. Also, the more you defend the GT350, the more it looks as though my claim (and the claim of many other in this forum) is accurate.

As far as being banned:

1. I’m not fearful of that.
2. If a moderator decides to ban me based off of everything I’ve said in this thread, then I do not want to be part of this forum. A ban in this case would be based off of an allegiance to you or your friends.

Tom, leave it alone. You’re just offended. We can move on. I’ve said that a few times. I won’t apologize for what I’ve said. I won’t be bullied. I stand by what I’ve said. I realize it’s not the best place to state what I believe to the obvious, but as you can see, I’ve only defended myself over the last handful of responses. I’m sure the GT350 is a great vehicle. I just wish it didn’t have such a bad reputation in terms of engine reliability. Again, I know that offends you, but it is what it is. If my opinion and the opinions of those who have experienced these engine failures first hand means nothing to you, then keep it rolling.

 

[LOL WUT]

@mldonovan82 can I just point out that yes on forums, social media, etc. you’re going to see huge ratio disparity in people saying “my GT350 Broke” rather than “I’ve had no issues with my GT350”. You’re basing your stance of 350s being unreliable on sources of data that inherently shine a light on negative things rather than positive. It’s like reading a clickbait headline and stating it as fact.

 

[mldonovan82]

@mldonovan82 can I just point out that yes on forums, social media, etc. you’re going to see huge ratio disparity in people saying “my GT350 Broke” rather than “I’ve had no issues with my GT350”. You’re basing your stance of 350s being unreliable on sources of data that inherently shine a light on negative things rather than positive. It’s like reading a clickbait headline and stating it as fact.

Yea, I agree. Most people who leave reviews, leave bad reviews.

 

[Tomster]

I don’t need to know ANYTHING about the GT350 to observe the obvious public complaints (ironically in this forum) about the motor. Not sure why this is hard for you to comprehend. I’m not hanging around this section for any reason other than to defend myself at this point. You’re the latest guy to throw punches at the end of a brawl. Kind of cowardly don’t you think? I won’t be bullied out by someone like you who has nothing intelligent to say. You can talk trash about the Mach 1 all you want. It won’t hurt my feelings. Also, the more you defend the GT350, the more it looks as though my claim (and the claim of many other in this forum) is accurate.

As far as being banned:

1. I’m not fearful of that.
2. If a moderator decides to ban me based off of everything I’ve said in this thread, then I do not want to be part of this forum. A ban in this case would be based off of an allegiance to you or your friends.

Tom, leave it alone. You’re just offended. We can move on. I’ve said that a few times. I won’t apologize for what I’ve said. I won’t be bullied. I stand by what I’ve said. I realize it’s not the best place to state what I believe to the obvious, but as you can see, I’ve only defended myself over the last handful of responses. I’m sure the GT350 is a great vehicle. I just wish it didn’t have such a bad reputation in terms of engine reliability. Again, I know that offends you, but it is what it is. If my opinion and the opinions of those who have experienced these engine failures first hand means nothing to you, then keep it rolling.

You are new here. Have you bothered to read the forum rules? They can be found here. Most of your posts in this thread violate more than 1 rule. These rules are what keep this place civil and prevent the kind of mayhem and discord that you have promoted.

Please take a moment and familiarize yourself with them. Certain behavior is acceptable, and your behavior in this thread is not.

 

[mldonovan82]

You are new here. Have you bothered to read the forum rules? They can be found here. Most of your posts in this thread violate more than 1 rule. These rules are what keep this place civil and prevent the kind of mayhem and discord that you have promoted.

Please take a moment and familiarize yourself with them. Certain behavior is acceptable, and your behavior in this thread is not.

The same came be said for every single response/comment you’ve made towards me.

 

[Tomster]

The same came be said for every single response/comment you’ve made towards me.

Replying in kind and in response to your comments. Most seem to revolve around rule 2 and 3. I am not here trolling. On the other hand, you are. You cant roll into another car specific forum and do the things you have done.

I was here making valid comments and posts pertaining to the thread's subject matter. Then you came along with your intermodel bashing and trolling.

Say it ain't so.....

 

[JAJ]

Replying in kind and in response to your comments. Most seem to revolve around rule 2 and 3. I am not here trolling. On the other hand, you are. You cant roll into another car specific forum and do the things you have done.

I was here making valid comments and posts pertaining to the thread's subject matter. Then you came along with your intermodel bashing and trolling.

Say it ain't so.....

I've been watching the non-GT350 folks who come in bashing the GT350, too. I eventually concluded that the correct response is no response. Take @mldonovan82. He's got a Mach 1. But his behavior makes it very clear that he really envies anyone with a GT350.

And there's a lot of reasons for that envy. Start with the engine - the Mach 1 engine's under-performs by 46 horsepower. 46! That's a lot. Then there's the TR3160 gearbox - the clincher for performance credentials. Except that it's the bargain basement TR3160 that doesn't have the trick Ford Performance mods like gun-drilled shafts that keep the weight down and performance up.

But if you think the power train has limitations, check out the brakes. The fronts are the cheap toy Brembo's from the GT PP series. And at the back, it's worse - they're one-pot sliders that were modern back in the 1950's or so. Seriously?

As for handling, apparently it feels fast, but then the Chief Engineer on the Mach 1 project explained that the suspension is engineered to understeer when pushed, a keep-unqualified-drivers-safe tuning choice that FP didn't include in the GT350.

So, is it a performance car? It probably sounds like one, and it looks like one, and if your goal is to look great in the Safeway parking lot, it's got a lot going for it, especially with the slushbox option. But, in the end, it's not a GT350. Clearly, some folks just can't handle the fact that we have GT350's and they don't.

 

[mldonovan82]

I've been watching the non-GT350 folks who come in bashing the GT350, too. I eventually concluded that the correct response is no response. Take @mldonovan82. He's got a Mach 1. But his behavior makes it very clear that he really envies anyone with a GT350.

And there's a lot of reasons for that envy. Start with the engine - the Mach 1 engine's under-performs by 46 horsepower. 46! That's a lot. Then there's the TR3160 gearbox - the clincher for performance credentials. Except that it's the bargain basement TR3160 that doesn't have the trick Ford Performance mods like gun-drilled shafts that keep the weight down and performance up.

But if you think the power train has limitations, check out the brakes. The fronts are the cheap toy Brembo's from the GT PP series. And at the back, it's worse - they're one-pot sliders that were modern back in the 1950's or so. Seriously?

As for handling, apparently it feels fast, but then the Chief Engineer on the Mach 1 project explained that the suspension is engineered to understeer when pushed, a keep-unqualified-drivers-safe tuning choice that FP didn't include in the GT350.

So, is it a performance car? It probably sounds like one, and it looks like one, and if your goal is to look great in the Safeway parking lot, it's got a lot going for it, especially with the slushbox option. But, in the end, it's not a GT350. Clearly, some folks just can't handle the fact that we have GT350's and they don't.

You guys are relentless. If I envied the GT350, I’d buy one. I would pay cash for it as well. The fact is that I work hard for my money and when it came down to buying a car I chose the coyote over the voodoo. I was considering a used GT350 until I learned of all the engine failures— here. This was my primary deterrent. You guys can hate on the M1 all you want. Again, I’m not hurt. It does, however, make you look super defensive. I think the M1 is a good option if you want something new with some performance upgrades over the GT.

EDIT: I’ll also say this, I don’t hold onto vehicles that long. I may be in a Shelby down the road. I’m looking forward to the S650. The GT350 was always in my sights, but again, I had concerns that would always be there going down the road. I have some concerns as many do considering the fact that manufacturers have shifted most of their efforts towards electric vehicles. I purchased my S550 with consideration that it may be the last of a dying breed.

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