Long term would you rather…GT350 vs GT500

[Hack]

It wasn’t a dig or anything I was just genuinely curious if you had had a chance to drive one. It’s a different experience for sure. The s550 platform was/is really well done in my opinion. And we have the whole expenwive pickup thing here to. I’m guilty of that as well.

I'm sure I'd enjoy driving one a lot, especially on a track. But I wouldn't pretend to a dealer that I might actually buy it in order to get that chance.

I realize I tend to be somewhat close-minded at times. Possibly with enough power I would enjoy an automatic. But with most of my driving being on public streets and during rush hour, I need something to do behind the wheel other than brake/gas/brake/gas.

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[Strokerswild]

Something else, and to be fair, if the consideration is a long-term one between the two offerings I think transmission availability down the road is something to be on top of as well. The TR3160 and the DCT used in the GT500 are well designed units. And I don't think Tremec is going anywhere (but they are signing on to the whole electrification agenda).

Even ten years from now it'll be likely that you can't source either transmission from Ford. Maybe a factory authorized remanufactured unit but certainly not a new one. I'd much prefer trying to source the manual gearbox as it is far less expensive and much more available at the moment. There won't be a lot of GT500 DCT cores out there and that could definitely be a problem. Finding a local transmission company that has plenty of experience with rebuilding them might be a bit of a challenge as well.

The DCT is essentially the reason I was interested in the 500 from the start (and still am to a degree). Having owned a hopped-up '07 GT500 for several years, the manual trans is somewhat of a liability for the obvious reasons. The DCT and its controls help keep the beast on a leash and make it perform to its full potential.

The second paragraph is admittedly a reason to hold back, at least for me. Other than some leaky lines, I really haven't seen much on here that suggests the trans has a glass jaw. But on the thread topic, keeping one a looong time means possibly having to address a DCT overhaul or replacement. Either scenario could be a real trick many years down the road.

 

[Epiphany]

Well said.

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