Used car advice

[kiszl]

Hey everyone. I might be switching over to the dark side soon (buying a gt) and I wanted to see if anyone had any things to watch out for when buying a used one. Limit on mileage they would buy, key indicators of wear, etc. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!:cheers:

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[offcamber]

Ideal situation would be to meet the owner. I feel its the best way to understand what the car has been through and how its been treated. No guarantees but gives you more to work with than most dealers. Person to person sales are usually the best way to save $. Used mustangs depreciate quickly so look for 20% off sticker after the first year and an additional 9% by the end of year two. Anything under 20,000 miles should be considered first. The unknown is always the dealer used car inventory but check the CarFax for a bit more info and a certified purchase can give you some peace of mind.

I would be wary of the guy selling his teenager's 5.0 because "he got too many speeding tickets".

Good luck!

 

[Zelek]

I'd be wary of buying any V8 Camaro, Mustang, Challenger used. You have no idea how the original owner drove it and that's always my biggest concern. I'll pay the extra money to buy new and know that I'm the only person that's driven it and taken good care of it.

 

[Jobodizo]

I'd be wary of buying any V8 Camaro, Mustang, Challenger used. You have no idea how the original owner drove it and that's always my biggest concern. I'll pay the extra money to buy new and know that I'm the only person that's driven it and taken good care of it.

Pretty much this for me. My 15 GT is the first car I've ever bought new, mostly because there are so few people who sell them after 1-2 years who haven't beaten up on them and moved on.

If you're set on it, easiest sign of abuse is rear tires that are considerably more worn than fronts. Check the condition of the oil (consistent maintenance usually shows up in color) and air filters. I'd also stay away from cars with a mod list a mile long. Finally, take it to the dealer and have them check the flash count on the PCM. If you want a car with a warranty it's better to check first.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Get the VIN, go to your nearest Ford Dealer and ask the Service Dept. if they can run you an OASIS report. That will contain any and all Ford Dealership service visits, non-warranty repair history and warranty repair history.

Depending on much $ you have to spend, try to get the newest used Mustang you can afford, as some of the first model year S550’s had quite a few quirks and warranty concerns. Again, I stress “some”... the OASIS report will show that repair history.

Also be aware of any Ford Buy Backs or those that were Lemon’d. There is a thread on here in the TSB sub-forum for Lemon’d S550’s. Some automotive reports *might* show a Vehicle has a Lemon’d VIN, where others may not. If you’re in a State where the law is written - any such affected vehicle must have a branded title for Lemon or Buy Back (also referred to as vehicle reacquirement). The seller (dealer or private) must make the buyer aware of such branding by labeling on the vehicle and title or by verbally telling the buyer before he/she is to purchase the vehicle.

 

[sebounet]

I prefer to buy a brand new gt, for the same reasons as above. But for a used mustang i would prefer a gt than an ecoboost. The engine is simplier, more reliable, and if you have to do some repair it s not so expensive. Turbo reliability and the tweaking that some people can do make me think that an used ecoboost is riskier than a GT. I would check for any sign of modification that have been cancelled before selling it also.

 

[brpec]

I dont think will be hard to find a great used mustang gt. many people buy this car and never drive it. Not sure why.

 

[El_Centenario]

First thing I look at is the rear wheel wells. If you find bits of tire rubber all over the wheel wells it's been driven hard. Also look at the bolt heads and nuts in the engine compartment and under neath the car to see evidence if the car has had parts removed. And also like others have mentioned, run a VIN check to see any mechanical / body repairs have been made. I purchased my car with 13K miles and it was in close to new conditions. Was told that it was the dealerships owner car and was well taken care of. Still smelled new and had the original pirellis tires still on with plenty of thread left.

 

[KevinG]

There are some gems out there which are garage queens - those are the ones you want. You don't want the daily drivers which were beat up, not maintained right, left out in the elements, etc.

 

[wanted33]

Get the VIN, go to your nearest Ford Dealer and ask the Service Dept. if they can run you an OASIS report. That will contain any and all Ford Dealership service visits, non-warranty repair history and warranty repair history.

Oh heck CJ, you beat me to it. That's what I wanted to say.

OP, also make sure the car doesn't have any mods, or an engine tune that will void the warranty. The dealer should be able to hook it up to their computer to make sure it's good to go. Just do your due diligence, be patient, and you should find you a nice pre-owned. Good luck.

 

[Ebm]

Nothing wrong with buying a used GT. Yes, the original owner probably redlined it several times. I'm sure you'll probably redline it several times. The GT is meant to be driven hard and the engine is very robust. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used GT in good condition. Save yourself a lot of $$$. If buying used, definitely get the ESP from Ford or something similar. The evap core alone will pay for the warranty and yours will most likely go out sooner rather than later with all the issues Ford has been having with them.

 

[IPOGT]

I've contemplated selling mine to get a '17 GT350 since I think you can find a nice used one and 350's are less likely to be hammered. But, with only 1200 miles and my factory mods which I completed after I think about it and how much I drive it, I pass.
I'm sure some other 50 somethings bought a GT like mine and may offer to sell.
When and if I ever decided to sell...That would be a great find, and I'm sure there are others like me, but not many and most people aren't honest.

 

[TomcatDriver]

Ideal situation would be to meet the owner. I feel its the best way to understand what the car has been through and how its been treated.

Good luck!

This exactly. You may be able to find a pretty sweet garage queen that an adult owner (45+ year old) has taken good care of. Again, no guarantee, but you can get the vibe of the previous owner when you meet them. A nice mid-life weekend car, but after a couple years and some impending tuition bills for kid #3 and they decide it's no longer worth it.

 

[growler]

This exactly. You may be able to find a pretty sweet garage queen that an adult owner (45+ year old) has taken good care of. Again, no guarantee, but you can get the vibe of the previous owner when you meet them. A nice mid-life weekend car, but after a couple years and some impending tuition bills for kid #3 and they decide it's no longer worth it.

hilarious at over 45 part!!..I'm 52 and..... I had my 3.5 ecoboost f150 hitting max speed 20 minutes after dealers lot, had my 14 gt at dragstrip less than a week after purchase, same with my gt 500.. 90% of the guys in the money at the dragstrip are 40+..getting old affects a lot of thing but has yet to lighten up my foot.. But I do see a lot of vettes going 62 in a 70. and like you said(no guarantee)

 

[Nomadic]

I bought my '15 GT used 3 months ago from a used car dealership that specializes in performance/luxury cars. They have a HUGE showroom and most cars live indoors (including the Mustang). It had already been modified by previous owner with all the mods in my sig. It only had 5500 miles and was super clean.

They got it from a Land Rover dealer where it was traded. I contacted the previous owner via email (found his name on a receipt in the glove box). I found out where the mods were done. I don't know if it was driven hard or not but it looked to be babied and well taken care of.

It's my weekend mid-life crisis car (I'm 48 lol) and it's been great so far. I couldn't pass it up since it had all the modifications I would have wanted to do anyway (especially the Whipple) plus the cloth Recaros. Even a leftover new '17 PP base would have cost more than my car that has around $15K in mods.

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