What Advice Would You Give a Prospective Buyer for Used GT350.

[Tank]

Hey Folks,

Like the title says, what would you tell someone to check when considering a used GT350?

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[SnakeAndSteak]

I would try to get one with some remaining warranty

 

[jvandy50]

I’d want to know how much oil it was consuming. Mine started at 6k, after being perfect for so long. All these low mileage cars for sale make me think some folks chose to unload as opposed to go through the motor replacement process...could be my tinfoil hat, but might not be either. I do understand some folks just take em to shows and garage em, but i’d be cautious for sure

 

[ClayDee]

Well, sometimes it's ok to buy used, but with the history of the 350, I would say this is a car not to take that chance with. I would be cautious of a 350 that had a few thousand miles on it for sale on a lot. Just my personal thoughts and opinions. Good luck with your search. Keep looking, you may be surprised what you can find an MY18 for.

Not always true, but buying a used car is typically buying somebody else's problem.

 

[lightrules]

with the history of the 350, I would say this is a car not to take that chance with. I would be cautious of a 350 that had a few thousand miles on it for sale on a lot

I guess for those who will buy a used GT350, what recourse is there if there are problems? If it consumes a lot of oil, will the factory or ESP warranty cover it? I think it would help to know the "common problems" of a used GT350 and whether warranty covers the buyer?

 

[ClayDee]

I guess for those who will buy a used GT350, what recourse is there if there are problems? If it consumes a lot of oil, will the factory or ESP warranty cover it? I think it would help to know the "common problems" of a used GT350 and whether warranty covers the buyer?

@jvandy50 can give you tons of info on what your inquiring about. Sorry jvandy not trying to put you on the spot. Just familiar with your issue you had with your 350.

 

[jvandy50]

@jvandy50 can give you tons of info on what your inquiring about. Sorry jvandy not trying to put you on the spot. Just familiar with your issue you had with your 350.

No problem at all man, if i can save someone from a headache then mission accomplished lol.

Not gonna admit to being in the know on buying a used one though. Mine was new and at a very young age began to have many of the 350 specific issues...burning 1 quart every 350ish miles, bumper sag, wheel bearing shot...called her a Friday car lol. Warranty would cover it all though, i just refused to let them touch it for the smaller things. I’d rather dad and i tackle it and do it right than have it free but f’d up.

I’m unsure how the factory warranty goes to the second buyer. However, when i told ford i wasn’t enjoying the ownership of this car, they offered me a 7yr/100k powertrain warranty which is transferable for “a small fee”. So if i were to buy used I’d be checking to see if previous owner had any extended warranty(many have purchased one). I’m keeping an eye on the buyer of mine to let them know it’s available and to send the supplement package, so if you guys see chassis H3249 send me a pm.



Side note...when these splitters rip off, they damage the rear tabs on the front fascia and also the engine splash guard(if the dealer bothered to install the hardware in those places). I know it’s underneath the car, but that would bother a lot of the more OCD folks once they found it. Some poor guy bought one and found they’d used zip ties to hold it all that together!

 

[tracktardicus]

Do your due diligence. Preferably you should buy from a private party as opposed to a dealership or used car lot-you will save money this way. It should not be hard to find a used GT350 from a private party that has service records. I've seen more than a few examples in this forum of owners who bought and then sold simply because they go through a lot of cars and want the next best thing. Most owners will be type-a and meticulous in the care of their GT350. Have a pre-purchase inspection done at your cost at a reputable dealership or shop that specifies in performance or race cars. If the seller (private party or otherwise) is not willing to do this, move on. If you know an enthusiast who is more knowledgeable in what to look for, enlist his or her help. Good luck!

 

[Tank]

@jvandy50 , thanks for offering your input here. Yeah, the splitter is a big one... It's very much appreciated.

We have the oil consumption issues documented in this thread so far, I'd like to respectfully request this thread not be used for further discussions of oil consumption and blown engines. @lightrules, you've seen the Blown Engine thread? There are plenty of other threads do so.

In advance, thanks for your understanding. Please keep this thread to the intended subject , advice you would give a prospective buyer whose considering a used GT350.

 

[Wildcardfox]

My advise is the look for vehicles under 2k or lowest miles possible. Look at dealer cars because they are certified and if there is an issue after purchase you are covered. In a private sale, you are responsible for the inspection and if any issues arrive after the sale you have little to no recourse. So I suggest going with a dealer sale unless you are absolutely sure that a particular private sale is advantageous.

Depending on the money you may also consider new. I myself recently left the car buying market after two months of searching and weighing used gt350s. At first I was only looking for used. I searched for two months and at the end I realized that in some cases I could get a new 2018 Gt350R for about the same or in some cases cheaper than I could get a used one. I ended up buying new. So look around, you may find a dealer who is selling a new car that may be in your price range.

Because these cars are viewed as collectors don’t be surprised if you see a low mileage car with multiple owners. There are many cars out there with at least 2 or even 3 owners with only 2k on the odometer. Many times owner number 1 will have only had the car for a few months and put 100 miles on it. This is not the car’s fault, just people speculating or were owners who were hoping to flip the car for a profit.

Be willing to ship. My final advise is to expand your search pool if you have not done so already. With so few of these cars around, you have a better chance of getting the car that you want, color, options, etc. if you look across the entire nation. Just know the rules for your state, pay the taxes and have the car shipped or driven in.

When I was looking at the base Gt350 I was highly considering buying a used car from Carmax or Carvana. They have lots of base Gt350s and they are inspected. Anything that does not pass inspection is replaced, so you know you are buying a car with good tires etc.

Added bonuses to consider in new cars are paint protection. You will see Xpel or 3m etc. listed in many ads along with ceramic coated. Paint protection depending on the coverage level can cost around 1k- up so if it is already done, then that is an added benefit. Just make sure that whatever warranty is transferable to a second owner.

Those are pretty much my tips for searching for a GT350. Look around, take your time and good luck!

 

[PP0001]

Do your due diligence. Preferably you should buy from a private party as opposed to a dealership or used car lot-you will save money this way. It should not be hard to find a used GT350 from a private party that has service records. I've seen more than a few examples in this forum of owners who bought and then sold simply because they go through a lot of cars and want the next best thing. Most owners will be type-a and meticulous in the care of their GT350. Have a pre-purchase inspection done at your cost at a reputable dealership or shop that specifies in performance or race cars. If the seller (private party or otherwise) is not willing to do this, move on. If you know an enthusiast who is more knowledgeable in what to look for, enlist his or her help. Good luck!

I certainly agree with this post especially when it comes to purchasing from a private party based on being able to meet the original owner and qualifying him or her regarding the car in question plus the fact that there is no dealership margin with respect to the purchase price therefore a much better purchase price should be able to be had for both seller and buyer.

I would only buy a 1 owner car from a private party as it is always nice to meet the original owner and once you see his home, garage and overall surroundings it will be fairly easy to understand who you are dealing with.

Purchasing a used car from a dealership is not only risky from a standpoint of them not divulging who previously owned the car but also how it was maintained and not having access to all service records. In many cases a used car dealer does not have much knowledge about the GT350/R's and could really care less about what the car has gone through with respect to oil consumption, service records, Shelby Owners Kits, window stickers, car covers and so on.

An Oasis Report should be obtained for the car in question very easily from any Ford dealership and the report will indicate when the warranty period started and when it ends for bumper to bumper and power train warranty along with any warranty work that may have been done. It also shows the manufactures build date which some people like to know.

Lastly, take a knowledgeable friend or someone that knows these cars inside out to view the car in question as two heads are always better than one especially enthusiasts such as many of us that have been around these cars since the beginning back in July 2015.

 

[Tank]

Terrific stuff so far! Thanks to all!

 

[Minn19]

Do your due diligence. Preferably you should buy from a private party as opposed to a dealership or used car lot-you will save money this way. It should not be hard to find a used GT350 from a private party that has service records. I've seen more than a few examples in this forum of owners who bought and then sold simply because they go through a lot of cars and want the next best thing. Most owners will be type-a and meticulous in the care of their GT350. Have a pre-purchase inspection done at your cost at a reputable dealership or shop that specifies in performance or race cars. If the seller (private party or otherwise) is not willing to do this, move on. If you know an enthusiast who is more knowledgeable in what to look for, enlist his or her help. Good luck!

Very similar situation for for both my 16 tech and 17 GT350s with a few other issues on top of yours with my 16. Had enough, traded it and moved on.

Edit: I meant to reply to @jvandy50 post about his issues as they were very similar to my experience. Sorry for any confusion.

 

[15pgnatsum]

I purchased my 2017 GT350 used through Carvana with ~3000 miles. Drove it 750 miles from Sacramento back to Seattle. No issues or oil consumption so far. No signs of problems with the oil, but obviously those aren't going to show until I get significantly more miles on it which will take some time since I don't drive often.

I'm covered by every factory warranty so it's no different than buying new as far as coverage goes. It's just that I paid $10-20k less than the original owner...oh yeah, and the previous owner gave them the package with all of the swag and mock crankshaft etc - so that was a nice bonus.

As far as what to look for: obviously Carfax and any other service records you can get your hands on. Tire condition and brake pad and rotor conditions to see if there are any signs of it being driven to the extremes. Can check out the telemetry on the dash, assuming the owner didn't reset it, to see anything noticeable. Look under the car to see if there is any significant signs of wear or missing protective panels. Rock chips or other body damage on the paint (the one I bought has literally no paint chips which is incredibly shocking)..

Only issue with mine that I found out after attempting to remove the stripes is that the bumper has obviously been repainted because the stripes on the bumper are painted on, whereas the rest of the car was the OEM vinyl stripes.

This could have been due to anything from a 100 mph crash into a wall at a race track to the bumper got yanked off coming off the truck during delivery to the dealership (something that would not show up on a record) but all of the panels look like they're in good shape and solidly mounted, all OEM parts including radiator support, splash shield, etc etc so I'm guessing it was something that wasn't significant enough to worry about.

Always risks with used vehicles, but the fact that I ended up in a super low mileage GT350 at the same price that I was about to spend on a built-to-spec 2019 GT PP2 at invoice pricing, I'd say I made the right choice. Again, anything else is what the warranty is for.

Also, Carvana is kind of cool because you can return the vehicle for a full refund, no questions asked, if you're unhappy with it within 7 days. Can't do that with a dealership or private party...

 

[Bladex10]

Only way i'd ever buy a used one is if i could take it out for 500-1000 miles and see how much oil it burns. ESPECIALLY post warranty. IDK how to do that with a private party car but thats going to be something that is on every buyer mind with any knowledge on the car.

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