Anyone gone from a Terminator to a GT350 and regretted it? Local dealer has 20 GT350. Have to sell my 03 Cobra convertible to get it. It has been my baby for 12 years now.
Terminator to GT350 - -any regrets?
- Thread starter fastlane65
- Start date
Man, don’t do it.... Unless you’re absolutely bored with your Cobra, keep it. Yes, the GT350 has the technology and all the modern entities, but it’s not a 03/04 Cobra.
I don’t have a GT350 but looked at one and thought there is no way I could give up one of the most baddest cars to ever roam the streets, EVER!
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Sold my 04 'vert to get a '19 GT350, no regrets. The 350 is way more refined, attracts a lot of attention, is so much easier to drive and sounds amazing. Loved my terminator but it was time and now I'm the original owner of a Shelby which I expect to have until my kids get to fight over it
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As you can see, there are those who would never do it, and those who are happy they made the switch. My advice is to drive one and then decide which one you like more. Just remember, too, that you're comparing a 17+ year old car to a new one. How, and when, you drive either one factors in, too.
@dpj99cobra, that is one nice looking GT-350!
@dpj99cobra, that is one nice looking GT-350!
Really the only reason to hold onto the Terminator would be sentimental value. The 350 will be a better car all around. Prior to my 18R I had a modded 14gt500 w/ 760 RWHP, I dont miss that car at all having my 350R. The R is the 1st Shelby that I haven't felt the need to modify in any way, the car looks, sounds and performs amazing. The only complaint most guys who come from boosted cars have is that they feel the 350 lacks tq which I can see, but honestly every bit of the 350's power is useable as they grip and go and pull like freight trains after 4000 rpms.
UNLESS you have a 2003 COBRA with over 600 RWHP like me!!!
I’m in exactly the same boat. I’m selling a ‘13 GT500 and picking up a’19 GT350R. I will miss the earth-shattering torque, but not the Calistoga wagon ride.
Fixed that for you....
It's New Car vs Old Car, and if you're just looking for refinement and innovation, the 350 will be outclassed in 5 years.
The Terminator, at its heart is a 1979 Fox that's spent way to much time in the gym snorting coke and shooting steroids. It's a throw back to a bygone era. It's chalk full of design compromises, ergonomic issues and is basically an over powered, under braked wet noodle, but all of that adds to the charm.
I've never driven a 350, but I'm guessing it's a 120% S550 GT. The S550 is a long departure from the Fox cars and for me is more comparable to a BMW in terms of drive and sound. It finally achieved "full sports car" and is why a Challenger sits in my driveway and not a S550 or 5th Gen.
There is also a monstrous price difference. I don't think Terminators are ever going to get cheaper, I do suspect 350's will eventually come down. I'll be curious if they end up like the 96-98, 99/01 cars in terms of price and desirability now that we have a GT500 again.
Is a GT350 $40k more fun then a Terminator? Is it $40k more fun then a used base S550?
Got rid of my 03 cobra back in 2010 for a GT500. Sold that to get my GT350. I’ll most likely get into a newer GT500 once they’re a couple years into its life cycle. Never had a regret for trading up.
I love all the guys who've never driven a GT350, let alone owned one who tend to chime in on these threads.
The bottom line is that the GT350 is like no other mustang ever before it....the exception MAYBE the late model Boss, which was leaning that direction.
One is a muscle car and the other is an all around sports car. The spiritual predecessor/comparison to the GT350 is probably the M3. So imagine a muscle-y version of the M3. High revving, grip and brake capable, fun to drive and overall just a better drivers experience for those that don't expect to live at less than 5k rpms. It's a car that takes some getting used to, from that extra half breath of redline (it just keeps climbing) and the different shift pace, to short shifting it at first because you're just not used to wailing out a muscle car ALL THE TIME.
Ford Performance has taken a turn with the mustang line and the GT350 was the start of that and we see it's continuation in the GT500. The new GT500 and the previous gen are leagues apart. Can the new GT500 go fast in a straight line? Sure. But it's WAY MORE than that. It'll do hard and hot laps all day long with a yawn. It's a true all around sports car.
As for the nostalgia and all that crap, it's up to you. The same debate could be said from ditching a Fox body or any of the previous "muscle" car versions of the mustang.
At some point, SOME mustang enthusiasts graduate from being a muscle car guy and wanting to round out the rest of their driving experience with more than just bigs and skinnies and straight line rips. Everyone will concede that raw acceleration is the centerpiece of driving enjoyment. But some people get to where they want more, they want to be able to brake and turn and FEEL the car and shift and enjoy the symphony that 8250 rpms of flat plane crank create.
The difference between the two can't be summed up properly with stats or statistics, because the driving EXPERIENCE and feel of the car is a big portion of why so many love it. It's why there's so many stories of guys who had OTHER car platforms swapped over. This is my 3rd mustang and it's so vastly different from the previous 2. It's just flat out fun to drive.
It's a speeding ticket waiting to happen. My car BEGS for more, in ANY circumstances. It looks at me and says "really, all this and you're gonna Sunday drive?" It's carving up traffic with INCREDIBLE confidence that you have brakes for days and steering to get you out of any trouble you find yourself in. I honestly feel safer cruising through traffic at triple digits in my GT350 than I do going 75 mph in my 4Runner.
The best way you could answer your question is to go drive one, and not just a test drive, but drive one for a good 30 minutes through a wide range of road conditions.
The car is NOT, by ANY stretch a very good muscle or drag car. You're not going to beat ANYONE in a dig. Period. The torque curve, combined with the gearing make launches a razor thin line between bog (slow) and spin (slow) and even when you hit it on the screws it's going to only marginally reward you.
But once you move past grannying the car and you're no longer conditioned to keep the revs low, you start to discover the car comes alive in every other way, and light years beyond what other muscle cars and mustangs have been.
So the bottom line is do you want to own and drive a sports car or a muscle car. THAT should be your first question.
The bottom line is that the GT350 is like no other mustang ever before it....the exception MAYBE the late model Boss, which was leaning that direction.
One is a muscle car and the other is an all around sports car. The spiritual predecessor/comparison to the GT350 is probably the M3. So imagine a muscle-y version of the M3. High revving, grip and brake capable, fun to drive and overall just a better drivers experience for those that don't expect to live at less than 5k rpms. It's a car that takes some getting used to, from that extra half breath of redline (it just keeps climbing) and the different shift pace, to short shifting it at first because you're just not used to wailing out a muscle car ALL THE TIME.
Ford Performance has taken a turn with the mustang line and the GT350 was the start of that and we see it's continuation in the GT500. The new GT500 and the previous gen are leagues apart. Can the new GT500 go fast in a straight line? Sure. But it's WAY MORE than that. It'll do hard and hot laps all day long with a yawn. It's a true all around sports car.
As for the nostalgia and all that crap, it's up to you. The same debate could be said from ditching a Fox body or any of the previous "muscle" car versions of the mustang.
At some point, SOME mustang enthusiasts graduate from being a muscle car guy and wanting to round out the rest of their driving experience with more than just bigs and skinnies and straight line rips. Everyone will concede that raw acceleration is the centerpiece of driving enjoyment. But some people get to where they want more, they want to be able to brake and turn and FEEL the car and shift and enjoy the symphony that 8250 rpms of flat plane crank create.
The difference between the two can't be summed up properly with stats or statistics, because the driving EXPERIENCE and feel of the car is a big portion of why so many love it. It's why there's so many stories of guys who had OTHER car platforms swapped over. This is my 3rd mustang and it's so vastly different from the previous 2. It's just flat out fun to drive.
It's a speeding ticket waiting to happen. My car BEGS for more, in ANY circumstances. It looks at me and says "really, all this and you're gonna Sunday drive?" It's carving up traffic with INCREDIBLE confidence that you have brakes for days and steering to get you out of any trouble you find yourself in. I honestly feel safer cruising through traffic at triple digits in my GT350 than I do going 75 mph in my 4Runner.
The best way you could answer your question is to go drive one, and not just a test drive, but drive one for a good 30 minutes through a wide range of road conditions.
The car is NOT, by ANY stretch a very good muscle or drag car. You're not going to beat ANYONE in a dig. Period. The torque curve, combined with the gearing make launches a razor thin line between bog (slow) and spin (slow) and even when you hit it on the screws it's going to only marginally reward you.
But once you move past grannying the car and you're no longer conditioned to keep the revs low, you start to discover the car comes alive in every other way, and light years beyond what other muscle cars and mustangs have been.
So the bottom line is do you want to own and drive a sports car or a muscle car. THAT should be your first question.
That's a BS. I can say getting hit by a bus would suck without ever having owned a bus nor been hit by one.
That's exactly my point. It's not a "better" driving experience or car, it's just newer and radically different.
Honestly, I'd rather have an E46 M3 now that I think about it. But for current cars I'd take a cheaper and more mod friendly Corvette or more exotic 911/Cayman over the GT350 if I wanted a pure sports car.
Say what you want but the 350 is special and can hang with some high-end cars. In the link below it finished 2nd to a 911, it also beat out several high end cars with much higher price points.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/2019-best-drivers-car-rankings/
This isn't "is child molestation wrong?" It's "parents, how do I handle a moody teenager" and idiots who've never had children are here lecturing parents about the best way to raise kids.
If you've never owned one (let alone drove one) then your opinion isn't some moral or logical absolute, it's just an opinion about a product (a fairly complex one) that you have little to no basis for having an opinion at all.
If you want a different "sports" car, sure, make that argument. But that wasn't his question. his question was between 2 very different mustangs, both in era and in overall approach.
Lol. This thread delivers!
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Gotta love the expert that has never driven a 350 telling you why he wouldn't like the 350.
How can anyone but the OP make that call? Even someone that owned 15 Cobras and 20 GT350's couldn't tell him what he would like..
What I and others can say is when you've owned and loved one car for many years and think you are "trading up", you can often be left with a lot of regret.
But flip side, plenty of people sell and move on without a second thought.
That is another reason why NOT to get one. Save your money and get a GT500.
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Or spend the same amount of $$$ on a sweet 911 Carrara 4S.
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