GT350 or Boss 302

[Sidepipe]

First post... This forum is probably the only quality forum left for mustangs. Anyways, I would like to know if anyone has a GT350 yet and what it's like driving it? I've been around following the GT350 and unconvering clues since the beginning so I know what it has to offer. But... I love the Boss 302 and the refinement of the s197 platform. I have a s197 3v but it's definitely not the same as the Boss.

So the torque on the GT350 is beautiful and same with 302. Obviously either or would be a upgrade over my current car. But I like the idea of exclusivity from a enthusitist pov and that's where the GT350 has me saying no. Everyone and there mother is going to have this car (at least I feel that way). How do you guys feel about everyone hopping on the wagon?

One last question... I haven't searched the market but know cars will be marked up. What do you think a realistic price would be for a base GT350? Seeing as I'll probably do a few mods and weight reduction.

Thanks,

Pipeside

 

[VoodooBoss]

Welcome to BMO and thanks for the compliment. Providing quality content to members without the BS is the approach we've taken from the beginning and will continue to do so.

The Boss will always be the Boss and it's an awesome car. The 350 is more contemporary with its IRS and added tech and will be faster if that's important to you. While I'm looking forward to driving my 350 when it arrives one thing I don't expect is a bigger ear to ear grim compared to the Boss. Depending on your goals either car will be a blast to own. Good luck in your search.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Nothing wrong with a BOSS but the 350 will be faster and more refined.

Is price a factor? If markups are a concern--can you wait it out?

 

[Sidepipe]

Thanks for your input! That's a very important comment you made regarding the 350 giving you a bigger grin than your Boss. On another forum (I won't say it's name but we all know which one) people are going ape sh!t over the performance of the car. I know the car is great but not everyone is James Hunt while driving and revealing the full potential of the car won't be done by many of the owners. So experiences by common drivers are welcome. I do wish that you could get the radio delete on the base gt350. I'm old school but in my twenties

 

[Sidepipe]

Price isn't too much of a factor. I would probably buy a used GT350 just because I have issues buying something new that's a deprecating asset. I will most likely buy the Boss and put it on a diet. I like the idea of making the car as light as possible while not modifing the engine. #Pure #NoRoids

 

[ChopSui]

Check out Cloud9's thread "Where's Waldo" for his first-hand impressions.

I wouldn't worry too much about exclusivity. Ford is on record as saying there will probably be fewer GT350s produced than GT500's per year (slightly more than the Boss) but my bet is that once the new GT500 or Mach 1 or whatever the new hotness is comes out, the bandwagoners will follow suit and the 350 will be mostly owned by collectors and track enthusiasts.

 

[Sidepipe]

I will go check that out. Yea you're right about the bandwagon people

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Here's one on a diet, if you aren't needing to drive it on the street... https://www.facebook.com/MGWshifters/posts/522482014586536

 

[Face76]

Speaking of diets, the Boss' seats look fantastic!

Back to your regularly scheduled programming........

 

[GT390]

Short term, if you can purchase a pampered BOSS at the right price, and do not have the skill or interest to drive the car to it's limits. Why would you pay the premium to have a GT 350 ?
In my case, in 1969 I traded a 68 GT fastback for a 69 Mach 1. I guessed correctly on the Mach 1. The styling has weathered the test of time.
But I screwed up by letting the 68 GT Fastback escape.
Sort of where we are today. I don't believe you can go wrong with either one of the cars BOSS or GT 350

 

[VoodooBoss]

Short term, if you can purchase a pampered BOSS at the right price,

This is a great strategy if you're not going to track the car. Might be a great strategy even if you are. Seriously the Boss is a blast to drive and I was still getting comments on the car even up to the last time I put gas in it. 8)

 

[jlwdvm]

I don't think everybody is jumping on the GT350 band wagon. It just seems that way to us because we frequent forums like this and others where everybody on the forum wants one. I have had a '13 Boss for 3 years now and can count on one hand the number of other Bosses I have seen in my area...but I live in Iowa! I track mine 2-3 times/summer and there is still more car there than I can use at the moment, but I am working on driver mods...only safety mod for me and the motor/brakes have been done to my car. I have a GT350 track pack on order that is scheduled to be built the week of January 4th and I will be keeping my Boss. I am now 40 and have been interested in muscle cars since I was a teen. I have restored a 67 Firebird (sold) and am currently building a 69 firebird track/road car with a cage, 570 horse LS, Tremec, etc. I look at the current time we live in as my chance to buy muscle cars new...the way I wan them ordered. How long can this last...who knows. In the end do what makes you feel good!

 

[Bossing302]

^I agree... on the forums everything is magnified including the demand. But I don't think everyone who wants a pony car or specifically a Mustang will be targeting the new Shelby because of various reasons... one of which is due to the base price of ~50k. It's still a big chunk of coin and commitment for many out there and price (plus the current adm's) can swiftly rule it out for many folks.

It's worth it though! ;D

 

[GT390]

"It's worth it though!"

Really it is not worth the mark up. The greedy Dealers stand to make more profit per car than Ford. Think of the Engineering that went into this car.
In order to keep the price respectable, this car will have to sell in volume (small volume) 4,000-5,000 per year for at least 3 years.
Anything worth doing is worth doing for money. The dealers mark up is the fly in the ointment. Small volume allows the dealers to play this game, but Ford wants their fair share. So look for these cars to be an order away within 6 months, just in time for Spring. And the Mark ups to shrink drastically.

 

[KYBOSSLS]

Really it is not worth the mark up. The greedy Dealers stand to make more profit per car than Ford. Think of the Engineering that went into this car.
In order to keep the price respectable, this car will have to sell in volume (small volume) 4,000-5,000 per year for at least 3 years.
Anything worth doing is worth doing for money. The dealers mark up is the fly in the ointment. Small volume allows the dealers to play this game, but Ford wants their fair share. So look for these cars to be an order away within 6 months, just in time for Spring. And the Mark ups to shrink drastically.
[/quote]
Great comment about the adm's, the new GT350 will be a great Mustang as is the Boss, take your pick and stick to your gut feelings. The Boss is raw in comparison to the 350, I like this and the solid axle.
Back to the mark up or "adm" this should bite the dealers in the back side and FORD should step in and shut this down. Last week at a stealer ship in central KY (no name will be mentioned) my buddy offered the asking price for their first 350, had check in hand!! They laughed at us....and I'm in the market to buy a new truck, they didn't care. Will NEVER buy from them EVER. Plus they do not call it a adm they have it as a L.O.A.??? Lack of availability, really? Oh and it is 20K, I asked to see his .
A low mileage Boss will be the one to keep, but I would like to have a new 350 sitting in my garage too.

 

[302BOB]

As long as the stealers are only getting one or two allocations they will milk this for all they can, while they can. Bravo to the dealers selling GT350's for MSRP...they're few and far between.

 

[JohnW#88]

Really it is not worth the mark up. The greedy Dealers stand to make more profit per car than Ford. Think of the Engineering that went into this car.
In order to keep the price respectable, this car will have to sell in volume (small volume) 4,000-5,000 per year for at least 3 years.
Anything worth doing is worth doing for money. The dealers mark up is the fly in the ointment. Small volume allows the dealers to play this game, but Ford wants their fair share. So look for these cars to be an order away within 6 months, just in time for Spring. And the Mark ups to shrink drastically.

Great comment about the adm's, the new GT350 will be a great Mustang as is the Boss, take your pick and stick to your gut feelings. The Boss is raw in comparison to the 350, I like this and the solid axle.
Back to the mark up or "adm" this should bite the dealers in the back side and FORD should step in and shut this down. Last week at a stealer ship in central KY (no name will be mentioned) my buddy offered the asking price for their first 350, had check in hand!! They laughed at us....and I'm in the market to buy a new truck, they didn't care. Will NEVER buy from them EVER. Plus they do not call it a adm they have it as a L.O.A.??? Lack of availability, really? Oh and it is 20K, I asked to see his .
A low mileage Boss will be the one to keep, but I would like to have a new 350 sitting in my garage too.

Well said.

If production numbers of the Gt350 are going to really @ 5000 per year over the next 5 years, the BOSS will be the one to have in the long run. Markups are just foolish for what will be a fairly common car. Anyone remember the +$25K markups for the 07 Gt500's. I do. LOL.

 

[REAL 1]

Both are great cars. The GT350 is an advance in performance as you would expect and utilizes a storied model name under license from SAI. My understanding is that Ford will build a total of approximately 4000 to 5000 GT350's per year for the next 3 to 4 years. Out of this total I would expect about 25% to be R models. Again based on my understanding or lack there of. Some here may wish to add more light on production figures expected.

I do expect dealer mark ups to continue for a while (hopefully not long). I have read/heard dealers demanding $100,000.00 for R models and $10K mark ups for standard GT350 with track pack.

Whether the GT350 is a high water mark for the S550 chassis we don't know yet but if I was a betting man, which I am not, I am sure as the years progress there will be continued improvements on the car that are made and offered.

The GT350 is a step away from the traditional Mustang muscle car recipe from the IRS to the FPC engine. It has tones of a Euro performance car.

The '12-'13 Boss is in MHO a historic Mustang and carries a historic name and was a high water mark of the S197 chassis. It was roundly hailed by the press as the best Mustang ever. It was a performance benchmark for the Mustang in 2012 besting the times of the GT500 at Leguna Seca and even besting the Audi R8 at Leguna Seca. A bench mark for sure. It was built in fairly limited numbers (approximately 8000) over a limited two year run which includes a total of 1500 LS models. I think it will be a collector item in years ahead and various sources agree like Forbes and Haggerty.

The Boss is a great track performer and a hoot to drive. The GT350 performance envelope edge advantage is in large part in the size of the tires (GT350 285 x 315's and R at 305 x 315 vs. Boss at 255 x 275). Put bigger tires on the Boss and the performance delta will be cut by quite a bit. Truth is even with the stock Boss shoes most can't drive the car to it's full potential. I can't. I'm not that good and have done the Bertil Roos 5 day school, been doing track events for 3 years and instruct.

I like the new GT350 and likely will like it more when I see one in person but I will not pay a $10K ADM for the GT350 or the R. I'll wait but will not be selling my Boss LS either. Its a keeper.

 

[302BOB]

In today's paper's auto section, one Chevy dealer is advertising a new '15 Z28 for $20k under the $76K plus MSRP sticker. I wonder if the new GT350 has anything to do with that?

 

[REAL 1]

That Z would be the play at $56K.

This is a prime example why I won't pay ADMs.