Why did you sell your GT350?

[SpursFan]

Between a slightly aging 350 and the absent 500 these forums have gotten very side tracked. I'll throw my two cents in, if your selling a 350 it wasn't the right car, you couldn't afford it or you got a dud. Evening I push that little red button there's never a doubt of the future ahead!

Just ask the streaks at 60 down 2722. Yeah it needs more torque.

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[Flavoade]

Track the car. All desire to sell it will go flying out the window.

That said - I've talked to a few folks who have sold their car and there seems to be a 3 common themes:

1. They moved to the GT350 from a luxury sports car (M3, 911, etc.) and were disappointed in the interior quality.
2. Had to deal with an engine failure/interacted with a Ford dealer.
3. Over-purchased and wasn't comfortable with the monthly payment.

I hear you. I will admit the note on the car is hellacius, but its under control. I will have the car paid off by spring of next year. I believe you concerning tracking the car. I have not been able to go because of work. I wanted to attend the complimentary track attack, but the dates were full. I plan on booking a 3 day class.

I am familiar with your work. I watched a lot of your videos before I bought my GT350. Between You, Malone Moves, GT350 Recon and a couple others actually persuaded me to buy the 350 when I saw its track performance.

So every time that you drive your GT350 it is an exciting experience and it gets your adrenaline going but the driving experience is not enjoyable? Based on those words I am having a difficult time understanding your mindset.

As well it sounds as though you bought this car in order to track it but never have and then you have to remind yourself why you bought the car?

From the outside looking in it looks like this car intimidates you to a certain degree especially when it comes to tracking a $60,000 car therefore you have not taken the leap to take your car to the track which would certainly give you a totally different respect and appreciation for your outstanding car.

Either you have to come terms with respect to tracking your car and enjoying the experience or I would move on to another vehicle that you are more comfortable with.

I knew it would sound confusing, because it is. Its like if you and I went sky diving and we both jumped out of the plane, except I have a parachute but you didnt. We are both excited, and full of adrenaline, but for different reasons; and where as I would enjoy the experience, you most likely won't lol.

Its an extreme analogy, but it is how I feel about the car at times. I will be honest, I do feel apprenhensive about doing anything that might damage the car before its paid for, and the fact I might have bought it too soon. I have not bought my F250, or enclosed trailer to haul it to circuits, and also that a improved 2019 is coming out stings a little.

I orginally intended to purchase a Base, 5.0 Performance pack, but things worked out differently and I ended up with the Shelby. So intstead of a relatively inexpensive, but inferior sports car that I could daily and go to track days with I paid $60,000, for a Mustang, but a special Mustang. I know that its unique, and one of a kind. I have wanted a N/A High revving V8 car that could perform on the track for a while. I wanted the E90 series M3 but could not buy it new, so I waited. When I saw it demonstrated at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, I knew it had to be the right one, and the fact that Ford produced it made it more special, and is why I refuse to let go of it.

I will have to suck it up, and put it on the track to get the most out of it, I see that now. I guess I believed I would get equal enjoyment driving it to work in the morning as I would on a racetrack.

I will keep the Shelby, I will just have to get another car to compliment it

 

[Wriggly]

. I'll throw my two cents in, if your selling a 350 it wasn't the right car, you couldn't afford it or you got a dud.

I'd agree that in some cases you're correct. In my case, I didn't get rid of mine because anything was wrong with it or any of your three reasons. I've always wanted a Ferrari and a Porsche. I already have the Porsche and the 812 Superfast will be delivered in late Spring. I only have four garage spaces and something had to go. For me it was the GT350. I loved the car, it had no flaws that were big enough to bother me. If I had one more garage space, the 350 would have stayed. It's a cool car and a bargain at that.

 

[PP0001]

Man I have to stop you right there. The least you can do is call the motor by its correct name. The Boss 302 has the "Road Runner" V8. It's just a small abeit very annoying point of contention with me having owned a 12 RR Boss 302 numbered 1930.

Look, it's pretty simple and a little surprised at your lack of knowledge regarding these engines.

The Boss 302 engine is just a higher performance variant of the Coyote engine and yes it is also known as the Road Runner just as the Voodoo is a further development of the Coyote engine except it features a flat plane crank and an increase in bore and stroke but these are Coyote based engines nonetheless.

Appreciate that you owned chassis #1930 but after having owned numerous Boss 302's myself including chassis numbers PP0001 and PP0002 which were the first 2 seat and first 4 seat pilot production Boss 302's released to the general public and assembled back in October 2010 I would suggest that I know a little about these cars as well.

 

[Minn19]

For me it was ultimately reliability issues and not just an engine replacement. I had a 16 Tech my first year and it was in the shop roughly four months out of the first eight I owned it. The engine replacement was due to excessive oil usage (roughly 300 miles per quart and getting worse at the end). I'd have to look at my previous posts back then and my documents for these time frames etc to be more accurate. Traded it for a 17 and that was in the shop roughly 2 months out of the year the last two years for a variety of reasons. I only used it as a spring to fall car in Minnesota so the time in the shop is exacerbated a bit due to our much shorter driving season. My 17 Voodoo at the end of the summer was starting to do the exact same thing as my 16 and started using a lot more oil at around 9k miles, which really surprised me. That was enough for me so I dumped it and moved on.

Quality on these (and nearly all of Ford's cars, but not their trucks) is truly terrible. I took my current M3 to my same detailer that did my 17 350 for ceramic coating etc. He still swears that my 17 GT350 was in an accident prior to delivery (I bought it new with around 4-6 miles on it) and put back together/painted by the body shop poorly. I told him that it is just Ford and he started to believe me more after talking to others etc in the know or who have experience with Ford cars. I really really don't get it. As somebody else said it is like Ford cars are built by a completely different company on a totally different planet. I've had three F150s over the years and haven't had hardly any issues with quality and reliability. My other Ford car was a Focus ST and that was worse than both of my GT350s. I also manage my companies work fleet, which is mostly Fusions and they constantly have a host of really odd problems. Not to mention the steering bolt recall, which really freaked out a lot of our employees. I got very tired of telling people their steering wheels were not going to fall off and if the wheel felt loose, obviously don't drive it. Besides that, there really is no excuse for multiple panels not lining up or the shoddy paint quality (overspray etc) or poor designs such as the bumper sag issue on the 350s. It doesn't cost money to line a panel up or clean up your paint processes. It does take pride in your work and your product, both of which are severely lacking at Ford (cars anyway) IMO.

All that being said, I loved the cars, they were my favorite cars ever to drive and might be ever. But, when toys become too much of a pain in the ass they cease to be toys and need to go. I really didn't care about the spartan interior. I actually liked it and thought was just fine for the type of car it was. The Recaros especially stand out and are truly excellent seats in these cars. I also could of looked past all of the quality issues as the drive was that good/fun. But, when I had to on a semi routine basis go back to the dealer for repairs and then have to deal with constant national back order part shortages (even on brake pads when my rears were contaminated by grease from my third drivers side axle boot that blew). And Ford's sometimes odd ways of approving a warranty fix or not, especially with the engine. I guess I should've been happy to get a loaner, but when you get out in a base Fiesta or Focus that are nearly stalling at stoplights with under 10k on the clock for weeks at a time.................lets just say a lot of times I'd have my wife meet me with my truck and decline or give the loaner back.

Any way, I'm not (and am done trying to compare) comparing them to any other manufacturer because it really doesn't matter. I was nervous about going back to US cars after a twenty year hiatus because of past experiences like this. It very may well be another twenty before I try it again. That is the real shame here for Ford. They had a golden opportunity as they got a lot of people like me to come back to the blue oval for something other than trucks. As a result of experiences like this they've lost a lot of us again for probably a long time if not life. Not just in cars either. When it comes time to replace my F150, I won't write another F150 off because of this experience, but it won't be an automatic purchase like it has been in the past for me. Will Ford care? Who knows, but as a business in an ever competitive market that has been touch and go for their survival a couple of times in the last few decades, I hope for their sake (and their employees) they do.

 

[JR369]

Look, it's pretty simple and a little surprised at your lack of knowledge regarding these engines.

The Boss 302 engine is just a higher performance variant of the Coyote engine and yes it is also known as the Road Runner just as the Voodoo is a further development of the Coyote engine except it features a flat plane crank and an increase in bore and stroke but these are Coyote based engines nonetheless.

Appreciate that you owned chassis #1930 but after having owned numerous Boss 302's myself including chassis numbers PP0001 and PP0002 which were the first 2 seat and first 4 seat pilot production Boss 302's released to the general public and assembled back in October 2010 I would suggest that I know a little about these cars as well.

Bad recovery. "Just" a higher performance variant... Ok. Called the "Road Runner". Read the link below. A lot of differences. I've no doubt you're the smartest member in the room most days. Sometimes the smartest person in the room is the smartest dumbass in the room too. You forgot to study what makes a coyote a coyote and a Road Runner called a Road Runner. To my original point tho. To simply refer to the Boss 302 motor as a coyote is incorrect. You are in that regard incorrect without a doubt.

http://www.mustangandfords.com/car-reviews/m5lp-1108-2011-ford-mustang-302/

 

[PP0001]

Bad recovery. "Just" a higher performance variant... Ok. Called the "Road Runner". Read the link below. A lot of differences. I've no doubt you're the smartest member in the room most days. Sometimes the smartest person in the room is the smartest dumbass in the room too. You forgot to study what makes a coyote a coyote and a Road Runner called a Road Runner. To my original point tho. To simply refer to the Boss 302 motor as a coyote is incorrect. You are in that regard incorrect without a doubt.

http://www.mustangandfords.com/car-reviews/m5lp-1108-2011-ford-mustang-302/

Not a bad recovery at all and certainly not trying to be the smartest dumbass in the room but just trying to pass along some knowledge that I have about this U code engine and appreciate all of your kind comments.

I find it interesting that you quote an automotive magazine for your reference when you should maybe sit down and talk to some of the people at Ford that helped develop the Boss 302 engine and this icon automobile back in the day.

It is obvious that you do not even know how the Road Runner name even got started within the Ford camp so here is a little history lesson.

With the possibility of the Boss 302 coming back to production at Ford after being away for ~40 years all internal discussions were obviously top secret at Ford with the Boss 302 name being off limits within the hallways of Dearborn therefore an internal code had to be utilized during discussions.

The Road Runner name originally got started as an internal code name for the Boss 302 program back in 2008 (not an engine name) with that name being based on the Road Runner being faster than a Coyote. Early on the Road Runner name was being used by some of the more inexperienced and less knowledgeable people within the Boss 302 group thus ruffled some feathers of a few senior people within that elite group.

When very experienced people such as Steve Ling (North American Marketing Manager) and Todd Soderquist (Product Planning Manager) heard certain members using an icon Mopar name such as "Road Runner" for their Boss 302 program during some early meetings/discussions the Mopar name did not go over very well with them after which time the internal program was quickly confirmed by Steve and Todd to "Project 747" with the Road Runner name never used again.

FWIW, Steve told me during one discussion that the "747" code name that he came up with was in reference to the then CEO Alan Mulally coming over earlier from Boeing along with the 747 aircraft debuting in 1969 the same year as the original Boss 302.

Do you really think that very knowledgeable and experienced personnel within Ford such as Dave Pericak (Chief Engineer), Tom Barnes (Program Manager), Steve Ling and Todd Soderquist affectionately refer to the Boss 302 engine as a "Road Runner" engine which has been an icon name within the Mopar Family since 1968?

Based on discussions with people such as Steve Ling I will go with the Coyote name and respect that you will refer to it as a Road Runner engine based on the attached link.

 

[bli8]

I'm selling my R because I purchased 2 other cars and have another one incoming via European Delivery and will need the garage space.

 

[honeybadger]

I hear you. I will admit the note on the car is hellacius, but its under control. I will have the car paid off by spring of next year. I believe you concerning tracking the car. I have not been able to go because of work. I wanted to attend the complimentary track attack, but the dates were full. I plan on booking a 3 day class.

I am familiar with your work. I watched a lot of your videos before I bought my GT350. Between You, Malone Moves, GT350 Recon and a couple others actually persuaded me to buy the 350 when I saw its track performance.

Glad to hear it! I see you're in LA - holler when you are ready for a track day and we can meet up. Lot's of good local clubs around here that will do a fine job getting you on track in the GT350!

 

[lightrules]

I'm selling my R because I purchased 2 other cars and have another one incoming via European Delivery and will need the garage space.

i'm so glad to have been given a ride in your R! thanks man, such a sweet car. sad to see it go!

 

[lightrules]

buying an R today!

 

[PP0001]

buying an R today!

We need some pictures and spec's on your car!!

 

[Caballus]

I'm selling my R because I purchased 2 other cars and have another one incoming via European Delivery and will need the garage space.

Silly question--European delivery for an R or for a European car?

 

[JR369]

Do you really think that very knowledgeable and experienced personnel within Ford such as Dave Pericak (Chief Engineer), Tom Barnes (Program Manager), Steve Ling and Todd Soderquist affectionately refer to the Boss 302 engine as a "Road Runner" engine which has been an icon name within the Mopar Family since 1968?

Based on discussions with people such as Steve Ling I will go with the Coyote name and respect that you will refer to it as a Road Runner engine based on the attached link.

Hmmm, can you please reference an official statement disavowing the use of the name Road Runner by any of those you mentioned? You'd think if that name really bothered those guys, or anybody in the that food chain, it wouldn't be a big deal to have it changed. Officially. As far as stepping on Mopar toes with the Road Runner name, I find that hard to digest. The obvious correlation is the Coyote vs Road Runner cartoons.
Anyway, I get the distinct feeling you're too stubborn to continue to carry on with this debate. Which officially belongs in my win column. I get the impression that your a person with a well rounded background and experience with Ford products. Strange you would mimic a rookies (kids) inexperience referring to the Boss 302 as a coyote motor.

 

[PP0001]

Hmmm, can you please reference an official statement disavowing the use of the name Road Runner by any of those you mentioned? You'd think if that name really bothered those guys, or anybody in the that food chain, it wouldn't be a big deal to have it changed. Officially. As far as stepping on Mopar toes with the Road Runner name, I find that hard to digest. The obvious correlation is the Coyote vs Road Runner cartoons.
Anyway, I get the distinct feeling you're too stubborn to continue to carry on with this debate. Which officially belongs in my win column. I get the impression that your a person with a well rounded background and experience with Ford products. Strange you would mimic a rookies (kids) inexperience referring to the Boss 302 as a coyote motor.

As far as you suggesting that me being a person with a well rounded background and experience with Ford products, if 50 years of owning the Blue Oval brand including all generations of Mustangs and working directly with many individuals at FP and Dearborn counts then I guess that might qualify me.

If in your mind you see this as an official win for yourself I am more than good with that as well and wish you good luck with your R model going forward.

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