used GT350 Purchase (40-50k range)

[porterror]

First post! Shopping used GT350s and seeing a ton of 2016 in the 35-40k range. Seems like a great buy at that price point, but slightly worried about engine 2016 vs. 2019 revamp. Is it worth waiting for the 2019s to drop or go used? Anything else I should be looking for when purchasing in this price range used? Thanks!

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[thill444]

First post! Shopping used GT350s and seeing a ton of 2016 in the 35-40k range. Seems like a great buy at that price point, but slightly worried about engine 2016 vs. 2019 revamp. Is it worth waiting for the 2019s to drop or go used? Anything else I should be looking for when purchasing in this price range used? Thanks!

Buy the newest car you can within your budget. A 2016 in the $35K range means it either has an unclean title (salvage/rebuilt), was in an accident, or has tons of miles on it.

Keep in mind 2016 cars are either tech pack or track pack. Starting in 2017 the price went up but all the coolers came standard.

$50K will not get you into a 2019, but $47-50K will put you into a low mileage 2017-2018 that still has a warranty. I found a 2018 for $49K that had 1400 miles and 70%+ of the warranty left.

 

[porterror]

Buy the newest car you can within your budget. A 2016 in the $35K range means it either has an unclean title (salvage/rebuilt), was in an accident, or has tons of miles on it.

Keep in mind 2016 cars are either tech pack or track pack. Starting in 2017 the price went up but all the coolers came standard.

$50K will not get you into a 2019, but $47-50K will put you into a low mileage 2017-2018 that still has a warranty. I found a 2018 for $49K that had 1400 miles and 70%+ of the warranty left.

How about spring/summer of 2020 the 2019s dropping? Would be looking to purchase around that time? Is the 2019 engine revamp worth the extra $? I usually only bought sports cars that have held their value (ex: porsche 911 (997), exige). Kinda why i'm looking at that 2016 (35-40k price point). I'm not sure they will get any lower than that over time....I think?

 

[RaceRed19]

First post! Shopping used GT350s and seeing a ton of 2016 in the 35-40k range. Seems like a great buy at that price point, but slightly worried about engine 2016 vs. 2019 revamp. Is it worth waiting for the 2019s to drop or go used? Anything else I should be looking for when purchasing in this price range used? Thanks!

I just grabbed a used 19 back in mid October for 52k! It had 2600 miles on it Had to make a 3.5 hour drive to go pick it up but would have driven more if needed. Keep your eyes open looking and if willing to drive a bit, you'll find the right deal for you! You will absolutely love owning a GT350! Best of luck!

 

[nastang87xx]

Worries with the '16 engine? Umm... *looks in my engine bay*

Yep, looks fine to me.

 

[thill444]

How about spring/summer of 2020 the 2019s dropping? Would be looking to purchase around that time? Is the 2019 engine revamp worth the extra $? I usually only bought sports cars that have held their value (ex: porsche 911 (997), exige). Kinda why i'm looking at that 2016 (35-40k price point). I'm not sure they will get any lower than that over time....I think?

I don't think 350GT's are good "investment" cars at this junction. Ford made a lot of them and continues to make them. If you can find a clean 2016 with no major issues for $35-40K it will definitely not drop as much as a new one from a depreciation standpoint but I would definitely look into extended warranties to cover the powertrain items.

 

[porterror]

I don't think 350GT's are good "investment" cars at this junction. Ford made a lot of them and continues to make them. If you can find a clean 2016 with no major issues for $35-40K it will definitely not drop as much as a new one from a depreciation standpoint but I would definitely look into extended warranties to cover the powertrain items.

Thanks! My usually buying moto is to spend the least amount of $ over 3 years (15k miles) on the most fun sports car. My finds have been a 2006 997.1 (bought for 40k and sold for 40K after 15k miles) and a lotus exige S240 (bought for 55k and sold for 57k after 10k miles). I'm wondering if the 2016 GT350 would fit that...you think they would go below 30k after 3 years/15k miles of ownership? I'm willing to lose some cash for fun.

 

[porterror]

I just grabbed a used 19 back in mid October for 52k! It had 2600 miles on it Had to make a 3.5 hour drive to go pick it up but would have driven more if needed. Keep your eyes open looking and if willing to drive a bit, you'll find the right deal for you! You will absolutely love owning a GT350! Best of luck!

that's a great price! I'm wondering if the 19s will drop more in the spring/summer 2020...

 

[Drpena13]

I got a 17 with 11k miles for 46k

loving it so far.

 

[TxGT350-52]

Buy the newest car you can within your budget.

$50K will not get you into a 2019, but $47-50K will put you into a low mileage 2017-2018 that still has a warranty. I found a 2018 for $49K that had 1400 miles and 70%+ of the warranty left.

I think this is good advice. I just found a 2018 with 1400 miles and half its warranty for $50K. It was the exact color and had all the features I wanted, plus no aftermarket extras. I have made a few minor modifications, but I will keep it mostly stock.

I looked at a 2016 with 11K miles and no warranty for $5K cheaper, but I decided it was worth it to me to have the warranty and lower miles. To the OP, if your price range is $45-50K, you should be able to find a low mileage 2018 without too much trouble.

 

[RJay]

that's a great price! I'm wondering if the 19s will drop more in the spring/summer 2020...

There are currently (631) new 2019 GT350's sitting at dealerships across America.

This car is $7623 under MSRP and has (5) of the (7) possible options on it (only missing the PBR {Painted Black Roof} and the Handling Package).

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/777873940/overview/

The 3 year/36K bumper to bumper is nice.

Ford also gives you 5 years/60K on the powertrain (if you don't mod it and void the warranty).

As stated above, you can probably find a real nice 2018 with plenty of warranty left on it. Who knows? It might also have had an engine replacement and then you would have a '19 motor as a bonus.

Points to ponder...

 

[ManyfordsnoMustang]

I just spent 4 months looking for a Mustang and came pretty close to buying a couple of different 2017 350s, all were in the upper $40s with less than 10k miles on them. A great car but in the end I decided against a 350 not because I found a better car I just compromised. If you can wait I would either wait until the end of this month when dealerships are trying to max the total number of cars sold for the year or just be patient—time is on your side. I wonder how many 350 owners are jumping to the 500 which may flood the market with even more 350s once the 500 production ramps up.

I would also keep a close look at the tires. three of the 350s I test drove had less than 10k miles on them and had already warn through a good part of the 2nd set of tires. Just because the tires were replaced doesn't mean they aren't already warn and that adds to your cost right off the bat.

I have purchased cars like you as well, though I tend to hold onto them for a very long time. My 911TT was one of the best cars I ever owned and most enjoyable—until this Mustang GT convertible I bought - way more fun. GOt rid of the 911 TT for about the same I paid for it 5 years later. Not sure a GT350 will holds its value like that but who knows.

 

[TxGT350-52]

There are currently (631) new 2019 GT350's sitting at dealerships across America.

This car is $7623 under MSRP and has (5) of the (7) possible options on it (only missing the PBR {Painted Black Roof} and the Handling Package).

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/777873940/overview/

The 3 year/36K bumper to bumper is nice.

Ford also gives you 5 years/60K on the powertrain (if you don't mod it and void the warranty).

As stated above, you can probably find a real nice 2018 with plenty of warranty left on it. Who knows? It might also have had an engine replacement and then you would have a '19 motor as a bonus.

Points to ponder...

The issue I found with several of the online "deals" at a dealership were the extra items they want to add to the final price. Some were negotiable and some were not, so make sure you ask all the right questions up front before getting "invested" in the car.

During my search, I also found several Ford Buy Backs with engine replacements. They were typically $5K less than other similar year/mileage cars, so that was the red flag. I did not want an engine replacement car because of the issues reported on this forum. I also did not want a Lemon Law titled car.

In the end, I bought mine from a private seller who was the original owner. Since i bought it directly from him, I have all the owners supplemental with the paperwork, books and numbered crankshaft sitting on my shelf.

Since I do not plan to tune the car, I will buy the lowest mileage ESP from Flood Ford before the factory warranty runs out.

 

[Nfs1000f]

...Since I do not plan to tune the car, I will buy the lowest mileage ESP from Flood Ford before the factory warranty runs out.

Don’t wait until right before your factory warranty to run out because the price of the extended warranty is going up on a regular basis. In the short time that I was looking to buy mine, it increased by $100. I got mine through Flood Ford.

 

[Cobra Jet]

I don't think 350GT's are good "investment" cars at this junction. Ford made a lot of them and continues to make them. If you can find a clean 2016 with no major issues for $35-40K it will definitely not drop as much as a new one from a depreciation standpoint but I would definitely look into extended warranties to cover the powertrain items.

Absolute BEST advice in this thread and within this forum...

The only S550 Shelby’s that will be worth money in the future will be the lower production R’s, lower production regular GT350 build numbers from the standard run and more specifically those that have not been driven or modified.

You want modern day investment grade Fords?
2005-2006 Ford GT
2017-2018 Ford GT
2019 Ford GT Mk II
S197/S550 Cobra Jets

If anyone on this site has fluid cash or can get the money - plunk it on a 2017-2018 Ford GT, shove it in a storage facility or secure garage for 2-5 years - and cash out. Come back to this thread and thank me when you do...

Besides the original Classic Shelby Mustangs, the true Shelby Cobras and GT40’s - a modern day cookie cutter Mustang isn’t going to command Classic Shelby money at all (or Porsche, Ferrari, Bugatti, or Lambo money).

If you’re under the ideology that a mass produced S550 GT350 will net you big dollars, then maybe, just maybe if you’re lucky (and alive) in another 50-75 years you might break even over MSRP (or for those that paid MSRP+ADM) or make a few bucks and change...

Do as others have said - if you can afford $40k-$50k now and are set on purchasing a GT350, get the newest model you can for the same (or better) money - they are out there. Hit up www.cargurus.com also, filter on nationwide and do the 2016-2019 GT350 search, there’s a TON of them on Ford Dealer lots.

Be sure to read the fine print on deals that are too good to be true - they could be Ford RAV Buy Backs (Lemons). Ford must publicly include statements to let a consumer know the vehicle is as a RAV Lemon Buy Back and if so, that VIN will always be tagged and flagged as a Lemon within Ford OASIS or any VIN reporting agency. So if you don’t care about anything other than getting into a Shelby for some low ass deal, those are good candidates - again IF the VIN labeling isn’t going to bother you.

These guys on this forum won’t mislead you - listen to what they’re saying. There are many deals to be had, just have to dig in and search. If you find something, post it up, they’ll tell you if it’s a good, bad or fair deal.

If the car is on a Ford lot, you can always request the OASIS report. It will tell everything about the car (date built, warranty start date, all as built configuration, etc) any Warranty OR repair history (if used and serviced at ANY Ford Dealer nationwide) and if the car is a RAV Buy Back.

Best of luck!

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