Hello all, I use to post here years ago and I wanted to put this question in repair and maintenance discussion because I know there is a very high level of experience here.
Anyway, I was looking into purchasing a 2007 Mustang GT convertible with 17,000 miles, they are asking 24,000.
What I am concerned with is the previous owner changed the exhaust to a flowmaster exhaust.
Does anyone know if this would void any remaining warranty that is left on the car? The salesmen say it will not void any warranty and there has been no other modifications done, But I wonder? Im not sure what to look for. I kind of feel a newer car should not be modified at least until the warranty is over.
Anyone have any thoughts or know what I should look for? Im not very up on mustangs.
Thank you!
I don’t think a flowmaster exhaust will affect the warranty as long as the cat and other pollution controls were not removed or disabled. Best to consult Ford directly for a definative answer. You can’t take the salespersons answer as “definative”, you are right to seek a more authorative answer.
Flowmaster exhaust are popular mods because they sound better and promise a boost in performance. There is usually a K&N air filter set up as well. The idea is to get more performance by less resistance to air coming in at the filter and exhaust going out the exhaust. Without a dyno to test the actual results most driver’s are convinced their cars have more power, but I’m skeptical and it is probably a “placebo” effect. After spending so much money you expect more power and your brain will tell you that you got it while the dyno would show either the same power or perhaps less.
Modifications to modern computer controlled engines is best left to racers and those with dyno’s and sophisticated equipment to measure results. What you do get is a nicer look at the back of the car and a nicer sound. It also indicates the previous owner cared about the car and probably maintained it properly.
On the flip side you don’t put in a “hot” exhaust system to putter on down to the A&P. The previous owner could have driven the car hard. I wouldn’t be that concerned about the exhaust mod. I would check out the transmission and driveline for any signs of abnormal wear and abuse. Are the original tires still on the car? At 17,000 the OEM tires should still be about 1/2 worn. If these are not OEM tires that indicates some degree of a heavy right foot.
At 17K miles the car is probably OK, Mustang GT’s are kind of engineered to take a few burn outs. Don’t know that $24K is a good price or not, that’s your call. I’d check out Edmund’s True Market Price, KBB seems to high on most cars. The dealer’s like KBB pricing, it is biased to the seller in my opinion.
Sounds like a fun kind of car. I’ve got an '04 T’bird and many fellow bird owner’s have the flowmaster systems and swear by them. Mine is stock and sounds good to me. I would not pay extra for the flowmaster, but I wouldn’t rule out the car because of it either.
Call the Ford dealer Monday and ask them. They will know.
I have a customer who put Flomasters on a '97 Taurus SHO. The back pressure was changed to the point that the “check engine” light came on and would not stay off after resetting. The car sounded great though.
On the S197 GT’s the exhaust is usually changed for sound purposes. The stock exhaust is pretty decent, it’s mandrel bent and is 2.5 inches in diameter, which is more than adequate for a 4.6L engine. The stock exhaust doesn’t become a bottleneck until you get up around 400-450ish. HP. There’s next to no improvement in performance in going to an aftermarket exhaust on the 2005-2011 Mustang. However they do respond very favorabley to cold air intakes and ECU tuning.
For your specific car. If it’s a 2007, and it has the factory 3/36k warranty. I wouldn’t worry much about it. The warranty is almost up anyway. If it has a longer warranty I still wouldn’t worry about it. Most dealerships aren’t going to get hung up on an aftermarket exhaust. In the S197 cars, it common practice to just replace the mufflers and pipes aft of the rear axle. I do think that 24k is asking a bit much. Trade in is around 19k, which closer to what I would offer.
If it were me, I’d save up a little longer and get a new 2012 Mustang GT with the new 400HP 5.0L “coyote” V8 and 6 speed manual.
I’m wondering how long until Ford puts in their ecoboost engine(twin turbo charged V6 for those that don’t know what it is) into the Mustang
“If it’s a 2007, and it has the factory 3/36k warranty. I wouldn’t worry much about it. The warranty is almost up anyway.”
That’s true for the basic warranty, but there is a 5 year/60,000 mile drivetrain warranty. It’s worth a call to the Ford dealer to make sure.
A quick check of e-Bay completed auctions show that out of 35 2007 Mustang GT convertibles, only two actually sold. They were both Shelby’s. Ones like you are looking at did not sell even when bid up to $17,000…In todays car market, you can pretty much name your price. Private sellers who are upside down on their loans are NEVER going to get their asking price…A REPO waiting to happen…
If this car has a flowmaster exhaust, the odds are it was owned by a young driver who drove it hard. Make sure you get it checked out thoroughly by [b]your[/b] mechanic before you buy.