When to purchase new or used?

[Hack]

It was a blast, but I don't know about 11-13k worth of a blast. That is a lot of track time money elsewhere.

I agree with this. It was a unique and fun experience, but definitely not worth that much money on its own.

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[kskpsu]

I bought a used 17R for basically MSRP. 103 miles on it and was able to dialogue with the owner quite a bit. Did not want to pay ADM, and I saved a little on sales tax too.

 

[Bladex10]

If youre worried about depreciation then its a bad time to buy a GT350 period right now. There is a new Shelby GT500 looming in the very near future and the hype train is starting to grow. Its pretty much standard knowledge not to buy a top level car when a new top level car is about to be released within the next few months

 

[barrelfishing]

If youre worried about depreciation then its a bad time to buy a GT350 period right now. There is a new Shelby GT500 looming in the very near future and the hype train is starting to grow. Its pretty much standard knowledge not to buy a top level car when a new top level car is about to be released within the next few months

I think this is on point. I’m looking to buy someone’s 2016-2017 garage queen, less than 5k miles. I think this is a car in the high $40k’s to low $50’s. Unfortunately many of these cars were purchased with ADM and owners trying to recoup lost dealer profits. But it’s also a bad time to be a purchaser. Come fall and winter with 2019 out and GT500 looming I think you could see 2016’s touching high $30’s.
Not trying to insult current owners (and some get touchy with what they perceive as lowball offers) but it’s buyers market with new 2017’s sitting on stubborn dealership’s floor.

 

[wrh3]

If youre worried about depreciation then its a bad time to buy a GT350 period right now. There is a new Shelby GT500 looming in the very near future and the hype train is starting to grow. Its pretty much standard knowledge not to buy a top level car when a new top level car is about to be released within the next few months

GT350 values really could go either way, speculation at this point.
What if the GT500 is auto only? That would be a deal breaker for many people I know, myself included.

 

[Bladex10]

GT350 values really could go either way, speculation at this point.
What if the GT500 is auto only? That would be a deal breaker for many people I know, myself included.

If i remember correctly, One of the spy shots someone took shows a manual transmission in the car so there will be a manual option at the very least

 

[wrh3]

If i remember correctly, One of the spy shots someone took shows a manual transmission in the car so there will be a manual option at the very least

I don't trust any early info until the car makes it to production ;)

 

[CaptainUnderpants]

Buy new vs used - my theory...

Cars that are generally cheaper and maintain their value well. Buy new.
Honda civic, Toyota Corolla. If these cars were 20k new, then a three year old example would only be 15k. Not much a discount considering it is a 3 year old car, I have to spend my time trying to find a good example and there is risk and unknown deferred maintenance. Simply not worth it.

Cars that are expensive and depreciate quickly. Buy used.
Here it seems like their are two categories. Luxury imports and American cars that don't maintain their value. A three year old BMW that sold new for 60k might only sell for 40k. It is worth my time to save 20k for three years of depreciation and most owners of luxury high end cars usually take better care of their cars so there is less risk. Then there is the 35k Buick that might only be worth 15k used. Again, worth my time.

The Shelby doesn't really fit either category, so I think it should be a case by case basis. It is a high end car, yet doesn't really depreciate much. It is both likely to be be beaten on or lovely cared for, but probably more lovingly cared for. The question I would as myself is how much can I save, versus how much time and risk I take. This will come down to the new and used car options each buyer has.

 

[Minn19]

I agree with this. It was a unique and fun experience, but definitely not worth that much money on its own.

That and nothing against the school and schools like it, but I'm not a big fan of the car control exercises (except for the heel&toe one) that take up half the day. I've done quite a few of these between Ford and BMW's M school plus car club car control days. I'd rather get more time lapping. For this reason, I decided not to go this year to the GT350 Track Attack that I could've attended for buying my 17. It still would've been $1500 or so dollars when it was all said and done for airfare, hotel, rental car etc. I put that into this years mods and local track time.

That being said if a person has never been to a school (or little to no track experience) like this I highly recommend any of them as they are all very well run and a blast to do. So I could see this factoring into somebodies decision. Though you can go to different manufacturers schools and pay as well obviously.

 

[Minn19]

Buy new vs used - my theory...

Cars that are generally cheaper and maintain their value well. Buy new.
Honda civic, Toyota Corolla. If these cars were 20k new, then a three year old example would only be 15k. Not much a discount considering it is a 3 year old car, I have to spend my time trying to find a good example and there is risk and unknown deferred maintenance. Simply not worth it.

Cars that are expensive and depreciate quickly. Buy used.
Here it seems like their are two categories. Luxury imports and American cars that don't maintain their value. A three year old BMW that sold new for 60k might only sell for 40k. It is worth my time to save 20k for three years of depreciation and most owners of luxury high end cars usually take better care of their cars so there is less risk. Then there is the 35k Buick that might only be worth 15k used. Again, worth my time.

The Shelby doesn't really fit either category, so I think it should be a case by case basis. It is a high end car, yet doesn't really depreciate much. It is both likely to be be beaten on or lovely cared for, but probably more lovingly cared for. The question I would as myself is how much can I save, versus how much time and risk I take. This will come down to the new and used car options each buyer has.

Agreed except I'd add a C option to the bottom. I think they can be driven as intended (tracked/beaten) and still lovingly cared for. Sometimes people that are more non chant about them drive them easy/rarely, but don't take the greatest care of them either. But, I get your overall point.

 

[Nomadic]

Option D. Buy what you’re comfortable paying cash for. My Mustang is a toy. I don’t finance cars in general and definitely not toys.

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