5.0 engine carnage on a stock-ish car

[AbdullaGT500]

Good freaking grief it seems like you could make some major money buying these cars. How do they wind up at auction all jacked - former owner ruins them and then trades them off, dealers then just dump?

Yep, mostly repos. I have bought a 3V supercharged car once from a dealer that had the cold start flooding issue. They couldn't figure out how to start it and sold it non-running.
Most are repos though, people want to pull their parts off before it gets taken, or drive the piss out of it one last time. Most common thing for mustangs is bald rear tires and broken clutch disc.

 

[stkjock]

Well, this one we gave $13,000 for. It's a 2011 with 30k miles, premium GT.
I bought another 2014 base 5.0 with 19k miles for $12,500 that was only missing some minor parts.
Also another 2012 with 100k miles that needed a clutch and master cylinder for $9800.

gotcha, thanks

 

[BruceH]

Yep, mostly repos. I have bought a 3V supercharged car once from a dealer that had the cold start flooding issue. They couldn't figure out how to start it and sold it non-running.
Most are repos though, people want to pull their parts off before it gets taken, or drive the piss out of it one last time. Most common thing for mustangs is bald rear tires and broken clutch disc.

I know someone who had a 2011 and decided to buy tuning software, blew the motor, and then "let the bank have it back". I'd suspect that's part of the repo volume. Destroy the motor and wash yourself of responsibility.

 

[AbdullaGT500]

Yup that's it. It's always a gamble buying these cars, but sometimes there literally is nothing wrong with them. Like a Subaru sti I bought that had no key. The auction made a key for it but didn't program it. The car would never start without the key programmed. I got it and programmed the key and the car is perfect.

I bought a GMC Acadia once, engine had a hole in the block. After changing the engine, we figured out it had a bad transmission too.

 

[duststang]

Dang it seems like a big gamble but if you can do the work might not be as bad. Let me know if you see a nice 14 Gt500 auction 18 or less lol .