High Mileage vs Low Mileage Cars

[gth0007]

I constantly am doing "Shelby" searches on Ebay motors just to keep up with what's going on with SAI products. Interestingly, the market on used cars is "all over the board" price wise. Many used GT-500s are hitting the market along with SGTs and occasional GTHs. Determining "value" is the tough task. Many buyers only want low mileage cars and many "experts" say "don't buy the higher mileage cars". But is that good advise? Price on the higher mileage, under 50,000 miles, is much lower and maybe a better value? I'll throw out my opinion / thoughts and would like to hear from others on this topic. Lower mileage cars sometimes scare me, let's face it, a 2007 car with 300 miles has done a whole lot of "sittin' around". Cars are made to be driven and wil deteriorate in wierd ways when they are not driven which will mean potential mechanical post warranty issues. Higher mileage cars are driven, and if serviced properly, won't have the same mechanical issues. So, my opinion is buy the higher mileage car at a reduced price. If Shelby Forum members always tell novice buyers to " don't buy the high mileage cars" we may be preventing potential buyers from joining the Shelby fraternity. Many cannot afford the high end, low mileage cars but CAN afford the same car with 40-50,000 miles on the odometer. My advice to novice Shelby buyers, is explain the pros and cons of low vs high mileage cars, but do NOT just say "don't buy it". What do you think? Shelby's with some mileage need a home too!!

[David Hawkins]

I constantly am doing "Shelby" searches on Ebay motors just to keep up with what's going on with SAI products. Interestingly, the market on used cars is "all over the board" price wise. Many used GT-500s are hitting the market along with SGTs and occasional GTHs. Determining "value" is the tough task. Many buyers only want low mileage cars and many "experts" say "don't buy the higher mileage cars". But is that good advise? Price on the higher mileage, under 50,000 miles, is much lower and maybe a better value? I'll throw out my opinion / thoughts and would like to hear from others on this topic. Lower mileage cars sometimes scare me, let's face it, a 2007 car with 300 miles has done a whole lot of "sittin' around". Cars are made to be driven and wil deteriorate in wierd ways when they are not driven which will mean potential mechanical post warranty issues. Higher mileage cars are driven, and if serviced properly, won't have the same mechanical issues. So, my opinion is buy the higher mileage car at a reduced price. If Shelby Forum members always tell novice buyers to " don't buy the high mileage cars" we may be preventing potential buyers from joining the Shelby fraternity. Many cannot afford the high end, low mileage cars but CAN afford the same car with 40-50,000 miles on the odometer. My advice to novice Shelby buyers, is explain the pros and cons of low vs high mileage cars, but do NOT just say "don't buy it". What do you think? Shelby's with some mileage need a home too!!

 

 

Like you, I feel the Higher Mileage Cars are great deals, have already been broken in and the problems worked out. There is a guy on here with a 2007 GT 500 with just 7500 Miles on it and the clutch went out on it. It is now out of warrenty and his Ford Dealer wont touch it. I feel that if he had driven it more the problem would have surfaced sooner and the Dealership would have fixed it, no questions asked.

[ingram4868]

I'd focus on the performance mods that have been done to the car more than mileage.

[MY500SS]

I have no problem with higher miles as long as seller has proof of maintenance and possible recall and TSB receipts. If that's available.................get the better deal and use the savings to mod away.

[mywickedshelby]

ditto to my500ss' comments....

[CASEY HILL 14998]

I decided to buy a higher mileage 2007 GT-H convertible (25k miles) so I could knock off $10k to $15k off the price of equivalent one with low miles and then use it as my daily driver (here in Chicago - snow, salt, rain, sun). So, I get a great Shelby for the price of $25k and drive it anywhere. I even get complemented on it with snow and salt grime all over it. I have two other mustangs that sit in the garage over the winter (a 66 and a 68), so why not have fun with this one year round and for the price I paid what do I have to loose. I also got all the history from the maintenance records at Hertz, so I know every little thing done to it, and the TSBs. I think it all is a matter of personal preference, and in my case I decided the higher mileage, lower cost, would fit my needs the best. (Lest ye think I am a total nut - I do wash the car at least once a week to keep the salt off). Ironically it was rented in Hawaii, and now I drive it in Chicago - two different worlds :o Casey

[MY500SS]

I think you made a great choice Casey, except for the "snow, salt" thing.............with that one your nuts

 

 

Congrats.

[FiaCobra]

I prefer a low mileage car. Who cares if it wasn't driven much in 3 years. It's not like you'd be dealing with a car that sat for 15 years or one thats been driven over 50k miles in who knows what type of conditions. The person that got my nearly 2 yr old '08 GT-500, had 3490 miles to look into. During that time, it had the TSB done successfully, and the car had 3 oil changes done to it.

[Nitro]

I went the higher mileage route and decided to spend the saved dollars on mods. My car had 31000 miles and TSB done on it when I bought it. You can buy a lot of mods for $20,000.00.

[MY500SS]

I went the higher mileage route and decided to spend the saved dollars on mods. My car had 31000 miles and TSB done on it when I bought it. You can buy a lot of mods for $20,000.00.

 

 

 

[gth0007]

Great posts everyone. Now let's throw in some personal experiences on buying both low and high mileage cars highlighting the pros and cons. My experience with low mileage cars has been bad and high mileage cars very good. In 1992 I bought a 1985 Mustang SVO with less than 6,000 miles. Car was like showroom new and in perfect mechanical order. Within 4 months the clutch went out, a/c coompressor started leaking, the heater core rotted out, blew two hoses, had to replace all four tires as they started dry rotting. This car was easily driven as well. In 2006 I bought a 1999 Mustang Cobra convertible with 61,000 miles. Drove the car two years and didn't have a single maintenance issue except brake pads which I fried at a track day at Sebring raceway. Sold the car two years later for the same money I paid for it. Oh, the SVO finally sold it "not running" for $1,000 after only 2 years. So, I'm not initially turned off by higher mileage, but I do very carefully inspect the car. Now let's hear from you experienced car buyers so the new buyers can learn from us "geezers". No right or wrong answer to this topic.

[interceptor]

Unless it's an older car and i'm going to retore it i'll take a low mileage car.As a tech and having had a few low mileage cars i can tell you storing them properly does not hurt them,that theory has no merit.The biggest issue is keeping the fuel fresh.I got ym '95 lightning out of storage last year with 6k original miles on it [ bought it new].It was like getting it new all over again, it looked new and still smelled new. Everywhere i took it the"wow" factor was off the charts. I had people literaly laying on the ground crawling underneath to look at the undercarridge and commenting how amazed they were.I know most guys like to drive them and that's ok with me but personally i get the same enjoyment driving them a few times a year. My '09 500 has 200 miles on it and i can't wait to get it out in a couple of months,it"ll be like the day i got it all over again, but that's just me!

[jzmustang]

I experienced the same struggle when looking for a used GT 500. I narrowed down my choices based on price and originality. In the end, I assigned more importance to the car that had the fewest miles. The main reason for this was that the car was probably not abused (at least for too long). I purchased my 2008 with 191 original miles. Of course, the question you have to ask is what are you ultimately going to do with the Mustang? Will you drive it often? Will it be a weekend warrior? Will it see the track/strip or will it end up at car shows? If you plan on driving it often, then a GT 500 with higher miles is a great value. If, like me, you intend to take it to car shows and put very few miles on it, then the lower mileage car may be the way to go. No matter what you decide to purchase, you will not be disappointed with the GT 500. It is a great car! Good luck with your choice.

[gth0007]

I experienced the same struggle when looking for a used GT 500. I narrowed down my choices based on price and originality. In the end, I assigned more importance to the car that had the fewest miles. The main reason for this was that the car was probably not abused (at least for too long). I purchased my 2008 with 191 original miles. Of course, the question you have to ask is what are you ultimately going to do with the Mustang? Will you drive it often? Will it be a weekend warrior? Will it see the track/strip or will it end up at car shows? If you plan on driving it often, then a GT 500 with higher miles is a great value. If, like me, you intend to take it to car shows and put very few miles on it, then the lower mileage car may be the way to go. No matter what you decide to purchase, you will not be disappointed with the GT 500. It is a great car! Good luck with your choice.

 

 

 

Great post. This is the type response that helps others make decisions in choosing which Shelby to buy. The main thing is, determine how much you've got to spend, what are you going to use the car for, and go out and Buy a Shelby !!

[William Rodgers]

I would not be worried with the amount of miles as long as all maintenance was documented. I would be worried about extensive Mods, I would much rather buy a stock car. I have extensive mods and do not beat on my car ever, but it is my experience that most that mod that much beat on their cars. Now if it was an enthusiast that may be different. If I ever sell my Shelby GT/SC someone will be getting a hell of a car for a hell of a deal because all these mods add little value, but I love them.

[LuckySnake]

I prefer a low mileage car. Who cares if it wasn't driven much in 3 years. It's not like you'd be dealing with a car that sat for 15 years or one thats been driven over 50k miles in who knows what type of conditions. The person that got my nearly 2 yr old '08 GT-500, had 3490 miles to look into. During that time, it had the TSB done successfully, and the car had 3 oil changes done to it.

 

If I were looking, it would be for a 07-09 GT500 with less than 10K and one I knew hadn't been raced a bunch, "rode hard". Changing the clutch is something they will all have if they get driven.

Main thing to consider is they are only original once and you can't replace original, a few bolt on performance mods won't hurt the long term value as long as you still have the original parts to bolt back on.

Another thing to keep in mind, cash is king right now.

[jskwarek]

I purchased an '08 GT500 this past Tuesday, there were 4 for sale in the local area, two low mileage dealership cars for around $60K, 1 private seller low mileage for $40K and 1 small auto lot with a 10K mile car that I ended up walking out with for $34K. I typically like a little bit of mileage on the vehicles I buy and the tipping point on the 10K car I bought was the TSB had already been done and the factory bumper to bumper was still in affect until Oct. of this year giving me the ability to extended it should I want to. I'll be using this as a daily driver but the good news is I don't put 3000 miles on my cars a year, I live a few miles from work and typically ride my bicycle on nice days so in a few years it won't be so high mileage. HA!

 

Jason

[gth0007]

I purchased an '08 GT500 this past Tuesday, there were 4 for sale in the local area, two low mileage dealership cars for around $60K, 1 private seller low mileage for $40K and 1 small auto lot with a 10K mile car that I ended up walking out with for $34K. I typically like a little bit of mileage on the vehicles I buy and the tipping point on the 10K car I bought was the TSB had already been done and the factory bumper to bumper was still in affect until Oct. of this year giving me the ability to extended it should I want to. I'll be using this as a daily driver but the good news is I don't put 3000 miles on my cars a year, I live a few miles from work and typically ride my bicycle on nice days so in a few years it won't be so high mileage. HA!

 

Jason

 

 

 

Jason, what a deal you got. That same $34 K would be about the price of a mid-range equipped 2010 Mustang GT so you got a lot for your money. regards, Larry

[XLR8]

I purchased an '08 GT500 this past Tuesday, there were 4 for sale in the local area, two low mileage dealership cars for around $60K, 1 private seller low mileage for $40K and 1 small auto lot with a 10K mile car that I ended up walking out with for $34K.  I typically like a little bit of mileage on the vehicles I buy and the tipping point on the 10K car I bought was the TSB had already been done and the factory bumper to bumper was still in affect until Oct. of this year giving me the ability to extended it should I want to.  I'll be using this as a daily driver but the good news is I don't put 3000 miles on my cars a year, I live a few miles from work and typically ride my bicycle on nice days so in a few years it won't be so high mileage. HA!Jason

What color? We need pics.

 

What kind of bike?