Seeking tips on inspecting used Mustang

[Dory]

My time may have finally come! I am going to be looking at a used 2015 premium 401a GT on Tuesday. It has lots of options including the 50th appearance pack. Is there a FAQ or guide post around here or can I have some tips on what to check for? It’s less than 10,000 miles so I think that’s a good sign.

Thanks

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[Mr. Met]

In March I bought my car which was very similar with 6k miles on it. It was also 800 miles away so I didn't have a chance to see it in person before buying it. My advice would be to see if Ford believes nothing will go wrong in the next year and see if it is eligible to be CPO. That also extends the powertrain coverage to 7 years and you get some other added benefits.

 

[Cobra Jet]

If you are buying it from a Ford Dealership - tell the Salesman you want the complete OASIS report. That will show all or any warranty and non-warranty work performed on the car IF it was serviced at any Ford Dealer in the US. It will also show any open recalls and if the car was branded a Lemon.

EVAP A/C core is most common failure part on the S550’s, especially the 2015-2016 model years more than any others. Make sure test AC on coldest setting as well as all blower motor speeds. This is a warrantable item under the 3/36 if it’s failing.

Rear view back up camera was another common failure point due to harness in trunk getting broken due to lack of proper length - this is a warrantable item under the 3/36 if it is inop.

Other than the above, just check over body panels for any prior repaired damages and make sure you take the car on a lengthy test drive on a highway - not one of those 15 min “around the Dealership block and back” test drives... you want to be able to get it up to normal highway speed and test all functionalities of the trans, brakes, etc. listen for any weird noises, rattles, etc.

 

[Dory]

Well, today was the big day. I went and test drove the car with my dad for about 30 minutes on and off the highway and tested all the features and gave it a great inspection. I really loved it and though it was perfect. I then had my step dad check it out. I was going to go get him, which is a 45 min drive, but the salesmen suggested I just take the car with me to show him and he filled the tank full of gas. I was happy and let my step dad drive it and he agreed it was a good car and that I should get it. I loved everything about it. I get back to the dealership ready to make a deal and the whole thing fell apart in less than two minutes. I told him I was interested, but I wanted to see if he would go down a bit on the price. It was listed at 27950 and I was wanting closer to 25000 or right at it. He goes to get the finance guy and he comes over worked up and upset that I even got to test drive it without agreeing to pay the full price. He said he could not go down a single dollar and that he "has had it for 55 days..." That left me more confused because I don't see why he would say that as it only hurts his case for not going down in price. Lastly and most confusing, they would tell me the interest rate unless I signed the dotted line, it was to be kept secret, but they would "find the best rate." I will have to just keep enjoying the Impala for awhile longer.

 

[Shadetree43]

You were wise to move on when you did. Check threads in this forum about drive vibrations in 15-16s as well.
Second the suggestion on a CPO if you can find one.
You will find another one...

 

[Colleton]

They know you want the car and are trying to screw you. Tell them what price you're willing to pay, make sure they have your contact info and leave. They'll contact you or they won't. Either way, don't pay their price.

 

[JCFoster]

Shitbirds....they were betting on “I want it!” Kudos to you for walking away.

 

[Mr. Met]

I had something like that happen to me. I had a deal in place at a dealer in Virginia only to have someone else call me and tell me that it was now $2k more. They knew I wanted the car and were either trying to use that against me or they had someone else interested and were trying to pit us against each other. Either way I told them I was no longer interested and got my deposit back. Two days later I found the car I ended up buying and it was a much better deal from a much more respectable dealer. The dealer in Virginia called me back a week later and offered me the car at the original price, I just laughed and hung up on them. $25k might be a bit low but you should be able to do better then $28k. Like I said, mine was a similar car (doesn't have the 50th package but does have adaptive cruise and 3.55 gear) and I paid $26.7k with the cpo warranty.

 

[BluePonyGT]

They know you want the car and are trying to screw you. Tell them what price you're willing to pay, make sure they have your contact info and leave. They'll contact you or they won't. Either way, don't pay their price.

This all the way.

That's how I essentially bought mine. I told them what I was willing to finance. 10K down, and a trade-in. That meant they had to give me what I wanted for my existing car. They were offering me half of what it was worth. They also acted all put off b/c I took it for a test drive and said I liked it, but wasn't willing to simply make the deal. I left my contact info and told them it was too bad we couldn't make a deal. They were blown away I just left like that.

Then I called them every day to find out if they reconsidered. No? Ok...and I'd hang up.

Finally the sales manager called ME 4 days later and said come get the car. Once I got there we had the deal done in 20 minutes.

 

[Dory]

Thanks for all the advice. If they change their minds and are willing to work me I will still be interested. I decided to keep the Impala for bad climate weather or for when I need a big trunk so I don't have to worry about a trade in.

 

[Lime1GT]

Any finance manager that wouldn't want you to drive a 4 year old car without paying for it definitely doesn't deserve your business. In fact a call or letter to the General Manager should be made to voice your opinion of that persons actions. Then you'll find out what kind of dealership it really is.

 

[bluebeastsrt]

The younger you are. The more a dealer will try to game you. My son had a very similar experience with a Jeep. He made his offer. They said they couldn’t budge. So he walked. They called a few days later to accept his offer. And he said f*$k it. I don’t want it anymore. He said he’ll just go to another dealer that won’t try to screw him. I laughed at him and told him if he finds that dealer to contact me. So I can use them.

 

[VinnAY]

Theres some confusion in how you wrote it there but starting out with I want to pay 3K less puts you on shaky ground right out of the gate, was he supposed to say OK and smile? I'm not a superb wheeler and dealer with this stuff but I know that's not how you get them to sit down with you.

 

[PJR202]

Good job walking away. That's really tough to do for a lot of people, regardless of age. Low ball them all you want as long as you know what's realistic to pay for it in a deal where everyone walks away satisfied. If they really weren't willing to show you the interest rate until you signed, that's probably illegal. I don't know if I would deal with them at all even if they came back with a price and rate you like.

The last car I bought was my GT and I REALLY wanted it. The dealer I contacted was really the only place that had a black base with PP for a price. The first guy I talked to said I only got it at that price if I use Ford financing and the rate was like 3.6% but after a three month commitment I could refinance elsewhere without any penalty. That sounds appealing but what if there's an economic event in that three months? Plus my credit inquiries were coming back from 780 to 819 so I knew I could beat 3.6. I stopped answering their calls after a few days to see what happened and finally the sales manager called me and offered me 1.7% at only $750 more than the ford financing deal's price. They were still around $4k cheaper than everyone in a 100 mile radius. This was all done via phone or email, so my first visit there (90 miles away) was the day of the purchase. The dealership was great. The sales rep was the best I've ever had and the whole experience was the shortest I've ever had. It's really the first time I've ever driven away with a vehicle and didn't feel dirty.

 

[regular6g]

Good rules for the deal
1) As soon as you walk into a dealership, they know that you are at least as interested in buying than they are selling.
2) The first salesperson to come up to you is usually the 'new person', not always, but their best, busiest salesman have been there and established clients and usually busy doing deals or they've summed a prospect up, right or wrong, and just by your looks, car you drove in, people your with, clothes you wear, mannerism, etc; will figure if you're worth their time, the new salespeople will rush to every person coming onto the lot.
--why does it matter? The new salesperson will have less of a relationship with the 'Closers', aka; Mgr, F&I.
3) If you drive the car, you get what we all get, excited. It's plays with our Temporal Lobe of our brain. If you drive the car 45 minutes, that's quite a lot of endorphins running through your body!
4) The above results in a car YOU want to buy More that THEY want to sell, (again in their experience and or training).

From here on, the dealer has the upper hand and price, interest rate, warranty, dealer adds, etc; just continue to rise.

There are so many steps that I could go into, but won't because the whole idea is to not get us in this place to begin with.

***Turn the Tables*** You are now the Fisherman!

1) Do your research on the vehicle you want, not that a dealership has, THIS IS CRITICAL
What if my car broke and I've got to get to work, school, daycare, etc;? RENT/BORROW/UBER/BUS yourself while you do your homework--you can't 'unbuy' a car once endorphins wear off or something on the car is not as you thought, you're stuck!

What if I don't know what type, make/model I want? Good question, decide on the Type of vehicle and test drive them. **note if no self-control you could be back at the top of my post, so beware, take a friend, family anybody that can remind you, you are just looking, promise yourself you're not buying.

2) Once you've got the Make, Model, Years, options, miles your good with, how far you'll go to buy, go online and shop from the safety of your home. There are many websites like CarGurus, etc: that will display an enormous amount of Valuable Information for you before you even contact a dealer.

2a) Get a PreApproval letter from Bank/Credit Union.

3) Figure out what you want to pay, what is fair and reasonable, again, websites are very helpful.

4) Cast your line--Email the dealers that have a good rating on Google or Cargurus, Facebook etc; and give them as little information as necessary. Their Internet dep't will 'Bite' on your lead and send it to the sales manager, New or Used, who will divvy the mornings leads appropriately.
----stay off the phone, we say to much, all of us!)
5) You'd probably already gotten 1 or more emails from the dealer telling you they have your request, how important you are and HOW GREAT THEY ARE, you don't care.

6) Tell the sales rep, you are interested, you have a PAL, but you are only willing to pay $X out the door. (obviously you'll have had to do the calculations; tag, tax, etc; and you don't want to waste your time or theirs if you can't get there.

7) Don't go anywhere! They will say, "when would be convenient to come and drive the car? When is a good time to come to the dealer? or something like that. Again, " I'm not going to waste your time or mine if you can't get to that OTD price.

8) WAIT, WAIT, WAIT--unless you are completely unreasonable on price, which sometimes we are, they will get this cleared before you even walk into the dealership. Trust me, they want to sell you the car and you're now categorized as a Strong Lead!

9) Okay, now that you have the price, go to the dealer, Inspect the hell out of the car, I've seen Clean CARFAX's with entire rear of the vehicle repaired/welded and sealed properly etc; look at the rubber seals around the windows, trim, etc; for overspray, (go online their are numerous videos on inspecting cars.

10) If inspection goes well, test drive the car but don't act excited, (remember the Temporal Lobe situation).

11) Go do the paperwork and go into Finance office, (this office makes the MOST PROFIT for the dealership, don't be a profit center for them. When they start adding all the dealer adds, markup, Fees, etc; tell them, we agreed on a price, don't take the warranty, but do let them keep lowering the cost of it and then, sign and take your car.
***In most states, check yours, warranties can be added afterwards, if it's not Certified Preowned, then do your research on the warranty that dealer has HOOKED up with, again Profit.

There are a lot of options when it comes to extended warranties and so you really should do just as much research on them as possible before you put your money into it.

This is obviously simplifying the entire process, even though this post is long, but automobile purchases are a big expense and even with my new 18 GT PP S550, if I got screwed, I would regret it far longer than a few days/weeks of research and planning.

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