Road Trip: Mustang GT or GT350?

[Joe 5.0]

Thanks all for the replies. Much appreciated. Although truth be told, so far it hasn't helped me get closer to a decision . I see the arguments for both options and they are all valid .

And yes, as so many of you said, my wife and I consider us terribly lucky to be in a position where we can undertake such a road trip. For me this definitely is one of those rare trips that has been a dream for as long as I can remember. Thank you all for the recommendations when it comes to destinations during the trip. The map a posted in my initial post is just a very rough estimate on how the trip could potential look like, and everything is still up for debate. So I will certainly take all of your recommendations into consideration. Furthermore, I really would love to meat some people during the trip, of course because it is great to share a passion, but mostly because I would love to get a taste of the culture around the country. I feel most my social life in NYC revolves around other expats, and so far it has been hard to really get in contact with locals.

And yes I will certainly document the trip on this forum. One of my biggest hobbies is photography, so that is a good combination with the road trip in mind ;). Two months ago we went for two weeks to Hawaii and drove four different Mustangs on four islands. A magical experience already . Below some pictures from that trip:

So you live in NY? Send me a PM when you make your way to Queens, NY!

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[Trackaholic]

I think you should get the GT350. It is going to be more rare than the standard GT. It has the Shelby heritage (even though this version was all Ford), it has a special engine, a more robust transmission, a better balanced suspension, and an excellent sounding exhaust. The magneride allows the car to be very comfortable when desired, but also dials out body roll and brake dive by dunmically adjusting the damping.

It is so choice. If you have the opportunity, I highly suggest picking one up.

The only downsides are worse fuel economy and a less proven engine.

I daily drive mine and have put 10,000 miles on in six months. It was supposed to be a weekend car, but it too good for that.

Best of luck with your decision, and keep us informed of your journey. It would be cool to meet for a meal as you pass through.

-T

 

[Old Car Guy]

350

Right after Labor Day we are taking off for a West Coast Trip in our GT350 will be going to Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, then head back home from Myrtle Beach..... We put 9000 miles on our GT last year, so we are going to see how this GT350 holds up this year. If it Performs as good that the GT did I will be happy, and I'm very HAPPY with the 350, if it breaks down just call 1-800 FORD COME AND GET IT.... We are looking forward to this trip in this car. :ford: :cheers: John

 

[SnoopisTDI]

I think which car to own at home is more important than which car to have on your road trip. Most of us GT owners would probably buy a GT350 if we had the scratch. My only concern would be whether or not you have support from Ford, but even that might not be a big deal if it's not a daily driver.

 

[Glenn G]

I've lived in europe for years with a few cars never sold out side japan. (R32 and 2 R33 skylines, 2 RHD JDM Supraa, and a RHD Lexus IS200) Dealer departments are generally clueless but if you need a part and can give them the part number, they generally have no issues at all ordering them. Once a few skylines were running around Germany, my Nissan dealer called me to get part numbers for a another customer :lol:

What I'm trying to say in all that is that you will probably be fine for parts in the GT350 but you will have longer delays if something exclusive to the GT350 breaks as it will 100% not be in European stock.

On either purchase I would get it in writing From Ford that your warranty is still valid and that your local dealer will honor it on a self exported car.

 

[BobbyGT]

Hello fellow Dutchman!

GT350, thats my 2 cents. With the magnaride will still be very comfortable, but will also offer another level of performance you simply cant get from the GT. And I mean there are few things in the world more satisfying then driving on a great road, with a v8 howling, and the Voodoo sounds much better then a standard 5.0

and if you get tired of the GT350 stop by my place, and ill trade you my GT when you get to Florida!

 

[Ravnoss]

Again thanks for all your opinions and recommendations! To not clutter the thread to much, I won't give a reply to all of the individually, but be assured that I have read them all, and all arguments are being heard.

As a general update: Based on some of the posts here I reached out to couple of Ford dealers in the Netherlands to ask about their ability to service a GT350. As some of you predicted, they basically said that they are confident they can figure out what to do, but don't have any parts in inventory and ordering them from their importer would be challenging.

Furthermore I have reached out (3! times) to Koons Baltimore in relation to some pricing on a 2017 Mustang GT they have on their website. Interestingly enough they have not managed to follow up with me yet. The people on the chat just tell me "We will provide your details to the sales team" to never hear back and sending a direct email via their "contact us now" form yielded no result either. Is this typical for Koons? A-typical? Or common practice with US dealers in general? To me it is baffling .

The reason I am asking them for pricing is to be able to in the end make a well informed decision. Since my finances are not unlimited the price difference between the two is still a variable in the equation. Especially since we won't be financing the car, meaning that every dollar we do not spend on the car, we can spend on other parts of the trip.

Than again.. if I look at the picture John just posted here.. it is hard not to fall in love

 

[Duttch]

When you are close to NC , shoot me a pm.
I am Dutch too moved 11 years ago for work, a dutch company here in Apex , love to talk some Dutch ;)
Good luck with your trip next year.
Take the 350 so you can make more money when you sell it after a year when you are back.

Ron

 

[Spacebird]

Awesome trip! That's a better trip than most Americans will ever take in a lifetime!

The only downside to the GT350 is cost. It will handle the trip just fine. Once the car is back in Tulipland the vast majority of normal stuff can be handled by any Ford dealer. If you blow the engine, you're in trouble, so don't do that.

Let me know when you're in Texas! Looks like you're headed to San Antonio? Austin is close so definitely add that to the list.

Is this typical for Koons? A-typical? Or common practice with US dealers in general? To me it is baffling .

That's weird. When I ping a dealer online they usually e-mail, call, fax, text, carrier pigeon, smoke signal, singing telegram me until I lose my mind.

 

[SumBeach]

If i was in the same situation as you, i would choose the GT350. Simply because who wouldnt want to say i traveled the USA in a Ford Shelby GT350.

 

[None2Slow]

I like the idea of the GT350, but 1 real downside I see is depending on the time of year you go, some of the northern states start toe get snow and ice. The GT350 Tires will suck so bad below 40* that you'll wish you had a V6 car. I have a GT PP Performance pack car and the stock Pirellis' are horrible when its cold. I did drive it in 20* and below so I have 1st hand experience. Maybe pick up a set of wheels and and all season tires and ship the GT350 wheels home.

 

[Ravnoss]

So it's been a month, and I finally got to a decision: I am going with 2017 Premium GT PP.

In the end something as simple as price was the decisive factor. I really couldn't justify spending the additional 20k for the GT350 over the GT. Since I won't be financing the car, the 20k I save is basically extra money I can use for the actual trip. That combined with fact that I am not technical at all and it would be hard to get support for the GT350 back in the Netherlands, was enough to tip the balance to the regular Mustang GT.

Now the next challenge arises: How to actually buy a car in the US. For all of you of course a matter of common sense, but for me it is hard to to figure out what I need to arrange and when.

I found the exact car I am looking for at Koons Baltimore, and they have given me a fair price for it, so I plan to go down there this Saturday to buy the car. Google has not been my best friend so far, so I was wondering if you could shed some light on some of my questions surrounding buying a car.

1) Insurance. So I want to make sure to be properly insured. How do I make sure I am insured when I drive the car off the lot this Saturday? Is it as simple as calling for instance State Farm while we are completing paperwork at the dealership to arrange insurance? Or is this something you need to arrange well in advance? But if the latter, how can you do it in advance when you don't know the exact car you will be buying?

2) License plates. So when I buy a car I assume it doesn't come with NY plates. Does the car get some temporary plates that will allow me to drive the car back to NY? Or will I need to wait for my actual plates to arrive before I am allowed to drive the car?

Again, thank you for all your insights so far!

 

[zxd9]

Welcome back to the States. You'll have a wonderful trip it sounds like. My grandfather came to the U.S. from Groningen in 1892.

As someone mentioned earlier, the tires that come on the PP are summer tires. Below 50 degrees grip can be sketchy. Plan your trip accordingly or put some all-season tires on if you're going out early or late in the year.

Get with an insurance company before you buy the car and compare rates. When you pick one, let them know when you'll be picking it up. They'll need the VIN number, make and model after the purchase. Mine gives me 5 days to get it to them.

You'll get a temporary tag at purchase. I'm not sure of the process of getting your permanent plate. Differs a little from state to state especially since you're buying out of state. I'd call your local car registration office and ask them what the procedure is. Probably just paperwork by the dealer.

Enjoy! Great choice.

What color did you get?

 

[brandonsmash]

Right on!

Ping me when you are headed through Arizona if you're near Phoenix!

 

[ScottsGT]

I've read a lot of emotional answers here, but none stating the hard truth. Do you want to take on the US in a car without a spare tire?? One flat, or even worse you damage a wheel. Those Shelby wheels aren't just sitting around on shelves waiting to be sold. In the long run, I would say the Shelby would be the best car to take back home with you. Investment wise, bragging rights, knowing you bought the best, etc. But not for a road trip like this.

Now, that being said, feel free to purchase the Shelby and I'll let you take my GT on the US tour while I drive your Shelby for 3 months. As long as you promise not to park it in NY city. :lol:

My GT is well broken in with just under 21,000 miles. It has a spare tire and it has wheels that are just about everywhere!

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