In over my head?

[MD_]

as a dealer, i find naïve and laughable every time I see the:

*ask the dealer to take to X dealership for an inspection
*ask the dealer to give you the previous owner information
*ask the dealer for record maintenance


99% of the time we won't do any of that, you can bring a mechanic friend to check it out, but if we have to pay for an inspection somewhere else, we just won't do it.

and the info from the previous owner? lol... even if it was a trade in, we won't release anyone's information to a 3rd person

I can understand your first two points. A dealer would have their own mechanics to look over a vehicle if need be. If a customer wants a second set of eyes on the vehicle, they can bring a friend or foot the bill for a PPI elsewhere. I wouldn't expect the dealer to hand over the contact info of the previous owner either.

I do disagree about maintenance records though. If they are available; or they have a vehicle history report, I'd expect that to be handed over if requested. Can't produce what you don't have though; so if there's simply no maintenance history because the previous owner was a DIYer then it is what it is.

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[vanquishvzla]

I can understand your first two points. A dealer would have their own mechanics to look over a vehicle if need be. If a customer wants a second set of eyes on the vehicle, they can bring a friend or foot the bill for a PPI elsewhere. I wouldn't expect the dealer to hand over the contact info of the previous owner either.

I do disagree about maintenance records though. If they are available; or they have a vehicle history report, I'd expect that to be handed over if requested. Can't produce what you don't have though; so if there's simply no maintenance history because the previous owner was a DIYer then it is what it is.

99% of the time, we get our cars from an auction, we provide carfax no problem, but other than that, we have no other information. People ask if the timing belt was done, if they did this or that, we have no clue what the previous owner did something or not besides the obvious stuff.

If you take the car to a decent shop, it will report it, if you asked your mechanically inclined neighbor to replace the serpentine belt for you, that shit is not gonna show anywhere lol

 

[BimmerDriver]

as a dealer, i find naïve and laughable every time I see the:

*ask the dealer to take to X dealership for an inspection
*ask the dealer to give you the previous owner information
*ask the dealer for record maintenance

99% of the time we won't do any of that, you can bring a mechanic friend to check it out, but if we have to pay for an inspection somewhere else, we just won't do it.

I'm not a dealer, but I'm sure that most of them don't want the liability associated with #2 and #3.

I have had salespeople take a car somewhere else for an inspection (at my cost) but often it's a bit of a battle.

 

[MD_]

99% of the time, we get our cars from an auction, we provide carfax no problem, but other than that, we have no other information. People ask if the timing belt was done, if they did this or that, we have no clue what the previous owner did something or not besides the obvious stuff.

If you take the car to a decent shop, it will report it, if you asked your mechanically inclined neighbor to replace the serpentine belt for you, that shit is not gonna show anywhere lol

Yup - that makes sense. That was what I was trying to say about previous owner being a DIYer. I had a '12 G37 before I got the WRX (and eventually the Mustang). I did everything on that car. Despite everything being meticulously up kept, there wouldn't be a single service record from 30k - 110k miles.

 

[RIBS]

I would of skipped that car, it sounds like you don’t have the time, knowledge, finance or desire to troubleshoot the mods problems when they come up.. at 4 k over book, I would also avoid it. Most of the time, Dealers don’t pay for Mods, they pay book value. They don’t generally want the headaches of mods on a car, and see them as a liability.
A stock Mustang is plenty fast enough and will make you smile every time!

 

[GMONSTAH]

The car:
2017 GT M6 w/ whipple installed and other unknown modifications, low mileage (20k).

Me:
Traditional car guy, but I hate to wrench. Middle aged dad, solid employment.

Situation:
Basically one step away from trading in car for this, will be tight on budget but still very doable. Car will be a daily for myself, approx 30 miles a day.
The car is at a lot that doesn't have any info on previous owner. On inspection, appears that everything is solid, clean car fax, multiple and tasteful mods (SC, exhaust, short throw, etc) with minimal cosmetic changes (sleeper-ish).

My hesitation is two things. 1) Unknown of all mods/tune, who did work and ultimately, was it done correctly. 2) Needing the reliability of it being a daily, and with all that has been done to it (understanding potential of it previously being abused) am I just setting myself up for failure/disappointment in near future?

Are there creative ways to get in contact with previous owner? Possibly go through Whipple to find who purchased kit? Welcome to comments on things that haven't been discussed yet.

My $0.02 cents... I'm pretty much the same demographic, minus the kids! The warranty factor would keep me up at night. I doubt anything meaningful on that car is covered at this point. Something goes wrong and you're either going to have to fight for warranty work and spend a good chunk of change. If you're ok with that, then by all means!

 

[NoVaGT]

You either have $15K in cash as your emergency Mustang repair fund, or you don't.

If you do, go ahead and buy it. If not........don't be stupid.

 

[Dr. Norts]

Fun costs money. Just do it. You can't take money with you. I sure don't want to be buried with a casket full of money. I'd rather die broke with a life of experiences and things that made me happy.

On the other hand if 10k is gonna make or break you power adders probably aren't in your best interest.

 

[Redfuzzbutt]

Update as of yesterday evening: got the pony car.

Got rid of my wife's dd (Cooper that has never seemed to run right, always having issues) and in turn, she'll be driving the family vehicle and I'll have my fun dd.

Couple of things:
- I don't have 10-15k in reserves for the stang if something was to go horribly wrong. Still financially able to save up monthly for that.
- the loud exhaust is glorious to hear when you're getting on it, but even when you're not getting on it, it sounds like you are. Too much attention for when I'm minding my p's and q's.
- as this is my newest stang by 25 years, there are a lot of common features that I need to get acclimated with.
- the shaker sound systems leave a lot to be desired or my woofer is disconnected. Possibly both.
- never knew the short throw shifters were that stiff. Every shift is very intentional.
- rides and tracks much better than I expected, with the 19" rims and fat 305s in the back.
- 1.5 hour drive home in the dark is not ideal after doing paperwork and not having GAP insurance yet. Apparently, I sweat a lot in my armpits when nervous.
- I have a lot of education and learning to do, looking forward to it.

To those that commented, I really appreciate it. Was valuable to hear opinions and points, helping to put everything in perspective.

 

[BEERCHAMP]

As far as price difference, it's approx 4k over book value. I'm seeing approx 12k worth of aftermarket (retail) on the car but again, if the engine craps out, it's all for nothing.

Certainly there is risk associated with buying used, a heightened risk when stock is modified, and even more so when power adders are in the equation. Simply put, it's risk vs reward.

Emotionally, the car hits nearly every box I have when it comes to wants. That's why I posted here in the first place, trying to justify my actions with those who aren't compromised with emotion. Ain't gonna lie, I really want this stang.

Making calls this morning to reputable shops, lining up appointment to have it inspected. As long as there isn't an obvious red flag from them on the install/tune of the SC, I'll probably end up moving forward today or tomorrow. Will update post with my wisdom/stupidity.

If you really want it, you'll be able to talk them down that $4k over book, if you have the full book money ready. I'll guarantee you, they have $5-10k markup on that car.
Still get it checked out by a good shop. (and a whipple can still be driven as a daily driver)
I didn't see your last post that you bought it, GOOD LUCK!

 

[NGOT8R]

Congrats! Did you pay to have the car inspected outside of the lot where you purchased it? If so, did it get a clean bill of health? Let’s see some pics of this hot rod! Maybe even a video of it, so we can hear how it sounds.

 

[jwt]

As above, did you get an inspection or just closed your eyes, thought of king and country and signed the paperwork without any lube

Not passing comment because most of us have done it at some point just curious.

 

[NGOT8R]

I recommend changing all fluids and plugs and cleaning the air filter, so that you now for certain that the car has a fresh tuneup in it.

 

[Redfuzzbutt]

Oh yeah, I guess that would be a critical piece of the puzzle: was I a complete dumbass or just a partial one?

Got it inspected by a reputable shop, around many years. Checked it out, basic report back from them was this:

Good driving car, good power. Everything checks out good on it, solid. The tune is a standard whipple tune, not crazy and very street able. If you want it to make power, you really have to put your foot in it and get some RPMs.
As long as you're registering it in (my county), you won't have to worry about them bypassing the emissions on it. But I would definitely recommend running 91 octane.

I did a little more digging myself to find out what I could. First owner has it for nearly 3 years, sold it. Second owner, who had it less than a year, appears to have been the one to put on the SC (and I'm guessing the rest of the aftermarket stuff). Clean far fax, blah blah blah.

Overall, feeling confident in it. Did the dealer make money? Yup. Do I feel like the value and situation was in my favor? Yup.

I will be doing the plugs, fluids, and air filter in near future. I haven't uploaded a pic here before but I'll try to get one up - a sight I'm sure to be seeing a lot of.

 

[NGOT8R]

Oh yeah, I guess that would be a critical piece of the puzzle: was I a complete dumbass or just a partial one?

Got it inspected by a reputable shop, around many years. Checked it out, basic report back from them was this:

Good driving car, good power. Everything checks out good on it, solid. The tune is a standard whipple tune, not crazy and very street able. If you want it to make power, you really have to put your foot in it and get some RPMs.
As long as you're registering it in (my county), you won't have to worry about them bypassing the emissions on it. But I would definitely recommend running 91 octane.

I did a little more digging myself to find out what I could. First owner has it for nearly 3 years, sold it. Second owner, who had it less than a year, appears to have been the one to put on the SC (and I'm guessing the rest of the aftermarket stuff). Clean far fax, blah blah blah.

Overall, feeling confident in it. Did the dealer make money? Yup. Do I feel like the value and situation was in my favor? Yup.

I will be doing the plugs, fluids, and air filter in near future. I haven't uploaded a pic here before but I'll try to get one up - a sight I'm sure to be seeing a lot of.

Oh yeah, you’ll definitely frequent the gas station a lot. When your ready to turn up the wick, you can tune for E85. Something tells me that you’ll probably be doing that in the near future. I bought my Bullitt brand new and at 2.3K miles, I have done several major mods, to include N2O. Warranty...what warranty? LOL

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