Quick Advice on 04 GT

VortechEdge

Member
Oct 22, 2011
38
1
8
Oklahoma
So I test drove a 2004 Mustang GT this morning, it is bone stock except for lowering springs. Engine is untouched. Exhaust is even stock. Has 47k miles on it. Brand new tires and brakes. Drove very well, was quite impressed. Interior and exterior are mint.

Their asking 11,300. What do think of that price? Its a dealership btw.
 
  • Sponsors (?)


It's reasonable for a dealership... however if you look long enough you'd be able to find a S197 for close to that price or another '04 GT for around $9-10K.
 
I can't really tell you one way or another. There's a member on here that bought a '98 GT from a dealership about a year ago and paid over $9k for it, because it was exactly what he wanted. What I'm getting at is the car is worth whatever you're willing to pay for it.

If you have a budget of say $12,000 and this car provides everything you're looking for in a vehicle (engine, body style, trans type, color, interior options, etc...), I say buy it. OTOH, if you'd prefer a newer Mustang, a Cobra, or a Mach 1 perhaps you want to keep looking.

My suggestion is to do some research on similar vehicles in the area (sales price, etc..) and if the car seems in the ballpark for the sales price go to the dealership, take it for a test drive, and decide whether or not to buy it. If you find other GT's in the area selling for much less, then go to the dealership, test drive it to decide if you want it, and haggle with the dealership by showing them similar cars selling for less in the area. Hope that helps
 
Yep It does, I appreciate your input. I dont think their going to haggle much with me (even though I worked there for a year and half:scratch: ) because they put in $1100 on tires, brakes, oil and VIP. As far as what other vehicles in the area are going for, their the only dealership right now with an 04 GT. But we'll see what happens.
 
What was said above already. The most important factor is how much the car is worth to you. Second most important factor is the market you live in. If there are several cars of the same type at multiple dealers, price should be adjusted lower. If they've got the only game(stang) in town, the advantage is in their court.

I just picked up my 99 gt aniversary edition with 50K on it for just under 9 grand. *shrugs* It's all very relative.

My advice to you is to sit down at home for an evening. Look at your budget and decide on how much you are willing and able to pay for a mustang. Then look at this particular model. Is it under your budget number? Is it right at your budget number? or is it over your budget number? Do you plan to modify the car? Take that into consideration when looking at your budget numbers. I've easily put about 3k worth of modifcations into my gt and I've not had it for a full month yet.

Bottom line, if having a clean umolested ride is important to you, you need to figure out if it's worth overpaying for the vehicle or not.

One last thing, don't ever let a dealership sell you on the 'well we've put x amount of money into this since its been on our lot so we can't budge on the price.' number. That's total BS. They get all that stuff and wholseale prices then inflate the amount they've invested to reflect retail prices on things like tires paint and interior protection services and so on. You didn't ask for them to put that kind of money into the car so it's their fault if they don't recoup it.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Considering I'm comin off my last three cars that have cost me way too much in repairs, getting a low mileage, unmolested car is high on my priority list. Doin the modifications myself gives me the peace of mind knowing it was done correctly as well.

As far as my budget is concerned, its a non-issue for the price. I think I might be able to work them down to 11k. I will of course mod the car but not for the first year. I wont even be driving it for first ten months (military) so that wont even be a temptation, thankfully haha.

Appreciate your thoughts man. I'll let you guys know how it turns out, maybe get some pictures of it as well.
 
Some good advice from the others. I was like you when searching for my Mustang. Wanted an unmolested car with low miles. I was tired of driving hours to look at junk that was abused. Paid about $1000 more than the average Mustang at that time, but found an '03 with only 28K. Scrolling thru Autotrader just now & that isn't a bad price from a dealer, but depends on the area of the country. I prefer to buy off private owners and wish I would have went for the Mach 1, but I'm satisfied. Save some money for the mods, because it is addicting. You should test drive an S197 to compare, there is a big difference in the ride. If your planning on keeping the car for a long time the difference in $$ is not a big issue. I'm sure you'll have others jump in and say you can get one for $8k, but I think you know you want a clean ride. Good luck, keep us posted, and thanks for your service to our country!
 
Thanks roadman. I agree with you on buying from private owners, but with the amount of bad luck I've had (granted its been very educational), I want to get it from a dealership, because they cant legally sell a car with any problems, so theres some peace of mind there anyway. As far driving an s197, I have driven one before (supercharged actually), but I'm not too interested in those, I love the new edges.

Second test drive went good. As I mentioned before, new tires and brakes all the way around. As well as a new a/c compressor, clutch and belt tensioner. Car is in really really good condition. Granted it is a step down in power compared to my s/c 2000, but I was surprised in how quick it was.
 
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searc...rid=70533&dma=OKLAHOMA_CITY&rdm=1326940173574

Theres a list of all 04 Mustangs within 500 miles of my residence with under 60k miles for 13k or less. None of them are cheaper then the one I'm looking at for the mileage interestingly.

I have to go up to the 15k range to find a sub 30k Mustang. More than I am willing to pay currently.

So based on my searching, 11.3k for a 47k 04 is right around average price, maybe a tad lower.
 
I've decided to pass on the vehicle. There's a few things that bug me about it that I cant shake and there are plenty of other nice mustangs out there...I'm notorious for rushing into things lol.

Once again thanks for everyone's input, you guys are great:nice: