Mr. Maboomba
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2021
- Threads
- 23
- Messages
- 374
- Reaction score
- 622
- Location
- San Francisco, CA
- First Name
- Ben
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 GT350, 2019 X5 50i, 2019 Ram 2500
- Thread starter
- #1
I took delivery of my GT350 today. It's a 2019 model in Ford Performance Blue with Electronics Package, Carbon Fiber Interior and Recaros. It has 15K miles but not a single ding, scratch or stain on the body, wheels or interior.
This is my first Ford and first non-BMW vehicle in 19 years. (I've owned a 1998 328is, a 2008 335xi, a 2009 DINAN3, a 2014 320i, a 2012 X5 50i and a 2019 X5 50i.) I have seen a lot of Porsche and BMW owners on this forum and it's a credit to Ford that they have made a car that appeals so broadly.
How I got here: Sixteen months ago I did my first driving event in a long time, a HPDE at Laguna Seca, using my wife's BMW 320i sedan. I had fun but that base-model, 200 hp, automatic transmission sedan was not fit for purpose. That ignited an interest in adding a fun sporty car with a manual transmission back to my fleet. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down all driving events and threw a lot of things into question so I didn't shop for any cars right away but started to look seriously this spring. At first I was going to buy a used 2018 M3 Competition, then a used 2018 M3 CS, then a new 2021 M2 Competition, then a new 2022 M3. After three months of waiting for a 2022 M3 production spot I got fed up and started looking outside the brand.
I looked at a lot of options but narrowed it down to two finalists in the end: a 2016 Porsche GT4 or a 2019-2020 GT350(R). Both vehicles are track-ready manual-transmission sports cars with a lot of character and distinctive looks. They deliver equal performance outcomes based on all the major measurements (0-60 acceleration, 70-0 braking, skidpad, 1/4 mile, Nurburgring times, VIR Lightning Lap times) though they clearly take two different approaches to deliver it.
American muscle cars have never been on my radar as an object of interest but based on everything I read and watched this car seemed different. All of the reviews I watched were positive and all of the owners I heard from said it was a special vehicle, a true sports car full stop, not just "good - for a Mustang." If there was one video that "hooked me" it was Ford GT350R Canyon Run - Magnificent Voodoo V8 Exhaust Note. If you haven't seen it, you've got to invest six minutes in it. What's better than watching a GT350R tear through the Northern California countryside?
Choosing between the GT4 and the GT350 was very difficult. This is not a credit to myself but I definitely stayed up late too many nights watching (and rewatching) every review on YouTube, comparing every fact, crowd sourcing my decision and generally tying myself up in knots. I decided on the GT4 a half dozen times and I decided on the GT350 a half dozen times. I made offers on both cars. I even reached out to Matt Moran of Obsessed Garage for input because he is also a BMW guy who owned a GT350, has driven a 981 GT4 and now owns a 718 GT4. He made a good point about the opportunity to be intentional about car progression (leaving yourself future room to move up toward better and better cars) which resonated with me - I don't need to get the most car I could afford or my penultimate car and there's a lot of value in just having a different experience. (Matt and other reviewers have said publicly the GT350 is as close as you can get to a modern take on the E92 M3, which I take as a big compliment to the car.)
In the end, I concluded that the GT350 felt more special to me. The model-specific high-revving flat-plane crank Voodoo V8 and Tremec 3160 6-speed gearbox and valved factory exhaust set this car apart. I love that it only comes in a manual and offers full bucket seats (like the GT4 in both cases). It has track-ready Brembo brakes on par with what you'd find on a X5M or M5 and you can get it with a carbon fiber dashboard. The GT350 scored some practicality points the GT4 didn't via its modern headunit (including support for CarPlay and Android Auto), a backup camera, rear seats and a warranty. It doesn't hurt that I saved $30,000 either.
My dealership provided awesome service getting the car in concours condition for me. They removed some aftermarket carbon fiber appliques from the interior, thoroughly detailed on the car (buffing out any imperfections in the paint), refurbished light curb rash on one wheel, filled it up with gas and delivered it to me at my house. They even filled out my Track Safety Inspection Form for an upcoming BMWCCA HPDE at Thunderhill where I'll put the car to the test.
I had a few pangs of self-doubt watching Porsches drive by during dinner in Sausalito. But then I ripped it to 8000 rpm getting on the interstate, going through the Robin Williams Tunnel in Marin and across the Golden Gate Bridge on the way home and felt better about my decision.
I look forward to being part of your community!
This is my first Ford and first non-BMW vehicle in 19 years. (I've owned a 1998 328is, a 2008 335xi, a 2009 DINAN3, a 2014 320i, a 2012 X5 50i and a 2019 X5 50i.) I have seen a lot of Porsche and BMW owners on this forum and it's a credit to Ford that they have made a car that appeals so broadly.
How I got here: Sixteen months ago I did my first driving event in a long time, a HPDE at Laguna Seca, using my wife's BMW 320i sedan. I had fun but that base-model, 200 hp, automatic transmission sedan was not fit for purpose. That ignited an interest in adding a fun sporty car with a manual transmission back to my fleet. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down all driving events and threw a lot of things into question so I didn't shop for any cars right away but started to look seriously this spring. At first I was going to buy a used 2018 M3 Competition, then a used 2018 M3 CS, then a new 2021 M2 Competition, then a new 2022 M3. After three months of waiting for a 2022 M3 production spot I got fed up and started looking outside the brand.
I looked at a lot of options but narrowed it down to two finalists in the end: a 2016 Porsche GT4 or a 2019-2020 GT350(R). Both vehicles are track-ready manual-transmission sports cars with a lot of character and distinctive looks. They deliver equal performance outcomes based on all the major measurements (0-60 acceleration, 70-0 braking, skidpad, 1/4 mile, Nurburgring times, VIR Lightning Lap times) though they clearly take two different approaches to deliver it.
American muscle cars have never been on my radar as an object of interest but based on everything I read and watched this car seemed different. All of the reviews I watched were positive and all of the owners I heard from said it was a special vehicle, a true sports car full stop, not just "good - for a Mustang." If there was one video that "hooked me" it was Ford GT350R Canyon Run - Magnificent Voodoo V8 Exhaust Note. If you haven't seen it, you've got to invest six minutes in it. What's better than watching a GT350R tear through the Northern California countryside?
Choosing between the GT4 and the GT350 was very difficult. This is not a credit to myself but I definitely stayed up late too many nights watching (and rewatching) every review on YouTube, comparing every fact, crowd sourcing my decision and generally tying myself up in knots. I decided on the GT4 a half dozen times and I decided on the GT350 a half dozen times. I made offers on both cars. I even reached out to Matt Moran of Obsessed Garage for input because he is also a BMW guy who owned a GT350, has driven a 981 GT4 and now owns a 718 GT4. He made a good point about the opportunity to be intentional about car progression (leaving yourself future room to move up toward better and better cars) which resonated with me - I don't need to get the most car I could afford or my penultimate car and there's a lot of value in just having a different experience. (Matt and other reviewers have said publicly the GT350 is as close as you can get to a modern take on the E92 M3, which I take as a big compliment to the car.)
In the end, I concluded that the GT350 felt more special to me. The model-specific high-revving flat-plane crank Voodoo V8 and Tremec 3160 6-speed gearbox and valved factory exhaust set this car apart. I love that it only comes in a manual and offers full bucket seats (like the GT4 in both cases). It has track-ready Brembo brakes on par with what you'd find on a X5M or M5 and you can get it with a carbon fiber dashboard. The GT350 scored some practicality points the GT4 didn't via its modern headunit (including support for CarPlay and Android Auto), a backup camera, rear seats and a warranty. It doesn't hurt that I saved $30,000 either.
My dealership provided awesome service getting the car in concours condition for me. They removed some aftermarket carbon fiber appliques from the interior, thoroughly detailed on the car (buffing out any imperfections in the paint), refurbished light curb rash on one wheel, filled it up with gas and delivered it to me at my house. They even filled out my Track Safety Inspection Form for an upcoming BMWCCA HPDE at Thunderhill where I'll put the car to the test.
I had a few pangs of self-doubt watching Porsches drive by during dinner in Sausalito. But then I ripped it to 8000 rpm getting on the interstate, going through the Robin Williams Tunnel in Marin and across the Golden Gate Bridge on the way home and felt better about my decision.
I look forward to being part of your community!
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