So im looking around for a mustang to buy, but i noticed one pretty nice 3k to 4k cheaper than what the dealership has it priced. (Most reptable dealerships) Thing is i lowed balled him and he went down 600. Should i be worried?, i mean at the mileage you see a dealership sell something similar at 3 to 4k higher. But im thinking this guy is a grassy yard dealer, and has bunch of cars on a yard with little house. Most people are scared to throw down hard earn money, for something that could be a fluke or a gem. 50/50 CHANCE or is it just a flooded or screwed up car? I mean why so low at that mileage. I was thinking he just couldnt get the money if he sold it at a regular dealership, and i assume the warranty is expired which usually happens right at what 75k miles. Also dont they drop down quite a bit if you throw down all cash, and dont try to finance the car? Any thoughts???
have the car looked at by a mechanic. Worth it to find out what you need to know about the car instead of just wondering
^^^this. Ask the seller for a Pre purchase inspection. Schedule it at a reputable shop(should run about $120). Owner will bring it in & you'll pay for it via credit card. If the seller refuses than don't even consider it. Also check carfax obviously
Does the guy have a lot with cars? Or have you seen the car and he's just an individual seller? With what you're describing, I'd bet it's a lot type auction reseller, if it's not... there's something else up, and it'll need to be researched even more. The reason I'm asking is because if it's a lot type auction dealer - he's probably buying them at a dealer auction, and is then selling them for way below the normal book price to move inventory (ie he operates in all cash and rotates inventory 30 days or less). It's a very profitable business (if it's the auction type reseller), since you can get cars for ridiculously low prices.. When you lowballed him (assuming this is the deal and he operates all in cash/money orders he probably didn't flinch because there's even more wiggle room). I've seen first hand how crazy the deals are and essentially were steals at an auction. For example... I saw a truck that sells at a dealership (for $8k+) go for $3600 after fees. The guy would then just get it cleaned up and fixed up for a few hundred after I verified there were not any serious mechanical issues and flip the car for a quick $5-6.5k. He was giving his customers good deals and would try to get as much info as possible so he wasn't buying lemons or something. Unfortunately I also saw the other end of the spectrum where guys were doing a lot of shady stuff. With that said, you need to know what you're in for and run the carfax as mentioned. To add, if you don't work on cars, you need to have someone that does... I'm basically a mechanic on the side, and other than having to learn a **** ton on Mercedes lately can pretty much fix everything on the road other than body work/Teslas. And obviously exotics (while I'm sure I can, I'd like to get the manuals/sw to study first)... I finally got the official Mercedes manual software (I'm actually pretty impressed vs normal service manuals)... And while Mercedes probably isn't happy... It makes maintaining one actually affordable. Anyway check the car out and go from there. Run the carfax... I was eventually going to buy junk cars (not like lemons/flood cars, I won't touch those) but ones that needed a couple of smaller things (maybe some bigger stuff too but wouldn't kill my profits/time) at dealer auctions and fix them up and flip them, but you have to know what you're doing... I'm also not interested in ripping someone off... But unfortunately the same can't be said about others. I'm not good at sales and don't make stuff up on cars or lie to someone. I'm awful on selling my own cars
Man, this was something I missed (hahah, walked away before hitting submit), definitely need this info! That's what can really make/break a deal, I was hoping to cover the stuff I'd seen/could be, but year/price/drivetrain if it's a legit deal could be a lot more telling on if it's worth it.
The possibility of the Mustang being caught in one of the recent floods and/or having something wrong with it that might be difficult for a layman to spot is very real. I'll add my voice to the others. If you're serious about getting the car, have a reputable mechanic check it out. If it's OK, you'll still be way ahead if you buy it. If it isn't? You probably saved yourself a ton of grief.
Hard for us to tell you without being there physically with the car. Watch one of those mechanic videos that show you how to inspect a used car (ChrisFix is a good one on YouTube) in case you aren't willing to pay the money to go get it inspected it. I did a pretty good job helping my uncle get a used car a few months ago, thankfully I talked him out of a few lemons that he would of bought stupidly had I not been there. I'm always careful with sports cars since most people abuse those cars.
Two words Scotty Kilmer...and scan tool. If the former isn't available then have it looked it by your trusty mechanic.
