Buying GT350 - Important Questions

[R3v]

Hello there,

fellow European here. I want to buy a GT350 and ship it over to the Europe. Before I do that, I have few important questions since the vehicle will have no official warranty here even though regular Mustangs are being sold in the EU. I want to get 2019 model because of engine tweaks.

Questions:
1. Are the engine issues solved in 2019? I've read all the engines are now the R engine with stronger internals. Is there any specific date after they started putting the new engine into MY2019 or was that since the Day 1 of the production?

2. I've read ton about engine failures prior to 2019, were they really that prevalent? Judging on this forum, it looks like 50% of engines failed.

3. Are there any specific recalls/issues I should be aware of and check if they were done before buying?

I will be probably getting one slightly used, few k miles on it. This is really important to me since I need to be 100% sure the engine won't fail since there will be no warranty here in the Europe.

Thanks.

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[Sletcher]

I think you’ll find that most of your questions will be answered in this thread.
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...al-information-ignore-at-your-own-risk.89612/

I think you have a good idea to search for a used 19 GT350 (maybe owner ordered a GT500?). Basically something that’s already had a shake-down.

 

[thill444]

There was an analysis done on this forum and all other forums and social media groups and less than 1% of GT350’s have experienced a catastrophic engine failure.

The number could be higher but I doubt it’s much higher and nowhere near 50%.

 

[Hack]

This is really important to me since I need to be 100% sure the engine won't fail since there will be no warranty here in the Europe.

Thanks.

If you need to be 100% sure the engine won't fail, I recommend against buying the car. I'm not trying to be a jerk about it. You just can't be 100% sure of any engine.

Especially a used manual transmission car - the previous owner could have downshifted when intending to upshift and over-revved the engine.

If anything, at least buy it new rather than a super low miles used car. That's my opinion. There still could be a flaw in an internal component of the engine, but at least you will know there's no damage from a previous owner.

 

[Caballus]

Hello there,

fellow European here. I want to buy a GT350 and ship it over to the Europe. Before I do that, I have few important questions since the vehicle will have no official warranty here even though regular Mustangs are being sold in the EU. I want to get 2019 model because of engine tweaks.

Questions:
1. Are the engine issues solved in 2019? I've read all the engines are now the R engine with stronger internals. Is there any specific date after they started putting the new engine into MY2019 or was that since the Day 1 of the production?

2. I've read ton about engine failures prior to 2019, were they really that prevalent? Judging on this forum, it looks like 50% of engines failed.

3. Are there any specific recalls/issues I should be aware of and check if they were done before buying?

I will be probably getting one slightly used, few k miles on it. This is really important to me since I need to be 100% sure the engine won't fail since there will be no warranty here in the Europe.

Thanks.

If you are set on getting a 2019 from the States, none of the following will apply. However, if you heed the responses other members have provided and decide to go with something other than a used 2019, here are some considerations:

1. You can get a low mileage 2017 or 2018 from an American in Europe and the car will be 100% American spec. You will have to homolgomate to register it in SK, but you would be able to see it beforehand and get temp registration and drive it home instead of worrying about transatlantic shipping, etc.

2. A low mileage 2019 would be difficult if not impossible to get in Europe, so you would have to go to the U.S. for that. However, you need to shop hard, because although it is possible, a 2019 won't be easy in the States either.

3. If you want an unconverted one, the best place to look in Europe is Germany near Kaiserslautern, Wiesbaden and Stuttgart. Each has facebook sites that focus on cars. I would also recommend scout24 and the mustang6.de forum. Anthony at Mustangandco in Belgium also has an unconverted 2017 that is for sale (white with blue stripes)--no previous owner. There are a few places in France, Belgium and Germany that homolgomated GT350s in the past, so finding someone with experience is not too difficult. Switzerland has places as well, but like with everything, you'll pay the Swiss premium.

4. Finally, you can also find a good handful of converted ones from non-Americans on Scout24 and maybe on FB or mustang6.de. You can find them in the Netherlands, Italy, etc, but the ones in Germany tend to be the best deal and best cared for. If you want new, the prices from places like Geiger in Munich have increased A LOT over the past year or so, but that's the market. You'll even find a place in Berlin advertising a GT500. I don't know if he already has it on hand or has a promise from a dealer in the States and plans to grey import.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out well. Good luck.

 

[nastang87xx]

A legit 50% failure rate would mean a lawsuit for the ages. And it hasn't happened. And even if 50% of engines failed for members here alone, trust me, the community would be more than lit up like an atomic bomb.

God I hate these threads, could we possibly do a consolidation and sticky maybe along the lines of "concerned about engine failure? Read here" or something. @Twin Turbo

 

[R3v]

If you are set on getting a 2019 from the States, none of the following will apply. However, if you heed the responses other members have provided and decide to go with something other than a used 2019, here are some considerations:

1. You can get a low mileage 2017 or 2018 from an American in Europe and the car will be 100% American spec. You will have to homolgomate to register it in SK, but you would be able to see it beforehand and get temp registration and drive it home instead of worrying about transatlantic shipping, etc.

2. A low mileage 2019 would be difficult if not impossible to get in Europe, so you would have to go to the U.S. for that. However, you need to shop hard, because although it is possible, a 2019 won't be easy in the States either.

3. If you want an unconverted one, the best place to look in Europe is Germany near Kaiserslautern, Wiesbaden and Stuttgart. Each has facebook sites that focus on cars. I would also recommend scout24 and the mustang6.de forum. Anthony at Mustangandco in Belgium also has an unconverted 2017 that is for sale (white with blue stripes)--no previous owner. There are a few places in France, Belgium and Germany that homolgomated GT350s in the past, so finding someone with experience is not too difficult. Switzerland has places as well, but like with everything, you'll pay the Swiss premium.

4. Finally, you can also find a good handful of converted ones from non-Americans on Scout24 and maybe on FB or mustang6.de. You can find them in the Netherlands, Italy, etc, but the ones in Germany tend to be the best deal and best cared for. If you want new, the prices from places like Geiger in Munich have increased A LOT over the past year or so, but that's the market. You'll even find a place in Berlin advertising a GT500. I don't know if he already has it on hand or has a promise from a dealer in the States and plans to grey import.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out well. Good luck.

This is pure gold, thank you so much mate.

 

[Caballus]

This is pure gold, thank you so much mate.

No problem. PM if you want points of contact.

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