Buying a used GT350

[Sukhoi]

I've never bought a used car before. My first car, which was used, my dad bought while I was at college. Then the two following have been new. Now I'm looking at used Mustang GT350s. In general how should I go through the purchasing process so I cover my ass? My questions are more focused on generally buying a used high performance car vs the GT350 specifically.

I gather I should have a pre-purchase inspection done, presumably at a Ford dealer. How does this work? Is this something I schedule with a couple day's notice with any Ford dealer that's nearby to the car's location? Most of the cars I'm looking at are around an hour away. I'm quite busy and would like to only have to take one trip to see the car, but it seems like I probably will have to suck it up and do two? One to see it and do an initial test drive, then schedule the PPI and take another trip to do the PPI? Am I missing anything else in this whole process?

 

[repoman0]

If it’s only an hour away I’d just do the two trips. I’ve bought a couple high performance cars out of state from private sellers without even a test drive and both with and without PPIs. At the time it was standard to ask the seller to take the car to a good independent shop of my choice and pay them to look it over. I turned down two cars before buying one sight unseen based on the results. They were all much more than an hour away though.

Not sure about the Ford world but in the old BMW world the dealer is the last place to go for a PPI. There are large numbers of good knowledgeable independent racing or performance oriented shops that do much better work and inspections.

Most importantly post pics and impressions here as you go through the buying process. No one posts anything cool in this subforum anymore!

 

[Kaido]

Welcome to the Mustang club! I have an '18 Ecoboost & absolutely love it! It's my "forever car". Stick-shift, 310hp, turbo, SUPER fun! With electronic stability control, it's gotten me through every winter so far! I bought mine new (it was actually new-old stock, was a previous year that hadn't been sold off), but for buying new, just assuming that someone treated it like a toy & beat it up. Some things to think about:

https://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2017/05/5-expert-tips-for-buying-a-used-sports-car.html

As that article says, plan on investing in consumables & minor to major repair bills. Most people beat on sports cars & dealers just want to flip them, so include "planned repairs" into your budget. iirc Fords come with a pre-owned warranty for a year & that can be extended after that, but if you have a rainy-day fund, that may be just as good, based on the cost. How long do you've already been through a few cars already; how long do you plan on keeping the vehicle for? That will help determine what to invest in. For, I plan on owning my car forever, so I built a personalized service plan to match (including stuff like a ceramic coating).

 

[Sukhoi]

Thanks for the link and tips! I rented a convertible Ecoboost Mustang on Kauai in Feb 2020 (which was the same price as a Corolla; oh I miss that world) and remember it being quite pleasant to drive around. Now I'm wishing I had paid a bit more attention to the details but I don't recall anything ergonomically bothering me much.

This is also planned to be a "forever" car that I only put on probably 2500 mi/yr. Consumables aren't much of a concern with that usage rate, though I'm probably going to get an extended powertrain warranty for a couple years to protect against the engine blowing up. Does anyone know if I can get the PowertrainCARE warranty after the bumper-to-bumper has ended but prior to the factory powertrain warranty ending? All the legalese I can find is unclear.

I'll have to go ask on one of the dedicated GT350 forums about who to have do the PPI. From what I remember reading I think the dealer is pretty common. I'm in the SF Bay Area so while there are a zillion independent shops I could go to I also have no idea how to choose one.

 

[ultimatebob]

Welcome to the Mustang club! I have an '18 Ecoboost & absolutely love it! It's my "forever car". Stick-shift, 310hp, turbo, SUPER fun! With electronic stability control, it's gotten me through every winter so far! I bought mine new (it was actually new-old stock, was a previous year that hadn't been sold off), but for buying new, just assuming that someone treated it like a toy & beat it up. Some things to think about:

https://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2017/05/5-expert-tips-for-buying-a-used-sports-car.html

As that article says, plan on investing in consumables & minor to major repair bills. Most people beat on sports cars & dealers just want to flip them, so include "planned repairs" into your budget. iirc Fords come with a pre-owned warranty for a year & that can be extended after that, but if you have a rainy-day fund, that may be just as good, based on the cost. How long do you've already been through a few cars already; how long do you plan on keeping the vehicle for? That will help determine what to invest in. For, I plan on owning my car forever, so I built a personalized service plan to match (including stuff like a ceramic coating).

View attachment 58573

That's a nice color. I've always been a fan of Ruby Red.

 

[Kaido]

That's a nice color. I've always been a fan of Ruby Red.

Mine is actually Royal Crimson! Changes color. It's usually sort of a dark cherry (purplish) & then kind of goes black at night. The purple is darker than this but I boosted



Sort of the color change:

 

[rstrohkirch]

I gather I should have a pre-purchase inspection done, presumably at a Ford dealer. How does this work? Is this something I schedule with a couple day's notice with any Ford dealer that's nearby to the car's location? Most of the cars I'm looking at are around an hour away. I'm quite busy and would like to only have to take one trip to see the car, but it seems like I probably will have to suck it up and do two? One to see it and do an initial test drive, then schedule the PPI and take another trip to do the PPI? Am I missing anything else in this whole process?

Generally, if you aren't in the area then you pay for the PPI and the seller drops it off for you. Then the report is sent to you and it's your choice to share it with the owner if you want.

So, steps would be:

- Seller, pics and everything seem good
- PPI
- Go look at car and purchase if everything still looks good or just purchase and ship if you can't make it out

 

[Sukhoi]

I've been watching regional inventory since December 1st and it's getting surprisingly sparse. Hopefully the one with Recaro seats that's close to me lasts another week until I have time to see it on the 26th. I'm not expecting to like the Recaros but I haven't driven a GT350 yet. If that goes well on the 27th I may test drive & buy a nice looking low mileage 2018 that's at a Ford dealer with a relatively reasonable price and Gold Certified. I'm willing to pay a bit more to not have to deal with PPI and get the extended warranty as well.

I had originally been planning to wait until late summer to buy but with the way inflation is going I feel like I might as well just buy something now. I have the necessary cash in a muni bond fund but it's just hemorrhaging value lately and I don't see it getting any better. Time to buy a car and some Series I bonds with the remainder. I also just went from a subway commute to a driving commute so it'd be nice to drive a fun vehicle once every week or two.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I might soon have enough in savings to plop down $40,000 on another car. But I know, like the OP may find out -- that a pre-owned vehicle can be a good bargain.

And me?! Good heavens. I'm 74 years old and nursing a 27-year-old orphaned Trooper LS. I might get 15 to 17 on the highway. But the tranny and engine are tip-top at 193,000+ miles -- the tranny with about 65,000. I'd love to have a car like the GT350, but I'd also love to be 30 years younger.

If I put 2,500 miles per year on my Trooper, I'm in no hurry about any car purchases. And I made a rule for myself that I wouldn't buy another vehicle with internal-combustion engine. I can consider a hybrid; I'd rather have EV.

So I've been looking at the Ford Mustang Mach-E. SUV features like my old beloved Trooper; fully electric. Still, I'm stymied by the possibility I could be dead in five years, the possibility that I won't be able to drive in ten years, and my annual mileage.

If anyone remembers the movie "Dances With Wolves", there is a printed narrative at the end of it.

"And so the great horse-culture of the plains vanished . . . ."

And I say "And so the great petroleum culture of America must dwindle and die . . . "

Afterthought: The paint-job on that GT350 of Kaido's is absolutely beautiful.

 

[Elfear]

Generally, if you aren't in the area then you pay for the PPI and the seller drops it off for you. Then the report is sent to you and it's your choice to share it with the owner if you want.

So, steps would be:

- Seller, pics and everything seem good
- PPI
- Go look at car and purchase if everything still looks good or just purchase and ship if you can't make it out

I'll add a small cautionary note here. I bought an out-of-state Vette about 10yrs ago. The car was too far away to check it out easily so I had the owner take the car to a local shop for an inspection to cover my bases. I got a nice detailed report from the Chevy dealership he took it to. All looked great so I decided to buy the car and have it shipped to me. Fast forward a week and the car gets dropped off but won't start up to get off the car hauler. Have to basically roll it off the trailer. Not a good start. Tried jump starting it with no success and spoke with the owner numerous times but we couldn't get it going.

At this point I had it hauled to my local Chevy dealership to take a look. They found a slew of issues. I called the dealership where the car was originally inspected to figure out why their report didn't match what I received. The shop tech basically said that the car wouldn't start at their shop either but they thought the seller would let me know... Ya buddy, that's exactly why I paid a 3rd party to inspect it! Long story short, it took me 6+yrs and thousands in legal fees to get most of my money back from the seller .

I know I'm probably in the minority when it comes to out-of-state inspections going terribly awry but thought I'd chime in. If the car isn't too far, I would 100% check it out first.

 

[rstrohkirch]

I'll add a small cautionary note here.

Unfortunately you do here about these scenarios sometimes. Generally it's suggested to find highly rated independent shops that routinely do PPI. However, that's not an easy task unless the vehicle is being purchased from a large city or you get lucky. I even see posts where the shop is suppose to be really good and they miss basic things on a PPI. I agree that if you can see the car before purchase it is the ideal route.

 

[Sukhoi]

I probably should update this that I bought one! The car with the Recaros was in rough shape and well overpriced (it's still on the market today). There was badly repainted damage to the left front quarter panel with overspray all over the plastic trim. Interior was ridden hard and put away wet as well. But luckily a much better example came on the market that same day. It took three trips to that dealer to deal with some minor issues and do some walk-out negotiating (it works but they actually let you leave then they call next day) but I got the deal closed. Now I need to get a lot better at driving a manual. I've only driven one a couple times over the past 15 years or so. 526 hp is quite the experience though. Now my 269 hp RAV4 seems slow.

 

[Kaido]

I probably should update this that I bought one! The car with the Recaros was in rough shape and well overpriced (it's still on the market today). There was badly repainted damage to the left front quarter panel with overspray all over the plastic trim. Interior was ridden hard and put away wet as well. But luckily a much better example came on the market that same day. It took three trips to that dealer to deal with some minor issues and do some walk-out negotiating (it works but they actually let you leave then they call next day) but I got the deal closed. Now I need to get a lot better at driving a manual. I've only driven one a couple times over the past 15 years or so. 526 hp is quite the experience though. Now my 269 hp RAV4 seems slow.

Congrats & welcome to the club! Pics or ban! haha

For stick-shift driving, mostly it boils down to one key: at the friction point, hold the clutch for half a second. This is the difference between a jerky ride & a smooth ride! Our brains don't want to do it, we just want to shift between gears quickly, but learning to do that little half-second pause - ESPECIALLY on first gear (up to a second or two, to get it rolling), makes for a TREMENDOUS difference in practice!

Have you heard of ceramic coating? It's basically permanent wax, all you have to do is use water to clean off your car! You can pay someone to do it ($$$ to $,$$$) or you can DIY (>$200, takes a ton of effort to do it right tho). Best kit out there is Adam's UV polish, $170 with the UV flashlight so you can see what you're doing:

Graphene Ceramic Coating™ Advanced

Adam’s Graphene Ceramic Coating™ Advanced is an easy-to-use Ceramic Coating that can be seen where applied using the Adam’s UV Flashlight and our patent-pending UV Tracer Technology™. With improved characteristics, this coating is appropriate to add long-lasting, extreme self-cleaning effects...

adamspolishes.com

I had Opti-coat (5-year coating) professionally installed; I'm on year 4 & it still looks super amazing! All I do is wash with running water & a microfiber towel once a week! No soap, no synthetic wax, no carnauba wax, nothing. 100% worth it! (either to pay someone to do it or to put in the labor yourself!) I had it applied to my wheels & paint. I did Glassparency (ceramic for glass) on the windows, but it really only lasted a couple years. Also got 3M ceramic tint on the inside windows (turns the windows a bit blue), which helps cut down the heat in the summer with the black leather interior. I'd definitely recommend going the ceramic route for the paint, as it makes exterior maintenance a total breeze, plus it looks so shiny you could eat off it lol.

 

[blckgrffn]

I probably should update this that I bought one! The car with the Recaros was in rough shape and well overpriced (it's still on the market today). There was badly repainted damage to the left front quarter panel with overspray all over the plastic trim. Interior was ridden hard and put away wet as well. But luckily a much better example came on the market that same day. It took three trips to that dealer to deal with some minor issues and do some walk-out negotiating (it works but they actually let you leave then they call next day) but I got the deal closed. Now I need to get a lot better at driving a manual. I've only driven one a couple times over the past 15 years or so. 526 hp is quite the experience though. Now my 269 hp RAV4 seems slow.

What was the pricing? If you don't want to post here, a dm would be really appreciated! I want to get a stupid gas car while the getting is still good.

My 99 GT 4.6L 5 Speed was not that inspirational, but the yellow color always ensured the 11 and 12 year olds loved it

 

[Sukhoi]

Thanks, those are some good tips. My biggest problem is giving it enough power when launching from a stop. My brain keeps thinking I need maybe 5% throttle due to how big the engine is, but it takes probably 20% throttle to get moving smoothly. I also need to get better at downshifting and fix some bad habits I have from long ago (braking with clutch in). My right ankle is bad and I can't heel-toe, so I have to figure out how I want to handle braking to a stop for stop signs and traffic lights. I may just end up doing it in neutral. It's pretty chaotic trying to do rev matching and braking with one foot flying back and forth for 5 gear changes.

Also, I need to figure out my paint protection plan. And also take some pics.

 

[rstrohkirch]

Thanks, those are some good tips. My biggest problem is giving it enough power when launching from a stop. My brain keeps thinking I need maybe 5% throttle due to how big the engine is, but it takes probably 20% throttle to get moving smoothly. I also need to get better at downshifting and fix some bad habits I have from long ago (braking with clutch in). My right ankle is bad and I can't heel-toe, so I have to figure out how I want to handle braking to a stop for stop signs and traffic lights. I may just end up doing it in neutral. It's pretty chaotic trying to do rev matching and braking with one foot flying back and forth for 5 gear changes.

Sell it and get a 19 with rev matching =]

Also, I need to figure out my paint protection plan. And also take some pics.

PPF front bumper, hood and mirrors should run you about 2k. It's a good investment considering you want to keep it for a long time.

 

[Sukhoi]

Oh it is a 2019. None of the GT350 have rev matching. There are a couple aftermarket options but I'm not comfortable modifying a safety critical feature like that.

 

[rstrohkirch]

Oh it is a 2019. None of the GT350 have rev matching. There are a couple aftermarket options but I'm not comfortable modifying a safety critical feature like that.

I assumed when they brought it to the GT they brought it to all the trims. Don't really agree with the mentality that cars like the 350 or 350r shouldn't get rev matching. It makes it much easier to live with on a daily basis if you have the option to turn it on when you want. Not that you daily this car but I wouldn't even own my car if it didn't have rev matching.

 

[Sukhoi]

I assumed when they brought it to the GT they brought it to all the trims. Don't really agree with the mentality that cars like the 350 or 350r shouldn't get rev matching. It makes it much easier to live with on a daily basis if you have the option to turn it on when you want. Not that you daily this car but I wouldn't even own my car if it didn't have rev matching.

It actually is a hardware difference. There is an additional sensor for (I presume) transmission-side RPM measurement on rev-match capable transmissions. So it's not surprising Ford didn't want to go through the effort of including that sensor in a transmission that would only be in production another year or two.

 

[jlee]

I assumed when they brought it to the GT they brought it to all the trims. Don't really agree with the mentality that cars like the 350 or 350r shouldn't get rev matching. It makes it much easier to live with on a daily basis if you have the option to turn it on when you want. Not that you daily this car but I wouldn't even own my car if it didn't have rev matching.

You know you can rev match yourself, right?

 

[rstrohkirch]

You know you can rev match yourself, right?

She said that's the only way I'm allowed to do it.