Looking at buying a GT350. I need your input guys.

[GAGT350]

I owned a 16 GT. Did absolutely everything outside of putting a supercharger on it. I'm very comfortable with stick but went the auto route to mix it up (never again). I've spent a lot of time driving a 19 GT (6 Spd) as well and the 18+ was an improvement in every way.

I now own a 17 350 and the difference is night and day

Important points

Gotta let it warm up before you redline it.
Be quick with your shifts. The car does not like sluggish movements between your clutch and gearing
The Tremec knocks the MT82 out of the ball park.
IMO Recaros are much nicer and much more comfortable
Plan to keep spare oil on hand. And be mindful about checking your levels.
If you're anal about your car, be mindful of fitment issues (bumper, trunk etc).

Honestly nothing compares. I've driven old Fox's and 60s Camaros to some modern Vettes. The 350 leaves a smile on my face and I always look for an excuse to drive it.

+1 on the Tremec.

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[JR369]

I've found my way back to the Mustang forums as I'm thinking about trading my 2016 Hellcat Challenger for a GT350. I enjoy my A8 Hellcat but I've got the urge to shift some gears again and it came down to the Shelby or a ZL1. I test drove the Shelby for the first time today but it was raining a little bit so I took it easy of course. I haven't driven the ZL1 yet but I did drive an SS a few years ago which was nice. I've been lurking the forums and doing my research and I'm glad I ran across this post.

I made that exact trade for my R. The HC was a blast in a straight line. Fastest car I've owned. Comfortable cruiser on a long trip. But unfortunately, 95% of driving that straight line thrill cannot be realistically had. And it got boring paddle shifting and just pressing the go pedal. Helluva car. At times I miss the visceral power and brute dominance on the street. However, I really am a manual guy at heart. The GT350/R evokes an unmatched rawness for the driving connoisseur. You're in track machine every time you fire it up.

 

[Angrey]

Whatever you do, for the love of all things holy, buy whatever suits your needs to enjoy the car.

Don't buy based on some sorta nonsensical future appreciation concerns. Buy the car, drive it and enjoy it. We'll all be long dead before any of these cars appreciates above it's natural depreciation, use, storage, insurance, inflation curves.

I once had a guy tell me he didn't want to drive with me to a cars/coffee meetup because he didn't want to put the miles on his car. That's like saying "I try not to sleep with my girlfriend too often, I don't want to wear her out for the next guy."

Buy whatever the best deal you can get and drive it like you stole it.

By the time these cars ever overcome all the recurring costs along the way and amount to some sort of considerable investment concern, you'll all be in the Earth.

 

[bigmixx]

I made that exact trade for my R. The HC was a blast in a straight line. Fastest car I've owned. Comfortable cruiser on a long trip. But unfortunately, 95% of driving that straight line thrill cannot be realistically had. And it got boring paddle shifting and just pressing the go pedal. Helluva car. At times I miss the visceral power and brute dominance on the street. However, I really am a manual guy at heart. The GT350/R evokes an unmatched rawness for the driving connoisseur. You're in track machine every time you fire it up.

Ok so no regrets huh? I'm feeling the exact same way. Love the brute power of the Hellcat. The supercharger whine, the comfort on road trips, etc. But I find myself driving it a little faster than I should be on curvy roads and of course that's just not what it's meant to do. I'm gonna end up in a field somewhere or worse. Straight line thrill is where it's at but I don't take it to the strip and I'm gonna end up in jail hanging out at triple digits on the highway/interstate.

 

[bigmixx]

Whatever you do, for the love of all things holy, buy whatever suits your needs to enjoy the car.

Don't buy based on some sorta nonsensical future appreciation concerns. Buy the car, drive it and enjoy it. We'll all be long dead before any of these cars appreciates above it's natural depreciation, use, storage, insurance, inflation curves.

I once had a guy tell me he didn't want to drive with me to a cars/coffee meetup because he didn't want to put the miles on his car. That's like saying "I try not to sleep with my girlfriend too often, I don't want to wear her out for the next guy."

Buy whatever the best deal you can get and drive it like you stole it.

By the time these cars ever overcome all the recurring costs along the way and amount to some sort of considerable investment concern, you'll all be in the Earth.

Great post man. I'm definitely not buying it to look at it in the garage but I won't need to drive it everyday as I work from home 100% of the time. But I'm sure the grocery store runs will come a little more often and will be way more fun on the way there and back.

 

[JR369]

Ok so no regrets huh? I'm feeling the exact same way. Love the brute power of the Hellcat. The supercharger whine, the comfort on road trips, etc. But I find myself driving it a little faster than I should be on curvy roads and of course that's just not what it's meant to do. I'm gonna end up in a field somewhere or worse. Straight line thrill is where it's at but I don't take it to the strip and I'm gonna end up in jail hanging out at triple digits on the highway/interstate.

You've nailed the positives and negatives of owning a HC. A super straight fast comfortable sofa couch. It's all about what you want and how you enjoy driving. The supercharger whine is replaced with Voodoo exhaust at 8k rpms. Paddle shifting is replaced with clutching and rpm engine control. Straight line speed is replaced with a fine balance of braking, turning, and exit speed. You're not gonna be the straight line world beater your used to with a GT350/R but you'll still go over the speed limit. Trust me. But you'll move the car like Neo moves in the movie Matrix. Amenities are raw and certainly not as refined as the HC. It's just part of the GT350/R lineage to be honest. The HC could best be called "The Great American Road car". I enjoyed my HC and truth be told I would have never traded for a regular GT350. But that's just me. I wouldn't have traded it up for a Red Eye with a few more horses either. I wanted to go a different route because I discovered I enjoyed driving my wife's Z51 C7 manual more than my HC but yet even her C7 still felt too refined. So it was a raw GT350R for me. Going on my 3rd year with it and no regrets.

 

[bigmixx]

You've nailed the positives and negatives of owning a HC. A super straight fast comfortable sofa couch. It's all about what you want and how you enjoy driving. The supercharger whine is replaced with Voodoo exhaust at 8k rpms. Paddle shifting is replaced with clutching and rpm engine control. Straight line speed is replaced with a fine balance of braking, turning, and exit speed. You're not gonna be the straight line world beater your used to with a GT350/R but you'll still go over the speed limit. Trust me. But you'll move the car like Neo moves in the movie Matrix. Amenities are raw and certainly not as refined as the HC. It's just part of the GT350/R lineage to be honest. The HC could best be called "The Great American Road car". I enjoyed my HC and truth be told I would have never traded for a regular GT350. But that's just me. I wouldn't have traded it up for a Red Eye with a few more horses either. I wanted to go a different route because I discovered I enjoyed driving my wife's Z51 C7 manual more than my HC but yet even her C7 still felt too refined. So it was a raw GT350R for me. Going on my 3rd year with it and no regrets.

Man! See that's what I'm talking about. I do love my Hellcat and the reason I chose it over a Shelby back in 2017 was primarily because of the ADM on the GT350 and the deal I got on Hellcat due to the Demon releasing a couple months after I bought it. Plus I didn't want to deal with a manual in rush hour traffic on my daily commute. But now I primarily work from home so I need a manual back in my life. If I have to sacrifice the Hellcat then so be it. But I'll only do it for a Shelby.

 

[GreenS550]

ALthough this drifted off the topic somewhat I appreciate everyone's input. The heck with a Hellcat. I've owned Mustangs with that power. All you need is a blower. You can get great handling out of a Mustang with just 90lb blower but you can't get a Hellcat to handle like a Mustang.

As I look at new/used GT350s I am wondering how close the Mach 1 will come to handle like a 350. But, of course, no 5.2 flat plane crankshaft...

 

[bigmixx]

ALthough this drifted off the topic somewhat I appreciate everyone's input. The heck with a Hellcat. I've owned Mustangs with that power. All you need is a blower. You can get great handling out of a Mustang with just 90lb blower but you can't get a Hellcat to handle like a Mustang.

As I look at new/used GT350s I am wondering how close the Mach 1 will come to handle like a 350. But, of course, no 5.2 flat plane crankshaft...

Sorry for hijacking your threat with the hellcat talk. And true, with a little work a Mustang can definitely outrun a Hellcat that's for sure. From what I've seen I think Mach 1 will be right there with the 350 just won't be as unique. Plus it will probably cost just as much if not more than a low mileage GT350.

 

[onebad58]

how about a 19w 2000 miles . i may be trading up for a 500

 

[RPDBlueMoon]

Ok so no regrets huh? I'm feeling the exact same way. Love the brute power of the Hellcat. The supercharger whine, the comfort on road trips, etc. But I find myself driving it a little faster than I should be on curvy roads and of course that's just not what it's meant to do. I'm gonna end up in a field somewhere or worse. Straight line thrill is where it's at but I don't take it to the strip and I'm gonna end up in jail hanging out at triple digits on the highway/interstate.

This was my dilemma, I am a huge Mopar fanboy and was considering a Hellcat or Redeye. I ultimately decided against it because I felt like I would crash or get myself in trouble. Never drove a RWD car before and I felt like 700hp was way too much for me to handle. I wanted something more 'tame' that wouldn't kill me. Only thing I don't like about the GT350s is that you can't get a sunroof with them, but thats a S550 issue not really a GT350 problem.

 

[bigmixx]

This was my dilemma, I am a huge Mopar fanboy and was considering a Hellcat or Redeye. I ultimately decided against it because I felt like I would crash or get myself in trouble. Never drove a RWD car before and I felt like 700hp was way too much for me to handle. I wanted something more 'tame' that wouldn't kill me. Only thing I don't like about the GT350s is that you can't get a sunroof with them, but thats a S550 issue not really a GT350 problem.

Same. I had never owned a V8 RWD car and the Hellcat was my first. I took some getting used to that's for sure.

 

[car crazy]

I enjoy a good sportscar. I'm not a straight line muscle car guy. I like a car that can turn. The GT350 is a blast. The suspension, shifter, engine, and breaks are amazing. I have a 17 and do not experience any oil consumption. I have owned Audis, BMW, and Porsches which all consumed a lot of oil without any ill effects so I think this whole oil consumption thing is a bit overblown and I would not worry about it at all.

Frankly, I would not go for a 15. I think there were 150 or so made so they are expensive and collectors may want them. Why pay more for the same car just because it is a 15'? Frankly, I don't get it. It is the exact same car. Why pay more? A 16' is fine if you get it with the track pack. You can get a 16' without the track pack but if you drive it hard, the tranny can overheat and go into limp mode. 17' and above all included the track pack in the base car so the price of the car went up. Do get the Recaro seats unless you are wide. I can't see having a proper sports car without Recaros. I don't want to slide around my seat in the corners. Some cars did not have the tech pack option. You can see this by the size of the LCD screen in the car. Otherwise, pick something in your price range. 16-20 they are all good.

 

[GreenS550]

Thanks for the responses. When I look at the Mach 1 and paying nearly 60K it seems either get an older stick GT or a 350.

For those of you that owned both a 350 and a GT how different is the driving experience?

 

[torque124]

Thanks for the responses. When I look at the Mach 1 and paying nearly 60K it seems either get an older stick GT or a 350.

For those of you that owned both a 350 and a GT how different is the driving experience?

I owned a GT350 Track pack before, now I have a GT350R. I rented plenty of 2017- 2019 manual GT's during my (before covid) travels when I could get one. It's night and day. Sorry. Transmission, suspension, steering response, engine, everything is different.

I would never buy a Ford if it wasn't for the Shelby's GT350 or GT500, would be just driving my M3.

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