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Should I sell my Boss for a S550

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I tried to sell my Boss a few months ago to buy a friends S550 but due to the horrible experience of dealing with so called prospective buyers and then my wife finding a house she wanted I put this on the back burner. However, I accidentally left up the autotrader add and have somebody really wanting to buy my car. I haven’t contacted my friend yet to see if he still wants to sell his car, don’t want to get his hopes up just be dashed again. But it has me thinking if I should go ahead and sell it and start over with a S550. I keep going back and forth and cant make up my mind. I was about to go deep down the rabbit hole with the Boss, just wondering if my money would be better spent with a used S550. Car is primarily used for Autocross, 15 or so events a year, and mountain road fun. I do hope to get into HPDE at some point but haven’t done any yet. My wife has a 17 GT/CS which is lowered on Ford Racing shocks and springs and runs a 20” staggered wheel set up. I have taken hers out a couple of times and used track addict to get an idea of average speeds on curvy road I am very familiar with. Much to my surprise I had to really hustle the Boss to keep pace with her car in which her car kind of did the pace with ease. I have never driven her car on a closed autocross course so I don’t know how it will feel in those conditions which adds to my indecision. Please help me make up my mind lol. Thanks for any input.
 
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I've owned 2 Bosses, have driven several S550 GTs with 6 speeds, and currently own a GT350R. The only S550 I would consider getting rid of a Boss 302 for would be a GT350. The regular GTs just didn't feel very special to me and certainly didn't have the excitement of the Bosses. I bought the 2013 Laguna brand new and had it next to the 2020 GT350R for about a year until I sold the Boss to a friend. I always found myself reaching for the keys to the 350R and not the Boss, despite absolutely LOVING the Boss. The precision and aggressiveness of 350R ruined me for my Boss, even with all of the suspension and brake upgrades I had done to the Boss. I still want another Boss 302 and would put a Tremec in it right off the bat.

That's a long way of saying KEEP THE BOSS 302! Such special cars.
 
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Huntsville, AL
I agree with the above sentiment. I’m not really a modern car guy. We own a S550 ‘21 GT. While it is a very nice car and fun car to drive, there’s no way if sell a B2 car for anything other than a GT350. I would love to own a second gen B2, but my first choice would be a ‘69 B2.

Keep the B2…
 

Dave_W

Cones - not just for ice cream
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Connecticut
The 2012-13 Boss 302 will forever be Ford's best-handling stick-axle Mustang.

That said, on real-world roads an IRS car will typically handle better, all other things being equal. The GT350 is very, very nice, but if I were to get an S550, I'd buy a Mach 1 with Handling Package. I've not driven either, but the Mach 1 gives you the Tremec gearbox with the robustness of the cross-plane crank engine. The Mach 1 probably doesn't have the exclusivity of the GT350, but that means it will cost less on the used market. All just my opinion, but there it is.
 

Dave_W

Cones - not just for ice cream
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Connecticut
Here's another data point - Sam Strano won F Street at Solo Nats last year in a Mach 1. His codriver and a third Mach 1 driver were also in the trophies. There were also 2 GT350 drivers in the trophies. So I'm thinking the Mach 1 can hold its own against the GT350 in autocross, which is what the OP is most interested in.

However, based on his build page, the OP seems like a tinkerer, so maybe he won't be happy staying within the modification rules of Street category. His build thread says he's running in CAM-C, though it hasn't been updated since 2021. For local / regional level CAM, I'm not sure if there's a considerable difference between the S197 and S550 on a reasonably smooth lot, given equal mods / budget (some of the S550 budget is eaten by the cost of a newer used car). Both should be able to fit either the 295-18 RE-71RS or the 315-18 Yoko A052, which are the widest sizes of the two top 200TW tires. At the national level on Lincoln concrete, the S550 is probably better.

Strano's 2-day FS winning time was 128.676; the CAM-C winner was 128.289; CAM-T was 127.710. Weather was reportedly sunny with light breezes all week, so it should not have affected classes running different days. Not sure what time of day each ran, and running in early morning could mean less chance of tires getting greasy during a run compared to mid-afternoon.
 
I had not really considered Mach 1 because of how high prices for them were around here. That would be something I could definitely get behind doing though. Besides wheels and aero, does the track pack version really matter?
 

Dave_W

Cones - not just for ice cream
986
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20+ Years
Connecticut
Depends on if you're running F Street or CAM. For both classes, you want to run the widest tire you can fit, but Street limits you to the wheel width that came on the car from the factory (and +/= 1 inch diameter). I don't know if you can get the wider Handling Pkg wheels on their own; if you can't, you'd need the Handling Pkg to run that width legally. The Handling Pkg info on ford.com says it also comes with "adjustable strut top mounts" which I'm guessing means camber plates, so that's a help as well. The "and more" in the items included is a bit vague, so I'd look into what is included specifically.

Maybe @Sam Strano can chime in with what options his car had, if he's listening. @Bill Pemberton might be able to shed some light on the Handling Pkg features as well.

Now, the widest 200TW tires come in 18" so to be competitive at the national level, you may want to put the Handling Pkg wheels away (or using them on the street), and get some 18" wheels to run the fast rubber. But finding an 18x10.5 wheel for the front may be difficult without going to a custom 3-piece. But I'd go to that level only if you're a good enough driver to be in the trophy hunt at Lincoln.

For CAM, the modifications that are legal are pretty broad, so you could start with an Ecoboost or V6 with a salvage title and build from there, if you're a glutton for punishment. I think a Mach 1 with camber plates and 18x11 wheels will get you pretty far at the local/regional level. Maybe add a tune. The only downside I see with the Mach 1 in CAM is if you want to replace the Magneride, but there are solutions available.
 
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A girl friend of mine bought a 70 Boss 302 in 1980 for about $3500, here almost 45 years later, the only car she ever regretted selling was that Grabber Blue 70 Boss 302.
You have a classic car, and as mentioned, the best handling stick axle car ever made.
Choose wisely, my friend.
 
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Bill Pemberton

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I would definitely state the Handling Package matters quite a bit since frankly with the advances made with later year GT 350s and then the GT 500, the discreetly transferred technology make the Mach 1 ( with said package ) essentially a GT 350 without a Voodoo. I find I can hang or beat GT 350s at shorter courses with the only disadvantage being tracks where going to 5th is a constant. The rarity of the Handling Package also helps, since they are few and far between and with a factory camber plate set up and all the other items ( re-calibrated MagneRide ) I find it is one of the easiest cars to drive fast I have ever had ---- with 2.8 neg. camber up front and around 1.8 rear , she sticks like glue.
 
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@Droop347 You have a nice problem. I would decide based on feel and fun rather than lap times. Personally I'd have trouble getting rid of a nice Boss. In terms of outright speed, the S550 chassis might be just a touch faster than the S197 but if it is it's not by much. Well within the noise for us average hacks. I think with similar tires, mods, and the same driver, it's closer than you think. Just browse through the lap times thread, all sorts of setups and different chassis running similar times.
 
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Funny thing about running the Boss platform in Grand Am and PWC, when those sanctioning bodies went to GT 4 spec. They had to BoP the life out of the Boss platform because they were faster than the GT4 program... lol
 
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Drive what makes you happy. I bought my GT350 and the Boss sat after I drove them back to back. So I sold the Boss. I missed my Boss and bought another one. It has sat in storage for over a year now. I tend to grab the GT350 and have so much fun with it it’s hard for me to jump in the Boss. I’m actually thinking of putting the Boss on the chopping block. One thing I was told, when I was buying my GT350. No matter how much money you throw at the Boss, it won’t be anything like the GT350. As for the Boss to the GT. I can’t give you much advice on that comparison. Best of luck in you choice.
 
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Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
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Blair, Nebraska
Noting Dave_Ws comment on changing the Magnaride , I honestly can see little reason to mess with the system. It has changed over the years and frankly the set up on mine impresses me every time I run it at the track. You can run over curbing with aplomb, it doesn't upset the car at all and it's milli-second recovery is phenomenal in my book. I ran an MCS set - up on my Boss 302S and I consider their systems to be one of the " Gold Standards, " and the Magneride, in its current configuration is equally impressive. For the track I see little need to change it, spend extra money on better tires instead.
 
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Thank you all very much for the replies. Sorry I havent really responded as I am on the Hot Rod Power Tour and havent had much down time. I have had such a blast in the car this week it will take alot for this guy to buy it from me, like more than the car is really worth. If he just has to have it, and has the money to make it happen, I am going to go with a Mach 1, assuming my friend no longer wishes to sell his car. The tour has 3 autocross stops in it this year, have done 2 already, and the Boss has outrun some cars/trucks that people think it cant or shouldnt be able to hang with. The comments and conversations that its performance has generated has been awesome, and some commical. This week has really reminded just how much I love this car.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
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Agreed, the Boss and the Mach are both killer autocross ( and track ) cars because so many folks have misconceptions on Mustangs. They are constantly World beaters and having had 8 Mustangs over the past decades I can attest to outrunning many machines that, on paper, other folks ( especially magazines ) said would destroy our Potent Ponies!
 
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Thought I would update this post. I decided to keep my Boss. Maybe S550's are faster, maybe not. There is just something about this car I cant let go of. I have gone to a few autocross events since making this post and I have walked away from all of them with a huge smile on my face. Sorry for the long delay in posting, but moving into a new house and starting a new position at work have taken up all of my time. Thank you to all who shared their insight and knowledge with me. On a side note, I signed up for my first HPDE event in October. Super excited and a little nervous but cant wait to try something new with this car.
 

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