Hear me out... How excessive is TOO excessive when buying a pre-owned GT

[_zOmbIE_]

Considering my 22 GT Premium w/ PP/MR/AE/nav/recaros cost the equivalent of around 48k USD brand new, I can't imagine paying 40 for a used one.

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[SensesFail]

dude i don't get why guys are paying 40K for used Gt's. mine was 45 and its a pp1 301A.

Such is life

 

[_zOmbIE_]

This entire thing was based on a previous experience of buying a pre-owned GT that ended up having problems on problems that got to a point where it gave me anxiety to drive, I don't want a repeat of that

Again, I understand where you're coming from, but there are all sorts of shifty people out there. I personally wouldn't let a stranger hook a laptop up to my home wifi, let alone my vehicle through a PCM port ;)

 

[SensesFail]

Again, I understand where you're coming from, but there are all sorts of shifty people out there. I personally wouldn't let a stranger hook a laptop up to my home wifi, let alone my vehicle through a PCM port ;)

I respect your opinion and that's exactly why I posted this, I want all the retrospective I can get before making a move

 

[_zOmbIE_]

All of this having been said, I mean really, the worst thing the seller could say is no, right?

 

[EFI]

B. guy says no

in the case of B "okay, no problem, but I will need it in writing that I can return the car if i find ANYTHING after purchasing the vehicle when i look in this PCM".

im sure they'll happily let you take a look then. B is actually better because it gives you a blank check for returning the product.

C. guys says no to both and tells you to kick rocks.

Noone's gonna sign anything saying that they will take it back in x amount of time after the sale if the new owner finds something.

 

[young at heart]

I love my loud, fast cars but I don't want to pay more than $500 a month lol, I can, but I don't want to

If you’re a payment buyer you should compare new vs used. Interest rates are lower and terms longer on new cars, often narrowing the payment difference compared to used.

 

[ORRadtech]

Noone's gonna sign anything saying that they will take it back in x amount of time after the sale if the new owner finds something.

CarMax gives you 30 days no questions asked.
I bought mine from an AutoNation Ford dealer and had a 5 day/250 mile option to return it.
There may be others.

 

[fmc_smt]

To be fair , what software are you proposing to use ?

 

[AvalancheSVT]

C. guys says no to both and tells you to kick rocks.

Noone's gonna sign anything saying that they will take it back in x amount of time after the sale if the new owner finds something.

well yeah.

the best way to hand this is "mind if i have my mechanic check it out?".

 

[Crew4991]

Hey ya'll it's been a wild ride. Started with a 2000 Rav4 to a 2010 Toyota Matrix to a 2013 Dodge Dart to a 2016 Mustang v6 to a 2016 Mustang GT to a 2022 TLX to a 2022 Genesis G70 3.3t... aaaaaaaaaaaand I'm back in the market for a Mustang GT. Feel free to browse my previous post history about my old 16 GT and my horribad experience but I had to get out of it. And now I want to get back in but a 2018+ lol. THAT IS NOT WHAT THE POST IS ABOUT THOUGH;

When I go shopping soon, I want to bring my laptop with my diagnostic cables and programs just to see the history and stats, is that weird? Besides physical inspection and test driving, I want to deep dive into the PCM. I imagine the salesperson will be weirded out a bit lol. That being said, is that too much?

Excessive? Yes. Needed? YES! Don’t trust anyone, absolutely do that. Either do it yourself or pay for an independent mechanic to do a pre purchase inspection. Sales people might roll their eyes but it isn’t their money on the line so they can buzz off. Don’t end up with a junker!

That being said, please tell me you did that when you got the Dart? Pretty sure they come from the factory with a few codes already waiting.

 

[bnightstar]

This entire thing was based on a previous experience of buying a pre-owned GT that ended up having problems on problems that got to a point where it gave me anxiety to drive, I don't want a repeat of that

So you are saying you learn nothing from previous mistake and now you hope a forscan check is going to save you the trouble ?

 

[Cobra Jet]

If a Mustang you are looking at is on a Ford Dealer lot - they're not going to let you plug anything into their vehicle - it's a liability issue/concern for them. What's to say you don't plug in and something gets shorted or damaged? Not saying it will BUT you have to take it from their perspective and it's their inventory.

What you can do is ask they either provide you with an OASIS report OR see if they will pull the car in and let one of their Techs read the PCM to confirm there's no issues.

--

Even with a private seller - most are not going to want, let alone allow, anyone off the street so to speak come and plug any device into their vehicle. Again it's a liability issue - not only for them, but also for you. What's to say you don't plug in, everything is cool - but you decide you're not going to buy the car; then the Seller goes to drive down the road and a damn DTC illuminates? You know who touched their car last? YOU.

Drop the idea of plugging into a PCM.
---

Shop around - hit up the major used car sites like cargurus and do a Nationwide search to get feelers on existing prices for similar equipped vehicles. There's too many used vehicles being sold at nearly new car pricing.

Ask a lot of questions if you are leery because of X-past experiences.

Look over the entire car - ask to take on a lengthy test drive, not just a scripted around the block in 5mins at 35mph. Tell them you want to really experience the car and take it on at least a solid 15-20 minute drive - even if the seller must come along.

If you see ANY vehicles online that have any mods what so ever - then someone like yourself should not even entertain even going to look at the vehicle.

Not every S550 is bad - I've been through the whole lemon/RAV Buy Back process with my prior newly bought 2016 a few years back; got the 2018 as the new replacement through Ford and it's been solid. Anyone can buy brand new or used vehicle and end up with a vehicle that has issues - these things are built by humans, manufacturing shit happens, and after we get a vehicle, we also love to mod things that yes sometimes can cause more issues than satisfaction (especially with newer vehicles that rely on A LOT of electronics).

Just don't buy on emotions - that's the worst way to buy any vehicle, because then things often get overlooked.

 

[BimmerDriver]

That's fair but I don't have some secret hacker type of intention where I distract the guy and start clackin' away in a minute time frame and hope he doesn't catch me. Up front, simple and transparent is the name of my game

Yeah, I believe you, but the seller may not. Or may not understand.

Anyway, sorry I didn't read all the posts, but I'm in the camp that as a seller, I'd let you scan codes but wouldn't let you hook up a PC. If I were a dealer, I would not sign anything in writing beyond "car is sold as is". They don't know the history, and they're not about to risk anything on that. Especially not in today's market when they can sell the car at asking price to the next sucker that walks in the door.

My advice: come up with a little more money and buy a new one. No worries.

 

[SensesFail]

Just an update, I locked into a certified pre-owned 2021 Premium Automatic with 5k miles for 40k and going to purchase Sunday, so I don't need to do any diagnosing lol

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