Whelp, I bought a thing...

"Variance" (Variance) 10/03/2016 at 00:06 • Filed to: Ford, Shelby, GT350, Shelby GT 350, Lightning Blue, Save the Manuals, Flatplane V8

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A while back I made a post about getting bait-and-switched on a GT350 allocation at a semi-local dealer... Well, as it turns out, a good friend’s father-in-law owns a Ford dealership, and they got a 2017 allocation.

I flew out to New Jersey and drove it back to Northern Kentucky yesterday. I have to say, I never thought I would end up buying a Mustang...

CB > Variance 10/03/2016 at 00:09

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Holy damn. That’s beautiful. Congrats on the new purchase!

MLGCarGuy > Variance 10/03/2016 at 00:10

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I literally just configured a GT350 like this on the Ford website. Good to know that someone else has great tastes as well. Congrats!

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Variance 10/03/2016 at 00:11

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Congrats! She’s gorgeous ! Watch out for crowds...(sorry, I sort of had to)

Cherry_man1 > Variance 10/03/2016 at 00:13

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Damn is that lightning blue!?

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > Variance 10/03/2016 at 00:17

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Weird question. Does that (Escape?) in the back of the second pic have blue rotors, or what?

AdverseMartyr > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 10/03/2016 at 00:18

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It’s not the crowds he needs to worry about; he just needs to avoid Cars and Coffee events.

cbell04 > Variance 10/03/2016 at 00:20

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1789 The birth of the constitution and year we elected Washington as our 1st president. Your mustang is about as American as it gets!

Variance > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 10/03/2016 at 00:21

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Haha, I actually already had somebody on Facebook say something similar. I guess I’ll have to get used to hearing that jab.

Variance > Cherry_man1 10/03/2016 at 00:22

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Indeed it is.

Variance > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/03/2016 at 00:25

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I actually... have no idea, now that you point it out. I actually don’t see a caliper in the picture, so maybe it’s some sort of protective cover over the whole thing?

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/03/2016 at 00:27

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They look like some sort of covers over the rotor and caliper. Possibly something they put on new cars that get transported on open carriers to keep them looking clean for delivery? Iron rotors could easily get surface rust during a few days on a car carrier if there is any rain.

Variance > cbell04 10/03/2016 at 00:28

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Well I’ll be damned.

‘murica

E92M3 > Variance 10/03/2016 at 00:29

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Beautiful man, love the black wheels!

Variance > CB 10/03/2016 at 00:30

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Thanks! I’ve been waffling on buying a variety of cars over the past 3-4 years, so it feels weird to have actually settled on something.

Boxer_4 > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/03/2016 at 00:33

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I have no idea what it is, but I believe this is what you’re seeing.

There appears to be a white version, too:

Cherry_man1 > Variance 10/03/2016 at 00:39

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Beautiful color choice. What options did you go with by chance? I see the full screen.

My bird IS the word > Variance 10/03/2016 at 00:48

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Love the color choice. In that light it looks amazing. No stripes might be the way to go for those.

valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option > Variance 10/03/2016 at 00:52

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Congrats! Amazing ride.

Variance > Cherry_man1 10/03/2016 at 00:56

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Just the Electronics Package. In 2017 the Track Package became standard, giving all cars the larger rear lip spoiler, magneride suspension, and engine/transmission oil coolers. What used to be the “Technology Package” (same as the electronics pack, plus a re-trimmed version of the GT Premium’s heated/cooled seats) became the “Convenience Package”.

I wanted Sync 3 and the full screen, but didn’t want to give up the Recaros (which I absolutely love so far). As a bonus, it also gives me a handy toggle switch in the center stack for the active exhaust...

Variance > My bird IS the word 10/03/2016 at 01:00

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Yeah, no stripes was mandatory for me; I like the way that they look on some other colors, but I think the clean look suits Lightning Blue the best. It has the added benefit of setting me out from the crowd a bit, as well (as far as I can tell, most GT350s have been specced with stripes).

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Variance 10/03/2016 at 01:11

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Welp i need new pants.

No stripe looks real real good on them. Dont see many without the strip option.

Any plans for it other that driving the living crap out of it?

Pich, with Z32 now featuring Civic [Si] / No > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time 10/03/2016 at 01:18

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What the heck!?

Cherry_man1 > Variance 10/03/2016 at 01:19

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Well dang that’s good to know. Also I like that spec. I hope you get to enjoy it to the fullest man! I’m saving to make the jump to a BOSS 302 eventually right now. Congrats man.

thebigbossyboss > Variance 10/03/2016 at 01:23

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Welcome to Mustang lyfe! 2010 GT convertible owner here. Just got it this past April.

Tapas > Variance 10/03/2016 at 01:38

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Soooo purdy! :)

Excellent car and color choice!

Variance > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 10/03/2016 at 02:02

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I may replace the wheels at some point, as they’re not really my style, but otherwise I’m currently very happy with the way the car is (granted, I’ve only had it for all of 1.5 days). Whenever I get around to that, I’ll likely put a set of winter tires on the stockers.

It’s currently at a shop getting an Xpel Ultimate install.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Variance 10/03/2016 at 02:06

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sweet! i bet it sounds great. Good choice with the clear protective wrap

arl > Variance 10/03/2016 at 06:33

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Gorgeous. I usually don’t like black wheels, but they look awesome on your Stang. I would keep it stock!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Variance 10/03/2016 at 07:09

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I don’t think I have ever seen one without the stripe. This is straight sex!

Jayhawk Jake > Variance 10/03/2016 at 07:53

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Welcome to the S550 club

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Variance 10/03/2016 at 08:11

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Omg that color. I still have yet to experience hearing one at WOT. There have been a couple driving with or near me at C&C or on Sundays here in Nashville.

S65 > Variance 10/03/2016 at 08:44

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Man, that is too nice to ram into a crowd

Sorry I had to, nice GT350

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Variance 10/04/2016 at 16:45

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With no stripes! Nicely done - enjoy.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Variance 10/04/2016 at 16:50

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As an M3 owner who’s heard his fair share, let me just say that the drive is worth the jabs and “stigma” that comes with cars like these. I’ve never been into Mustangs either, but this one has really caught my attention... I’m hoping they prove to hold up over the long run and someone who also spec-ed the stripe delete takes good care of theirs for me for a few years!

Variance > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 10/04/2016 at 19:33

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Fortunately, the stripes are just vinyl, so they could be easily removed, if so desired.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Variance 10/05/2016 at 06:26

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The stripes go on after the clear, even when factory installed? Even then I’d be worried there’d be a “shadow” vs the paint that wasn’t covered and faded some in the sun.

RyanFrew > Variance 11/14/2016 at 17:30

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Nice!

Weird question: I’ve narrowed down my car hunt to a Boxster S, a manual F-Type, or a GT350, and I’m in Northern Kentucky. Would you mind doing a baby Oppo-meet and letting me take a look at this sometime?

Variance > RyanFrew 11/14/2016 at 17:45

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Sure. I’m in Burlington, and can meet up pretty much whenever.

whatisthatsound > RyanFrew 04/01/2017 at 20:02

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What did you choose? I just drove a GT350 today & I’m mildly obsessed with them now. Coming from a viper I never thought I’d want a Mustang but I do now.

whatisthatsound > Variance 04/01/2017 at 20:03

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How are you liking the car 6 months in? I think I’m very interested in picking one up.

Variance > whatisthatsound 04/02/2017 at 00:14

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I haven’t driven it a ton over the past 3 months, due to shitty weather, but it always puts a smile on my face.

It doesn’t feel as heavy as I expected it to, though I haven’t hard the opportunity to push it all that hard yet. Visibility is far better than I expected (though I was used to my Elise, which has huge blind spots), but I’m still trying to get a feel for where the extreme front of the car is (I’m super paranoid about hitting the front splitter; I’ve already scraped a few times on inclines I’ve misjudged).

The sound of the engine is interesting in that is has the big American V8 rumble, but also has a certain... warble from the flat-plane crank that hints at something being different.

Gas mileage is pretty bad, but that’s to be expected. I think I average around 18 MPG mixed driving; a quick jaunt on city streets might be around 10 (or less, if I put my foot in it), and I can manage around 22 cruising at 80 on the highway.

The interior isn’t the fanciest, and still contains a decent amount of plastic shared with the rest of the Mustang line, but I think the design is attractive (a VAST improvement from the previous-gen Mustangs I’ve been in), and the Recaros are absolutely fantastic. You do, however, need to be relatively slim to fit in them. I hover between a 34 and 36 waist (depending on brand of pant), and they hug me well; any larger than that, and you’d probably want the non-Recaro seats.

If you have any specific questions or concerns, let me know and I can try to answer/address them.

RyanFrew > whatisthatsound 04/04/2017 at 15:45

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I never drove the GT350 and I’m glad I didn’t...the decision was already hard enough :) http://oppositelock.kinja.com/i-bought-a-thing-1791714340