My 2015 Ford Mustang GT (Update) – How NOT To Buy A Used Car

By
– Posted on October 1, 2024

The time has come for a change in my driveway! I bought my former car, a 2011 Mustang GT, new in 2010. I loved the car, which was remarkably reliable and the perfect balance of performance and drivability for my tastes. How I got the replacement for it is a case study of how not to go about buying a car, assuming you don’t like wasting money or time.

As a car guy, I have always gotten a bit restless after owning a car for a few years, feeling like there are too many great cars out there to stick with just one for too long. Historically I’d change out cars every 3-5 years. Since I’d bought the Mustang as my first brand new car and I liked it so much, that time stretched to a record 14 years and 84k miles. When the S197 generation (05-14) was replaced by the S550 for 2015, I liked the new model but was not moved at all to replace my still-fairly-new car.

In early 2023, I traveled to Arizona and caught the Barrett-Jackson auction, where I saw what to my eyes was the most attractive S550 Mustang I’d ever seen. It was a 2015 GT 50 Years Limited Edition, which I somehow forgot existed. It was resplendent in Wimbledon White, a 1965 color only used on this model intentionally limited to 1,964 cars. It’s a warmer, creamier white. The model also has added chrome trim on the side windows, taillights, and grille, unique wheels, and unique interior color, among other features.

This one had 193 miles and appeared as new. I thought to myself “THAT is a new generation Mustang I could see myself in! How fitting that they built a car so scientifically calibrated to appeal to 50-year-olds like me that they actually named it after us! No wonder I like it!”  Amongst the sensory overload of the B-J experience and a $55k (!) gavel, I didn’t think too much more about it.

Fast forward a year and a half, that restless automotive feeling is creeping in and I’m actually in a financial position to make a move. You might think my philosophy would lead me away from another Mustang, and I did look at a few other possibilities but kept coming back to Ford’s galloping pony. Ford heavily revised the Mustang for 2024 and I’m not all that enthused about the new design. It still has the same great fundamentals, but the new styling and interior don’t do much for me. Inflation has fully hit the window sticker, too.

So I was thinking in terms of 2018-22 used ‘Stangs and over a few weeks found a few attractive prospects. One evening, my wife was looking through listings and says, “Oh, look at this car. It’s really pretty!” I said, “I know this car…” It was a white 2015 50 Years. And this one I could afford. My Barrett-Jackson feelings were renewed and thus began the most problematic car purchase I’ve ever been a part of.

The car was at a Mazda dealer in Tulsa and looked great in pictures. It had 41k miles and priced in line with similar age and condition GT’s. I spoke with the salesman a few times. He sent me a couple of videos of the car sitting and driving and some additional photos I asked for. The one-owner carfax was clean. I decided to roll the dice and buy the car and have it shipped to me in Houston.

Snake eyes! Before the car even arrived there was a big problem. The transporter posted 60 photos he took documenting the car’s condition. There was a large rear bumper scuff, misalignment of the front bumper cover, multiple wheel rashes, and numerous minor dings, none of which showed in previous photos I’d seen or were mentioned by the salesman.

After a couple fraught conversations with the salesman and his manager, the dealer agreed to repair most of the problems if I would take it to three body shops to get the best estimate. I said I could work with that. Being at work when the car was delivered to our house, my wife called and said the car had a strong cigarette smell. Ruh roh.

When I got home from work, I found that in addition to the problems in the pictures, it had a loose rocker panel and a loose exhaust valence panel. I decided to do what I should have done in Tulsa: get a professional third party inspection. I was able to do that the next day. He said he thought it had been in an accident, had likely hail damage, and (obviously) was a smoker’s car. On the plus side, he didn’t find anything concerning mechanically.

The next day, I took it to the local Ford dealer body shop. He found overspray on the front bumper cover and the right rear quarter panel,  hail damage, and loose panels. That clinched it. It was a lovely car from 20 feet away but this was simply not the car I thought I was buying or wanted.

I called the manager the next morning and told him I just wanted to return the car. He said he’d speak to his supervisors and get back to me. An hour later the original salesman called me and said he would be coordinating the return.

As disappointing as the whole experience was, I’ll give the dealer credit that they could have taken a hardline “as-is, no warranty” stand and refused to do any repair or return. As it was, I took a haircut on the transport and $500 deposit. Chalk it up as the world’s most expensive test drive, which was a fantastic drive. I still wanted the car.

Chastened, I started looking for another car but this time only ones I could look at in person before buying. I also considered my other late model dream Mustang: the 2019-20 Bullitt. There still weren’t any 50 Years in Houston and also no Bullitts equipped as I wanted, but there was a suitable Bullitt in Austin and a 50 Years in San Antonio. So I decided to take a day trip.

The Bullitt was at a Carmax, a colossal operation with hundreds of cars and dozens of sales staff. They let me take the car out solo, which was really nice. The Bullitt was SO cool, and in the condition expected. It ran great, but it showed all of its 60k miles and cost more than the 50 Years in San Antonio.

The San Antonio car was at a Hyundai dealer and had 9,800 miles. It was mostly spotless except for some odd streaking on all of the wheels. Two other things turned me off greatly, though. The listing didn’t mention it had an aftermarket exhaust, and not just any catback. This thing had no mufflers, just straight pipes. OMG, was it loud! Kind of appealing to the teenager in me but a non starter for my adult brain and ears. It also had an extra data plug under the dash and three separate small button and LED light things on the left side of the dash. I don’t want something that’s had the electronics monkeyed with that I don’t even know what it is (and the dealer knew nothing of it). No thanks.

There was one other prospect in the state, but it was in the Dallas area. With my wife’s blessing, I figured “in for a penny, in for a pound” and made the drive from San Antonio to Dallas. The trip was made more practical by the fact my cousin Kent lives near the dealer and he was glad for me to stay overnight with their family.

The next morning, we went to Texas Hot Rides. Oh my! This dealer specializes in performance and specialty cars, including lots of Mustangs. Their indoor warehouse/showroom has enough sweet machinery to make any red-blooded car guy swoon. It took all I had to just focus on the task at hand in the limited amount of time I had. They let me and Kent take the car out by ourselves.

Third time was the charm. This car had 16k miles, fairly new tires, virtually no blemishes, and still cost over $20k less than that Barrett-Jackson car. And it didn’t smell like smoke. The only non-stock issue was the exhaust, again. The listing had said it had an axleback system, so basically mufflers. At least it had mufflers! But it actually was a catback system. It was not nearly as loud as the San Antonio car, but still louder than I wanted.

Here is where having a dealer that actually knows cars makes a difference. They knew and I didn’t that the S550 Mustang’s exhaust bolts on behind the cats, so exhaust changes are a simple operation, no cutting or welding required, and it runs under the rear suspension, unlike previous generations which ran above it. Hot Rides opined that the Borla system on it should be sellable and a stock system easy to locate. I said if they’d discount the price to make up for the hassle of dealing with that, I’d take it. We settled at $1000 off and they would fix the only real cosmetic flaw I could find (curb rash on one wheel).  I was OK with the deal as the original price was competitive considering the immaculate condition.

I arranged to have it shipped and while waiting for the car to arrive I secured a stock exhaust from Facebook Marketplace off a 2017 GT with 1000 miles at the time it came off. It looked almost new and I paid $100.

The car arrived and my long purchasing saga was over! I was able to do the exhaust myself in a couple of hours.

Hood vents on the GT are functional

 

This car, that I was probably too smitten with for my own good, is everything I wanted. It cost $3000 less than the Austin Bullitt. It doesn’t have a few updated features the 2019 has, but a Bullitt with the same miles and condition would have been more than I wanted to spend. And all else being equal, I prefer the appearance of the 50 Years package. Many non-Mustang people might not even realize it’s a performance model at a casual glance. It has a more understated, formal look. I think of it as Hulk Hogan In A Tuxedo.

The tuxedo part really shows in the interior. The 50 Years was the only 2015+ Mustang to date to have white upholstery. The package is purely cosmetic, but comes with almost every option in the catalog. The Performance Package includes quite a bit of equipment including wider 19 in. wheels, uprated springs/shocks/sway bars, larger radiator, Torsen 3.73 differential, and front Brembo six-piston calipers with 15 inch discs.

The best reason to drive a modern Mustang is the sublime Coyote 5.0L V8, here making 435hp/400 lb-ft. The engine is good looking by modern standards too, which would change in 2018 when they ditched the styled valve covers for a generic big plastic cover.

The wheels are supposed to be suggestive of the chrome wheels featured on 1965’s. That’s debatable, but I like them regardless.

The real centerpiece of the package is the trick rear quarter windows, which have a louver effect reminiscent of the 1965 fastbacks. Neat, but I just hope I never have to replace one. I’m a bigger fan of the chrome trim around the windows. This is a common feature on modern cars generally, but not on Mustangs. I think the only other Mustang to have chrome around the windows since the mid 80’s is the 19-20 Bullitt.

The Mustang completes our Great White Fleet. Overall, I’m quite happy with the car. I took a loss on the Tulsa fiasco and my new car cost $4,000 more than that one, but it was well worth it in my book. I hope for a long relationship and as good an ownership experience as I had with my last Mustang.

 

Related reading: 
Future Curbside Classic: 2015 Ford Mustang GT – Four Hundred Thirty Five Horsepower?! by Tom Klockau – December 2014 review of the then-new Mustang.

Promo article from 2014 detailing the 50 Years model.