What Late Model Shelby is the best to buy?

GRIFF

Well-known member
I had a friend ask me for my thoughts on what year of Shelby he should consider buying. I have not investigated Shelbys so I am hoping others can provide me some feedback to share. Are there particular years to avoid or particular ones to look for? He is thinking a 2016 right now.
 
Depends on price range and if you want a modded car. There are a few in NS on Kijiji. Lots in the low km range for sale.
07 - 14 range are all super charged. GT350 are normally aspirated. The big price and Hp is the new GT500.

If I were going to change up I would go for the 350 or 350R. But I am not doing that, Quite happy with my ride.

Low mileage and un-modded would be my choice. There were clutch issues with early 07-09 versions.
 
Pro's and con's no matter what you consider, but here's my $.02 as an owner of a 2016 GT350 from new.

I'm biased, but as a car, its had more concerns than any other car I've owned.....oil cooler line recall, bumper sag TSB, oil consumption, oil blow-by, possible A/C evaporator TSB, body panel gaps are not the best etc.

The cost of ownership is high ( tires cost a bundle, front and rear are different sizes and they wear out fast, less than 20000 km if you're lucky, less than 10000 km if you're not, oil changes will cost you a $30 filter and 10 litres of full synthetic at $10 to $12 a litre plus labour plus disposal plus taxes, haven't even considered the cost of brakes yet, I'm sure the two piece rotors are cheap lol and the sticky tires throw rocks like a MF ).

Some guys who track their 2016's have had issues with high transmission temps and limp mode, personally, I've never had any issues like that , but then again, I don't bother with the track. You can retrofit a transmission cooler into a 2016 with a kit from Ford Performance, if you think its going to be an issue.

These issues are well known across the board, and pretty much come with the territory for any GT350, no matter which model, so no year is any worse than the other, unless you consider the previously mentioned transmission cooler between 2016 and 2017.

2017's had the transmission coolers added as stock with all the other coolers, but it also added $10k to the base price.

On the flip side, despite all the problems, you'll never find a better bang for your buck......the torque curve is amazing on this car, and the 8250 red line is staggering, and the sound.....good lord the sound of this car with stock exhaust in Sport Mode is an ear-gasm every time you fire it up and run through the gears . No need for any mods, other than maybe the lowering springs, its got the whole package. Easy to achieve 80 km/hr at the end of first gear........or so I've heard.

Best value is a well loved 2016 Tech Pack, but prices are still up there ( +$50k), depending on your friends budget, not a lot of differences in the drivetrain between a 350 and a 350R, maybe the resonator delete, but the 5.2L , six speed etc are all the same.

I've considered selling mine, but not quite there yet.
 
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SVT4MT is right on all the 350 stuff, but I had less than half those issues.
Lucky I guess. Beleive it or not brakes are not as bad as you would think,
considering what they are. I beleive 4 rotors and pads along with fluid
was around 1800 tax in. Not cheap, but considering 4 and 6 pot brembo's
with floating disks not to crazy.

IMO find the money you can live with and the one you like most.
Each year has different things and designs. Find the one the floats your boat.
Lots of used low KM cars for reasonable money.
 
Some good news for the brake pricing, thats not outrageous if you're doing pads and rotors on all four corners and fluid, taxes in.

I'm going to have the debate on whether I want to spend the money on brakes plus another round of tires, or if I want to sell.

For the OP, 350 and 350R brakes are the same.
 
If I may weigh in.
Buyer should do self assessment to determine their personal preferences.

Maybe decide first if want supercharge or naturally aspirated, and any preference between solid rear axle or independent rear suspension.
As stated before 07 to 14 all supercharged.and all solid rear axle.
Relatively trouble free motoring.
Just need to be aware of heat soak in very hot summer days.
Clutch issue on 07 to 09 was made worse by drivers who did a lot of downshifting without rev matching.
Something like grey haired guys creating the engine compression to hear the sound of the exhaust.
Not that there’s anything wrong with grey hair.

Highlights of 07 to 14 cars.
07 to 10 cars are nose heavy due to iron block.
For 11-12 balance improved with aluminium blocks, still same 5.4 displacement as 07 to 10.
For rarity or collectibility, it’s noteworthy that the 13-14 models have the rare 5.8 modular DOHC engine producing 662 hp.
This engine was only produced those two years and only for the GT500.
Along with being trouble free it is a rare car and engine, never to be revived.
These cars suit a certain type of driving and use.

If prefer more sporting, backroads corner carver driving, there is no question 2015 and newer GT350 variants are better suited.
All have IRS and as stated before, all share same engine and driveline unchanged since beginning.
Naturally aspirated 5.2L flat plane crank V8.
Even though production started in 2015, that year was very limited run of just over 100 units.
All grabbed up by collectors and Ford friends, with value added for their connection to the 50th anniversary.
First real year for consumers was 2016, equivalent to first year production of any new car.
The year the design issues surface and recalls are put out.
The lack of transmission and rear diff. coolers on 15-16 non track pack GT350’s is well known in Shelby and Mustang world.
If never planning a track day, should be no issue in Canada with cooler climate.
Ford addressed this issue in 2017 by adding track pack and all included coolers as standard equipment on all variants.
So, from a strictly Shelby image of racing and high performance cars, the 2015-16 track packs and the 2017 and newer are more desirable because they can do more.
2017 saw improvement in build quality as well.

As mentioned already though this drove up price on 2017 and newer.
There is a huge difference in handling and driving dynamics between 07-14 and 2015 plus platforms, with the GT350 hands down the much better handler.
I would explain as follows:
The 07 to 14 is a muscle car.
The 15 and newer is a sports car with power.

It should be noted that the wide section front tires on the GT350’s make for a lot of tram-lining on anything less than perfect roads. (295 GT350 & 305 GT350R)
This demands 2 handed driving at all times except for shifting.
If looking for one handed boulevard cruiser, the 07 to 14 models much better suited for this

Financially speaking, there could be deals to be had on non track pack 2016 models.
Also 07-10 models with iron blocks.
Aluminium blocks being more desirable.

If it was me, I love exploiting Mexican back roads and attending high performance driving events and lapping days so it would be a 15-16 track pack 350, 17 and newer 350 or any 350R.

Lastly, if budget allows and your friend is capable of buying new, one can’t go wrong with the new 2021 GT500.
It is a remarkable car capable of doing everything exceptionally well.
Also a couple things make the 2019 and newer GT350 and 2020 GT350R more desirable than previous iterations.
The 2019 350 received certain new steering hardware trickle down from the 350R as well as new brake hardware, along with new brake and EPAS calibrations.
The 2020 350R received new steering hardware and geometry trickle down from GT500 (that, in part, addresses the tram-lining issue) as well as new brake hardware, along with new brake and EPAS calibrations.

Just having the means to contemplate this purchase should be a neat experience for your friend.
I wish him or her happiness and success in the pursuit
 
The 07 to 14 is a muscle car.
The 15 and newer is a sports car with power.

It should be noted that the wide section front tires on the GT350’s make for a lot of tram-lining on anything less than perfect roads. (295 GT350 & 305 GT350R)
This demands 2 handed driving at all times except for shifting.
If looking for one handed boulevard cruiser, the 07 to 14 models much better suited for this

Financially speaking, there could be deals to be had on non track pack 2016 models.
Also 07-10 models with iron blocks.
Aluminium blocks being more desirable.

If it was me, I love exploiting Mexican back roads and attending high performance driving events and lapping days so it would be a 15-16 track pack 350, 17 and newer 350 or any 350R.

Lastly, if budget allows and your friend is capable of buying new, one can’t go wrong with the new 2021 GT500.
It is a remarkable car capable of doing everything exceptionally well.
Also a couple things make the 2019 and newer GT350 and 2020 GT350R more desirable than previous iterations.
The 2019 350 received certain new steering hardware trickle down from the 350R as well as new brake hardware, along with new brake and EPAS calibrations.
The 2020 350R received new steering hardware and geometry trickle down from GT500 (that, in part, addresses the tram-lining issue) as well as new brake hardware, along with new brake and EPAS calibrations.

Just having the means to contemplate this purchase should be a neat experience for your friend.
I wish him or her happiness and success in the pursuit

Thanks for the detailed feedback! I am sure it will be helpful!
 
Thanks, everyone for replying! This is what I love about the Forum...lots of people willing to give advice. I have shared this with my friend (who is actually in Manitoba). I think there are lots of good things in the conversation for him to consider in his deliberations on what to buy himself for a retirement toy! :) And I found it educational too!
 
Thanks, everyone for replying! This is what I love about the Forum...lots of people willing to give advice. I have shared this with my friend (who is actually in Manitoba). I think there are lots of good things in the conversation for him to consider in his deliberations on what to buy himself for a retirement toy! :) And I found it educational too!
We maybe Maritimemustang.com
but we have members from far and wide.
your friend is an enuthiast at the very least and is welcome to join.
 
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