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

[MAGS1]

Ditto.
The challenger needs all kinds of chassis help but the tremec forgives many sins.

They are fast in a straight line though

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[Mikepol2]

Hey I warned you.
Us motorcycle guys live to zing the engine. I cringe inside every time I'm riding along with someone and they shift at 2300 rpm.

FWIW you were fine, it was a co-worker who I never imagined would drive like that with my 2018 GT

 

[young at heart]

A Mach 1 is a special addition GT.

Yeah, that’s sort of a self-defining observation I‘d say.

 

[Concretevol]

Yeah, that’s sort of a self-defining observation I‘d say.

My point being the gt350 is a little more unique and special

 

[Mikepol2]

My point being the gt350 is a little more unique and special

At the risk of starting the millionth why-the-350-is-better-than-the-Mach thread... around here I've seen 2 Mach 1's in 2 years but there are GT350's and 500's all over the place. Mach's are locally much more unique.

Also, just going by memory from what I've seen in other threads, total GT350 production was in the 20K+ range, and Mach 1's were around 16K. But I could be wrong.

 

[young at heart]

My point being the gt350 is a little more unique and special

Well now I do agree with you when put that way. It’s undeniable! Heck, let’s be honest. If they weren’t why else would a street only guy like myself even consider trading off a beautiful new 800 mile Mach 1 for one, especially considering I’m probably not getting all the good out of the Mach in the first place. (Although I try real hard.)

Of course that doesn’t mean the Mach isn’t cool in it‘s own right. It is. And realistically the Mach is probably more suitable for most street drivers than the 350. Not better or worse mind you, just easier to live with maybe but still gobs of fun. But look, this is America. Everybody knows that if a lot of something is good, then way too much has to be better!

And at the risk of hijacking my own thread, all this begs a question. Why has Ford in it‘s infinite wisdom decided to kill off two of the greatest Mustang variants it ever made, namely the 350 and the Mach 1? They could have rolled on as S650s.

 

[Concretevol]

At the risk of starting the millionth why-the-350-is-better-than-the-Mach thread... around here I've seen 2 Mach 1's in 2 years but there are GT350's and 500's all over the place. Mach's are locally much more unique.

Also, just going by memory from what I've seen in other threads, total GT350 production was in the 20K+ range, and Mach 1's were around 16K. But I could be wrong.

Haha well I'm not saying "better". They are both great cars so of course it's a matter of personal preference.

 

[Dave2013M3]

GT350.

 

[rocsteady]

If you can take up the offer to go drive the two back-to-back, there just can't be a better way to decide. Drive em one after the other, park them side by side, take em both to the local hangouts and see how people react to them both??
I love the fact that unless I go to a Ford show, I'm usually one of a very few, if not the only GT350 there. I put aftermarket stripes and although I don't like it quite as much as the factory, darker blue, it does make it more unique until I decide to switch.
But back to the point, it's a rare drive that I don't get some sort of response from another driver or a pedestrian with a thumbs up, long stare, or my favorite, a "cool car" conversation. Plus, the way this thing pulls, and keeps pulling, as the revs rise, is intoxicating to me. It begs you to wind it up in each gear, to get to the real power, and quite frankly, you have to, as it doesn't make much down below 4-5K rpm. But in any gear, the sound and acceleration from 5000 to 8000 rpm, and with how enjoyable it is to drive at 6 or 7/1oths on a twisty road makes owning this car worth every penny and worth any worry about longevity/reliability issues. I've put 5,000 miles on mine since the beginning of July and it makes me smile on every single trip, whether it's 3 miles or 73.

 

[Mikepol2]

If you can take up the offer to go drive the two back-to-back, there just can't be a better way to decide. Drive em one after the other, park them side by side, take em both to the local hangouts and see how people react to them both??
I love the fact that unless I go to a Ford show, I'm usually one of a very few, if not the only GT350 there. I put aftermarket stripes and although I don't like it quite as much as the factory, darker blue, it does make it more unique until I decide to switch.
But back to the point, it's a rare drive that I don't get some sort of response from another driver or a pedestrian with a thumbs up, long stare, or my favorite, a "cool car" conversation. Plus, the way this thing pulls, and keeps pulling, as the revs rise, is intoxicating to me. It begs you to wind it up in each gear, to get to the real power, and quite frankly, you have to, as it doesn't make much down below 4-5K rpm. But in any gear, the sound and acceleration from 5000 to 8000 rpm, and with how enjoyable it is to drive at 6 or 7/1oths on a twisty road makes owning this car worth every penny and worth any worry about longevity/reliability issues. I've put 5,000 miles on mine since the beginning of July and it makes me smile on every single trip, whether it's 3 miles or 73.

This 100%. Back to back is the way to go.

And you can’t go wrong either way, really. They are both freaking awesome vehicles. If I could afford to have both, I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

[young at heart]

If you can take up the offer to go drive the two back-to-back, there just can't be a better way to decide. Drive em one after the other, park them side by side, take em both to the local hangouts and see how people react to them both??
I love the fact that unless I go to a Ford show, I'm usually one of a very few, if not the only GT350 there. I put aftermarket stripes and although I don't like it quite as much as the factory, darker blue, it does make it more unique until I decide to switch.
But back to the point, it's a rare drive that I don't get some sort of response from another driver or a pedestrian with a thumbs up, long stare, or my favorite, a "cool car" conversation. Plus, the way this thing pulls, and keeps pulling, as the revs rise, is intoxicating to me. It begs you to wind it up in each gear, to get to the real power, and quite frankly, you have to, as it doesn't make much down below 4-5K rpm. But in any gear, the sound and acceleration from 5000 to 8000 rpm, and with how enjoyable it is to drive at 6 or 7/1oths on a twisty road makes owning this car worth every penny and worth any worry about longevity/reliability issues. I've put 5,000 miles on mine since the beginning of July and it makes me smile on every single trip, whether it's 3 miles or 73.

Beautiful car and I love the stripes, no worries there IMO!

I realize you’re talking about the 350 and not the Mach 1, but your text above that I boldened also describes the Mach 1 to some extent. In fact just a couple days ago when I got on it in second gear probably around 4000 rpm I was reminded of how the Coyote likes to wind up before it starts pulling really hard. At 4000 or so even though it pulls hard it doesn’t have the immediacy that you’d expect through a 3.73 diff. But from 4500/5000 through 7500 good lord it’s stronger than a yard of garlic. If you learned how to power shift back in the ‘60s like I did you can keep this thing bubbling and lemmee tell you, it’s some fine entertainment!

I have a lot of respect for the 350 and it’s heritage, sound and general coolness. And I learned to appreciate high revving engines with my ‘69 Z-28 pulling 4.11s. But I always wished I had gotten 4.56s so halfway through the year I solved the problem by trading up to a BB Corvette. Yes, a drive would tell the tale but I’m not sure I’d enjoy keeping a street car wound up any tighter than I do my Mach. On the track of course the object is to keep it in the happy zone all the time.

I almost hate to say this because my manual Mach 1 is a lot of fun to drive for sure. After all these years I can’t completely give up shifting gears. But I also have a ‘23 A10 Mach 1 and that 10-speed is probably better suited to the Mach, at least on the street.

 

[dpAtlanta]

But I also have a ‘23 A10 Mach 1 and that 10-speed is probably better suited to the Mach, at least on the street.

Not if you like shifting the gears... as you have said you do.
I have a Cayman with the PDK.... the greatest dual clutch on the planet with the exception of F1................... it gets BORING real quickly, and this is the Holy Grail of Autos!

 

[young at heart]

Not if you like shifting the gears... as you have said you do.
I have a Cayman with the PDK.... the greatest dual clutch on the planet with the exception of F1................... it gets BORING real quickly, and this is the Holy Grail of Autos!

I sure do.It’s a lot of fun even after all these years. The manual gets the call most of the time, and the A10 serves as a backup when there’s a possibility my wife might need to drive or the rare occasion when my knees aren‘t up to the task. But IMO the 10 speed by definition does a better job at keeping the engine in it‘s happy range. Automatically, if that matters. Or when it’s important not to have to work it like a 125cc Yamaha on a motocross track.

 

[dpAtlanta]

Now you just need to drive all three, the GT350, the Mach1, and the A10 on the same route to figure out what YOU like the best…. It’s not difficult, you just have to do it and experience it so you can come up with your own opinion as opposed to a basis from bias opinionated posters who know ALL!

 

[shogun32]

so you can come up with your own opinion as opposed to a basis from bias opinionated posters who know ALL!

Excuse me, but some of us DO know ALL!

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