Mustang Gt350 vs F80 m3

[Kanto]

I currently own a 2015 m3 absolutely stock but my interest has been peaking back into American muscle I.E the mustang gt350 2017
Would this be a good trade to start modifying the new car?
I have my reasons why i would trade my m3 and compare a gt350

[b_w.]

I think the gt350 has a high tendency to experience engine failure. Part of why they moved onto the coyote.

[Jmk508]

I have heard the same thing. Great cars but when tracked they tend to
lose engines.

[M3SQRD]

Same here. The 5.2 L flat plane crank shakes itself to death. Great engine but poor reliability.

[Kanto]

The reliability is something i hear is potential a red flag

There’s actually quite a lot of cars im considering atm

G87 (+less on the road, -lots of money to get it where want only cosmetically)

S660 GT (+coyote v8 and nice updated look, - no tuneablility)

C7 ZO6 (+looks and sounds amazing, supercharged, big aftermarket -absolutely soulless interior, all went to the exterior,

G80 (+looks beautiful, good power, - most common G8X, needs thats bumper refresh)

C6 z06 (+personaly enjoy the older style, exterior and interior, crazy power to weight ratio, - have a value issue that needs to be addressed)

Right now, most leaned on the c7 zo6

[Boznien]

I think M3 edges the GT350 in just about every category. I would stay with the F80 if I were you. It ultimately comes down to what you're looking for out of your car. You mentioned the M3 is stock but you would wanna modify the GT350. Any reason why you wouldn't mod the M3? It seems like there is more aftermarket support and 'bang-for-your-buck' value for the F8X platform.

[Kanto]

I do actually enjoy my m3 however theres a few reasons why i might wanna trade in
(All my opinion only)

1) the exhaust sound on this car is actually kinda disgusto. I mean you can make it sound somewhat better with aftermarket parts but still yk and the smile that would get put on my face from my previous cars with orgasmic engine tones is unmatched IMO

2) im gonna have to put alot of money into the car just cosmeticly to get it exactly how i want it compared to other cars, and on top of that i have to factor in my performance mods. Have it somewhat around 15k in what need to get it adequate + i have 2 doors that arent paint matched so theres another $1500 + my car is about due for new brakes all around soo theres more $$$. Some examples-(wheels, tires, aero, springs, bolt ons, tunes, preventive mods, etc)

3) crankhub, holy shit the crankhub. So much controversy about it and for only slight modifications, you “need” to get it done unless you want wanna “BUST your engine”. In my case i would not just because of my anxiety but bc i wanna get it pretty much FBO, e85. euurrthang on that mug. So just to add to the $3500 list

4)the 6-speed, i love having a manual transmission and i previously had a 2019 camaro ss 1le which was paired with a tremec 6 six speed. That tremec was godssss better than the current tranny in my bimmer, so it get it better i have to tune it and add a short throw in that mug to try to get that hype up so thats more $$$ that i wouldn’t have to add in other builds.

Don’t get me wrong, of course i also have a list of things i love on the car but this are the negatives IMO

[ClubsportJunkie]

They’re somewhat two different cars right? Shouldn’t we be comparing the F80 to a blackwing unless you meant a M4? FWIW I’ve heard the gt350 oil filter shaking out was solved in the 2019+ models.

[NWH83]

I worked on GT350's and R's in a past life and you'd be shocked if you saw the amount of material I would routinely see on the oil filters we cut open. I've had to give a few customers bad news. They sound great and are highly capable cars, but it wasn't out of the ordinary to have a car come in that was on it's second or third motor.

[Drifter2090]

Originally Posted by Kanto

I do actually enjoy my m3 however theres a few reasons why i might wanna trade in
(All my opinion only)

1) the exhaust sound on this car is actually kinda disgusto. I mean you can make it sound somewhat better with aftermarket parts but still yk and the smile that would get put on my face from my previous cars with orgasmic engine tones is unmatched IMO

2) im gonna have to put alot of money into the car just cosmeticly to get it exactly how i want it compared to other cars, and on top of that i have to factor in my performance mods. Have it somewhat around 15k in what need to get it adequate + i have 2 doors that arent paint matched so theres another $1500 + my car is about due for new brakes all around soo theres more $$$. Some examples-(wheels, tires, aero, springs, bolt ons, tunes, preventive mods, etc)

3) crankhub, holy shit the crankhub. So much controversy about it and for only slight modifications, you “need” to get it done unless you want wanna “BUST your engine”. In my case i would not just because of my anxiety but bc i wanna get it pretty much FBO, e85. euurrthang on that mug. So just to add to the $3500 list

4)the 6-speed, i love having a manual transmission and i previously had a 2019 camaro ss 1le which was paired with a tremec 6 six speed. That tremec was godssss better than the current tranny in my bimmer, so it get it better i have to tune it and add a short throw in that mug to try to get that hype up so thats more $$$ that i wouldn’t have to add in other builds.

Don’t get me wrong, of course i also have a list of things i love on the car but this are the negatives IMO

If you're set on switching to a manual then I guess there would be no point modifying your current F80 but if you are open to keeping the DCT then definitely I would start with some simple popular mods and see how you feel after (can even get most of these on the used classified section to save money and flip if you do decide to sell in the future).

1. The sound definitely isn't there, especially after owning 3 S65 cars and a N55 M2. However I have come to like the raspy note now, I think its unique and it still puts a smile on my face when the windows are cracked (I'm running MPE with VRSF catless DP and stock midpipe). The BMS intakes definitely help with adding some sound upfront especially when the windows and valves are closed. You definitely need to switch out the stock exhaust.

[ShopVac]

Originally Posted by Kanto

G80 (+looks beautiful,

You had me all the way up to this point. Guess looks are subjective.

Of all you listed, I'd consider a C7 Z06 w/the 7 spd manual. Don't care that the interior is drab, exterior of that car looks fantastic. Just question if the New Balance shoes come free with the car.

[Kanto]

Drifter2090
Ahh apologies, should’ve been more clear,
The m3 i have is a six speed, i was just comparing it to other manual transmissions ive driven.
Yeah im considering doing this, starting off with downpipes, midpipes, a tune and a cbc. Pretty cost effective and will wake up the car a bit.

[NickyC]

Bad move.

F80

Also the G80 is hideous.

[Drifter2090]

Originally Posted by Kanto

Drifter2090
Ahh apologies, should’ve been more clear,
The m3 i have is a six speed, i was just comparing it to other manual transmissions ive driven.
Yeah im considering doing this, starting off with downpipes, midpipes, a tune and a cbc. Pretty cost effective and will wake up the car a bit.

Ah I see!

One of the best things I did on my old 6mt F87 (my current m4 is dct) was the auto solutions short shifter (22.5% reduce and 10mm lower), if you're disappointed in the shift feel then I highly recommend it. You can also delete the cdv very easily to get better clutch pedal feel.

Also I recommend reading up on the cbc, there's a big thread here about it causing issues for lots of people.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by Drifter2090

Ah I see!

One of the best things I did on my old 6mt F87 (my current m4 is dct) was the auto solutions short shifter (22.5% reduce and 10mm lower), if you're disappointed in the shift feel then I highly recommend it. You can also delete the cdv very easily to get better clutch pedal feel.

Also I recommend reading up on the cbc, there's a big thread here about it causing issues for lots of people.

This has consistently been a great solution since the E46 M3 days!

[Kanto]

Drifter2090
If the cbc causes problems, then what would be another solution that wont brake the bank?
I need some piece of mind for the crankhub

[Drifter2090]

Originally Posted by Kanto

Drifter2090
If the cbc causes problems, then what would be another solution that wont brake the bank?
I need some piece of mind for the crankhub

Honestly I'd just stick to a mild stage 1 tune and do downpipes and other bolt ons.

My car has been on jb4 since new (lower boost map), currently at 137k kilometres no issues. After reading up on the forums it seems like people mainly have issues with crank hub after pushing past 550 wheel torque on ethanol. These cars are plenty fast stock Imo, you can even do just a gts performance flash.

[dezzracer]

Originally Posted by ShopVac

You had me all the way up to this point. Guess looks are subjective.

Of all you listed, I'd consider a C7 Z06 w/the 7 spd manual. Don't care that the interior is drab, exterior of that car looks fantastic. Just question if the New Balance shoes come free with the car.

And a gold chain and pinky ring . Haha… just having fun.

[onebadm3]

If the lack of a quality feeling interior isn't a deal breaker then you might consider adding a Camaro ZL1 to the list. I think its a good looking car on the exterior and plenty of aftermarket mod support.

[Sephrr]

Originally Posted by onebadm3

If the lack of a quality feeling interior isn't a deal breaker then you might consider adding a Camaro ZL1 to the list. I think its a good looking car on the exterior and plenty of aftermarket mod support.

Find it with the 1LE package

[Keca10]

I love the GT350. I heard someone rev it at a light and that’s all it took for me to fall in love. The sound is amazing.

In early 2019, I cross shopped it with the F80 and went M3 because I could get a 2018 fully loaded (<3000 miles, BMW treated me as the first owner) for almost $30k off MSRP in 2019 ($92k down to $63.5k). Ford dealers still wanted markup over MSRP and weren’t excited to let me test drive one. I’m never going to beg anyone to buy their car (I don’t care if it’s the GT3 RS diamond boner extra wing ultra special color manual touring 911 with deviated stitching).

Personally, I have no regrets. My experience with GT350 is at track days and they do have a lot of engine issues as mentioned. I’m able to run a hard session after hard session and the F80 just keeps on delivering quietly and happily. That made me appreciate the F80 so much. While other cars around me are breaking down (specifically GT 350s and half the Audis).

You mention crank hub, that’s the dumbest thing. Yeah it makes sense to do it as an insurance if you modify your car. And then it’s bulletproof. GT350 is unreliable out of the box and I am not sure if there is anything you can fix to make it better. Think there is no crankhub fix and you are running a 700hp tune on the F80. Ticking time bomb.

I still like the Gt350 and I don’t blame you if you switch. I think the driving experience will be better than F80. 14 years ago, I owned an e60 m5 for 4 years and had to replace half the car…still ‘no rugrets’. It was awesome enough to be worth the trouble. I think of the GT350 in the same way, as long as you expect big repair bills and not to save money.

Another (maybe more boring) option I would consider is to jump from a 2015 M3 to an M3 CS or an M2 CS. I personally would keep the mods on these to a minimum. M3 CS seems like a decent deal, M2 is still stupid prices. You will get the insane reliability while improving the car quite a bit more. M3 improved a lot from the 2015 to 2018 years and then moving to ZCP and to CS.

Camaro zl1 is another excellent choice that someone mentioned, they dominate on the track. Amazing cars. I don’t like the visibility from the inside, feels like looking out of a tiny bunker window, otherwise it would be the clear choice. I’d personally go Z06 (and try not to kill myself in it) as another poster mentioned.

If you get the Ford, post pics here.

[gagarinbmw]

Well said above. It's your $, so spend it any way you want.

I love GT350 too. The sound and suspension gave it a very special feel, something the new G80 is lacking. Even the new CS is more comfort than sensation. F80 is somewhere in between. I feel like the F80 CS is a good balance of all worlds.

Blackwings are supposed to have a very good reputation. Very tempted to try it out, but hard to come across one.