Prices are on the rise......

[PP0001]

I completely agree. When someone owns a car, it’s up to them what they do with it—they can trash it like he owner of this 2020 GT350R did:

(I guesstimated that it would cost about 8k-10k to put that car back to stock, oh and for some reason they ditched the R splitter for the base model splitter and put Cooper tires on it)

That said, as much as I hate it, it was his car and that owner did what he did—treated it as a canvas to show that he had lots of money and horrible taste, but it fit his boat.

If I could wish anything, like the people in the article that I posted, I wish that the car community started to view taking care of a car as more valuable than a wrapper low miles car. A car that was well maintained and cared for should be worth more than the car that was never used. Idealistic maybe, but I think the car community would be a lot better off if I didn’t hear from friends about their 350R or brand new Ford GT who are afraid to drive their car past 2000 miles for fear of value drop.

As one Ford Perfromance engineer told me when he recalled someone saying that they have a ‘93 Cobra R with 2000 miles on it. He said that he told them “Great, but you missed the point of the car—drive it, enjoy it!”His belief is that as long as you take care of it, it’s still a rare car—it still has value.

After owning lots of Mustangs, I’m used to seeing them drop like a rock in value. When I bought my R, I believed that it had a chance of becoming a classic and the possibility of appreciating instead of depreciating. I would’ve still bought it if that was not in the cards, because I loved the car so much. That appreciation happened way faster than I expected but we are starring down the gun of electrification, so it’s not surprising as it is the last of the greats of an era that will soon be lost.

We all know timing is so important when it comes to the decreased or increased value of many HP vehicles and in the case of the ~3,650 R models produced over the 6 model year run I am not all that surprized at the recent increased appreciation/value factor for these outstanding performing, looking and very cool vehicles.

As you mentioned there is no question that electrified vehicles (including all future models of Mustang) are just around the corner but not only is that a key factor with respect to the high demand for the 2015 to 2020 GT350R's but there are other key factors as well which are driving up the prices on the R model.

Other important factors for increased demand includes key aspects such as the R model only coming with a manual transmission, naturally aspirated engine, carbon fiber wheels, carbon fiber rear wing, rear seat delete, high revving and very unique FPC engine, resonator delete, outstanding braking, suspension & steering, choice of Base, Electronic and 1 year HEP models, incredible aural exhaust sound, and the list goes on as to the keen interest in these very desirable cars.

It is my opinion that Ford will never again design, engineer or produce such an outstanding example of an ICE Mustang Shelby GT350 as they did with the 6 year run of the 2nd generation GT350R's therefore it should be no surprize that these cool cars have and will continue to be coveted by many automotive enthusiasts all over the world and for many years to come.

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[FastEddie9]

I wrestled with this as it was tempting to pick up a 15K profit. But every time I drive the car, I think, no, I can't let it go. I haven't tracked this car yet like I did the 2017 GT350 because I was considering selling it. I think I'm gonna start doing some track days and just keep it.

 

[The_Backmarker]

I wrestled with this as it was tempting to pick up a 15K profit. But every time I drive the car, I think, no, I can't let it go. I haven't tracked this car yet like I did the 2017 GT350 because I was considering selling it. I think I'm gonna start doing some track days and just keep it.

I'm in a similar boat as you. I own a 2019 GT350R. Wonderful car and never fails to put a smile on my face every time I drive it. Every time I think about selling it and picking up a used Porsche Cayman (I like them, too), I just can't do it. I feel I'd miss this car too much.

OTOH, I rarely drive my GT350R (because it's a collector car, for better or worse) and I'm afraid of getting paint chips and other wear and tear from normal driving. I'd drive the hell out of a Cayman and probably enjoy it more since it'd be more of a sporty appliance than the GT350R and I wouldn't care as much about paint chips, etc.

Maybe I need to see a psychiatrist.

 

[Wildcardfox]

I'm in a similar boat as you. I own a 2019 GT350R. Wonderful car and never fails to put a smile on my face every time I drive it. Every time I think about selling it and picking up a used Porsche Cayman (I like them, too), I just can't do it. I feel I'd miss this car too much.

OTOH, I rarely drive my GT350R (because it's a collector car, for better or worse) and I'm afraid of getting paint chips and other wear and tear from normal driving. I'd drive the hell out of a Cayman and probably enjoy it more since it'd be more of a sporty appliance than the GT350R and I wouldn't care as much about paint chips, etc.

Maybe I need to see a psychiatrist.

or paint protection if you don’t already have it.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mo...films-can-protect-car-rocks-save-paintjob/amp

 

[FastEddie9]

I'm in a similar boat as you. I own a 2019 GT350R. Wonderful car and never fails to put a smile on my face every time I drive it. Every time I think about selling it and picking up a used Porsche Cayman (I like them, too), I just can't do it. I feel I'd miss this car too much.

OTOH, I rarely drive my GT350R (because it's a collector car, for better or worse) and I'm afraid of getting paint chips and other wear and tear from normal driving. I'd drive the hell out of a Cayman and probably enjoy it more since it'd be more of a sporty appliance than the GT350R and I wouldn't care as much about paint chips, etc.

Maybe I need to see a psychiatrist.

Maybe you could get us a group rate with the shrink LOL.

 

[Hack]

Not everyone subscribes to the idea of pickling a car: the trend of buying a car and preserving it as a zero-miles or close to zero-miles example, and hoping to get a large payout by selling this shrink-wrapped untouched vehicle.

Seems to me those people don't own the car; it owns them. They are only caretakers trying to preserve the car. They don't even have any idea how the car drives. Or I should say - they haven't driven enough to familiarize themselves with the car.

 

[Wildcardfox]

Seems to me those people don't own the car; it owns them. They are only caretakers trying to preserve the car. They don't even have any idea how the car drives. Or I should say - they haven't driven enough to familiarize themselves with the car.

hahaha you literally sound like one of the people quoted in the article. It’s damn near verbatim.

 

[PP0001]

Seems to me those people don't own the car; it owns them. They are only caretakers trying to preserve the car. They don't even have any idea how the car drives. Or I should say - they haven't driven enough to familiarize themselves with the car.

Sounds like a lot of generalized comments to me as not everyone that decides to preserve one of these great cars (or any other cool vehicle for that matter) has no idea how these terrific cars drive or that their automobile owns the owners.

I have a number of close friends who decided to preserve one great cars but have enough equivalent make/model cars of the same vehicle and drive them on a regular basis in order to fully understand the awesome driving experience that these vehicles provide.

In fact one of my best friends has a number of 2015 Track/Tech Pack cars along with a number of R models including a 2015 R and can tell you that he definitely owns his cars and has multiple GT350/R's in his corral in order to understand and experience the outstanding driving experience of the 2nd generation GT350/R's even though he has put a few cars away for preservation.

In my case I decided to preserve "F0077" and sold it on the MSO after ~5 years with it only having 42 miles on the odometer at sale and yet are you suggesting that F0077 owned me and that I have no idea how a GT350 Track Pack/Tech Pack car drives?

With respect to preserving a given vehicle I get the point that you are trying to make but don't appreciate you lumping all of us automotive enthusiasts into the same bucket with respect to our lack of driving experience or whether a preserved vehicle owns them or the other way around as there are plenty of us out here that do know the difference.

 

[Inthehighdesert]

Don’t take this wrong but I think your being a little sensitive. Kind of tell’n on yourself. lol

Sounds like a lot of generalized comments to me as not everyone that decides to preserve one of these great cars (or any other cool vehicle for that matter) has no idea how these terrific cars drive or that their automobile owns the owners.

I have a number of close friends who decided to preserve one great cars but have enough equivalent make/model cars of the same vehicle and drive them on a regular basis in order to fully understand the awesome driving experience that these vehicles provide.

In fact one of my best friends has a number of 2015 Track/Tech Pack cars along with a number of R models including a 2015 R and can tell you that he definitely owns his cars and has multiple GT350/R's in his corral in order to understand and experience the outstanding driving experience of the 2nd generation GT350/R's even though he has put a few cars away for preservation.

In my case I decided to preserve "F0077" and sold it on the MSO after ~5 years with it only having 42 miles on the odometer at sale and yet are you suggesting that F0077 owned me and that I have no idea how a GT350 Track Pack/Tech Pack car drives?

With respect to preserving a given vehicle I get the point that you are trying to make but don't appreciate you lumping all of us automotive enthusiasts into the same bucket with respect to our lack of driving experience or whether a preserved vehicle owns them or the other way around as there are plenty of us out here that do know the difference.

 

[PP0001]

Don’t take this wrong but I think your being a little sensitive. Kind of tell’n on yourself. lol

Not at all as my point is that there are a great deal of automotive enthusiasts other than myself many of which are great friends of mine and can assure you that know precisely what they are doing with their hard money and certainly know how to experience their HP vehicles therefore it is more about clearing the air for them than it is myself.

I don't disagree that there are many so called automotive enthusiasts that do fall under the scenario that was previously described but far from all.

As far as myself I was just citing myself as an example and at my age I could care less as to what other people think about what I do or don't do with any my cars.

On a more positive note it dropped to 106 F. today therefore it is starting to cool down and looking forward to getting my cars out of storage for the winter and driving one and letting one go.

 

[Wildcardfox]

I know everyone likes videos but I always say to gauge the historic nature of a car look to how many articles praised it as ground breaking. The second generation GT350 had 6 years of amazing coverage lauding it and when it was gone, articles that were obituaries were written. Why are prices going up—because this is how this car made people feel:

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/the-one-car-killed-in-2020-well-miss-most-in-2021/

 

[ICU812]

Not everyone subscribes to the idea of pickling a car: the trend of buying a car and preserving it as a zero-miles or close to zero-miles example, and hoping to get a large payout by selling this shrink-wrapped untouched vehicle.

It was a good piece of New York Times that talked about the collector car market and how the idea of low mileage untouched cars has started to become the norm in the last 20 years.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ny...ss/low-mileage-supercars-lamborghini.amp.html

Not everybody agrees with the idea that a car is more valuable or the most valuable when it’s still on the dealer show room floor i.e. on unsold or unregistered. In an old post I said if that’s the case we should come up with some new form of ownership where we buy the car but it’s never register and we never take delivery of it it stays in the dealers care.

I think the person who’s in that article said it best about the collector car market which is that if you want the oil painting buy that because at least it doesn’t leak oil on your floor.

I subscribe to the idea that as long as the car is taken care of it’s still has value. Despite that, many who have kept their vehicle at very low miles always had an intention of selling. You don’t get a 200 mile car or a 13 mile car by having an owner who actually bought the car to use it—their intention is clear: they always had their eyes set on flipping the car when the car was discontinued.

Knowing that we were battling collectors is what raised the prices for dealerships. They knew that it was a future collectible and people would pay a premium for it.

All that said, I do subscribe to the belief that this fixation on mileage and being untouched as being the sole determination of how valuable a car is would go the way of the dodo, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Collectors always want the most untouched version, and when buying a car you should always go for the lowest mileage version that you can find.

I can say that some people drive their cars whether it’s a 350R, a Ford GT, or a Lamborghini. Some bought it for their own enjoyment. And the others, that’s their form of ownership and although not for me, I will respect it since it’s their toy.

You should definitely read the article, it’s a great examination on the trend of keeping cars with almost no miles and examines that phenomenon with experts of classic and collector cars and even Jay Leno.


Here’s a quick excerpt:

The idea of preserving low-mileage supercars is “a bizarre fetish that has nothing to do with cars and nothing to do with reality,” Mr. Glickenhaus said. “Carburetors get ruined, the brake fluid turns to cement, the rubber rots, the radiators get clogged, and the oil falls apart and releases corrosives.”

[…]

“It’s a game,” Mr. Dhillon said. “There are dealers who focus on this market, locating the cars and connecting them to the special class of owners who want the lowest-mileage Countach or Diablo. Cars make people do crazy things.”

He agrees with Mr. Leno — exercise your cars at least once a month. And when buying, “it’s critical you review maintenance records to ensure the car was started, driven and serviced regularly,” Mr. Dhillon said. “It can be a costly play if you do not do your due diligence.”

Been in the car hobby, etc for 50 years. I have talked to many a spouse that The now passed on, other half was saving the vehicle to use after they retired. Or those that used them but didn't want to put too many miles on them and the vehicle would never see 500 miles a year if it saw 200, only to have mother nature make the choice for him/her.
It is their vehicle they can do as they please. They own it. no argument from me there.
Here is what I see in my crystal ball. A repeat of the 70's, when people stuffed silver anv. vettes in a warehouse, the last c3's, the last g bodys, last big block mopars,etc. only to have the h/p come back in the late 80's and make these "investments" turds.
Today's gt500/shelby's are going to have the same fate, why because once they start building all electric performance cars ,no matter how I hate the Idea, they will be faster, and handle better as you can put the weight where you want it, unlike today's vehicles, with that weight having a very low center of gravity. Those that love the high powered i.c.e. will be aging out of the hobby. So who is going to be the market for these in 15-20 years? Guys in their 70-80's?
Now if ford could get it's head out of it's @$$ and drop the E/B 300+hp in something as small and light as the Mazda MX5.
The younger folks into vehicle might , be hol'up.
Ford failed with the fiesta and Focus performance cars because they priced them out of reach of the buyers market. A 40k focus was a hard sell to a 20 something.
Then there was that transmission mess.

 

[ICU812]

I will say, there's something hugely freeing about owning a higher-mileage version of a special car. You get all the enjoyment with none of the guilt.

Yup. Even if it isn't the limited model/trip of that car.
Fun factor 10, worry factor ,nill.

 

[ICU812]

These cars are not like the 60-70-80's cars that after storing that special car for 30 years +/- it is just a matter of some seals, gaskets, fluids, and battery.
All those computers and chips, caps, don't have a forever service life. They go bad even if never used. Sensors, etc same boat. With much of all that being non-serviceable pieces. I think many car going to get hosed, thinking having a special vehicle still in the wrapper.

 

[stanglife]

Been in the car hobby, etc for 50 years. I have talked to many a spouse that The now passed on, other half was saving the vehicle to use after they retired. Or those that used them but didn't want to put too many miles on them and the vehicle would never see 500 miles a year if it saw 200, only to have mother nature make the choice for him/her.
It is their vehicle they can do as they please. They own it. no argument from me there.
Here is what I see in my crystal ball. A repeat of the 70's, when people stuffed silver anv. vettes in a warehouse, the last c3's, the last g bodys, last big block mopars,etc. only to have the h/p come back in the late 80's and make these "investments" turds.
Today's gt500/shelby's are going to have the same fate, why because once they start building all electric performance cars ,no matter how I hate the Idea, they will be faster, and handle better as you can put the weight where you want it, unlike today's vehicles, with that weight having a very low center of gravity. Those that love the high powered i.c.e. will be aging out of the hobby. So who is going to be the market for these in 15-20 years? Guys in their 70-80's?
Now if ford could get it's head out of it's @$$ and drop the E/B 300+hp in something as small and light as the Mazda MX5.
The younger folks into vehicle might , be hol'up.
Ford failed with the fiesta and Focus performance cars because they priced them out of reach of the buyers market. A 40k focus was a hard sell to a 20 something.
Then there was that transmission mess.

Using your logic - no one would want an air-cooled Porsche today…which we all know is not the case.

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