Need help with modified used GT purchase

[LOL WUT]

A base model GT with 60,000 miles and a Roush SC for 30ish grand.. no thanks. I’d much rather find an NA example with lower miles and limited mods and build it up.

But if you’re shooting for a higher HP Mustang with a budget of 30k, good luck. There’s been a lot of posts on this forum over the years that go something like “I just bought this pristine modded car, it was great until I couldn’t make it home.”

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[LOL WUT]

Ok on my continued search what is everyones idea of a 2009 Shelby GT500 in pristine condition 37K miles with the below modifications? No sub in the trunk smh lol

Modifications:

JLT COLD AIR INTAKE
KOOKS STAINLESS STEEL LONGTUBE HEADERS
KOOKS STAINLESS STEEL HIGH FLOW MID-PIPE
MAGNAFLOW TOURING SERIES AXLEBACK EXHAUST SYSTEM
QTP ELECTRIC CUTOUT WITH SWITCH INSIDE CENTER CONSOLE
JLT OIL CATCH CAN
FORD RACING PERFORMANCE CROSS-DRILLED & SLOTTED BRKE ROTORS
EIBACH LOWERING SPRINGS
SHELBY AMERICAN QUARTER PANEL AIR SCOPS (PAINT MATCHED)
SHELBY AMERICAN FRONT LOWER GRILLE BRAKE COOLING DUCT VANITY RINGS
RAXIOM UPGRADED LED TAIL LIGHTS
LLOYDS PREMIUM FLOOR MATS
TINTED WINDOWS

Link? Hard to make an informed reply with no photos or price.

 

[Bikeman315]

Link? Hard to make an informed reply with no photos or price.

OP’s request for help on the S550 was reasonable. But after everything that was said about that car he comes back with this. Nope, I’m out of here.

 

[ZLwhat]

Thanks everyone with actual legitimate opinions about the car in question. I'll be test driving it Friday morning and will make my decision from there.

 

[Crew4991]

There’s been a lot of posts on this forum over the years that go something like “I just bought this pristine modded car, it was great until I couldn’t make it home.”

Yeah that couldn't make it home part is kind of important. Also, the phrase a lot of posts ... over the years is probably an understatement, pretty sure it happens at least once a week! LOL

 

[ZLwhat]

Yeah that couldn't make it home part is kind of important. Also, the phrase a lot of posts ... over the years is probably an understatement, pretty sure it happens at least once a week! LOL

Not sure what forums are for if you can't come to them asking for help/information. I get it, do your due diligence when buying any used car, but you guys complaining about helping people in our own community are very unhelpful.

 

[RNM]

Not sure what forums are for if you can't come to them asking for help/information. I get it, do your due diligence when buying any used car, but you guys complaining about helping people in our own community are very unhelpful.

That Roush car is totally awesome and you should buy it immediately!

 

[Crew4991]

Not sure what forums are for if you can't come to them asking for help/information. I get it, do your due diligence when buying any used car, but you guys complaining about helping people in our own community are very unhelpful.

No, that is not what I am saying. My point is definitely do your due diligence and be skeptical of any used car; extremely skeptical of any modded car.

You are doing that OP, which is good. Most don't and then end up here complaining about a mistake they walked themselves into. Happens way too frequently and I can't emphasize that enough.
I refuse to buy modded/tuned cars and always pay up for mechanics to thoroughly inspect a vehicle, even though I work on cars myself. Always better to have a second pair of eyes.

For those that do enjoy buying modded/tuned vehicles, they seem to not factor in any additional risk of things going wrong. Don't budget just the price of the vehicle, budget the price of the vehicle + an extra 15-20% in worst case scenario expenses to get the vehicle in running condition.
I simply don't want you to be one of those that come back her in a month or so after the purchase is made regretting your decision.

 

[coffeehound]

Jesus, do people just buy complete shitboxes on here and everyone jumps to conclusions haha....the interior in my opinion is kind of weird, are those seat covers or is that actually the way they came from the factory?

Those seats are absolutely hideous, of course that's just my opinion, which doesn't mean much.

The rest of the car looks pretty clean, but there's always a huge risk when buying a car with forced induction, particularly one that was set up by a prior owner and not OEM from the factory.

My wife recently bought a 2015 Mustang GT permium with the 50th anniversary package (sight unseen) Racing Red with a 6 speed. I did all the research I could do on the car online (Carfax, Factory Window Sticker, etc) and told her to go ahead and take a chance on it.

From the looks of it, once we actually had the car delivered on Christams Eve, it came with one of the factory performance packs.

The day it was delivered, we washed it and gave it a thorough once over.

This car was clearly a garage queen, it only had 19,000 miles on it (and 2 prior owners).

She's had it about 6 weeks now & I feel we got extremely lucky with hers.

Point being there is risk with any used car purchase, but that risk goes up exponentially, when you factor in, owner-added forced induction.

As many others have said, at a bare minimum, I'd have a compression test done, along with a thorough test drive, before pulling the trigger.

 

[ZLwhat]

That Roush car is totally awesome and you should buy it immediately!

You're probably one of the most worthless forum members on here lol

 

[ZLwhat]

Those seats are absolutely hideous.

The rest of the car looks pretty clean, but there's always a huge risk when buying a car with forced induction, particularly one that was set up by a prior owner and not OEM from the factory.

I agree, but people pay high performance shops all the time to install things of this nature with no issues. And the seats will be the first to go if I end up buying it.

 

[vinny89gt]

Still seeking validation I see.

 

[coffeehound]

I agree, but people pay high performance shops all the time to install things of this nature with no issues. And the seats will be the first to go if I end up buying it.

If you want to take a chance & have the money to spend, roll the dice and give it a shot.

My only suggestion is, make sure you make the purchase with your eyes wide open.

It could turn out to be the steal of the century - or one gigantic headache.

I'll share a true & recent story with you @ZLwhat

When I was looking for the Mustang GT that I just bought a little over 2 weeks ago, I was looking at a Black 2015 Mustang GT Premium, 5.0L 6 speed with 3.55 gears from the factory, 3 prior owners and a little over 19,000 Miles on the Odometer.

The car looked very clean and I couldn't really see any modifcations in the photos, it was priced about the same as this one that you're looking at.

Similar to your current situation, the dealership did not know the history of the vehicle and the main sales guy I was dealing with, was somewhat short & snide with some of his answers, to my many questions over the phone.

Also somewhat of a concern to me, was that this car had been sitting at this dealership, for about 3 months, which I thought was unusual, considering the mileage and the price-point, of this particular Mustang.

So, I made an appointment to see it, I drove 2 hours to look at it and test drive it.

Well once I got there, I could tell that the car had actually been lowered (red flag # 1) and the suspension had obviously been modified, with some aftermarket coil-overs & who knows what else - but the tops of the aftermarket coil-overs were easy to spot in the engine bay, looking at it in person.

It also had even lower profile tires on it, then what it came with from the factory (red flag # 2).

Had it have been done correctly, lowering the car may not have been an issue, but Mustangs don't have a lot of ground clearance to start with, so, I wasn't a fan of seeing the car lowered.

The sales guy I had been talking to all along (who knew I was coming) conveniently decided to take the day off, so I was now dealing with another salesman. (red flag # 3)
This was on a Friday afternoon, for anybody who may be curious.

Again, I couldn't discern any of the modifications, from the photos on the dealer's website.

So, I took it for a test drive and THAT'S when some of the Gremlins, really revealed themselves.

Every time I would hit the gas, this car would just absolutely roast the tires.

Even when the car was already moving in 2nd gear, if stomped on the gas, the car would break loose.

The dealer offered to knock another $1K off the price for new tires, but I said "no thanks" and left.

The point of me telling you this long-winded story, is that sometimes there are issues going on, that you just can't see in photos or videos.

I'd recommend going to look at the car in person, take it for a test drive & have a compression test done.

If nothing unusual presents itself and you feel good about it, go ahead and take a chance on it.

But, if there is ANYTHING about it that makes you raise an eyebrow, move on & keep looking.

 

[LOL WUT]

Not sure what forums are for if you can't come to them asking for help/information. I get it, do your due diligence when buying any used car, but you guys complaining about helping people in our own community are very unhelpful.

I don’t see anyone complaining about giving you their opinion, which in their mind is helping. You asked for opinions and you’re getting them. It’s not our fault if you don’t like what you’re hearing.

Regardless, forums are precisely for this; to get opinions and guidance from others. I hope the car is awesome and is everything you want when you check it out.

 

[cerbomark]

I would run from that car but how lucky do you feel? It s a gamble. Mustang, modified, no history????

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