Like the title states I have the opportunity to purchase a '12 boss with about 30000 mi on it. I have lightly modded '12 GT with about 45000 mi that I owe $3000 on.
I would like to build a road course car so the boss is appealing to me on top of the fact that I've always thought it was a pretty cool car all around. But I don't know if it would be worth it to sell my car and upgrade to the boss. I would be increasing my debt about another $8000. Would it be more cost effective to build up my GT or go for the boss?

 

What have you done with your car? What are your goals, other than "road course?" Without knowing all the factors, I don't see you getting much out of another $5k to have a Boss. For $5k you could destroy the Boss, depending on what you've done to your car already.

 

Rtr wheels, eibach pro springs, koni oranges, j&m adjustable panhard bar, front brembo upgrade with stop tech slotted rotors, eibach sway bars, whiteline lower control arms & trans bushing

If I keep it I'll be upgrading the oranges and the pros with either a maximum motorsports kit or vorshlag kit
And a bama tune but again if I keep it I was planning a custom dyno tune at a shop out here..

 

I agree with Pat. For $3k you can turn your GT into a track monster. In my opinion here is what the car needs:

1) Better shock damping. Orange isn't going to cut it on the track unless you have really stiff springs. I have the Yellos, and the adjustability makes a HUGE difference on and off the track. When you dial up the stiffness you can eliminate body roll, and allow the chassis to use all 4 tires more evenly. Makes the car fell really hooked up.
2) CC plates. I have Steeda HD front mounts, and have them dialed in at -2 deg of camber. Huge mid corner grip. Helps eliminate understeer.
3) Better tires and brakes. You already have the Brembos so just some good track pads will give you great performance.
4) Sway bars may be a good idea. I have the front adjustable only, and I like the way the car handles. I dial in rear "stiffness" with the dampers instead.

At some point you may need Boss radiator and oil cooler. My GT TP came with those. But that would still fit in the $3k

Check out the Motorsports section for more track related mod info. There is also a lot of info in the suspension brakes and tires section.

 

Another factor is familiarity. You know your car. What's the history of the Boss you are thinking about? Lord knows you don't need to get in more debt and end up with a 'money pit'. Be careful unless you know the Boss well.

 

I'd keep the GT and mod if needed. But then again, I hate any form of debt.

 

If you owe 3k on your current GT, you're going to end up paying that money anyways, meaning, that gets tacked onto the price of the BOSS. If you have the means and really want the BOSS and don't mind paying more monthly,....then follow your heart/gut. It's all about being happy, especially if you have the means to cover it. No worries then.
Good luck!

 

Thanks guys I really appreciate all the input. Looks like I'm sticking with 5.0 😎
Paying it off will be nice and then I can always spend that extra cash on mods in the future.
The boss would be awesome but you guys are right, the 5.0 is probably more than enough for my needs.

 

I've been considering the Boss upgrade too, but for a different car because I don't want to track my Mustang. I have made the same conclusion as you, except I plan to revisit the decision after the car is paid off. Because Boss.

 

I'm a boss fan boy. I'll admit it. I'd do a boss if I could afford it. It's a special car and that engine is amazing.

 

Yea the boss is an amazing car imo. If I can work them down to a price I can manage I might go for it but for now I don't want to get my hopes up because if it's not financially responsible of me (got a family with 2 kids) to get it I won't. My wife is giving me the go if I can get a good deal on it tho so that's a plus lol

I'm completely ok with the 5.0 it's still a great car and if I keep it I can always swap the engine down the road instead of upgrading to a new car. I love the 12 body style compared to the new s550 excluding that beautiful gt350 but that's another animal.

 

Keep in mind the new 350 will toast the S197 Boss around a track, and the Boss is already a track car. If you're looking to build a track car and you don't absolutely hate the new S550 design, you would be very wise to consider waiting a year or two perhaps and picking up a GT350 that comes up for sale for the same or similar reasons as that Boss you looked at. Just FYI. I will say this about the new 350 though: If you end up with a used one, try to find one with the track package or you're going to end up overheating too quickly unless you add the additional coolers yourself. People who run their 350's with the tech package and not the track package are having problems keeping it cool enough.

 

This except the cost will probably be a lot more. Also I don't believe the coolers are even available for the base and electronics pack cars yet. Ford Performance is working on two solutions right now, one is a replacement transmission (!) And associated coolers and the other is an auxiliary cooler. One will be expensive and the other will be ridiculously expensive.

 

Shelby has developed an air scoop that serves reasonably well for the xmission. The reason they have to change the xmission is because they have two different types: one for the non-track package, and one for it. The track package has plumbing for the cooling units, the other one does not. Yes, Ford really sold GT 350's with xmissions that have no ability to be cooled externally unless they're heavily modded.

I think the '16's will drop in price pretty quickly once the '17s come out. I know a few guys who have already sold their '16s for '17s because of the differences. The magna-ride suspension is a major improvement over everything else before it from Ford. Worth it as a foundation for a track car.

 

What is an xmission?

 

Not sure if serious... "transmission."

 

I wasn't being a smartarz I was curious. So the car has two transmissions?

 

Matt's GT500 has two trannys. One behind the engine and the other behind the wheel.


Sorry couldn't resist

 

The track pack/R transmission is not the same as the base/tech pack transmission. Of particular note is that the base transmission is not compatible with the R cooling equipment and cannot be cost effectively made to do so. So in order to retrofit the R cooling equipment to a base/tech 350, one must swap to a track/R transmission.

FP is working on a separate cooling system for the base cars that will be manually operated. This sounds less expensive -- but still expensive -- and a lot more kludgey. Bottom line I think is skip the base/tech 350 if you plan to track.

 

Well-put.