[ShelbyQuest18!]

[SIZE=3]I just registered here because I have been looking at Shelby's for a few months now. Previous I owned a number of Corvettes including a C4 generation Lotus engine ZR1, a C5 Z06, a C6 ZR1 and a C6 Z06. I moved from Northern VA (worked in the swamp for a long time) down to North Central Florida - big change in my life. And now I am looking to make some more changes - including in the "Toy Dept." I have been reading posts here and comments elsewhere about the highs and lows of the Shelby GT350. I am enamored of the car, but have some questions to the knowledgeable folks here.

1. Oil Burning. Is this a real concern, or only happening in a minority of cars. I would consider anything over a quart every 1000 miles (street driving) to be excessive - even that seems pretty high consumption to me. I have done considerable track time in the past, high speed autox and some road courses, so I would expect higher consumption under those circumstances. I understand that Ford has been replacing those engines that were excessively burning oil. If it is the same in this world as in the Vette world, hopefully Ford has had a few years to make some assembly line adjustments (not shared with the public) to ensure those problems are minimized in the future. That is why I am thinking about ordering a 2018, in the hopes that they will benefit from any assembly line process improvements. Does this seem reasonable?

2. I saw a video by someone who detailed how he had to go through 2 brand new Shelby's to find a third which did not either have damage or poor body assembly issues? How common is this problem? If I order a new '18 through a dealer, can I specify that acceptance of delivery is contingent upon a careful inspection of the new car?

3. I live in North Central Florida, what Florida dealerships are recommended as the best dealers in terms of integrity, service, price? Is it realistic to think that with a non-refundable deposit, I can order one at MSRP? Is there someone knowledgeable about these cars in Florida, who knows what to look for , and who can help me examine the car at the dealer before taking delivery?

4. I am 6'2 and 212 lbs, so not fat, but the Recaros seem a bit hard for me to get in and out of on a regular basis. I am thinking about the "convenience package" seats which seem friendlier to 60 something bodies and also are heat and cooled (nice for Florida). Given the above, would this be the best choice - are they still reasonably supportive and comfortable for longer trips?

Apologies for asking so many questions - but where better to get educated answers? Inquiring minds....

Thanks for your responses!

 

[HotLap]

Welcome ShelbyQuest18 to the forum.

Lot's of great info and folks here. Unfortunately, I'm still awaiting the delivery of my 2017 GT350 so can't address some of your questions above. However, in my case I paid cash for the car and upon notification of arrival by my dealer, I have a 48 hour "right of refusal" window, and can get a full refund for any reason. This is evidenced by a form from the dealer outlining the deal numbers and signed by both the dealer and myself. I would think you would have the same rights, but make sure you are clear about it (and get it in writing) from your dealer.

I have also seen the vids of the guy who ordered multiple Shelby's. IMO, he is a rather "exacting" individual as the first Shelby had a miner touch up near the drivers door jamb, which can happen during the shipping/transport process, but he was within his rights to decline the car. I have been doing a lot of reading up on the GT 350 in this and other GT350 forums and haven't seen a common concern about build quality.

I have seen the oil consumption concern, and while it (appears) to be a small % of the Shelby's, it does appear to be real. Back in '09 I purchased a new 911 Carrera S that burned about a qt per 1000 miles and was told "that's life with Porsche" (as a matter of fact they handed me a new quart of oil when I bought the car and told me to keep it handy). My 2012 Carrera S never burned a drop of oil...so hard to predict oil consumption. Part of the issue (IMO, from what I've read) is that Ford used a special cylinder bore pattern and liner to reduce friction, so it's taking more time for the rings to seat/seal? Combine that with the heavy use/track nature of this car and it makes sense to me that there would be increased oil consumption until everything seats. Having said that, I have read about a few cases where the oil consumption was unusually high and Ford either replaced the engine or is monitoring the consumption levels and could end up replacing the engine.

Check into the availability of the "convenience package" as (from what I've read) Ford initially underestimated the level of demand for this package and some of the customers who ordered the Convenience package had unusually long waiting time for their orders. Not sure though if this is still the case for the 2018 model year or not. I have also read that the 2018's will only be built during the latter part of this year, then production will be halted until mid-Spring and will resume for several months, so total production of 2018 models will be less than the 2016/2017 model years. Translated, if you do order the convenience package you could be in for a long wait AND if you are going to order a 2018 I'd get it in soon. I was initially going to order a 2018 with the convenience package and dealers were quoting me $10K to $15K over MSRP for the 2018 (not going to happen), so I ended up buying a 2017 on order at MSRP. Appears there are still a decent number of 2017's available and they can be found for MSRP, or even at a <slight> discount.

Good luck and hope to see you join the Shelby community - the GT350 really is a great car!!

 

[ShelbyQuest18!]

Thanks for your response, good luck with your new car! I hope to get some answers to my other questions here...