What/where is the best place to buy a used 350?

[mysta_sandman]

Buy mine....1000 mile, 2017 avalanche gray.

Next year is the time line for me.

I'm about 3k away from positive equity. So I'm looking to wash out on the GT then grab a 350.

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[tracktardicus]

You will save the most money buying from a private party. There are plenty of OCD GT350 owners who sell when the next best thing comes along. Insist on a pre-purchase inspection at a performance shop or reputable dealer at your cost, or no go.
I would suggest cars.com and autotrader. Also, consider the searchtempest craigslist aggregator if you are willing to travel to find the right car.

 

[mysta_sandman]

You will save the most money buying from a private party. There are plenty of OCD GT350 owners who sell when the next best thing comes along. Insist on a pre-purchase inspection at a performance shop or reputable dealer at your cost, or no go.
I would suggest cars.com and autotrader. Also, consider the searchtempest craigslist aggregator if you are willing to travel to find the right car.

I keep coming back to that as that being my best bet. Idc about traveling. That's half the fun. And worst case, I can throw it on a transport carrier too.

I also really don't want to deal with the typical dealership bs, either. That's why I went to CarMax for my GT. Not because I thought I'd get a deal but because I knew neither of us wanted to haggle.

 

[thill444]

I keep coming back to that as that being my best bet. Idc about traveling. That's half the fun. And worst case, I can throw it on a transport carrier too.

I also really don't want to deal with the typical dealership bs, either. That's why I went to CarMax for my GT. Not because I thought I'd get a deal but because I knew neither of us wanted to haggle.

I do all of my haggling over email and go directly to the internet sales manager. Many internet sales managers are not paid by commission but based on sales volume. I buy and sell alot of cars and this method almost always is the easiest and gets you the best price. Just be professional, firm, and persistent. Some dealers can take 4-6 weeks. And if you miss out on a car there is another one around the corner. Ford made a lot of these cars and it seems like many owners flip them with low miles. It’s a buyers market for sure and expanding your search radius makes a big difference.

If you have a trade in that is a factor too.

 

[Inthehighdesert]

This is good advice. On a car like a 350 I would go straight to the sales manager. I did exactly that with my 20. The salesman wasn’t put off at all and still got credit for the sale. I’m a down to brass tac’s type, GC, I don’t pull numbers out of non reality. Be realistic and reasonable and you’ll be fine. I’ve always dealt with dealerships in the same professional manner I treat my clients and it’s always paid dividends.

I do all of my haggling over email and go directly to the internet sales manager. Many internet sales managers are not paid by commission but based on sales volume. I buy and sell alot of cars and this method almost always is the easiest and gets you the best price. Just be professional, firm, and persistent. Some dealers can take 4-6 weeks. And if you miss out on a car there is another one around the corner. Ford made a lot of these cars and it seems like many owners flip them with low miles. It’s a buyers market for sure and expanding your search radius makes a big difference.

If you have a trade in that is a factor too.

 

[Johns_350]

Autotrader for me. I looked for a long time and finally found the right one ~800 miles away. Private party, car had 1,200 miles on it, meticulous first owner who had a few other cars. Flew out and drove it back.

 

[mysta_sandman]

This is good advice. On a car like a 350 I would go straight to the sales manager. I did exactly that with my 20. The salesman wasn’t put off at all and still got credit for the sale. I’m a down to brass tac’s type, GC, I don’t pull numbers out of non reality. Be realistic and reasonable and you’ll be fine. I’ve always dealt with dealerships in the same professional manner I treat my clients and it’s always paid dividends.

I tend to be firm regarding a car. So when they pull the, "What would you like to pay per month" BS, I usually ask what the total cost of ownership is over 36 months. My thing is staying fairly quiet until we get to finance. Then, I'm laying out my own pre approval rates etc.

There's definitely an abundance of good 350s out there. And now with the new 350/500 coming out, I'm assuming there will be even more.

 

[ExtantPuzzle]

Honestly for something like the GT350, which is a luxury purchase and where there's a good amount of inventory (especially used), you've got all of the bargaining power. I mentioned it in another thread, but I just e-mailed my local dealership (who had the car I wanted) with a list of all of the other GT350s of the same spec at cheaper prices and said "I'm okay with flying to get one and driving it home, but I'd rather buy from you. Tell me what you think you can do."

They gave me a price, it was fair, so I went for it. No back and forth haggling, no drama, no need for sales games.

 

[mysta_sandman]

Honestly for something like the GT350, which is a luxury purchase and where there's a good amount of inventory (especially used), you've got all of the bargaining power. I mentioned it in another thread, but I just e-mailed my local dealership (who had the car I wanted) with a list of all of the other GT350s of the same spec at cheaper prices and said "I'm okay with flying to get one and driving it home, but I'd rather buy from you. Tell me what you think you can do."

They gave me a price, it was fair, so I went for it. No back and forth haggling, no drama, no need for sales games.

That's an awesome idea.

I'm getting itchy. I'm thinking of listing my GT and trying to hop into a 350 sooner vs later. I'm sitting on parts that are new that I've never installed either (Brembo kit, Corsa exhaust etc). Time to start selling and pull the trigger I think.

 

[TxGT350-52]

I do all of my haggling over email and go directly to the internet sales manager. Many internet sales managers are not paid by commission but based on sales volume. I buy and sell alot of cars and this method almost always is the easiest and gets you the best price. Just be professional, firm, and persistent. Some dealers can take 4-6 weeks. And if you miss out on a car there is another one around the corner. Ford made a lot of these cars and it seems like many owners flip them with low miles. It’s a buyers market for sure and expanding your search radius makes a big difference.

If you have a trade in that is a factor too.

I have purchased close to a dozen new cars using email as my primary contact with the seller. I use the information from each dealer to get a lower price at another one with similar options. I never trade in a car, as this is one more area for them to negotiate to their advantage. I do not walk into the dealership or talk to a salesman on the phone until the deal is done and I am ready to pick up the car. If I need to test drive one ahead of time, I will go to a dealer by my house, but I have never gotten a good deal from the ones closest to my house.

This is obviously more difficult when buying a used car, because you have to see it in person to determine if the pictures match the reality. On my used GT350, I test drove one near my house to make sure I liked the feel of the car and then, started my search in earnest on all of the usual car websites. After about 2 months of looking for the exact color and options, I eventually drove to the other end of town one Saturday to look at a couple good used prospects. In the end, I bought one from a private seller off of Craigslist because it was an exact match in perfect condition and he had all of the original paperwork, including the owners supplemental which I really wanted. I doubt buying a used GT350 from a dealer would have all the original paperwork still intact.

Be patient and start looking now. You will have a good idea of what is a available and how much you should expect to pay when the time is right.

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