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What/where is the best place to buy a used 350?

mysta_sandman

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Like the title says. How did everyone go about buying a used 350?

I've been looking at CarMax (I've had good experiences prior) Cargurus etc but I'm somewhat skeptical about going back that route for the 350. What complicates it for me is that I'm only interested in specific colors and features as well.

I'm in no rush right now. I still have my modded 16. I'm also thinking I might be crazy to keep it along with getting the 350. But I know too, that if I get rid of the GT that I'll have to bring it back to stock.
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matmar

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You've got the right mindset if you're not in a rush. Although I have not purchased from Carmax, i've looked at a few 350's from there and can say they've been in good condition mechanically (from the test drive). Like you, I wanted a specific car... Black w/o stripes, tech pack, recaro's. Carmax is always on the higher end price wise and like other online dealers, will discount vehicles the longer they sit in inventory. I requested transfer on a 17 from Carmax in OK to TX ($250 which is cheap) after they dropped the price for $48k to 47k. Two days later an 18 with longer warranty and less miles popped up at a local dealer for $49.5k and i pulled the trigger on it that day.

At the end of the day if you're getting a 17 or 18 with a decent amount of warranty left and the exterior condition is in good shape (along with tire life, etc), check the carfax for any obvious concerns and go about the purchase.

Vroom/Carvana/Carmax are all basically the same... they're provide you with more photos upon request and are no-haggle. A dealer is more of a pain but you may get a better deal if your negotiating skills are good.
 

thill444

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I used Cargurus, Autotrader, Cars.com and Facebook Marketplace, etc. I found that not all dealers list on those sites and not all private sellers, so hit as many search engines as possible. Cargurus is nice because it tell you how long the car has been for sale which lets you negotiate. I ultimately found my used GT350 on Cargurus and the car was about 100 miles from my house (two states away).
 
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mysta_sandman

mysta_sandman

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Thanks for the replies.

I actually bought my GT through CarMax and traded my old one in for a good price. It was smooth and I was considering them again.

The only thing that made me skeptical is that right off the jump, I knew I needed a new control arm/tie rod when I bought the GT. I always think in my head, "drove hard and put home wet" with any GT/Vette etc.

I wish CarMax would negotiate as (and I work a ton of OT) I plan on putting down a good chunk of money.
 

thill444

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Thanks for the replies.

I actually bought my GT through CarMax and traded my old one in for a good price. It was smooth and I was considering them again.

The only thing that made me skeptical is that right off the jump, I knew I needed a new control arm/tie rod when I bought the GT. I always think in my head, "drove hard and put home wet" with any GT/Vette etc.

I wish CarMax would negotiate as (and I work a ton of OT) I plan on putting down a good chunk of money.
Yeah I looked into Carmax, but they were several thousand more than the car I bought and had more miles. Just be patient. The car I bought was a 2018 w/1400 miles (this was about 4 months ago). Was the color and options I wanted (black, tech pack, Recaro seats). Dealer listed it at $55K. The told me they would do $52K. I told them $49K take it or leave it and a week after giving that price they agreed. Went to go pick it up and they drilled the front bumper for a license plate so I knocked another $1K off to $48K. This was at a Cadillac dealer and the car was in perfect condition. Not a rock chip, scratch, etc.
 

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Shift

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Yeah I looked into Carmax, but they were several thousand more than the car I bought and had more miles. Just be patient. The car I bought was a 2018 w/1400 miles (this was about 4 months ago). Was the color and options I wanted (black, tech pack, Recaro seats). Dealer listed it at $55K. The told me they would do $52K. I told them $49K take it or leave it and a week after giving that price they agreed. Went to go pick it up and they drilled the front bumper for a license plate so I knocked another $1K off to $48K. This was at a Cadillac dealer and the car was in perfect condition. Not a rock chip, scratch, etc.
I love that it cost the dealer $1k to drill that bumper :cwl:
 
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mysta_sandman

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Yeah I looked into Carmax, but they were several thousand more than the car I bought and had more miles. Just be patient. The car I bought was a 2018 w/1400 miles (this was about 4 months ago). Was the color and options I wanted (black, tech pack, Recaro seats). Dealer listed it at $55K. The told me they would do $52K. I told them $49K take it or leave it and a week after giving that price they agreed. Went to go pick it up and they drilled the front bumper for a license plate so I knocked another $1K off to $48K. This was at a Cadillac dealer and the car was in perfect condition. Not a rock chip, scratch, etc.
What's odd is that CarMax is priced similarly to the dealers in my area.

There's an 18 30 mins south of me going for 50k and a 17' 20 mins north going for 51k.

I could get a 17 through CM for 46-48k with similar options and mileage. It's odd lol
 

BadKarma!

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What's odd is that CarMax is priced similarly to the dealers in my area.

There's an 18 30 mins south of me going for 50k and a 17' 20 mins north going for 51k.

I could get a 17 through CM for 46-48k with similar options and mileage. It's odd lol


I bought my car here on the forum. It was a great experience between two enthusiasts and I knew the car was well taken care of. I would absolutely do it again.

Just my $.02.

Mike
 

Bluelightning

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I was looking for a few months for a specific 350 after my '18 GT PP got totaled. I wanted Lightning Blue (same color as my '18, and my favorite color), no recaros, and preferably white stripes. I searched pretty much all the car sites such as Autotrader.com, Cars.com, Carmax, etc... Only found a couple that met the one that I wanted, and they were all pretty far from my house. Found an '18 on Autotrader up in Dallas, but it had sold within a couple of days of the dealer taking it in, so I missed that one. I was up visiting my sister just outside of Dallas a couple of weeks ago, and on my drive into her place, I caught a little flash of blue out of the corner of my eye while driving past the BWM dealer there. I swung in to take a look, expecting it to be a '17 or '18 GT, but it turned out to be a '17 350 in Lightning Blue with the exact specs I was looking for, and only 2,092 miles on it and in perfect condition. They were closed, so I went in the next morning to see the price as I couldn't find the car advertised anywhere. Price was right, so I took it home. If you're patient, you'll find what you are looking for.
 
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mysta_sandman

mysta_sandman

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I bought my car here on the forum. It was a great experience between two enthusiasts and I knew the car was well taken care of. I would absolutely do it again.

Just my $.02.

Mike
That would acrualy be awesome. If I see anything near MA I'd do that for sure.

I'm in no rush. I'm still planning on next year or the one after like in my prior post. I just have that 350 itch that my GT can't scratch lol
 

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BadKarma!

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That would acrualy be awesome. If I see anything near MA I'd do that for sure.

I'm in no rush. I'm still planning on next year or the one after like in my prior post. I just have that 350 itch that my GT can't scratch lol
I hear you. I see GT350's and R's listed out of MA every so often. For me, I made a quick flight to Houston with a buddy and drove the car home from TX in 2.5 days w/o pushing it. It was a great time and well worth it. That said, absolutely take your time and keep your eye on this forum's "Mustangs For Sale" page. You will learn about every mile put on the car that you are interested in.

Cheers,

Mike
 
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mysta_sandman

mysta_sandman

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I hear you. I see GT350's and R's listed out of MA every so often. For me, I made a quick flight to Houston with a buddy and drove the car home from TX in 2.5 days w/o pushing it. It was a great time and well worth it. That said, absolutely take your time and keep your eye on this forum's "Mustangs For Sale" page. You will learn about every mile put on the car that you are interested in.

Cheers,

Mike
I'm actually trying to time it for when my dad gets his. He has a 19' GT and we're both thinking of grabbing a 350.

I've thought about flying down to him in FL and grabbing one there then driving back to MA
 

thill444

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What's odd is that CarMax is priced similarly to the dealers in my area.

There's an 18 30 mins south of me going for 50k and a 17' 20 mins north going for 51k.

I could get a 17 through CM for 46-48k with similar options and mileage. It's odd lol
The difference is CarMax won't negotiate and those other dealers likely will. It took me about 3 weeks total to get my car at the price I wanted. Dealer was motivated though because it was November in New England and they knew the car could sit for another 4-5 months due to Winter.
 
 




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