2018 LFG vs 2020 Shadow Black Purchasing Decision

[crazybrokenmike]

Thanks for the add to forum.. and I will apologize ahead of time if this is in the wrong section.. I am hunting down a GT350 to have as a play car..

Hitting a bit of dilemma.. There is a 2018 Leadfoot Grey with Black stripes with the tech pack in MD that has 10K miles and is $56K with Blue CPO (4k Miles/4months) and is in immaculate condition. I called the couple dealers on the carfax to validate history.. had an airbag sensor replaced, battery replaced upon receipt, and AC Compressor replaced. Otherwise its clean as a whistle. Still on the stock Gen1 motor with a build date of 10/2017 on the sticker. I have done enough digging on this one that I think my eyes are bleed. Test drove it and it drove fantastic.

Flip side is there is a Shadow Black 2020 with tech pack, comfort seats, track pack (dealer installed), premium sound system with 24K miles at $58.9K that appears to be super clean. The background on this one is murky.. service records are super sparse... the original sale out of Koons Sterling in VA, then 24K miles later it was listed for sale in Koons Baltimore.. where it did sell and ended up going to auction where it was picked up by the dealer its currently sitting at. Running it through Badvin the pictures show vehicle that APPEARS to be very well kept. Current dealer said they had to replace the brakes when they received it..

I am going to test drive it tomorrow to validate driving condition. but I have concerns that in todays age where almost every autoshop reports back to Carfax (or the database that carfax pulls from)there is nothing. Of course the previous owner could have done the oil changes themselves.

Assuming it drives good.. I am torn on throwing the dice with a 2018 that has an immaculate service record but has the Gen1 motor.. or the 2020 that has no real history but has the gen2 motor plus the 2020 updates...


Thoughts?

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[pilotgore]

Thanks for the add to forum.. and I will apologize ahead of time if this is in the wrong section.. I am hunting down a GT350 to have as a play car..

Hitting a bit of dilemma.. There is a 2018 Leadfoot Grey with Black stripes with the tech pack in MD that has 10K miles and is $56K with Blue CPO (4k Miles/4months) and is in immaculate condition. I called the couple dealers on the carfax to validate history.. had an airbag sensor replaced, battery replaced upon receipt, and AC Compressor replaced. Otherwise its clean as a whistle. Still on the stock Gen1 motor with a build date of 10/2017 on the sticker. I have done enough digging on this one that I think my eyes are bleed. Test drove it and it drove fantastic.

Flip side is there is a Shadow Black 2020 with tech pack, comfort seats, track pack (dealer installed), premium sound system with 24K miles at $58.9K that appears to be super clean. The background on this one is murky.. service records are super sparse... the original sale out of Koons Sterling in VA, then 24K miles later it was listed for sale in Koons Baltimore.. where it did sell and ended up going to auction where it was picked up by the dealer its currently sitting at. Running it through Badvin the pictures show vehicle that APPEARS to be very well kept. Current dealer said they had to replace the brakes when they received it..

I am going to test drive it tomorrow to validate driving condition. but I have concerns that in todays age where almost every autoshop reports back to Carfax (or the database that carfax pulls from)there is nothing. Of course the previous owner could have done the oil changes themselves.

Assuming it drives good.. I am torn on throwing the dice with a 2018 that has an immaculate service record but has the Gen1 motor.. or the 2020 that has no real history but has the gen2 motor plus the 2020 updates...


Thoughts?

How much warranty is left in the 2020 car?

 

[Inthehighdesert]

I wouldn’t think something is wrong because some one did their own maintenance. My cars only go in for warranty, nothing else. Generally speaking if a vehicle presents very well from a cosmetic standpoint the maintenace was done correctly as well. There’s still those out there that prefer doing things themselves and have the knowledge and means to do so. I’d personally rather have the 20 over the 18 but if the leadfoot grey is really what you’re after the 18 wouldn’t be an issue. An extended warranty on the 20 wouldn’t be that bad cost wise either.

 

[crazybrokenmike]

How much warranty is left in the 2020 car?

Looks like it was first sold August of 2020. So it should have 8 months or so left. I can call a service center Monday to verify.

 

[crazybrokenmike]

I don’t necessarily think anything is wrong because there are no service records. Just very few folks now a days do their own work.

That said, I do almost all my own oil changes but I do keep receipts with documented mileage on them incase the next owners cares

 

[pilotgore]

Looks like it was first sold August of 2020. So it should have 8 months or so left. I can call a service center Monday to verify.

8 months left, and the ability to extend the warranty with a Ford ESP warranty if you’re so inclined. Personally, if the purchase price is remotely close and the color isn’t a massive factor, I’m going for the 2020. Better suspension tuning, better functionality in the stereo, better options, 2019 SWING instead of the spoiler, 2019+ engine which may help with peace of mind, etc.

I’d find out what tires the 2020 currently has. I worked for a car dealer many years ago, and he used to constantly remind me that you can tell a lot about a car owner by the tires on their car. Are the tires in good condition? The 2019+’s came with Michelin Cup 2’s, which even with uber conservative driving it’s rare to get more than 12k miles from a set. So… did the previous owner replace them with factory cup 2’s (which likely means they didn’t spare any expense when it came to maintaining the car,) did they replace them with Michelin pilot super sports (which shows they wanted a good performance tire with 4x the mileage of the cup 2, sacrificing a small amount of grip,) or did they go with something cheaper to save money?

Many owners on this forum perform their own basics maintenance (including myself before I sold my car.). In fact, I sell oil change kits (3D printed oil filter guide and custom oil adding funnel) so I can tell you at least 700 gt350/gt500 owners change their own oil, and they're willing to spend a little extra for a better/cleaner experience.

Hope this is even a little helpful.

 

[crazybrokenmike]

8 months left, and the ability to extend the warranty with a Ford ESP warranty if you’re so inclined. Personally, if the purchase price is remotely close and the color isn’t a massive factor, I’m going for the 2020. Better suspension tuning, better functionality in the stereo, better options, 2019 SWING instead of the spoiler, 2019+ engine which may help with peace of mind, etc.

I’d find out what tires the 2020 currently has. I worked for a car dealer many years ago, and he used to constantly remind me that you can tell a lot about a car owner by the tires on their car. Are the tires in good condition? The 2019+’s came with Michelin Cup 2’s, which even with uber conservative driving it’s rare to get more than 12k miles from a set. So… did the previous owner replace them with factory cup 2’s (which likely means they didn’t spare any expense when it came to maintaining the car,) did they replace them with Michelin pilot super sports (which shows they wanted a good performance tire with 4x the mileage of the cup 2, sacrificing a small amount of grip,) or did they go with something cheaper to save money?

Many owners on this forum perform their own basics maintenance (including myself before I sold my car.). In fact, I sell oil change kits (3D printed oil filter guide and custom oil adding funnel) so I can tell you at least 700 gt350/gt500 owners change their own oil, and they're willing to spend a little extra for a better/cleaner experience.

Hope this is even a little helpful.

Thanks for the info!! I’ve been following these for awhile (since they came out lol) and is a bucket list item for me. I’ve tracked the changes over the years and follow a lot of the online info. So I’m tracking everything you’re saying and appreciate the additional guidance.

IF everything goes right today, maybe I’ll be walking away with a new to me GT350.

 

[Davesvt2000]

The 18 has 10,000 miles, I wouldn’t worry about engine issues, it seems if they were going to go / oil consumption, engine replacement, it would be known issue right away in early miles of ownership.

And the same could be said for the 2020. If it had issues it would known early on.

Seeing how both are original motors, I would find comfort in that when choosing.

For me, it would be the LFG since it’s a one year only color, vs black which is available all years.

 

[crazybrokenmike]

The 18 has 10,000 miles, I wouldn’t worry about engine issues, it seems if they were going to go / oil consumption, engine replacement, it would be known issue right away in early miles of ownership.

And the same could be said for the 2020. If it had issues it would known early on.

Seeing how both are original motors, I would find comfort in that when choosing.

For me, it would be the LFG since it’s a one year only color, vs black which is available all years.

 

[loucas-2021]

The car looks really clean. I love that color too. Hope you get it!

 

[TonyT930]

Thanks for the add to forum.. and I will apologize ahead of time if this is in the wrong section.. I am hunting down a GT350 to have as a play car..

Hitting a bit of dilemma.. There is a 2018 Leadfoot Grey with Black stripes with the tech pack in MD that has 10K miles and is $56K with Blue CPO (4k Miles/4months) and is in immaculate condition. I called the couple dealers on the carfax to validate history.. had an airbag sensor replaced, battery replaced upon receipt, and AC Compressor replaced. Otherwise its clean as a whistle. Still on the stock Gen1 motor with a build date of 10/2017 on the sticker. I have done enough digging on this one that I think my eyes are bleed. Test drove it and it drove fantastic.

Flip side is there is a Shadow Black 2020 with tech pack, comfort seats, track pack (dealer installed), premium sound system with 24K miles at $58.9K that appears to be super clean. The background on this one is murky.. service records are super sparse... the original sale out of Koons Sterling in VA, then 24K miles later it was listed for sale in Koons Baltimore.. where it did sell and ended up going to auction where it was picked up by the dealer its currently sitting at. Running it through Badvin the pictures show vehicle that APPEARS to be very well kept. Current dealer said they had to replace the brakes when they received it..

I am going to test drive it tomorrow to validate driving condition. but I have concerns that in todays age where almost every autoshop reports back to Carfax (or the database that carfax pulls from)there is nothing. Of course the previous owner could have done the oil changes themselves.

Assuming it drives good.. I am torn on throwing the dice with a 2018 that has an immaculate service record but has the Gen1 motor.. or the 2020 that has no real history but has the gen2 motor plus the 2020 updates...


Thoughts?

Maybe consider an Gold Allstate aftermarket extended warranty. It's excellent. Even the Ford service depth at my dealership said that it was top notch and easier to get stuff covered than the Ford ESP. And mine is zero deductible.

 

[TonyT930]

Maybe consider an Gold Allstate aftermarket extended warranty. It's excellent. Even the Ford service depth at my dealership said that it was top notch and easier to get stuff covered than the Ford ESP. And mine is zero deductible.

department*

 

[DRIVEN]

Good luck man !! It's a frigg'n awesome car.

 

[crazybrokenmike]

Took a look at the 2020.. I am going to throw an offer at the dealer for the 2018 LFG.. we will see what happens.

Seems to be hard finding one of these GT350's in the dealer space that isn't beat up for have issues. There are a couple in the area but the LFG seems to be the better kept of them.

Thanks everyone for info! Greatly appreciate the insights.

 

[wingnutt]

Tough call as only 3k between them…but I’m for the LFG all day

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