It's official now... GT350 and GT350R production ends this Fall

[jake_zx2]

The thing is - you should be able to see that you are in the minority with "odd" or different taste if you can honestly say that you don't think the GT350 is better than the other Mustang models. Most people think the GT350 is awesome. The guys that drive and rate cars for a living think the GT350 is one of the best ever. I owned one for 3 1/2 years and I agree with them. It's definitely the best car I've ever owned. I think it's the best car I've ever driven as well.

It’s not that I don’t think it’s a good car... of course it’s a good car, it’s an S550. Hell, I’ll even concede that it’s BETTER than the GT or Mach 1 out of the box. However, the void between the 2 has closed SIGNIFICANTLY in the past 2 years, while the valley in price has grown. A simple cost/benefit analysis shows that the GT350 just isn’t a good purchase anymore... that’s not to say someone “can’t afford it”, moreso that they’d be foolish to spend the extra money if the sole purpose is performance. And this is all from a short-term standpoint... when you factor in longevity, a lot of the things that make the GT350 “special” make the car less reliable and have significantly higher replacement parts that are harder to source, which are important factors in ownership of a vehicle, especially one that’s going to be driven on track.

If some people want to spend the extra money for that “special” feeling of having a snake badge, go right ahead. My problem with the “special” statements is the blatantly false assertion that it’s head-and-shoulders above any other Mustang and can’t be replicated. This simply isn’t true... when you look at the facts, the primary difference between the 2 cars (aside from the engine, which is solely a matter of preference) is just the brake/spindle (I combine the 2 because you can’t really have one without the other in the GT350’s case) and the LCAs. It’s not a significant difference that can be felt in the car other than a VERY slight improvement on the dead-on-center feel in the steering. Otherwise, they’re largely the same car, and there isn’t much “special” about the Shelby aside from that badge on the front

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[cactus_kid]

No, I'm denigrating you for acting like having money makes you a better person, regardless of how you come by it. Also it makes no sense that you seem to think that people are not picking the GT350 simply because they can't afford it.

Having money in and of itself, doesn't make me a better person. It is what I endured in order to get there that does.

 

[Joe Mac]

Well you are the first person I have come across to say this. Anyways good luck with the HP Mach 1.

I've driven both thats why I have a Shelby

 

[stanglife]

^^nothing like only giving half of the information.

 

[Carpenater]

The jury is still out in my opinion based on the fact the Mach 1 is a first year production car.

 

[LICobra]

Did I miss something about Ford discontinuing the manual trans on the Ecoboost and GT models?

As the MACH 1 is being touted as the GT350 replacement with the Tremec transmission.

 

[Hack]

It’s not that I don’t think it’s a good car... of course it’s a good car, it’s an S550. Hell, I’ll even concede that it’s BETTER than the GT or Mach 1 out of the box. However, the void between the 2 has closed SIGNIFICANTLY in the past 2 years, while the valley in price has grown. A simple cost/benefit analysis shows that the GT350 just isn’t a good purchase anymore... that’s not to say someone “can’t afford it”, moreso that they’d be foolish to spend the extra money if the sole purpose is performance. And this is all from a short-term standpoint... when you factor in longevity, a lot of the things that make the GT350 “special” make the car less reliable and have significantly higher replacement parts that are harder to source, which are important factors in ownership of a vehicle, especially one that’s going to be driven on track.

If some people want to spend the extra money for that “special” feeling of having a snake badge, go right ahead. My problem with the “special” statements is the blatantly false assertion that it’s head-and-shoulders above any other Mustang and can’t be replicated. This simply isn’t true... when you look at the facts, the primary difference between the 2 cars (aside from the engine, which is solely a matter of preference) is just the brake/spindle (I combine the 2 because you can’t really have one without the other in the GT350’s case) and the LCAs. It’s not a significant difference that can be felt in the car other than a VERY slight improvement on the dead-on-center feel in the steering. Otherwise, they’re largely the same car, and there isn’t much “special” about the Shelby aside from that badge on the front

Ok so there's a few things to unpack here. So now you are saying it's better, but value isn't there. This is a better argument. When you said that the Voodoo rattles itself to death, you were exaggerating for the purpose of making a point. And when you said the difference is in people's heads, you didn't really think that? Or did you change your mind since then?

Next, I don't think people said it can't be replicated, but I will say it now - it can't be replicated. Yes you can buy the piece parts and swap out suspension bushings to get rid of some of the vague feeling of the typical Mustangs. You can buy the GT350 brake kit to get the best brakes by far I've ever experienced on a Mustang. You can buy the springs and shocks. You can buy a Voodoo engine. You can buy a Tremec transmission and the cooler/etc. for it. You might be able to get the factory rear diff cooler setup (or at least buy the Tech pack cooler components). You can buy the bigger rear drive axles. You can buy the special seats. You can buy the wheels. You can buy the sway bars.

I don't think you can buy the Magneride or ABS programming. So you can make something similar, but not the same. And it's the combination that makes it great. Even ignoring the cooling for track use. Remember what the reviewers say about the PP2. They don't say it's just like the GT350 but missing cooling.

What I'm saying is you can't replicate it. Not for a reasonable amount of money. Buying a used GT350 would be a better idea. And the Shelby special feeling that you are mocking amounts to resale value. When you try to say that the Shelby isn't worth the price, remember that almost every car ownership experience includes purchase AND SALE of the vehicle. So if you're being honest you want to consider depreciation as part of the cost. And from my experience the GT350 is much better with respect to depreciation than other Mustangs.

There's other things I'd like to refute but this post is getting to the TLDR length.

Makes me glad to finally see this. This should have happened back in 2018 so that they wouldn’t have had to neuter the PP2 so bad. I’m excited to know that I’ll finally be able to buy a track capable Mustang out-of-the-box without having to pay that Shelby tax and deal with those Shelby fanboys (and deal with a Voodoo rattling itself to death)

Yep, it’s not that difference. Most of the difference is in the owners’ heads

 

[shogun32]

Otherwise, they’re largely the same car

has the same broken-ass Diff mounting bolts and bushings, the same IRS slop, mis-alignment, and in need of bushings and bracing. the same binding rear shock mounts. The same steel everywhere body panels. The nothing to strut about Magneride tuning. The engine is really the only part that can't be trivially duplicated and it's definitely worth a price bump. But I have engines that rev higher and sound way better... That silver car in the YT video further up the thread is annoying as frack - but that's mostly the exhaust to blame I should think.

"it's a Shelby" matter not a whit when Ford can't be arsed to deliver a *finished* quality product. Name is nothing. Execution is everything. Why am I paying near full retail for bolt-on parts when the details are being overlooked?

I don't think you can buy the Magneride or ABS programming.

The ABS programming is nothing special and anyway it's biased for a particular tire and it's characteristics. Slapping the GT350 brake hardware on a GT, no you won't get exactly the same feel. Short of a track rat, would anybody notice enough to comment? There are at least 2 other Mag tuning devices I know of and while not cheap by any stretch, they allow you to dial in precisely what you want. Or chase your ass looking for a good setup.

I absolutely commend Ford for undertaking the project. I commend them for making some improvements in '19 and '20. I would prefer that they keep making the GT350 and for 10 grand less offer the EXACT same car with just the Coyote engine slapped in the bay, sans "shelby" nomenclature of course. Which oddly enough is the Mach1 - just missing the brakes and wider fenders.

 

[RPDBlueMoon]

Fair enough. I'm just hot about other comments in this thread. I apologize, and will take it down a notch. I stand by financing as a good practice in many situations. Buying cash only saves you money if you would make nothing on the surplus cash. Even if your loan is 5% (not a great rate, but for the sake of argument) you still stand to make more than the interest payments with even a moderately conservative portfolio. I'm young, so my strategy is more aggressive and less risk averse. I've looked at paying off both cars early multiple times, and the numbers never add up.

There are merits to paying with cash and financing. There really isn't one that is better than the other, it all depends on an individuals financial situation and strategy. I always double up on my payments to pay my car bill off early. I don't like to have car payments as I don't like to be in debt and have mounting bills. I'm fairly young and would say that I am pretty well off considering my age, but thats because my financial situation is different. So it really depends on the person.

And to be honest if we are talking about being money savy, buying any brand new car is a horrible idea, especially if its a sports car like a Mustang regardless whether its a GT or GT350. You are better off buying a used Civic or a Corolla. I've never met anyone who bought a sports car on the premise of saving money.

Getting my GT350 was not a smart financial move, but I can take the hit and it will make me more happy, making me more motivated so I'll keep grinding. It balances itself out. Life is too short to not make lemonade when you get lemons. Always doing the best financial decision is not always the most fun so its up to the person to find their happy medium

 

[machsmith]

Be happy you got one of 2 greatest ever made by Ford.

 

[anacar312]

There are merits to paying with cash and financing. There really isn't one that is better than the other, it all depends on an individuals financial situation and strategy. I always double up on my payments to pay my car bill off early. I don't like to have car payments as I don't like to be in debt and have mounting bills. I'm fairly young and would say that I am pretty well off considering my age, but thats because my financial situation is different. So it really depends on the person.

And to be honest if we are talking about being money savy, buying any brand new car is a horrible idea, especially if its a sports car like a Mustang regardless whether its a GT or GT350. You are better off buying a used Civic or a Corolla. I've never met anyone who bought a sports car on the premise of saving money.

Getting my GT350 was not a smart financial move, but I can take the hit and it will make me more happy, making me more motivated so I'll keep grinding. It balances itself out. Life is too short to not make lemonade when you get lemons. Always doing the best financial decision is not always the most fun so its up to the person to find their happy medium

I am actually a Jeep guy (CJ, JK) up until my wife didn’t want to put or twins in a JK with 35’s. Anyway, I was always impressed with the resale value of my wranglers.
No one should buy any new car as an investment.... but you can limit your downside. I feel 10 years from now a GT350R HEP will hold it value better than a equally low mile ________ Mustang.
Again, not an investment an any upside would/should be viewed purely as a bonus... but if for some unimaginable reason I tired or wanted to move on from the car.... I feel there is limited downside.
At lest that’s how I rationalize the purchase to my wife!

However I must echo the most important point. THE CAR MAKES ME HAPPY. That why I hope we are all buying whatever car! It’s suits my tastes, wants and budget. It may even try and fill an emotional void of a lost loved one (that was a Shelby fanatic). For me the juice is with the squeeze.
May all of you be happy with your choices of transportation and in-turn smile a little more.

 

[jake_zx2]

Ok so there's a few things to unpack here. So now you are saying it's better, but value isn't there. This is a better argument. When you said that the Voodoo rattles itself to death, you were exaggerating for the purpose of making a point. And when you said the difference is in people's heads, you didn't really think that? Or did you change your mind since then?

When I say the Voodoo rattles itself to death, I’m not exaggerating, I’m speaking relative to the Coyote, which is the truth. Some people are willing to overlook that to say “I have an 8000rpm redline” but I’m not one of those people. I said MOST of the difference is in people’s heads, which is also the truth. Yes, there are some MINOR differences, but barely any that you would actually be able to FEEL. People will literally sit in a Shelby, look at that “special snake” on the airbag, and will decide “this feels special”... that’s what most people do with the Shelby. Those like me, who don’t give a fuck about status, see the truth that they really aren’t that different. Every downfall that the S550 platform has as a whole is carried over into the GT350. There are VERY minor benefits, but nothing that isn’t replicable... which brings us to this next clusterfuck...

Next, I don't think people said it can't be replicated, but I will say it now - it can't be replicated. Yes you can buy the piece parts and swap out suspension bushings to get rid of some of the vague feeling of the typical Mustangs. You can buy the GT350 brake kit to get the best brakes by far I've ever experienced on a Mustang. You can buy the springs and shocks. You can buy a Voodoo engine. You can buy a Tremec transmission and the cooler/etc. for it. You might be able to get the factory rear diff cooler setup (or at least buy the Tech pack cooler components). You can buy the bigger rear drive axles. You can buy the special seats. You can buy the wheels. You can buy the sway bars.

I don't think you can buy the Magneride or ABS programming. So you can make something similar, but not the same. And it's the combination that makes it great. Even ignoring the cooling for track use. Remember what the reviewers say about the PP2. They don't say it's just like the GT350 but missing cooling.

What I'm saying is you can't replicate it. Not for a reasonable amount of money. Buying a used GT350 would be a better idea. And the Shelby special feeling that you are mocking amounts to resale value. When you try to say that the Shelby isn't worth the price, remember that almost every car ownership experience includes purchase AND SALE of the vehicle. So if you're being honest you want to consider depreciation as part of the cost. And from my experience the GT350 is much better with respect to depreciation than other Mustangs.

There's other things I'd like to refute but this post is getting to the TLDR length.

This is exactly the kind of shit Shelby people always propagate... list a bunch of parts that are on the GT350 and use that to say “ITS SPESHUL”... so let’s take these one by one
Suspension bushings: all the same between GT350 and PP2
GT350 brakes: okay
Springs and dampers: PP2 and Mach 1 already have them
Voodoo engine: don’t want it, Coyote is better
Tremec/coolers: Mach 1 already has it
Bigger rear axles: it was 450whp, all they’re doing is increasing rotating mass
Special seats: every other Mustang can be offered with both cloth AND leather Recaros, who cares... oh wait, they don’t have the “speshul snek”, do they?
Wheels: PP2 and Mach 1 have better wheels
Sway bars: PP2 and Mach 1 have them
Magride, ABS, and EPAS tuning: Mach 1 and PP2 have them

So you can see there, most of these things that make the GT350 “special” have been trickling down to lesser models since 2018 (which was exactly my point). What reviewers say about the PP2 means nothing to me, because they’re all the same way; they get in, they see that snake, they say “this is special”. It’s that simple. I’d be willing to bet money that if you gave a reporter (or any Shelby person, really) a GT350 that was changed to look like a GT inside and out and told them it was a GT with some bolt one and a tune, they’d say “I don’t know man, it still doesn’t feel as speshul as muh snek”

So yes, you can absolutely replicate (or even surpass) a GT350 for significantly less money if you don’t care about the status of having that snake on your car. And sorry to burst your bubble, but if you’re buying a car for its resale value, you’re buying it for the wrong reason. That’s literally the only somewhat valid defense Shelby bros have anymore... it’s either “YOU CANT AFFORD IT” or “RESALE VALUE BRO”

 

[dom418]

GT350 was great, it just overstayed its welcome

So have you 10 pages into this thread. Yes we get you don’t like Shelby owners, we THINk we have cars that are special, it’s all in our heads, blah blah blah Mach this coyote that. Move on and go play with the Mach. You keep saying the same shit over and over. Get over it.

 

[dpAtlanta]

I own a 2003 Base Escort LX, and those ZX2 people really get under my skin thinking they are better than everybody.

This is exactly the kind of shit ZX2 people always propagate... list a bunch of parts that are on the ZX2 and use that to say “ITS SPESHUL”... so let’s take these one by one
Suspension bushings: all the same between ZX2 and LX
ZX2 brakes: okay
Springs and dampers: LX and SE already have them
ZX2 engine: don’t want it, LX engine is better
Bigger rear axles: it was 130whp, all they’re doing is increasing rotating mass
Special seats: every other Escort can be offered with both cloth AND vinyl seats, who cares... oh wait, they don’t have the “speshul snek”, do they?
Wheels: LX and SE have better wheels
Sway bars: LX and SE have them
ABS: LX and SE have them

So you can see there, most of these things that make the ZX2 “special” have been trickling down to lesser models (which was exactly my point). What reviewers say about the ZX2 means nothing to me, because they’re all the same way; they get in, they see that ZX2 emblem, they say “this is special”. It’s that simple. I’d be willing to bet money that if you gave a reporter (or any ZX2 person, really) a ZX2 that was changed to look like a LX inside and out and told them it was a LX with some bolt one and a tune, they’d say “I don’t know man, it still doesn’t feel as speshul as muh snek”

So yes, you can absolutely replicate (or even surpass) a ZX2 got significantly less money if you don’t care about the status of having that ZX2 emblem on your car. And sorry to burst your bubble, but if you’re buying a car for its resale value, you’re buying it for the wrong reason. That’s literally the only somewhat valid defense ZX2 bros have anymore... it’s either “YOU CANT AFFORD IT” or “RESALE VALUE BRO”

 

[Tomster]

the mach 1 is a parts bin special everyone knows this and let’s not beat around the bush. It’s not going to really replace the gt350 in the enthusiast world. Only if Ford makes it the same msrp which would be stupid. The big issue i have with the mach 1 is the engine it wouldn’t of taken a lot for Ford to make it a 5.2. It has the same bore as the gt500/350 engine the stroke is just short at 92.3mm vs 93. Honestly that all they needed to do just to give the mach 1 something special but whatever i digress

Hey, look who's back to start a bunch of crap again. Where ya been?

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