gsk11

I'm trying to buy a 99-04 Mustang GT but there are almost NONE for sale where I live. Do any of you know if USED car dealers will order a car from elsewhere to their dealer if I tell them I'm looking for a Mustang? I don't have the money to go flying across the country to test drive a Mustang and find out it's crap.

I see a lot of ads at used car dealers saying "Florida car" and stuff like that. So obviously they have cars brought up from the south.

cliffyk

No used car dealer is going to pay to have a vehicle transported to their lot without your paying for it first, or leaving a sizable and likely non-refundable deposit.

You must be a younger fella', I will let you in on a secret that 50+ years of motor vehicle buying has taught me--they lie...

• The number of times they tell you a car "has never been crashed" = the number of times it has been crashed;
  
  
• The number of times they tell you "it has just been serviced" = the number of months since anyone even opened the hood¹;
  
  
• The number of times they say "it might need tires" = the number of chances out of 10 that a tire will blow out on the way home with your new car;
  
  
• The number of inspection points on their "Certified Pre-owned" checklist = the percentage of their markup over what they paid for the POS--E.g. a 101 Point Inspection means they are making 101% profit;
  
  
• The number of months over which a "Buy here/Pay here" dealer is willing to finance a loan = the selling price divided by 6 times what they paid for the POS--I.e. if you make 6 payments they are whole;

In other words if a used car salesman tells you it is raining out, look out the window and make sure before passing it on so that you don't end up looking like a fool...


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¹ - Opening the hood to charge the battery with one of those chargers that could power a small farm doesn't count.

dominant1

Your best bet is to buy from a private owner....but check carmax as well. they will move a car from dealer to dealer to make the sale and in most cases they wont charge you for transport...

MajMotorsports

do you try sites like autotrader, vehix, etc..?

arabianobsession

If you are friends with someone at your local dealer or are very familiar with the staff at a local dealer, you may be able to talk to them and see if they are willing to do a "locate" for you. There are a couple of dealerships that will search for a used car for you and basically trade one of their cars on the lot for another....much like a new car dealership does.

However, your best bet is to try one of the other sites suggested or carmax. And as always, do a thorough inspection and test drive before you buy.

TRUEBLUE3934

CARMAX could be an option for you.
However, CARMAX typically only deals in lower mileage cars of that age. They will transport the vehicle to a local store, but it will cost you a fee that is often in the $100-$350 range.
You can generally trust their assessment if you ask for a walk around by the holding dealer if you ask specifically about certain issues. Example; any ding/scratches, tears in upolstery, etc.

I would suggest just continuing your private owner search within the range you can drive to see the car. It may take a little while, but it is your best bet for a 8-13 year old car.
GOOD LUCK!!!

Robinator

Patience is the key. It took me over 6 months to find the one I was looking for. Good Luck!

-Rob

dominant1

I googled 2004 mustang Mach 1 and found several listed some in pennsylvania some in maryland all in excellent shape and reasonably priced. In fact if I didn't work at a large car dealership I would have likely bought 1 that fit the bill. I can get what I want through the dealership at cost and pay myself the commission on the purchase of the vehicle I buy! I May consider a 2004 cobra soon!