Talk Me Out Of Test Driving A GT350

[Mach 307]

Looks like the car has been sold!

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[DCShelby]

Yes clean 19 and 20’s sell fast now, now thst it’s summer

 

[Mach 307]

Yes clean 19 and 20’s sell fast now, now thst it’s summer

I wonder if they got the full $84,900. Seems quite a bit overpriced to me given the underside corrosion, original tires, and mileage. Cleaner ones have sold for $75-77k on BAT this year.

 

[MAGS1]

I wonder if they got the full $84,900. Seems quite a bit overpriced to me given the underside corrosion, original tires, and mileage. Cleaner ones have sold for $75-77k on BAT this year.

I bet they did. Not many come up for sale, they move quick and people are willing to pay. The undercarriage wouldn’t have bothered me at all on that car

 

[DCShelby]

The undercarriage was not bad. It was just a bit of surface rust. Modern cars are not like the Rustangs I built as a teenager.

 

[HoldenSSVandGT350]

I wonder if they got the full $84,900. Seems quite a bit overpriced to me given the underside corrosion, original tires, and mileage. Cleaner ones have sold for $75-77k on BAT this year.

Underside was totally fine unless you’re trying for concourse show status. And the 6-7 yr old Sport Cups could be totally fine if garage kept and not showing any sign of tread cracking/dry rotting.

 

[FISH22]

Underside corrosion looked superficial. Common on any car getting used, especially up north. Plenty of solutions to mitigate this, even if it already started.

I paid a good amount for my 10k mile GT350 Heritage a couple years ago. Showed plenty of usage on the undercarriage. Didn’t bat an eye.

This whole perfection/garage queen culture is obnoxious. I drive the piss out of my cars, they sit outside quite a bit, but are detailed and maintained at an OCD level. Living life.

 

[PP0001]

Underside corrosion looked superficial. Common on any car getting used, especially up north. Plenty of solutions to mitigate this, even if it already started.

I paid a good amount for my 10k mile GT350 Heritage a couple years ago. Showed plenty of usage on the undercarriage. Didn’t bat an eye.

This whole perfection/garage queen culture is obnoxious. I drive the piss out of my cars, they sit outside quite a bit, but are detailed and maintained at an OCD level. Living life.

Don't disagree that the undercarriage corrosion was not a deal breaker with respect to possibly purchasing this 4-seat 2020 GT350 HEP, but when looking at the entire scenario I suggest that this 26-year-old Mustang enthusiast made the right decision by walking away.

Here you have a Ford dealership selling a 3-owner Mustang Shelby GT350 HEP for ~$12,000 over MSRP, has no existing warranties, comes with 6-year-old tires, incorrect Red Brembo brake calipers, possibly modified exhaust system, a 14% finance interest rate and no test drive allowed prior to making an offer.

What could possibly go wrong and sure sounds like one smoking deal to me!

 

[MAGS1]

Don't disagree that the undercarriage corrosion was not a deal breaker with respect to possibly purchasing this 4-seat 2020 GT350 HEP, but when looking at the entire scenario I suggest that this 26-year-old Mustang enthusiast made the right decision by walking away.

Here you have a Ford dealership selling a 3-owner Mustang Shelby GT350 HEP for ~$12,000 over MSRP, has no existing warranties, comes with 6-year-old tires, incorrect Red Brembo brake calipers, possibly modified exhaust system, a 14% finance interest rate and no test drive allowed prior to making an offer.

What could possibly go wrong and sure sounds like one smoking deal to me!

The original ask of $80k was about right for what clean, low mileage 2020 350’s are going for around here. The fact they increased the price as soon as he left felt a bit shady to me. $84K for a clean, low mile HEP (even with the brakes and x pipe mods) isn’t outrageous, but to me the $80K felt right just based on sales I’ve seen here locally.

Im assuming one of the prior owners swapped over the R calipers, maybe they liked red instead of black? The mid pipe also looked like a quality install based on the pictures I saw. Car also came with the cover and owners kit, so the prior owners at least knew what they had and wanted to make sure the next owner got the complete package.

The test drive (or lack thereof) and interest rate is what really blew my mind. I somewhat get it with the test drive, most 26 year olds aren’t driving those types of cars. But, he rolled up in a really nice Mach and was a serious potential buyer. That should be enough for a test drive, have the sales person go with if they’re that worried about it. The rate was just a straight ripoff. Dealer had to be getting a big kicker on that one.

He’s a smart kid and at the end of the day, made the right decision. There will be other opportunities that pop up, hopefully he gets treated fairly next time. We’ve all been there as young drivers/buyers.

 

[DCShelby]

Plus I bet a 25 year old would be paying sky high car insurance on that car for his age.

 

[MachNroll]

The original ask of $80k was about right for what clean, low mileage 2020 350’s are going for around here. The fact they increased the price as soon as he left felt a bit shady to me. $84K for a clean, low mile HEP (even with the brakes and x pipe mods) isn’t outrageous, but to me the $80K felt right just based on sales I’ve seen here locally.

Im assuming one of the prior owners swapped over the R calipers, maybe they liked red instead of black? The mid pipe also looked like a quality install based on the pictures I saw. Car also came with the cover and owners kit, so the prior owners at least knew what they had and wanted to make sure the next owner got the complete package.

The test drive (or lack thereof) and interest rate is what really blew my mind. I somewhat get it with the test drive, most 26 year olds aren’t driving those types of cars. But, he rolled up in a really nice Mach and was a serious potential buyer. That should be enough for a test drive, have the sales person go with if they’re that worried about it. The rate was just a straight ripoff. Dealer had to be getting a big kicker on that one.

He’s a smart kid and at the end of the day, made the right decision. There will be other opportunities that pop up, hopefully he gets treated fairly next time. We’ve all been there as young drivers/buyers.

If I were in the market to buy a car from a dealership today, I would negotiate the out the door sale price first without initially disclosing if I was going to do a trade-in or finance with them. If I was generally satisfied with the out the door price (and if I made it that far because dealers want to know first if there will be a trade and finance component - where in the deal are they going to make their money - if not here then there. etc...) then I would negotiate the trade in value of my current car. If I was satisfied with the trade in offer then I would ask for their best finance rate and ask them to show me how much they are making on the rate (their loan buy rate). If I was satisfied with the finance rate (i.e. competitive with my credit union and I'm not paying 9% on a 5% deal) I would do the deal, and perhaps haggle a bit on the fees, prep costs, dealer add -ons, etc. Then there is the whole finance manager experience. The last stop for them to make money, especially if they didn't make a lot on the sales price/trade/finance loan rate. Personally, hard no for me. If I want an ESP I will shop around post sale and truly get the best price I can.

From my experience, dealers oftentimes will not do business with someone who negotiates one deal segment at a time and will move on to the next customer who is more likely to get fleeced due to their inexperience.

These dealerships always make money on the deals, even those deals where fair and transparent negotiations occur.

This all being said; Always be ready to walk out the door and if something doesn't feel right or reasonable (no test drive even with sales person in the vehicle) move on.

 

[Inthehighdesert]

There’s a good way to negotiate and a bad way, obviously. That said it really comes down to someones approach and what they put off. Funny part is most dealers can spot a professional person in the first 30 seconds of an interaction. Conversely they can spot the chip on the shoulder as well. Business people do deals fairly quickly and easily, just the nature of the beast for the most part. One of the really ironic deals with people and car dealers is they think they shouldn’t make any money or a few grand on a lets say a 50-60k car is a lot all the while they’re standing in a facility in many cases which is in excess of 20-25 mil and literally employs 100 plus people. We all have to make money to live and survive and once that reality is accepted the rest is pretty simple. Now the clown show the op was dealing with is just that. I always tried to treat people respectfully and professionally, but I had very little patience or time for the nonsense. The absolute best way to make any purchase is to eliminate the trade, and the absolute worst is to be upside down. My favorite from people was always I have cash. Buying any kind of limited production vehicle at a franchise dealer is a crap shoot at best. Generally the good dealerships, there sales staff is professional as well. A jackass sales manager comes out in spades in the subordinate sales staff.

If I were in the market to buy a car from a dealership today, I would negotiate the out the door sale price first without initially disclosing if I was going to do a trade-in or finance with them. If I was generally satisfied with the out the door price (and if I made it that far because dealers want to know first if there will be a trade and finance component - where in the deal are they going to make their money - if not here then there. etc...) then I would negotiate the trade in value of my current car. If I was satisfied with the trade in offer then I would ask for their best finance rate and ask them to show me how much they are making on the rate (their loan buy rate). If I was satisfied with the finance rate (i.e. competitive with my credit union and I'm not paying 9% on a 5% deal) I would do the deal, and perhaps haggle a bit on the fees, prep costs, dealer add -ons, etc. Then there is the whole finance manager experience. The last stop for them to make money, especially if they didn't make a lot on the sales price/trade/finance loan rate. Personally, hard no for me. If I want an ESP I will shop around post sale and truly get the best price I can.

From my experience, dealers oftentimes will not do business with someone who negotiates one deal segment at a time and will move on to the next customer who is more likely to get fleeced due to their inexperience.

These dealerships always make money on the deals, even those deals where fair and transparent negotiations occur.

This all being said; Always be ready to walk out the door and if something doesn't feel right or reasonable (no test drive even with sales person in the vehicle) move on.

 

[MachNroll]

There’s a good way to negotiate and a bad way, obviously. That said it really comes down to someones approach and what they put off. Funny part is most dealers can spot a professional person in the first 30 seconds of an interaction. Conversely they can spot the chip on the shoulder as well. Business people do deals fairly quickly and easily, just the nature of the beast for the most part. One of the really ironic deals with people and car dealers is they think they shouldn’t make any money or a few grand on a lets say a 50-60k car is a lot all the while they’re standing in a facility in many cases which is in excess of 20-25 mil and literally employs 100 plus people. We all have to make money to live and survive and once that reality is accepted the rest is pretty simple. Now the clown show the op was dealing with is just that. I always tried to treat people respectfully and professionally, but I had very little patience or time for the nonsense. The absolute best way to make any purchase is to eliminate the trade, and the absolute worst is to be upside down. My favorite from people was always I have cash. Buying any kind of limited production vehicle at a franchise dealer is a crap shoot at best. Generally the good dealerships, there sales staff is professional as well. A jackass sales manager comes out in spades in the subordinate sales staff.

I hear you and like your perspective. Being decent/kind is part of the equation for sure and it works both ways. Personally, I just like clarity each step of the way in these types of transactions. I expect the dealership to make money, just not in a ridiculous way off of me. The best car deal I ever did (as a customer) was via text message with the dealership sales manager. We reached agreement on all aspects of the deal. I drove 4 hours to the dealership, inspected and drove the car, signed the paperwork and back on the road. Loved it and would buy from them again in a heartbeat.

Got home, noticed that the delivery prep guy tore the window tint while removing a sticker, texted the sales manager, and I got a check in the mail from them to cover the cost of replacement of said tint. Great experience all around and I know that they made some money off of the deal.

BTW, I like your cars!

 

[Inthehighdesert]

It’s ironic because a happy customer will refer you new ones, but one that had an issue and it was corrected or taken care of will actually make the sales for you simply because how they were taken care of. I still go back to the same dealer(mesa)mostly for trucks, that is out of state simply because there’s no bs and they’re so professional. Appreciate the compliment, really like the Mach 1’s as well. Your’s has a great color combo.

I hear you and like your perspective. Being decent/kind is part of the equation for sure and it works both ways. Personally, I just like clarity each step of the way in these types of transactions. I expect the dealership to make money, just not in a ridiculous way off of me. The best car deal I ever did (as a customer) was via text message with the dealership sales manager. We reached agreement on all aspects of the deal. I drove 4 hours to the dealership, inspected and drove the car, signed the paperwork and back on the road. Loved it and would buy from them again in a heartbeat.

Got home, noticed that the delivery prep guy tore the window tint while removing a sticker, texted the sales manager, and I got a check in the mail from them to cover the cost of replacement of said tint. Great experience all around and I know that they made some money off of the deal.

BTW, I like your cars!

 

[ParkCity06]

I purchased a Ford ESP Premium Care plan about 6 months ago. Extended warranty by 4 years and 48,000 miles. As I only drive it a couple thousand miles a year--didn't need much more.

Maybe Ford has stopped offering since then on GT350s?

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