Man I'm sick of looking at used Mustangs, taking a break and shop again next week...

[w3rkn]

I have been looking at trading in my GTI to get into another Mustang, I had previously owned a 2015 GT base with PP, some nice bolt-ons, etc but the base infotainment and lack of carplay, sat radio, and leather seats pushed me into something more comfy for commuting. Now that I drive less for work I want to get into another one and going to buy a nice used model with premium and performance package if I can find it. Lots of options under $27k at local dealers but the quality of the cars is vastly different and the dealers seem blind to what the market is on these.

Over the last 3-4 weeks of casual browsing and inquiring on autotrader and cargurus I have seen the same cars sit for weeks at the dealers, one in particular was on cargurus for 45 days before I went to see it. They fall into 3 categories so far...
-Car looks great in pictures and seems to check out until you see them in person and realize every piece of sheet metal has a scratch with crappy touch up or highway dings all over the front, etc.
-Car looks great in person but drives janky because the previous owner bounced it off the rev limiter at every stoplight. I've driven two cars that was clearly needing repair, one with a CEL on the test drive.
-Lastly is the cars that push the limits of what can legally be sold. In my state we have emission/safety testing and as far as I know a dealer can't sell you a car that can't pass those test. So how the hell can a dealer sell a car with no catalytic convertors or mufflers, CEL's that they claim will go off eventually because the car has an intake that requires tune on it but they flashed it back to oem to certify the car.

I was so tired of the bullshit from Ford dealers selling Certified cars Saturday afternoon I just couldn't take it anymore and snapped at the sales manager that was thanking me for coming by and wanted to know how to earn my business. I had come in to see a 2017 with aftermarket wheels and a slightly lower ride height but was labeled online, and still is, as a Ford CPO car. When I got there I checked out the car, got on the ground and can see the sway bars were aftermarket, crappy welded exhaust with no mufflers or resonator, intake requiring a tune, and lowering springs on stock shocks that should keep this car from being CPO'd by Ford. When I asked if they were going to reduce the price by the $1,495 for the certified warranty because of the aftermarket parts they told me the price didn't include that and it was non-negotiable on the price. When I brought up the autotrader add on my phone to show them what it said they claimed that the car "could" be certified if I negotiated it into the deal. I decided to play along and see how far we could take this so I insisted we walk back to the service and finance guy that handles the Ford certification process, we met with a guy in finance and he confirmed that the car couldn't be certified with all those parts on the car but I could buy an aftermarket warranty. When I told him that would likely be voided by the mods as well and then pointed out that the cats had been removed they said it would need to go in the shop before they could sell it.

What the hell is wrong with these Ford dealers, am I wrong for expecting them to at least put a car up on the lift before claiming CPO and putting up for sale?

One huge dealer I went to Saturday is apparently really big on buying branded title lemon/buybacks from Ford and putting them on the lot. Their adds say nothing online and the only thing you have to indicate it is if you look at the Carfax. These cars were priced just as a normal title car would be, grossly overpriced for a branded title car in my opinion, so any normal person walking up to the largest volume Ford dealer in the area would assume this $27k 2015 mustang gt with performance and premium package that looks great and drives great must be good to go, why else would this huge Ford dealer put it on the front of their lot right?

So I am taking a hiatus for a few days, no autotrader, no cargurus, I'm just going to wait until Friday evening and update the search engine to see if anything decent comes up at a dealer within 100 miles of my house.

??

Bro you live in Dallas...
And you are shopping USED cars. Most metro Dealers do not personally care about shoppers/people who are looking over/picking up/buying 2-year lease, turn-ins, etc.. and are not regular customers, or will never return.

Why not work a deal with YOUR dealer... and have them find/negotiate for what you want...?

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[carlg]

Driving the same roads as I did with my Corolla, I've got a lot more chips in the Mustang. The paint is pretty thin. I don't know if the Camaro or Challenger are better, but the Mustang is definitely not the standard of top tier paint.

Thanks for the reply. This explains my situation. I have a RAM truck and my Mustang. I pretty much drive the same routes with both vehicles. The Mustang is actually newer and has a ton more paint chips. I always thought it was because the truck was higher off the ground, but I guess this is not the reason.

 

[Hack]

Very interesting point. I noticed I'm getting a ton of rock chips in my 2016 GT. Do you think if I had another car, say Challenger or Camaro, that there would be less paint chips (considering I drove the same roads)? For me, the car looking good is more important than how fast I can go. So the gazillion chips disappoints me. I've always figured most manufacturers today were on about the same page as paint quality is concerned, but maybe I'm wrong. I thought paint was something everyone mastered in like 1992.

Every few years the government changes the requirements for paint, so it makes it really difficult to "master paint" one time and then just use that same formula.

I blame the new water based paints. I think epoxy was a much better system. But the ECO NAZIs had to make the good paints illegal. I think part of the issue is that water based paints have to dry rather than curing through a chemical reaction. So if you want to apply a very thick amount of a water based paint it will take a lot of time.

 

[Lorne34]

I've owned 2 S550's now. A coupe and a vert. Bought both used, both were Ford Corporate loaner vehicles. Outside of the interior being a bit dirty and minor paint/body markings they have been solid vehicles. Ford has an auction at least once a year and there are dealers who specialize in these cars. Might want to inquire/research dealers who purchase at the Ford Auctions.
As far as the paint goes, I immediately had PPF applied to the front fascia/bumper area (not the entire "clip" hood, fenders, etc..) as I knew this is where most of the carnage occurs. I have learned to deal with the scratches and rock chips by getting a masters degree from the university of "dr Color Chip" The system works pretty well. I told myself if I ever decided on a car I wanted to keep long term I would either have it painted the right way or I would do a process such as the Dip Your Car Auto Flex system. If you get a professional to do it the results are fantastic and very durable.
Good luck with the hunt!

 

[Zinc03svt]

Find a leftover 18 GT somebody wants to blow off the lot. Fresh warranty and zero road rash. Be worth paying 2-3 grand more to get lower interest rate (new), 460 hp gen 3 coyote, quad exhaust, etc. etc.

 

[Bob D.]

I've been on both the buying and selling side of the process many times over the years, and Madsedan I totally empathize with your situation. It's sometimes frustratingly hard to find a used MT performance car that hasn't been either abused or burdened with mods that are poorly thought out. It's certainly possible to find a good used Mustang or the like, but it's not nearly as easy as most people might assume.

I think posting here was a good idea, though, and I would follow up on many of the suggestions--especially any comments about dealers that have been good to work with. Personally, I have never minded traveling quite far, if necessary, to buy the right car from the right seller. I live in IL but bought my last car from a dealer in PA; I look at long-distance car hunting as part of the adventure of finding just the right vehicle. I also agree, though, that the ideal scenario is finding a good local dealer to work with. I currently drive about an hour to get to a small town Ford dealer I've developed a great relationship with, and it is always worth every minute of the trip, so I really recommend you consider that option as well.

Most of all, whether you get a used Mustang or a new one, good luck with the search and (hopefully) welcome back to the Mustang community!

 

[MidwayJ]

Interesting to hear your experience. I live in the Dallas area and there's a possibility I will look into trading my V6 for a GT when I retire in 2-3 years. My used V6 was probably a wife's car. Well taken care of, no mods, and low miles. I understand why there would be a lot more GTs in less than prime condition from hard use, but it's surprising you didn't find a decent number of exceptions. Especially premium models that might attract owners with as much interest in luxury features and style as balls out performance.

Besides private owners, I would look at dealers of upscale brands. (Lexus, Audi, BMW, etc.) People who trade in for those brands probably take better care of their cars, and those types of dealers seem more interested in preserving their image and reputation with customers. I got my Mustang at an Acura dealer.

 

[Lightingandthunderblue]

I have been looking at trading in my GTI to get into another Mustang, I had previously owned a 2015 GT base with PP, some nice bolt-ons, etc but the base infotainment and lack of carplay, sat radio, and leather seats pushed me into something more comfy for commuting. Now that I drive less for work I want to get into another one and going to buy a nice used model with premium and performance package if I can find it. Lots of options under $27k at local dealers but the quality of the cars is vastly different and the dealers seem blind to what the market is on these.

Over the last 3-4 weeks of casual browsing and inquiring on autotrader and cargurus I have seen the same cars sit for weeks at the dealers, one in particular was on cargurus for 45 days before I went to see it. They fall into 3 categories so far...
-Car looks great in pictures and seems to check out until you see them in person and realize every piece of sheet metal has a scratch with crappy touch up or highway dings all over the front, etc.
-Car looks great in person but drives janky because the previous owner bounced it off the rev limiter at every stoplight. I've driven two cars that was clearly needing repair, one with a CEL on the test drive.
-Lastly is the cars that push the limits of what can legally be sold. In my state we have emission/safety testing and as far as I know a dealer can't sell you a car that can't pass those test. So how the hell can a dealer sell a car with no catalytic convertors or mufflers, CEL's that they claim will go off eventually because the car has an intake that requires tune on it but they flashed it back to oem to certify the car.

I was so tired of the bullshit from Ford dealers selling Certified cars Saturday afternoon I just couldn't take it anymore and snapped at the sales manager that was thanking me for coming by and wanted to know how to earn my business. I had come in to see a 2017 with aftermarket wheels and a slightly lower ride height but was labeled online, and still is, as a Ford CPO car. When I got there I checked out the car, got on the ground and can see the sway bars were aftermarket, crappy welded exhaust with no mufflers or resonator, intake requiring a tune, and lowering springs on stock shocks that should keep this car from being CPO'd by Ford. When I asked if they were going to reduce the price by the $1,495 for the certified warranty because of the aftermarket parts they told me the price didn't include that and it was non-negotiable on the price. When I brought up the autotrader add on my phone to show them what it said they claimed that the car "could" be certified if I negotiated it into the deal. I decided to play along and see how far we could take this so I insisted we walk back to the service and finance guy that handles the Ford certification process, we met with a guy in finance and he confirmed that the car couldn't be certified with all those parts on the car but I could buy an aftermarket warranty. When I told him that would likely be voided by the mods as well and then pointed out that the cats had been removed they said it would need to go in the shop before they could sell it.

What the hell is wrong with these Ford dealers, am I wrong for expecting them to at least put a car up on the lift before claiming CPO and putting up for sale?

One huge dealer I went to Saturday is apparently really big on buying branded title lemon/buybacks from Ford and putting them on the lot. Their adds say nothing online and the only thing you have to indicate it is if you look at the Carfax. These cars were priced just as a normal title car would be, grossly overpriced for a branded title car in my opinion, so any normal person walking up to the largest volume Ford dealer in the area would assume this $27k 2015 mustang gt with performance and premium package that looks great and drives great must be good to go, why else would this huge Ford dealer put it on the front of their lot right?

So I am taking a hiatus for a few days, no autotrader, no cargurus, I'm just going to wait until Friday evening and update the search engine to see if anything decent comes up at a dealer within 100 miles of my house.

I have been looking at trading in my GTI to get into another Mustang, I had previously owned a 2015 GT base with PP, some nice bolt-ons, etc but the base infotainment and lack of carplay, sat radio, and leather seats pushed me into something more comfy for commuting. Now that I drive less for work I want to get into another one and going to buy a nice used model with premium and performance package if I can find it. Lots of options under $27k at local dealers but the quality of the cars is vastly different and the dealers seem blind to what the market is on these.

Over the last 3-4 weeks of casual browsing and inquiring on autotrader and cargurus I have seen the same cars sit for weeks at the dealers, one in particular was on cargurus for 45 days before I went to see it. They fall into 3 categories so far...
-Car looks great in pictures and seems to check out until you see them in person and realize every piece of sheet metal has a scratch with crappy touch up or highway dings all over the front, etc.
-Car looks great in person but drives janky because the previous owner bounced it off the rev limiter at every stoplight. I've driven two cars that was clearly needing repair, one with a CEL on the test drive.
-Lastly is the cars that push the limits of what can legally be sold. In my state we have emission/safety testing and as far as I know a dealer can't sell you a car that can't pass those test. So how the hell can a dealer sell a car with no catalytic convertors or mufflers, CEL's that they claim will go off eventually because the car has an intake that requires tune on it but they flashed it back to oem to certify the car.

I was so tired of the bullshit from Ford dealers selling Certified cars Saturday afternoon I just couldn't take it anymore and snapped at the sales manager that was thanking me for coming by and wanted to know how to earn my business. I had come in to see a 2017 with aftermarket wheels and a slightly lower ride height but was labeled online, and still is, as a Ford CPO car. When I got there I checked out the car, got on the ground and can see the sway bars were aftermarket, crappy welded exhaust with no mufflers or resonator, intake requiring a tune, and lowering springs on stock shocks that should keep this car from being CPO'd by Ford. When I asked if they were going to reduce the price by the $1,495 for the certified warranty because of the aftermarket parts they told me the price didn't include that and it was non-negotiable on the price. When I brought up the autotrader add on my phone to show them what it said they claimed that the car "could" be certified if I negotiated it into the deal. I decided to play along and see how far we could take this so I insisted we walk back to the service and finance guy that handles the Ford certification process, we met with a guy in finance and he confirmed that the car couldn't be certified with all those parts on the car but I could buy an aftermarket warranty. When I told him that would likely be voided by the mods as well and then pointed out that the cats had been removed they said it would need to go in the shop before they could sell it.

What the hell is wrong with these Ford dealers, am I wrong for expecting them to at least put a car up on the lift before claiming CPO and putting up for sale?

One huge dealer I went to Saturday is apparently really big on buying branded title lemon/buybacks from Ford and putting them on the lot. Their adds say nothing online and the only thing you have to indicate it is if you look at the Carfax. These cars were priced just as a normal title car would be, grossly overpriced for a branded title car in my opinion, so any normal person walking up to the largest volume Ford dealer in the area would assume this $27k 2015 mustang gt with performance and premium package that looks great and drives great must be good to go, why else would this huge Ford dealer put it on the front of their lot right?

So I am taking a hiatus for a few days, no autotrader, no cargurus, I'm just going to wait until Friday evening and update the search engine to see if anything decent comes up at a dealer within 100 miles of my house.

Go to Lebanon Ford and buy a brand new 19 with a twin turbo or whipple set up for $39,999. Actually i think they have 4 different options as far as boost

 

[IKE32]

Just keep at it man. Taking a break is not a bad idea but don’t give up. You’re frustrated because YOUR S550 hasn’t hit the market yet. Don’t settle, stay diligent in your search, you’ll know your next mustang when you see it. My S550 fell into my lap, but not until after I did just what you’re doing; taking a little break from the search.

 

[seth21w]

Mustang is one of the hardest to buy used cars, with all of the cheap intakes being added and such. Drove hard etc thats why i bought new in 16 and will never sell it because i baby it. It is a base performance pack i gave 29k new. But i can understand your frustration as a 18 premium new is 45k + so dont blame you for looking, just dont get frustrated.

 

[samd1351]

IKE32 is right. Just keep looking. I had absolutely no interest in the Magnetic color (was hell bent on a LB or RR w/BAP), then I saw one with the red interior, and I started warming up to it. A week later, my wife got me a hat for my b-day that pretty much matched the car and said "here's the hat, go buy the damn car." She hadn't seen the car and had no idea I was looking at one that color. We went and looked at it a couple of days later, and now it's in the garage!

I still get on-line and look for the red or blue, but nothing is turning up that really makes me regret my decision.

Patience is the key, and you'll know it when you see it. Good Luck and hang in there!

 

[IPOGT]

The 15-17 GT Premiums have really held their value well. Makes sense since an equal would cost a lot more now.

 

[stangman638]

I would never buy a used mustang unless you personally know who owned it.. Being the issues new ones have, only wonder when you see a low mileage stang on a lot..

 

[radar]

Same here in Australia

I would never buy a used mustang unless you personally know who owned it.. Being the issues new ones have, only wonder when you see a low mileage stang on a lot..

I never buy new cos depreciation but when the Right Hand Drive Mustang was finally released here - I bought new.
Didn’t want one that had been thrashed.
Didn’t want one “boy racer” had modified.
Wanted Lightning Blue.
Got my 17 GT - paid top dollar - but plan never to sell it.
Apart from Ford rubber boot mat - she’s absolutely as she was freighted out of Flat Rock - mint and unmolested.
Dealer kept build document and shipping manifest for me too

 

[jpindustrie]

Yea... Ford 'certified pre owned' =/= say, BMW CPO or MB CPO...

or really off lease 4 cylinder/6 cylinder compact eurotrash compact executive sedans are NOT like used Mustangs. Your best bet is new and to save a little more $$. it will be worth it in end.

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