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Selling gt350.. do you let someone test drive?

Tom14ct14

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Would you plop down $50,000+ for a used performance car without driving it?
Honestly, no. I don't buy used from people. If I did and I have driven the car then I would have it inspected and be fine not driving it. What am I going to find that a mechanic wont by driving it?
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key01

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I have friends that buy cars ( exotic mainly or collector) without ever driving them. They are often thousands of miles away and they rely totally on a PPI and well documented photos. They are considerably more valuable than the GT350. People constantly bring up Bat. Unless you live close to the seller no one is driving these cars and they sell all the time. Personally, I would only sell to someone who knows the car and will accept me driving it for them if they want to swing by.
 

Shift

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I wouldn't. I'll hit redline through the gears, I'll slam on the brakes as much as you want, and take turns hard. Take it though the city and take it on the highway. That should be more than enough that the car is in working order.
 

lonegunman

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As soon as you pay for it, you can drive it all you want. I sold my last Mustang to a guy who could not drive a manual, so NO. After he paid, we had an hour of driving lessons in his new car.

I bought my GT350 without ever haven driven one. I did my research and knew what to expect.
 

460Fred

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I bought my GT350 without ever haven driven one. I did my research and knew what to expect.
As above, I never drove mine either. I bought new but that really didnā€™t matter, I did my research as well.
You are selling a warrantied car, they donā€™t need to drive it. Take them for a white knuckle spin and call it good. Once they see what this car is capable of they will understand why you donā€™t want a stranger taking a chance with it.....reasonable.
 

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peoples1234

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I wouldnā€™t buy without a test drive, and I would allow if I was selling. Warranty or not, you can tell a lot about a vehicle on a test drive. Vibrations, rattles, sound, etc are all hard to diagnose and sometimes impossible for fix. Dealers donā€™t like to fix those types of issues.

I think you can get a good feel for someone, if they seem like a joy rider then ask for an deposit to make sure they are serious.
 

dom418

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Iā€™ve sold many a car without test drives. Too much liability having someone you donā€™t know drive your pride and joy. I drive with you in the passenger seat, you like it, put a deposit down and we can talk.

If you want to see how a 350 drIves like, go to a dealer. A test drive is supposed to rule out any mechanical issues etc to which we can confirm when I am the driver not you.
 

460Fred

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Well there you go, clear opinions that agree 100% across the board.
 

Burger16b

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Ive let people test drive before but for lower priced vehicles. When selling a bike. The only way they test drive is with cash in my hand. If they brake it etc they bought it. I guess same would go for selling performance car. Iā€™d take them for a test drive first.
 

ATB042

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Strategy that has always worked for me as a seller: map out a ride that has a variety of road surfaces. You drive with them as the passenger to the furthest point so they can experience what they need to without concentrating on the driving. You switch and return home the same route in reverse. This way you are with them and you control the experience as you need.
 

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dhborden

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Thanks for the recommendations. I'll be selling my '15 GTP w/50th APP (and Power Pack 2) in the spring and am already concerned about anyone test driving without knowing how to control that much torque in a rear wheel drive car. It surprised the heck out of a good friend when we went to the track together and he had an instructor in the car with him!
 

Scuba

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When I sold my 526whp '08 GT, the test drive was me driving showing the buyer that "boost kicks in here" and "as you can see, hot dry pavement won't keep it from breaking loose in third gear on these Michelin Sport AS3s and you will need to be ready for it". They bought it without driving it first, but it wasn't a $50k car, either.

Feel out the prospective buyer and go with your gut is about all you can really do.
 

M.A.N.

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The way I do test drives is if it's a newer vehicle with no issues. I'm going with you, and
you want it and have the money with you before we leave, and if there's nothing wrong
with the car you're paying me when we get back. They are not driving it just to see if they
like a GT 350 or not. They can do that some place else. The deal is done before we go, they
only drive it to make sure there's no issues with it.
 

Seven

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I ran into so much of this when I was buying... GT350 owners are a weird bunch that way IMHO. I ended up taking a risk buying my 350R without driving it. As I only was able to drive a 350 (non-R) and that was only because it was used and at an Alfa Romeo/Maserati/Jaguar dealer so it wasn't a big ticket item for them.

I had WAY WAY less trouble getting a test drive of a Cayman GT4 and a 911 GT3, way more expensive cars. One of them was even a Paint-to-Sample car (which is $13k added to MSRP and it was literally a 1 of 1 car), they verified my license and insurance and threw me keys - no big deal at all.

I had a C7Z with 650whp, I didn't bat an eye at pontential buyer's wanting test drives, same with my 575whp SS 1LE, same with many many other high HP cars I've owned and sold. If you want to be super careful, get a pic of license and current car insurance beforehand, but seriously - if they seem like a legit buyer and have their shit in order, what's the problem?

At the end of the day, it's a just Mustang - a more powerful mustang (and more rare if an R) sure, but still a Mustang. I think anyone taking it more seriously than that will probably make any potential buyer who isn't a big Ford/Mustang enthusiast feel like it isn't worth the trouble... I say this as I nearly didn't buy my 350R after all the weirdness I had from owner's and dealers acting like Golum with the Ring saying "my precious" and shit. It isn't a Ferrari, let's be real here.
 

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I will take you on a test drive after we talk a bit...........and I think if I want to sell you my car or not.
here is my reasoning on that. #1 you know what the car is #2 you can check it out and hear it run in a drive way #3 YOU KNOW WHAT THE CAR IS!!!!
my 1st gt350 no test drive. drove it out of the show room floor
2nd GT350 R also no test drive. drove it out of the show room floor
I was OK with that because I knew what the car was!!!!!!!
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