Bearcat94

Hey all. :wave:

Just registered. Question first, then backstory and info:

What's a fair price?

- Used 2005, V6, Base (Deluxe??), Automatic;
- No factory add-on's; this car is about as base as it gets;
- In good condition with good service records - all service done at the dealership;
- No TSB repairs, no open recalls;
- Couple of minor scratches, no dings or dents; interior is in good condition;
- No reported accidents (or signs of accident);
- No registration, title or state inspection issues;
- 56000 miles, 1-Owner, Southern (NC) car;
- This car is on an "independent dealer" lot; bought (I assume on auction) from a local dealer trade-in.


Backstory and info:

I come here from an Acura sister forum - AcuraZine - where I'm a senior moderator. I've got 2 Acura TL Type-S's, one a stock '02 with ~95k miles, the other an '07 with ~50k miles.

The '07 has a good number of "bolt on" modifications - CAI, Lowering Springs, Stock Exhaust mods, Slotted Rotors, Lightweight Pulley, Tint, etc. Did pretty much all the work myself (or with a fellow enthusianst), starting from having no tools and not even knowing how to change my own oil.

Last Ford I "owned" was a repmobile 2000-ish Taurus. It wasn't pretty, but it was built like a tank. Best repmobile I've had.

The '05 Mustang is for my college age daughter. Her first car. She's chipping in on the down payment and is repsonsible for insurance differential and operating costs (gas and maint).

I'll DIY as much of the basic maint as I can manage - I've seen the DIY pages here and they look like a great help for the membership.

No plans for modification except maybe (BIG maybe) a CAI, Lowering Springs and Wheels. Given it's purpose and expected use, it just not worth putting a bunch of mod-money into (not that I'll have any left between this purchase and college - haha).

Anyway, that's my story. Any advice on ownership and help on what's a fair price is appreciated.

TIA.

Nuke

Check out the laundry list of TSB's in the main 2005-2011 forum stickies. The one for the water leak is the biggest concern that can have a very negative impact on the car. Otherwise, the S197's are doing well with reliability; the only weak point seems to be the charging system.

I've heard of '05 and '06 V6's going for as low as $10K. I picked up a loaded '06 V6 Pony package, 9k miles and cherry from a Ford dealer in '09 for $13.5k.

Bearcat94

Thanks Nuke.

Already browsed the TSB page here and didn't see anything too worrisome (as far as I could tell), except for the water leak.

I've also seen another post or two from you advising caution on that topic.

2005Redfire6

Bearcat, if possible avoid getting an 05 mainly due to the stepper motors within the gauge cluster will die eventually. They were faulty and were replaced with better ones in 06+, I had 2 gauges die at around 25k miles. It can happen whenever really, you will find a bunch of people have had this issue on this forum.

07 Stang

If you go with a CAI, do it with a tune too.

As far as price, KBB is saying it's worth around $14K....that's for dealer's asking price. See what the dealer is asking.
You should be able to pick one up through a private sale much cheaper.

05raggtop4.0

I am liking the numbers I see stated here. We picked up our 05 Prem Pkg V6 Vert one owner, cherry condition, 62k, 2 yrs ago from a dealer for 12k. Bone stock, no mods to it, at least then anyway!

Have had ZERO issues with it. Been a great car.

Hope this helps,
Terry

alkemist

What is the dealer asking for? I personally wouldn't pay more than $10-$11k.

One considerable fact is that car is now 5-6 years old depending on when it was manufactured, so in a sense you are starting to buy an older car and pricing should be factored in.

Just food for thought, but a few more grand and you can probably get a GT with higher miles. I see you are buying for your daughter, and you probably don't want to get her a GT, but it's also another way to compare pricing.

Otherwise prices on pre-2011 mustangs (V6 and V8 both) continue to drop.

Bearcat94

Listed at $11,795, currently quoted $11,500. I have not yet begun to negotiate.

Looking at a similar private sale car tomorrow (63k miles with 100k extended warranty). Listed at a similar price.


No way she's getting a GT - insurance, HP, etc. nuh-uh.

Bearcat94

Thanks for the replies so far. :thumbsup:

stevb15

I paid $12,000 for my V6 with 27,000 miles on it. It needed some tlc though. It had been smoked in and has some dings and scratches.