5 previous owners a just a huge red flag?

[vaeevictiss]

Looking at a 2020 GT500, black, tech package, CF dash package, vented seats, 14780 miles, dealer's willing to do 84k even down from 86k. Seemed pretty good. Checked the Carfax last night and it's had 5 previous owners. That seems kinda crazy and not sure if that's a red flag. Some of them looked brief and it was an auction at one point so I dunno if it was just bought and flipped a few times or what. Everything else on the Carfax looks good, all regular maintenance was done, only thing extra I saw was a comment about being in for new cats. Clean title, warranty active.

Talked to a buddy that has a Shelby and pretty much lives and breathes performance cars that said that's a big red flag for him and to get a 3rd party inspection but if it checks out that's a good deal with the current market. That being said would a 3rd party inspection even matter? I've heard Ford is really good on the warranties on Shelby's.

Had found another one, about the same price, 12k miles, performance blue with white stripes and was working a deal and I get an email from the dealer saying they were selling it as we speak.

So these lower priced ones definitely don't stick around long but I've seen this black one available for weeks.

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[Bikeman315]

Looking at a 2020 GT500, black, tech package, CF dash package, vented seats, 14780 miles, dealer's willing to do 84k even down from 86k. Seemed pretty good. Checked the Carfax last night and it's had 5 previous owners. That seems kinda crazy and not sure if that's a red flag. Some of them looked brief and it was an auction at one point so I dunno if it was just bought and flipped a few times or what. Everything else on the Carfax looks good, all regular maintenance was done, only thing extra I saw was a comment about being in for new cats. Clean title, warranty active.

Talked to a buddy that has a Shelby and pretty much lives and breathes performance cars that said that's a big red flag for him and to get a 3rd party inspection but if it checks out that's a good deal with the current market. That being said would a 3rd party inspection even matter? I've heard Ford is really good on the warranties on Shelby's.

Had found another one, about the same price, 12k miles, performance blue with white stripes and was working a deal and I get an email from the dealer saying they were selling it as we speak.

So these lower priced ones definitely don't stick around long but I've seen this black one available for weeks.

Hi Sean. Why you didn’t just continue your original thread about looking at a GT500?

Anyway, five owners in two years would be a pass for me on any car. That said get an Oasis report and a third party inspection if you are really serious about the car. Also make sure the dealer is willing you sell you an ESP for a good price.

 

[vaeevictiss]

Hey I thought about it but figured it was kind of a change in topic and a new thread was appropriate.

But I am pretty hesitant on it now. That's 5 people that could have beaten on this car. Or 5 people that found an issue that was enough to get rid of it. Thinking of just pulling the plug on this one and keep searching. Hate to be a dick cause the dealer put in a ton of work in and worked up all the financing and everything but w/e.

 

[stungjoe]

five owners could mean it bounced around between dealerships. The auction part could collaborate this as well.

I traced a Mach1 that went between states via auction and the title took a hit every step of the way but the mileage barely changed.

The new cats on a boosted car would be a major red flag for me though!

 

[vaeevictiss]

five owners could mean it bounced around between dealerships. The auction part could collaborate this as well.

I traced a Mach1 that went between states vi an auction and the title took a hit every step of the way but the mileage barely changed.

The new cats on a boosted car would be a major red flag for me though!

Glad it wasn't just my overly paranoid side that was setting off some bells and whistles on this.

But I do have to ask, what would be the issue with the cats. I've owned several boosted cars and no cat issues so what would a cat problem say about the car?

 

[Justpassingas]

I don’t trust Carfax…2015 I traded in a 2014 Scion Tc to buy an Ecoboost for the wife. The Tc had been in 2 recordable accidents, bad luck car.…When I checked the dealer to see what they were asking the Carfax was clean…no mention of any accidents just a recent oil change.

 

[stungjoe]

Glad it wasn't just my overly paranoid side that was setting off some bells and whistles on this.

But I do have to ask, what would be the issue with the cats. I've owned several boosted cars and no cat issues so what would a cat problem say about the car?

Far more prevalent for aftermarket/hi-flow cats but....
Go catless with boost | 2015+ S550 Mustang Forum (GT, EcoBoost, GT350, GT500, Bullitt, Mach 1) - Mustang6G.com

 

[vaeevictiss]

I don’t trust Carfax…2015 I traded in a 2014 Scion Tc to buy an Ecoboost for the wife. The Tc had been in 2 recordable accidents, bad luck car.…When I checked the dealer to see what they were asking the Carfax was clean…no mention of any accidents just a recent oil change.

Ya, in a shitty twist in my case, when I started looking and sent my VIN over to the first dealer so they could work up a trade in value, they pulled the Carfax on mine and it showed a "minor accident". About a year ago I was sitting at a red light and a FedEx truck brushed against the rear quarter panel. It was super light and literally only rubbed paint off. No panel damage. FedEx took the blame and paid to have it fixed. Turned out they claimed it so it showed up on mine and fucked me out of potential trade in value. I went back to them and they are currently working up a diminished value claim but I don't expect much out of it.

 

[vaeevictiss]

Far more prevalent for aftermarket/hi-flow cats but....
Go catless with boost | 2015+ S550 Mustang Forum (GT, EcoBoost, GT350, GT500, Bullitt, Mach 1) - Mustang6G.com

Ya I saw that post and just figured it was aftermarket issues. Could there have been a tsb or something for cats? Found a post here about tsb and recalls and didn't see anything about cats.

 

[stungjoe]

Ya I saw that post and just figured it was aftermarket issues. Could there have been a tsb or something for cats? Found a post here about tsb and recalls and didn't see anything about cats.

Maybe, there seems to be some debate on the root causes but perhaps a combination of tuning, shoddy construction and lack of design for the aftermarket side of things. Perhaps tinkering with the tune on the OEM. Emissions for a manufacturer are far more stringent. Plus the manufacturer has to warranty emissions for a specific timeframe regardless of mileage (I think). A cat is much cheaper to replace than an engine.

 

[vaeevictiss]

Ya I just thought about the aftermarket tune thing. Carfax says the warranty is still intact but apparently Carfax can be wrong lol. Would also be pretty shitty for the dealer to not disclose that as I'm sure they would have scanned it

 

[geep81]

The biggest of red flags.

Perhaps it was a Ford buy back, but not a lemon law buy back?

I had a GT that was bought bad due to bad paint, did not qualify for lemon but Ford did buy it back instead of repaint under warranty.

That car was owned by me, owned by them, then eventually sold to a dealer in NJ at auction, then sold to someone, and finally it came to rest on the NJ lemon buyback list.

I could see that car having 4 owners in about 2 years, and I would loved to have warned anyone away from it that I could have!

After I mentioned the final resting place to my salesman he mentioned he suspected Ford would try to offload it on someone else.

 

[vaeevictiss]

Ya I'm probably out. This was the report though

https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHisto...965&compCode=bU6+QDslmSnTeTT353C71xct/1jZidEg

 

[mindo389]

I've bought cars that had multiple owners and had good luck, but not 5 owners within 3 years. Being a GT500, you can bet it has been rode hard and put up wet a few times.
Not sure what all you've negotiated, but definitely include a 3rd party inspection and a full coverage one year warranty. Not sure what Ford does about the clutch, transmission, blower and belt drive assemblies, but I'd have it covered, also. Crankshaft breakage occurs...
Carfax shows what dealerships or certain repair shops report. Also, I'm not sure if the Carfax shows where the car was originally bought and where its been since purchased the first time.
How much research you put into the car? Things such as matching serial numbers on the engine vs. the VIN should be done with this car.
Did you test drive it?
Let the engine idle for a few minutes before and after driving it. I've revved the motor high on a few inspections after the test drive, and the salesmen cringed. But I wanted to know if the engine was sound and without knocking or other issues (smoke, burned oil odors, etc.).
Look around for an automotive performance shop near you and drop by and ask them questions about what to look for on the car. Other folk on this site can assist in that area.
I bring a friend (one who knows cars) and we look for things such as a clean engine compartment, how well was the exterior and interior was cleaned and detailed, carpet odors, oil stains on the rear differential, and look inside the fender wells and suspension. I've crawled under some cars. I know, these sit low, but you can look underneath it for signs of over abuse.
We look for stress marks (slight wrinkles) on the roof and side panels, and misaligned doors, hood, trunk areas.
Perhaps have the dealer put the car on a rack for better bottom inspection. Northern cars deal with different weather environments and road conditions. So bottom rust is a concern, also.
Basically, give it a tough drill sergeant inspection. 84k is a lot of money.
The dealer only dropped 2k from their price, which I think they could do better. Hold off on buying it for a week or two. If it sells, then oh well. If not, negotiate down around 80k or less.

 

[Crew4991]

I could be very very very wrong... but I think we might be looking at this 5 owner situation a bit wrong on a 2020 Shelby GT500.

This was one of the hottest cars that came out during the whole covid used car value spike, could it be that each of the previous owners decided to buy this hot and desirable car, drive it around for a little bit, and then sell it for even more money than what they paid for it? Possibly.

IDK.. normally I would say 5 owners is a no go but we aren't talking about a regular car or even a GT. This is a Shelby GT500 with 12k miles still under Ford warranty. Its a baby!! Get a mechanic to check it out and if it is clean, I wouldn't think twice about it.

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