How much undercarriage wear is normal?

[gedmin03]

Hello, current Mustang owners. I am in the market to purchase a 2018 or newer Mustang GT Premium, and I am torn on some photos I have received from a potential purchase. I live in the rust belt, so I can understand what that environment can do to a chassis, but how much wear is normal on a 3-year-old car with under 20k miles? I noticed the exhaust manifold has some odd wear, the oil pan has some obvious damp filth, and there looks to be an exhaust leak on the driver's side after the cat. Does anyone have any input on what is normally seen on these cars? These are the photos I received on a 2019 with about 19K miles:

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[Rock50]

There is a band clamp after the cat on the driver’s side. I got a similar leak on mine with much less miles. Same thing, when I start the car cold, condensation drips.

Looks like this car has an x-pipe or something and the resonator was removed. Condition of the pipes of what is normally before the resonator sure are not the same as the rest. Probably someone had headers and put the stock stuff back from another car before selling.

 

[ice445]

Definitely was a daily driver. It's honestly not that bad though. I notice yellow calipers and as above, the exhaust was modified at some point. So if there was any reason to pass it would be due to previous owner messing with stuff.

 

[NGOT8R]

Here’s my 2019 Bullitt undercarriage. I used to live in Kansas and had the car for a year before moving to Florida. It has been in the rain a few times down here. Some things are beginning to rust underneath, such as, front suspension components, crank and AC pulleys at 6400 miles on the odometer.

 

[KingKona]

OP, it just depends on exposure and time. The more road salt and such it see, the more corrosion there will be.

 

[gedmin03]

Thank you all for the input. I just assumed most Mustang owners had pristine undercarriages like NGOT8R (beautiful exhaust by the way), but I have been surprised to read throughout this forum that there is a decent size group that uses 5.0 Mustangs as daily drivers.

I did get the CarFax from the dealer and this car has been around... it started life as a lease in Missouri and went to auction after 6 months, the guy probably couldn't afford it. It then spent some time at a Colorado lot before going to another auction, assuming because it didn't sell after 4 months. California was its home for the next year before it ended up in Chicago. I guess some people just want to own these cars for the immediate thrill and then get bored; 4 total owners, but it looks like one was the dealer in Colorado because they had it for so long.

 

[NGOT8R]

@gedmin03, thanks for the compliment. Unfortunately, driving these cars in the rain and/or snow will eventually take it’s toll on their undercarriages. I wish that wasn‘t the case, but it’s what happens. I suppose one could spray or rub certain things down with an oil based product to help hold the rust at bay.

I didn’t even take pics of my rotors, they have some rust on them too. I was thinking of removing them, sanding down the rust and touching them up with a Rustoleum durable rust inhibitor paint.

Another thing you can do is, wipe the undercarriage down whenever you find yourself working underneath the car. That’s what I do quite often. It also gives me a chance to scout for leaks or developing problems.

Would you be performing any suspension upgrades once you find the right car? If so, that will freshen things up a bit too.

 

[WD Pro]

If it’s any help to your decision, I have seen much worse than that on U.K. cars of a similar age

WD

 

[Hoofer]

I'm a lot more suspicious about the carfax and all the places it's been than the undercarriage.

Be careful before you purchase it.

 

[gedmin03]

@Hoofer, I am a bit leary about that CarFax. To top it off, after closer inspection, that first auction was a "-Listed as a manufacturer vehicle". Which could mean a plethora of things, but I am wondering if it was just a manufacturer lease and the person defaulted on it. However, it could also be a defective car returned to Ford. Apparently, that is a red flag if it is in the history report.

 

[ajsfirehawk]

4 owners in a short life, one of which was a truncated lease would set off my alarms and I'd walk away. There are a lot of people that love and care for these cars. Patience will pay off for you. $150 for a one way plane ticket and a couple nights room/gas to drive one across the US is cheap compared to the pain of living with a car that has been thrashed. I interview the owner as much as the car. How do they care for their things?

 

[gedmin03]

@ajsfirehawk, I completely agree with you. I am not in a hurry to buy yet, I am simply particular with what I want, and surprisingly this is the only GT Premium with the color and features I am looking for available in the nation at my price point.. There are only a few others I can find that are 6-8K more, but newer and with additional features, so justified; granted, that might change next week. I am going to at a minimum take the 200-mile trip to the dealer to get a good look at the car. If anything seems out of place I am walking away.

She is a beautiful car: https://www.chicagoautoplace.com/ve...ers-tinted-windows-bensenville-il-id-49509519

 

[Hoofer]

@ajsfirehawk, I completely agree with you. I am not in a hurry to buy yet, I am simply particular with what I want, and surprisingly this is the only GT Premium with the color and features I am looking for available in the nation at my price point.. There are only a few others I can find that are 6-8K more, but newer and with additional features, so justified; granted, that might change next week. I am going to at a minimum take the 200-mile trip to the dealer to get a good look at the car. If anything seems out of place I am walking away.

She is a beautiful car: https://www.chicagoautoplace.com/ve...ers-tinted-windows-bensenville-il-id-49509519

Cap for the oil fill tube? Maybe it's just the lighting?

 

[BlackandBlue]

Run from that one.
Registered as personal vehicle.
Lease bought out by manufacturer? Almost a lemon? Records will tell the story
The loan company on the carfax is a high risk company.

Also it’s been modified. Anyone that installs calibers on a car most likely install a lot more stuff.

 

[MAGS1]

@ajsfirehawk, I completely agree with you. I am not in a hurry to buy yet, I am simply particular with what I want, and surprisingly this is the only GT Premium with the color and features I am looking for available in the nation at my price point.. There are only a few others I can find that are 6-8K more, but newer and with additional features, so justified; granted, that might change next week. I am going to at a minimum take the 200-mile trip to the dealer to get a good look at the car. If anything seems out of place I am walking away.

She is a beautiful car: https://www.chicagoautoplace.com/ve...ers-tinted-windows-bensenville-il-id-49509519

For a couple thou more, you can get brand new. These are the guys I ordered my GT from. Since you’re coming this way thought I’d throw it out there

https://www.hawkfordstcharles.com/i...F5P5300849/2023-Ford-Mustang-Saint-Charles-IL

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