Used 2016 GT with 106K Miles - is this a Bad Idea?

[NewAmerican]

Hi All, I've recently moved to the U.S. and need a car, so naturally I've decided a Mustang is the way to go.
I've never had a Mustang before and I'm certainly no mechanic, so I'm after a little buying advice here please.

For reference, I'm ideally trying to stick to a budget of under 30k, and after some intense online research my ideal "wish list" spec is:
- 2016 or 2017 GT Premium
- Manual
- Shaker Pro Audio
- PP1
- Magnetic Metallic

As many of you probably know, this is pretty much the worst time ever to be looking for a used mustang - pickings are slim, and prices are high.
So I've put a car on hold to see at CarMax which is selling for $25K and has done 106K miles....

https://www.carmax.com/car/18910755

The pros:
1. It is the EXACT spec I would like.
2. It's (comparatively) cheap.

The cons:
1. It's done 106,000 MILES!!!
2. It does NOT look like it's had much love.
3. It's over 300 miles from me so I have to take a long trip to see it, or pay $199 to have it brought to me.


Before everyone just says "what the hell are you thinking", here's some of what I'm thinking:

Given the price I could buy the CarMax 150k/36mo "MaxCare" extended warranty ($2859), get a full, thorough service, swap out some of the worn plastic parts and get it properly detailed and still stay under my budget with a car in the spec I would like warrantied against any major issues for three years.

I've already learnt that I should take it to a Ford dealer and get them to pull the oasis report. If it turns out it hasn't been regularly and satisfactorily serviced I can return it to CarMax for a full refund within 30 days.

I'm starting to despair at the chances of the sort of spec I want showing up near me with less miles for a price I want to pay in the near future... and since I currently own 0 cars it's difficult to get out to see cars. Basically I'm getting desperate and I need a car right now!

Plus, I've heard of older generation Mustangs running happily for well over 200,000 miles, right....?


So what do you think?

Does this make any sense or have I gone crazy from lack of a car and need someone to talk me down?
Should I abandon this and carry on waiting, or is there some scenario in which it is not such a terrible idea?

More practically - does anyone have experience with an S550 at this sort of mileage, and is there anything I should be looking out for?

Any advice would be appreciated!

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[ice445]

I mean, doesn't seem like a terrible buy given it's 100% stock. Always a good sign when buying used. It could definitely use some love and more detailing work, but overall the condition is great for 106K. If it has satisfactory service records then I wouldn't be too afraid of it, especially if it's a must have spec and the alternative is walking.

It may be mostly highway mileage too, which is what these cars are good at. Highway miles barely wear anything. The carfax will tell you more, if it has really frequent oil changes time wise then it was probably doing a lot of highway.

 

[ORRadtech]

I hope the OP decided to go for it. Otherwise he may be SOL as Carmax is showing it as unavailable...

 

[007evan]

thats a nice one has not see the north east winters. With a quick trip to the car wash and power wash the engine compartment it will look fine after a detail. It looks good for 100k car. make sure the clutch is in good nick. Buy this one they are in short supply and the prices are only going up. good luck

 

[Cobra Jet]

Hi All, I've recently moved to the U.S. and need a car, so naturally I've decided a Mustang is the way to go.
I've never had a Mustang before and I'm certainly no mechanic, so I'm after a little buying advice here please.

For reference, I'm ideally trying to stick to a budget of under 30k, and after some intense online research my ideal "wish list" spec is:
- 2016 or 2017 GT Premium
- Manual
- Shaker Pro Audio
- PP1
- Magnetic Metallic

As many of you probably know, this is pretty much the worst time ever to be looking for a used mustang - pickings are slim, and prices are high.
So I've put a car on hold to see at CarMax which is selling for $25K and has done 106K miles....

https://www.carmax.com/car/18910755

The pros:
1. It is the EXACT spec I would like.
2. It's (comparatively) cheap.

The cons:
1. It's done 106,000 MILES!!!
2. It does NOT look like it's had much love.
3. It's over 300 miles from me so I have to take a long trip to see it, or pay $199 to have it brought to me.


Before everyone just says "what the hell are you thinking", here's some of what I'm thinking:

Given the price I could buy the CarMax 150k/36mo "MaxCare" extended warranty ($2859), get a full, thorough service, swap out some of the worn plastic parts and get it properly detailed and still stay under my budget with a car in the spec I would like warrantied against any major issues for three years.

I've already learnt that I should take it to a Ford dealer and get them to pull the oasis report. If it turns out it hasn't been regularly and satisfactorily serviced I can return it to CarMax for a full refund within 30 days.

I'm starting to despair at the chances of the sort of spec I want showing up near me with less miles for a price I want to pay in the near future... and since I currently own 0 cars it's difficult to get out to see cars. Basically I'm getting desperate and I need a car right now!

Plus, I've heard of older generation Mustangs running happily for well over 200,000 miles, right....?


So what do you think?

Does this make any sense or have I gone crazy from lack of a car and need someone to talk me down?
Should I abandon this and carry on waiting, or is there some scenario in which it is not such a terrible idea?

More practically - does anyone have experience with an S550 at this sort of mileage, and is there anything I should be looking out for?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Here’s the most accurate pricing as of today and it was by VIN:

 

[Semp1]

For 25k absolutely a bad idea. Look at a 13-14 with lower mileage. You’ll be just as happy.

 

[NGOT8R]

I would not buy a Mustang with that many miles unless I was ready to go through it completely. If it needs more TLC, then that’s not a good sign either. Extend your search and buy a one way ticket to wherever and buy one with low miles for 30K.

 

[NGOT8R]

Not the color you want, but 10K miles is better than 106K. I would not buy a Mustang with that many miles unless I was ready to go through it completely. If it needs more TLC, then that’s not a good sign either. Extend your search and buy a one way ticket to wherever an buy one with low miles for 30K.

Try looking more into these.

https://www.edmunds.com/ford/mustang/2015/vin/1FA6P8CF1F5349688/?national=true&radius=6000

https://www.edmunds.com/ford/mustang/2015/vin/1FA6P8CF9F5307236/?radius=200

https://www.edmunds.com/ford/mustang/2016/vin/1FA6P8CF0G5232718/?radius=200


https://www.edmunds.com/ford/mustang/2016/vin/1FA6P8CF6G5279042/?radius=200

 

[NewAmerican]

I mean, doesn't seem like a terrible buy given it's 100% stock. Always a good sign when buying used. It could definitely use some love and more detailing work, but overall the condition is great for 106K. If it has satisfactory service records then I wouldn't be too afraid of it, especially if it's a must have spec and the alternative is walking.

It may be mostly highway mileage too, which is what these cars are good at. Highway miles barely wear anything. The carfax will tell you more, if it has really frequent oil changes time wise then it was probably doing a lot of highway.

Good point, thanks - the autocheck seems to indicate a single owner, so if someone just bought it and drove to work every day in it without trying to mod it to make it go faster it might not have been abused too much!
And 20,000 miles a year of highway is perfectly normal in this part of the world for a commuting car... I'll buy the carfax and see if it has more service history.

 

[NewAmerican]

I hope the OP decided to go for it. Otherwise he may be SOL as Carmax is showing it as unavailable...

Yep, that was me - it’s on hold for me to go see it.
Gotta move quick if you want a Mustang around here! I can still back out if I want, I’ll just be out $200.

 

[NewAmerican]

thats a nice one has not see the north east winters. With a quick trip to the car wash and power wash the engine compartment it will look fine after a detail. It looks good for 100k car. make sure the clutch is in good nick. Buy this one they are in short supply and the prices are only going up. good luck

Thanks!
One plus of moving to California - the weather is certainly nice.
You're right about the prices, I was speaking to a Ford dealer earlier asking if they had any decent stock coming in and the answer is basically "no". Apparently it's going to get worse before it gets better as far as availability of new cars because of supply chain issues, so any used stock they can get is being listed at pretty much new prices....

 

[NoVaGT]

That many miles usually means freeway miles. That's a traveling salesperson or something.

Just go drive it, and see if it feels tight, and the brakes are good. It's probably very soft, gentle miles.

 

[NewAmerican]

Here’s the most accurate pricing as of today and it was by VIN:

Thanks for running the report!
So it seems the price is not bad for the mileage. I checked KBB and it seemed to line up as well.

 

[NGOT8R]

@NewAmerican, it might not be a bad deal to check around with some of the reputable Mustang performance shops like AED, Palm Beach Dyno, Lund Racing and Modular Motorsports Racing and ask their opinion as to what the remaining life expectancy is on the motor with that kind of mileage and/or other components before buying. I would venture to say that the suspension bushings are probably worn, cracked or dry rotted, which would mean that they will need to be replaced at some point (which is not necessarily a bad thing because you can upgrade to better parts). Also, I strongly suggest having an inspection (leak-down and compression test), done on the car. This will be at your expense of course, but if you’re really set on this car, it would be a smart move and give you peace of mind. Worst case scenario, is you’d be out of a few hundred bucks if the car was determined to be an unreliable vehicle. Lastly, AED is in California too. Phone: (916) 715-7569

 

[NewAmerican]

For 25k absolutely a bad idea. Look at a 13-14 with lower mileage. You’ll be just as happy.

Could be an option, thanks... I had actually been eying a few 13-14's up online but haven't had a chance to drive one yet. The main thing putting me off the older ones is the interior, but it might grow on me!
So that's Plan B.
Or I could consider an Ecoboost, I'd actually like to drive one of those too for comparison.

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