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Trade Mach “up” to a GT350 or keep it and modify?

young at heart

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This is kinda a mental exercise sort of thing so I get it if you aren’t bored enough to waste bandwidth on it.

I’m determined to keep one manual S550 until they pry the cueball out of my right hand. And I have two A10 S550s in case that happens. I really love pretty much everything about this ‘23 manual Mach 1. But while the Mach 1 is a special Mustang, obviously the 350 is more so and I like special. I’m a pretty day street-only driver so this car is a toy.

So I’m thinking that for what I would spend going up to a real nice ‘19-‘20 350 I could keep the Mach and do pretty much anything I want to the car, from a little to a lot. Obviously that decreases the reliability and potentially increases frustration, and I’ll stipulate to being old and impatient with inanimate things.

I’m not so much asking what I should do but I’m curious what you guys might do, and why.
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Jasonb543

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Mach over GT350 all day long.

I don’t know of any personal 350 success stories.
Everyone I know that had 1, sold it and moved on and have been happy to get a big question mark of “when is it gonna break” out of there life.
 

HoosierJTF

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If you want to lose a lot of money keep the Mach 1(rebadged GT with some 350 parts) or get a low mile 350 that should hold it's value and definitely turn more heads. In the grand scheme of the mustang world very few people look at the newer Machs as anything special given they share the same engine as a GT. I do regret not getting a 350 from the beginning.

Having said all that, personally I'm in a similar situation... The only thing I actually like about my Mach 1 is the color and the transmission. To get a Grabber Blue in a 350 I'd have to get a 17 and that's gen 1. I've been looking at Velocity Blue 19-20s but yes they are at least $15k more than my Mach. For that much extra to have a marginally better car performance wise isn't very motivating. I think selling my Mach(been trying for months) and saving for a GT500 is the route I am going.
 

ssmith891

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I’m a bit bias because I loved my GT350 and had absolutely zero issues or oil consumption with it. I sold it with around 40,000 miles.

If you’re looking to keep a manual, there’s no better option in my opinion. You only ever hear the bad with the GT350 and never the good lol.
 

Bluemustang

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What do you want to do with it and why are you considering switching?
 

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wingnutt

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Mach over GT350 all day long.

I don’t know of any personal 350 success stories.
Everyone I know that had 1, sold it and moved on and have been happy to get a big question mark of “when is it gonna break” out of there life.
I’ll be your huckleberry…Drive my 350R all day, every day from coast to coast. Texas, to Washington, to California and all points in between 😬

just crossed 52,000 miles and all but the first 9,000 has been with me at the wheel…no regrets 😎

a wise old 350 owner told me years ago “if you have ever really wanted a 350, you will always want a 350 and no other Mustang will scratch that itch”
 
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young at heart

young at heart

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What do you want to do with it and why are you considering switching?
Nothing really other than ride around aggressively as I safely can on the street, look cool, sound cool and feel special. As far as looking cool goes I cannot imagine getting more attention from total strangers than in the Mach, if that’s your thing. If I stop somewhere I’ll have people come up and ask to take pics and even shoot video. I had no idea this would happen. I’ve had people crowd me on the road trying to get a better look to the point it’s dangerous. And the Mach is plenty fast and street capable, it just isn’t a Shelby.

Which brings up another question: is a Shelby really still a Shelby anymore? If the answer is “not really” or “not so much” it’d make the decision a lot easier.
 

ssmith891

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Nothing really other than ride around aggressively as I safely can on the street, look cool, sound cool and feel special. As far as looking cool goes I cannot imagine getting more attention from total strangers than in the Mach, if that’s your thing. If I stop somewhere I’ll have people come up and ask to take pics and even shoot video. I had no idea this would happen. I’ve had people crowd me on the road trying to get a better look to the point it’s dangerous. And the Mach is plenty fast and street capable, it just isn’t a Shelby.

Which brings up another question: is a Shelby really still a Shelby anymore? If the answer is “not really” or “not so much” it’d make the decision a lot easier.
If your question is does Shelby American have any involvement with the GT350/GT500, the answer is no. Both are solely a product of Ford Performance. Same with all Shelby models since the name was brought back in 2007.
 

I Bleed Ford Blue

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I say keep the mach and modify it. Some may say the mach has the same engine as the GT, but they are just jealous that our engine is a lot more reliable than the flat plane disaster they have. If you're not tracking the car, then trading down for a 350 is pointless.
 

wingnutt

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Which brings up another question: is a Shelby really still a Shelby anymore? If the answer is “not really” or “not so much” it’d make the decision a lot easier.
the purists will say, without a CSM it ain’t a real Shelby, but nobody on the street cares if it’s on the paperwork.

If your question is does Shelby American have any involvement with the GT350/GT500, the answer is no...Same with all Shelby models since the name was brought back in 2007.
not necessarily true...ie; the Shelby F150, which has a CSM 😉

I say keep the mach and modify it. Some may say the mach has the same engine as the GT, but they are just jealous that our engine is a lot more reliable than the flat plane disaster they have. If you're not tracking the car, then trading down for a 350 is pointless.
lol @ trading down 😂
 

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I Bleed Ford Blue

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From what I understand, an HP mach is comparable to a 350 on the track. They are close enough that driver skill can be the deciding factor. Sure the 350 packs 46 more hp than a mach, but I'd gladly give up the 46 hp for reliability. Besides a set of long tubes, a good tune and some E85 will erase that 46 hp deficit.

If you're just trolling the streets, why not do it in the best looking S 550 out there, the Mach 1
 
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ssmith891

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the purists will say, without a CSM it ain’t a real Shelby, but nobody on the street cares if it’s on the paperwork.



not necessarily true...ie; the Shelby F150, which has a CSM 😉



lol @ trading down 😂
Should have clarified: all Ford OEM Shelby models.

The Shelby F-150 falls into the same bucket as the Super Snake. These both start as run of the mill Mustang GTs and F-150s and are sent to Shelby American for aftermarket work. Neither of these are factory models.
 
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young at heart

young at heart

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From what I understand, an HP mach is comparable to a 350 on the track. They are close enough that driver skill can be the deciding factor. Sure the 350 packs 46 more hp than a mach, but I'd gladly give up the 46 hp for reliability. Besides a set of long tubes, a good tune and some E85 will erase that 46 hp deficit.
And keep in mind my OP is based strictly on street driving, where getting down a few miles of public mountain road renders the HP pretty much meaningless on the Mach. On the track, I don’t have any knowledge but it would seem opinions vary.
 

I Bleed Ford Blue

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And keep in mind my OP is based strictly on street driving, where getting down a few miles of public mountain road renders the HP pretty much meaningless on the Mach.
That's why I didn't get an HP, no need for me.
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