[rahul002]

Hi everyone

My first post so hello to the entire Team BHP community

I am looking to buy a used Ford Mustang (new ones not available anymore).

Could use some help on how to check the car condition, who to reach out for parts and service assistance?
General pitfalls to avoid?

Never driven one, any advice on India roads v/s Mustang and ownership experience will also be helpful.

The one currently available with Big Boys Toys is a black 4th owner, 2016 - 21,000 kms

PS: I have never bought a used car before let alone one a American muscle car with the company no longer operating in India

Thank you in advance for all the help, advice and assistance!

- Rahul

[GTO]

Mustang, go for it . It's one of the most useable sporty cars for India. Lusty V8 engine, timeless styling, good reliability, runs just fine on regular petrol (although higher octane preferred when available), clears most bumps & bad roads...Team-BHP was part of an all-India highway tour in the Mustang.

Remember, the Mustang is a daily-driver for lakhs of people in the USA.

Three main downsides = resale values are holding steady & not dropping with time, dumb AT gearbox if you are used to the ZF-8s and interior plastic quality is comparable to a Civic. Not premium at all.

I'd love to own one. It's very mod-friendly and because of its popularity in the USA, you'll have ample spare parts support for years to come.

Originally Posted by rahul002

The one currently available with Big Boys Toys is a black 4th owner, 2016 - 21,000 kms

4 owners, wow! I would avoid. Also note that the actual number of owners might be higher as many people buy such cars & drive them, without transferring it to their own name.

Look for a 1 or 2 owner car, follow our used car checklist (including service history, checking past insurance claims etc.) to the T and you'll be all set.

Enjoy your American muscle while you can. It is perhaps your only chance to own a modern American muscle car in India. Ford & GM have both left the country with no plans to come back.

[Jeroen]

Great car, go for it!

Just google “what to look for in a used Mustang” and you find many very useful links.

I would also suggest to join a couple of the American Mustang owners forum. The American car fora tend to be very friendly with a huge amount of collective wisdom and knowledge.

There are also some excellent books about Mustangs of all generations. You should be able to find them all on Amazon and EBay.com

Jeroen

[rahul002]

Originally Posted by GTO

4 owners, wow! I would avoid. Also note that the actual number of owners might be higher as many people buy such cars & drive them, without transferring it to their own name.

Now I'm on the fence on this specific car!

Anyone on the forum who has one? Maybe I can reach out and connect to understand 1 on 1?

[buzzy_boy]

The Mustang is a great car. However, to own (and enjoy) one, some pre-conditions need to be met.

1. Most people who own these cars hoon about in them pretty hard. You need to buy these kind of vehicles directly from the owner. That way you can make an educated guess whether or not they've taken care of them.

2. You need to invest a lot of time to source parts. You must be ready to do the basic maintenance yourself.

3. You need to know a competent mechanic to take care of the more complex stuff (if you're not mechanically inclined yourself)

I'd say, try to find a relatively inexpensive Ambassador of decent vintage (say 70's or 80's). Try to keep it running in top shape, and see if you're up for investing that sort of time into the upkeep of a vehicle.

Many owners underestimate the amount of effort/money that goes into upkeep of such vehicles. That could be one of the reasons why that specific vehicle has 4 owners.

[Himanshu809]

It’s like a thumb rule. How do you tell someone NOT to buy a Mustang?

It’s a Mustang brother. You can never be wrong with it. And like someone said it sells a lot in the US at least so overall parts and service won’t be that big a deal.

But beware of these big multi brand luxury showrooms, it’s 4th owner on paper so it will be definitely more than that in reality. That’s their business operandi, they rent these cars a lot on short term basis to cover their business and vehicle maintenance costs and obviously they don’t go through the trouble and cost of transferring the papers for every short term user, also it depreciates the car. And for every short term wannabe user you can expect rough usage only.

Either get the car checked out at a FNG or at a Ford service centre capable of performing diagnostics on a Mustang. Wouldn’t want an abused V8 import now, would you?

[shankar.balan]

The Mustang is 7 years old. And the chap wants 65 lacs for it. I believe 65 lacs was the ex-showroom price of this car in 2016. But what the others said is true. Many of these high end eye catching cars end up getting used by a lot of dodgy wannabe hoonigans including the showroom folks themselves, especially late nights, weekends, party nights and all and there is absolutely no record of all these activities. And most definitely these are likely hard used by those short termers.

I also love this car and can empathise with your desire.
But in this case best to tread cautiously, be sure of yourself and only then, proceed.

[rahul002]

Can't agree more with all your points!

Lust or Love? I want it so bad!!

PS: At the risk of sounding stupid, is there any way to import a right hand drive, new one from the UK? Wouldnt that be more cost effective and since it would be new lower risk?

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by rahul002

I am looking to buy a used Ford Mustang (new ones not available anymore).

I have a friend's friend who had a Mustang in Gujarat and was looking to sell a few years back. He was getting low ball offers.

I can check if he still has the car and is looking to sell.

[rahul002]

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

I have a friend's friend who had a Mustang in Gujarat and was looking to sell a few years back. He was getting low ball offers.

I can check if he still has the car and is looking to sell.

Please do connect. Maybe he / she still has it?

[lamborghini]

There is a white mustang that is supposedly first owner in carwale, driven a little more however.

But if it's a clean car, could be worth checking out.

However same price would also see some serious German competition like a pre-owned M2C, an almost new 340i, and some older porsches too. If the desire is fun, these could be better bets; though if the heart wants American muscle - options are limited

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by rahul002

Please do connect. Maybe he / she still has it?

Will check with my friend this weekend.

In the meanwhile, I had spoken to a dealer in Mumbai who trades luxury cars. His status had a Mustang. Attaching his status here as I can't DM you.

I think the price is high but there is always a lot of scope for negotiation in such deals. (P.S. I don't know the dealer personally and haven't bought anything from him)

Can share the contact if you want.

[Haze]

Originally Posted by rahul002

I am looking to buy a used Ford Mustang (new ones not available anymore).

My advice is slightly out of the box, but it is on the lines of go catch a one way flight to dubai, rent a V8 mustang, drive the hell out of it, and when you have had your share of the V8 fun, and you start realizing the impracticalities of having one as a daily driver, take a flight back to India, and pick up a new M340i.

The best part of this plan?
All of this will cost you less than the price of an (ab)used Mustang GT.

[rahul002]

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

Will check with my friend this weekend.

In the meanwhile, I had spoken to a dealer in Mumbai who trades luxury cars. His status had a Mustang. Attaching his status here as I can't DM you.

I think the price is high but there is always a lot of scope for negotiation in such deals. (P.S. I don't know the dealer personally and haven't bought anything from him)

Can share the contact if you want.

I know who has this.

Im spooked on the 3 and 4 owner cars after reading the advice from previous replies.

Originally Posted by Haze

My advice is slightly out of the box, but it is on the lines of go catch a one way flight to dubai, rent a V8 mustang, drive the hell out of it, and when you have had your share of the V8 fun, and you start realizing the impracticalities of having one as a daily driver, take a flight back to India, and pick up a new M340i.

The best part of this plan?
All of this will cost you less than the price of an (ab)used Mustang GT.

Hahah. My dad would've said the exact same thing if he was here. I say this as a good thing!!

What are the impracticalities I wonder?

And whats with the M340i love? Need to understand that car , research begins.

Mod Note : Please do not type with dots........like this.

Thanks.

[FocusAssist]

This will be along shot but - recently I saw one when I went to Cauvery Ford Magadi Rd (BLR) for my Figo's service. There I saw this which has a starting problem apparently. I don't know the owner (or even they are willing to sell) but maybe you can ask them.