Hi everyone I've been looking to buy a new daily driver for literally years now. I have now begun to seriously consider buying a 2005-09 GT. Right now I have been able to find a variety of low mile well equipped GTs in my area. I'd like to ask long time owners and people very familiar with this generation (2005-09) to give me advice in what to look for. From the research I have done this seems to be an incredibly reliable car.

I'd like to know what kind of things I should be on the lookout for when buying one. I'm looking to spend less than $15,000 so I'm not buying a pristine super low mile car or special edition but a clean driver with leather auto or manual... Is there a specific model year or option I should avoid? What is a reasonable price for models years and so on...thanks for your help in advance

 

I would day 07-09 would be the years to get. Look for evidence of water on the passenger floor board under the carpet. Could need pcm if it had been wet. Look for after market parts along the lines of tunes or evidence of them...not bad, just knowledge.

07's with 40,000 miles should be in your price range.

 

Most '08 GTs and all '09s should have the improved cylinder heads which will make spark plug changes easier. Automatics are less likely to have been "hooned", or abused. I'd look for something that's completely stock, unless you're really up on all the mods and already know what to look for. Many modded cars have not been well kept, but there are exceptions, of course. Despite not being as popular with enthusiasts at present, the 4.6 is a very good, reliable engine. I consider the Shaker 1000 to be a decent stock system, but from what I understand, really not much of an improvement over the 500. The factory NAV unit is just OK; I think my little Garmin is easier to use. On my cars, the HID headlights don't seem any better than the halogens. - My '08 Bullitt has halogen, my '09 has HID. Finally, I'd highly recommend the '08-'09 Bullitt. They're not selling for that much more than standard premium GTs, but do include several cool improvements to interior, as well as a factory 3.73 rear end, FRPP CAI and tune, and nicer sounding stock exhaust. Gotta love green or black, though.
Good luck with your search!

 

What would cause the floor board to get wet? Thanks for the help guys...

 

Agreed. The Bullitt is the best '05-09 Mustang Ford made. I got mine for $12,500. It doesn't seem that different from a GT, but when you actually drive one, the differences are very distinct IMO.

 

Some have had an issue with leaks into the cabin.
I have owned 3 and never had a problem.
The Bullitt is a good choice,but might be a little over $15K.
Looking for stock cars is a good idea, but a lot of lightly modified cars are not beat on.
The newer cylinder heads make the plug change easier, but that's it.
I have a bunch of odd parts (including a K&N CAI and full intake with plates) and I live close to you if you want to buy some things cheap to modify with.
I prefer the Shaker 500 because it give more trunk space and less weight.
The base radio is OK and more reliable than the 500 (though I never had a problem with either).

Just an FYI, I saw this at a sleazy dealership near me. They buy all their cars cheap and you might be able to get a cheap price.
It looks like a local car I used to know. I might even have the original spoiler in my garage.
http://www.eagauto.com/profile.asp?V...zip=&distance=

 

Starting with 2008, there supposedly also was an improvement to the stock shifter mechanism that came from the '08 Bullitt. I think that also carried over to the 2010 GT (I have one) since the powertrain was basically the same. I can tell you that I noticed a difference in the shift feel between my '07 and '10.

I also would be looking for either an '08 or '09 because of the spark plug differences, however, my favorite color (Tungsten grey) was no longer available as of '08.

 

I'm amazed that you found a Bullitt that price! Ideally that is roughly what i want to spend. I've found GTs with 60-80k on them for that price the lower mile ones are closer to 15k

 

Thanks for the real world advice. I'm looking for a peppy daily driver so I'm looking for something stock inside and out. Sadly a lot of the nice low mile GTs I've found have visual modifications i'm not a fan of.

 

As with most used cars, look for that special Mustang that has maintenance records and was garaged. Those two things alone will eliminate many future issues. A one owner car makes it even better, especially an older guy that has left it 'stock'. 99% of the time the above criteria will make that Mustang a good example to buy. Yes, you will be paying top $$ for that Mustang but it will pay off in the long haul and the ownership experience will be top notch, not one where you will be cussing the day you bought the thing. Be patient and be willing to travel!! I can't stress that enough. They aren't always found in a 50 miles radius from your home. I think you will be fine with a $15k budget. Look on Autotrader and not CL, where the owners are too cheap to pay for ads, never mind the scams. Speaks volumes IMO. Good luck!

 

Craigslist isn't always bad, that's where I found my all stock all original 03 mach 1 with 6k miles for only $15k. You just have to be super careful when looking on Craigslist is all.

 

I don't know how to insert links but I found a a couple good ones at the same dealership. I'm hoping I can negotiate on the asking price but it may be one of those "no hassle pricing" dealers .

car #1

2007 GT, dark grey (every option except navigation) with the nice 18' chrome bullitt wheels and a cool front lip spoiler (not sure if it's aftermarket but it looks good) a shaker hood scoop with 29k on it for $17888

car #2

2007 GT, black pretty much optioned just like the first car but without the lip spoiler and shaker hood, it also has an aftermarket in dash nav system. It has 55k on it for $16888

Either one of these cars is optioned just the way I like its so rare to find these with heated seats and they both have them along with the wheels I like both are in excellent above average condition 2 owner vehicles with a clean carfax report

I'm going to see how much they will give me for my clean 90k 97 GT

 

Both sound nice - good luck!

 

I found mine on Craigs list this last fall. This is my second GT. I wish you luck.

This will get you there faster.
http://hooniverse.com/2012/11/20/cra...-ford-mustang/

 

Just bought my 08 GT premium Vert on Craigslist.....one owner, 17,300 miles, garage queen, auto, nicely optioned, never modded....$18500. You just have to be careful and look the cars over real good.

 

What do you think is more important a super low mile 2005-06 or a higher mile 2007-09?

I'm kind of suspicious when I see a 2005 GT with 4000mi on it for the same money as an 07 with 30k???

 

To me, I would still go for the 08/09 if the miles are not real high. Seems to be plenty of 40-50,000 mile 08-09 out there. In the end, you have to weigh the options...miles....condition....location.....again st your money.

Many have not driven them hoping for a windfall type sale.....real low miles can be serious problems too.

 

Can someone tell me the year to year differences? I heard 2005-06 were identical but in 2007 they stiffened the chassis along with the GT500 and also an improved shifter I'm guessing 2008? Is there anything else I missed besides options.

I just found a very local 2008 gt, vista blue premium with 55k on it for $14500... The price is tempting, is a car with 30k really worth the extra 3-4k?

I'm hoping the weather clears up this weekend because this is likely one of three gts I'll check out

 

You hit the major running changes. The only other item, as previously posted, was the updated heads for 2008 that allowed for a change in the spark plugs to a 1-piece design. This has been characterized as easier to access and remove when changing. Also, the hood liners were redesigned in 2008 to accomodate the Ford Racing open air filter element as came on the Bullitt. It seals the box.

 

FYI the new heads rolled out Dec 07. An easy way to tell is the problematic 2 piece plugs had black plug boots. The new redesigned heads use brown plug boots:



Personally, I'd go for an 08/09 because of a number of improvements over the initial years of the S197. IMO