2013 Mustang GT with Brembo brake package vs 2013 Boss 302.
Is the extra HP and suspension worth the extra $8-9k? Could you bring up the GT to handling/HP level for less than difference?
What's an exhaust/intake/tune get you on the new Coyote 5.0?
There is a very real chance I could get the wife to let me pick on of these up next year.
The extra cost of the Boss is likely to translate in to a higher resale. You won't get your money back on a modified GT.
MG Bryan wrote: The extra cost of the Boss is likely to translate in to a higher resale. You won't get your money back on a modified GT.
My thoughts as well. I don't know where you are in life, though. At this point, for me, I need a near-stock DD to be stone reliable and a different toy car. If this is you, and it's the DD, then the Boss (Laguna Seca, for badassery) is whre it's at. Resale, if you hang onto it, is likely to pay for the car and then some eventually. A Modified GT, even if you made it faster, is not going to garner any interest at all, possibly even les so, when it comes time to sell.
If you don't need a stone-reliable car, don't care about resale, and want to tinker and wrench more than you want to do track days, then get the GT and have at it. I am sure you could do a lot with one. For me, I'd stick to the Boss and hit the track immediately.
Let us know, either way, a great problem to have! I didn't even get to pick the color of the used minivan I just bought.
MG Bryan wrote: The extra cost of the Boss is likely to translate in to a higher resale. You won't get your money back on a modified GT.
That's great if you're buying the car for someone else, not yourself.
Knurled wrote:MG Bryan wrote: The extra cost of the Boss is likely to translate in to a higher resale. You won't get your money back on a modified GT.That's great if you're buying the car for someone else, not yourself.
It's great if you're at all pragmatic. Pouring money into a GT because you want it to perform like a Boss, isn't going to save you money if you look at the long term.
If the Boss ticks all the boxes, which is how it sounds to me, it's worth just buying it an being done.
If you're the type modifies cars compulsively, and I not knocking that because I am, maybe the GT is the better way to go. Tuna pretty much covered that though.
Boss 302 with the $1995 Torsen + Recaro package is exactly what I would buy. It's so much more than the GT and for really not that much more coin (especially compared to a GT Premium), plus the enhanced resale and no need to do any real mods at all.
Is this a car that will see a decent amount of street driving?
While I'd love to enable the purchase of a Boss, for a mostly street driven car, the cam profile in the GT is going to be a little better. The Boss gives up a little bit down low in trade for that kick up top.
Ah, who am I kidding. Get the Boss if you can or you'll regret it for the rest of the time you own that GT.
I'd say it's all in intended use...
DD
- Boss has no back seats, GT does
- Modifying the GT may cause warranty/reliability issues.
AutoX
- Stock class - GT is F Stock, Boss is A Stock
- SP - both are ESP, I think same line
The one thing I really like about the Boss: Has unique head/internals compared to plane jane 5.0
Road racing???
Where are you at? Not trying to be "that guy" but my dealership GM told me he will not charge any extra dealer markup on the Boss 302 for any of my friends. I suggest the Boss!! I'm in the Service Dept, so the sale really doesn't benefit me one way or another, tryin to help a brotha out. Get the Boss 302 and the Track Key.
Regular Boss 302 has back seats. Laguna Seca does not.
Conquest351 wrote: Regular Boss 302 has back seats. Laguna Seca does not.
I was just about to say that.
It's all if I can talk the wife into it, I am breaking her down though.
She thinks I shouldn't get to keep the Miata if I were to get one, so I'm trying to figure out how I can bribe her to keep the Miata and my DD, and a V8 to the stable.
z31maniac wrote: how I can bribe her to keep the Miata
I don't understand. You gain a track car, but want to keep the girly car?
z31maniac wrote: It's all if I can talk the wife into it, I am breaking her down though. She thinks I shouldn't get to keep the Miata if I were to get one, so I'm trying to figure out how I can bribe her to keep the Miata and my DD, and a V8 to the stable.
Tell her you can get a bangin' deal on one. Hahaha
HiTempguy wrote:z31maniac wrote: how I can bribe her to keep the MiataI don't understand. You gain a track car, but want to keep the girly car?
Miata would be the track car, at least for now.
Running a V8 car with huge brakes/tires twice a month is dramatically more expensive than a Miata.
I'm having the SAME problem convincing the Wife.
I want to buy myself a "Retirement Present" for my 20 years of Military Service in December. (Plus, i'll be 40). She wants more of a "Daily Driver" that she can take to the Autocross instead of the gas-guzling E70 X5. I mentioned Mustang Boss 302 last week and she's not on the same page as me. She wants an E46 M3 or 335i.
For the track, I already have the MCoupe. She drove it and bit the bug and wants to Autocross as a Family when I retire.
My plans are to trade in the X5 with the low mileage towards the BOSS, pick up a used 3/5 Series wagon for the days we need to transport the dogs and load stuff. Then use all 3 other cars for FUN..
We'll have the best of all 3 worlds. 302 Boss, Z3MCoupe, and E30 
Get it.... All have 3's in it..
For now, I'l researching all I can on the 302's.
The Boss 302 deal applies to everyone on here, just so ya'll know... Ya'll are all considered friends.
One of the added things about the Boss is that it's engineered to work together. There's been a LOT of number crunching behind that car and there's something unquantifiable and really hard to reproduce in a professionally sorted package. You can probably approach the handling and power for something in the 6-7k range (I'm guessing) but it's going to take a lot of tuning to really get as good as one. If you really enjoy tuning more than driving (and some do) then that'so okay. If you just want to drive the hell out of it, well....
As mentioned, there are some things on the Boss that aren't available anywhere else. They may be small, or even inconsequential, but they are there.
Now, I can't see paying that kind of scratch for a car and not running the octane-scented fool out of it. If you're not going to DD it, and you're not going to track it, why buy it? 45k is a LOT of money for a driveway ornament. You say it's a lot more expensive than the Miata to track, but the difference isn't huge, certainly not car payment huge. More tire money, more brake pad money, a little more gas money, but the difference between buying that stuff for a prepped Miata and the Boss won't add up to a mountain. Entry fees / transport / etc is a wash.
So, if it was me, I'd buy the Boss and sell the Miata for a track fund. Since you were planning on tracking the Miata anyway, only use the slush fund to pay the difference between the cost of the miata part vs the Boss part. Done that way, you'll offset the increase for YEARS.
Resale is a valid point, at least you won't be updise down on the value for long if at all.
As the owner of a late model GT that's been modified to be better on the track, I'm telling you to buy the Boss.
conquest351 - I may be calling you one day if these damn scratch off tickets ever hit!
I was recently in a similar situation of trying to convince my wife of the need for the GT. I only wish it had been a Boss.
In the end we went totally the opposite way with a Cooper S, but the GT was a fun if somewhat expensive for what it was. Given the choice, it would be a Boss for sure, but a Saleen is also in a similar price range, or a Shelby is not much more either. There are many cool Mustang choices these days!
ultraclyde wrote: One of the added things about the Boss is that it's engineered to work together. There's been a LOT of number crunching behind that car and there's something unquantifiable and really hard to reproduce in a professionally sorted package. You can probably approach the handling and power for something in the 6-7k range (I'm guessing) but it's going to take a lot of tuning to really get as good as one. If you really enjoy tuning more than driving (and some do) then that'so okay. If you just want to drive the hell out of it, well.... As mentioned, there are some things on the Boss that aren't available anywhere else. They may be small, or even inconsequential, but they are there. Now, I can't see paying that kind of scratch for a car and not running the octane-scented fool out of it. If you're not going to DD it, and you're not going to track it, why buy it? 45k is a LOT of money for a driveway ornament. You say it's a lot more expensive than the Miata to track, but the difference isn't huge, certainly not car payment huge. More tire money, more brake pad money, a little more gas money, but the difference between buying that stuff for a prepped Miata and the Boss won't add up to a mountain. Entry fees / transport / etc is a wash. So, if it was me, I'd buy the Boss and sell the Miata for a track fund. Since you were planning on tracking the Miata anyway, only use the slush fund to pay the difference between the cost of the miata part vs the Boss part. Done that way, you'll offset the increase for YEARS. Resale is a valid point, at least you won't be updise down on the value for long if at all. As the owner of a late model GT that's been modified to be better on the track, I'm telling you to buy the Boss. conquest351 - I may be calling you one day if these damn scratch off tickets ever hit!
This. Get the GT if you're not bringing it to the track, that's what the BOSS is for.
Honestly, I'd go Boss over any of them. The Shelby GT is OK, yeah there's some suspension mods and really heavy wheels and some graphics and body kit. The Saleen is the same, but they put a blower on it. The Boss, as Ultraclyde pointed out, is a well sorted car. They put everything together and made it all work. Hell, even the professional drivers for Car & Driver who tested the car said it was the most fun car out of the pack of cars (Porsche, GTR, Ferrari, Etc.) they tested. It honestly is the most bang for the buck for a new car. The 2013 GT500 Shelby will have 650 hp and do 200+! Sure it'll be awesome, but not as much fun as the Boss as you won't USE that 650 hp and 200+ mph driving around.
Conquest351 wrote: Honestly, I'd go Boss over any of them. The Shelby GT is OK, yeah there's some suspension mods and really heavy wheels and some graphics and body kit. .... The 2013 GT500 Shelby will have 650 hp and do 200+! Sure it'll be awesome, but not as much fun as the Boss as you won't USE that 650 hp and 200+ mph driving around.
Is 650hp the only thing? There's got to be more.
For one, the cockpit-adjustable suspension. I have externally adjustable struts on my STi and I just leave them on a setting based on the worst road on my drive to work. It sure would be nice to firm them up for the smooth sections but it's not like I have time to stop.
How about holding resale? What if in a few years after more regulations we look back at the GT500 as the peak of the HP wars?
Once you are talking $45K... why not $54K? 
jv8 wrote:Conquest351 wrote: Honestly, I'd go Boss over any of them. The Shelby GT is OK, yeah there's some suspension mods and really heavy wheels and some graphics and body kit. .... The 2013 GT500 Shelby will have 650 hp and do 200+! Sure it'll be awesome, but not as much fun as the Boss as you won't USE that 650 hp and 200+ mph driving around.Is 650hp the only thing? There's got to be more. For one, the cockpit-adjustable suspension. I have externally adjustable struts on my STi and I just leave them on a setting based on the worst road on my drive to work. It sure would be nice to firm them up for the smooth sections but it's not like I have time to stop. How about holding resale? What if in a few years after more regulations we look back at the GT500 as the peak of the HP wars? Once you are talking $45K... why not $54K?
True... True...
The GT500 is a totally different beast. It's heavier, with a different engine and only comes pretty well "fully loaded". I'd much prefer the cloth BOSS interior over the leather GT500 interior at the track. Not to mention the BOSS has a better suspension, better balance/weight, and will be way less to insure. Two totally different markets IMO.
Conquest351 wrote: Once you are talking $45K... why not $54K?
Or a used GT500 for 30ish and 10K for a Grigg suspension kit and a 2K blower snout/intake/charge cooler and it eats everything.
The Boss is a super fun car to drive, not even in the same class as the standard GT. I have not yet been in a LS edition other then just to poke around the inside a bit.
I would do a GT500 though any day of the week, its just more fun, maybe not as fast as the new boss. But that blower whine and power is hard to ignore.
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