Quote:
Originally Posted by OC335sedan
I'm a car nut that typically keeps a car about 6 months on average. It's a hobby of mine to buy and sell quite often.
Having owned many turbo BMW's, V8 Mustangs, and Corvettes in the past, I recently picked up a 2016 GT350 track pack. Although I thought it looked awesome (white w/ the blue stripes) and sounded good, I never truly loved this car...and sold it after 3 months. Had a 2016 M235i Dinan Stage 2 right before the Shelby and went back to a 2018 M240i afterward.
Bottom line for me was the Shelby's lack of low-end torque, lack of refinement, and size (felt literally twice as big as the M240i) robbed the fun for me. The M240 felt so much faster around town - you have to drive the Shelby like a madman for it to feel fast because it's really not impressive below 3500 rpm. Getting off the line quickly with the 6MT was also not easy, where the BMW just rockets off in 1st gear with the 8AT trans.
Still glad I tried the Shelby, as I always loved the look from when it first debuted in 2016. But for pure fun, the smaller BMW's with paddle-shifters are so much quicker and more agile that it's a no-brainer for me.
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Interesting. Having owned my M2 for just over a year now I am getting the itch to try something new. I'm a bit late to the car game so my experiences are limited to an Audi RS5 and the M2. If there is anything I learned from the Audi is that a car is far more than just the motor. However, the current crop of American V8s are very appealing. I have been looking a Camaro ZL1s (non LE versions as I think the LEs are hideous) but I just can't get past the interior. I think the ZL1 is a very nice looking car and it's hard to argue with the LT4 in it. The chassis is amazing too.
Even before cars had my attention, a Shelby has always been something I dreamed of. Looking at the GT350 I'm pretty floored by the exterior build quality. Panel gaps are bad, assembly of the rear bumper is consistently inconsistent, and the motor looks like a rats nest. I understand it sounds amazing, but lots of owners are experiencing motor issues, and frankly a Camaro would wipe the floor with a GT350. And then there is the whole NA thing. As you mention, NA motors may be more exciting at higher revs, but honestly the M2 in the 3-6k RPM range pulls nicely and consistently. I just got back from a trip on the Devils Highway which is considered the twistiest road in America (estimated to have 550 turns in 100 miles at 4-9k feet of elevation) and the M2 is just pure heaven here. 3rd and 4th gear almost everywhere with plenty of acceleration when needed.
I often think about a Camaro or GT350 in this area and the larger size and heavier weight would actually get to be tiring in this environment. Not sure I would enjoy it as much.
After all of this there is still something attracting me to these cars.