Am I too picky? ….so many flaws on new $70k cars!

[Nicky Pass]

Maybe I am being too picky and I should just quit. I have looked at four dark horses with a 200 mile radius.

The first one was black at a local dealer where I know everyone. It had scratches on it that need to be repaired and there was some ceramic coating high spots that needed to be fixed. There was a scratcher too, but livable. They wouldn’t fix it before I bought it, so I walked.

Then there was a vapor blue one kind of local, but it had a scratch on the bumper that they were going to fix. Anyways, they did a good job. I went to go look at it. My dumbass didn’t give a deposit. The next day it’s sold.

I drove 300 miles round-trip to look at a white one that I was told was absolutely perfect no flaws whatsoever. When I get there, there is a ding on the deck lid at the edge pretty decent size. There was a dent on the roof that looked like somebody dropped a softball on it. And the windshield was delaminating in the corner between the two layers of the glass.

Am I expecting too much out of a $70,000 car? I feel that this is ford’s flagship Mustang, and it should be treated as such.

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[agreywolfe]

its your money, be as picky as you want with it. I was cross shopping used GT350s when waiting for my GT to get made but everything was high mileage on the gen 1 5.2 or had several paint defects and 5 - 6 owners on the record.

 

[RebelMan]

I don’t think so. Those “little things” will knaw at you if you let them. I say keep looking until you find the one that is perfect to you. However, keep in mind that none of them will be perfect so you may have to compromise somewhere. This advice comes from someone as anal retentive as it gets.

 

[Aramis76]

Well, you might be...

It's a mass produced car and lots of people expect "their" mustang to come absolutely flawless as if it had been assembled with love and care by Carroll Shelby himself wearing flanel gloves.

I'm not saying that's your case, certainly on a black car EVERY scuff looks way worse.

I just think things have to be brought back into context. A ding is obviously unacceptable.
The windshield thing, could be changed (if it were just that).
But scratches are different. Are they only surface and can be buffed out? (if so, you might be too picky).
If they are deep and can't be fixed without a body-shop, then yeah, that's not good.

As others are saying, it's your money and you can be as picky as you want, but... You may be skipping a bunch of cars while you look for a flawless one.

 

[BrianJ77]

Mine was perfect when it came home. Got 2 rock chips in the first 200 miles. Like a good wife they're never going to be perfect. You can fix panel gaps pretty easy. I understand, though, feeling that way paying that amount of money.

 

[Q6543]

Yes. Yes you are, it’s a car.
Take the 70K off the table, if you are expecting bespoke white glove services… than go buy something held to that standard.


I just watched a detail thread on a new Porsche GT3… it needed several thousand dollars of care to bring it up to the owners standards as new.

it's normal on 220K plus cars.

 

[BrianJ77]

So I'm a liar? Not surprising coming from you (trolling at its finest). No car is perfect (even your beloved Bimmer), but I do not have any of the paint or fitment issues a few have complained of on this forum. Glad your Bimmer is so perfect. You should go on that blog and talk about how perfect that car is and how much you hate Mustang. At least you'll be in good company. I will not call you a liar about how your BMW came to you. I wasn't there and I didn't inspect it. You should afford others the same courtesy. I don't expect you to, but it's the decent thing to do.

 

[young at heart]

Mine was perfect when it came home. Got 2 rock chips in the first 200 miles. Like a good wife they're never going to be perfect. You can fix panel gaps pretty easy. I understand, though, feeling that way paying that amount of money.

Yeah a close inspection revealed several panel gap issues on my first wife. Turns out they could not be fixed…

 

[Sofa King]

Unfortunately, it is hard to find a "perfect" mass produced car. But, I can't believe the one dealer would not fix a scratch to sell the car. Personally I wouldn't let the dealer do it. I don't think you are too picky though. I ordered my car and was ready to walk if I found it unacceptable on delivery. There was a small area of light scratches... looked like someone leaned on it, which I knew I could fix myself. Also found two specs of something in the paint, but so hard to see I'm OK with it. Also the fit of the trunk is slightly to one side... bigger gap on one side vs the other. Something I can live with or fix myself later. Hope you find one that passes your inspection.

 

[marcekb]

Flawless. Near flawless. Minor scuffing.

You'll lose much more on that Bimmer too. However, as a previous 750lix owner and BWM fan, I'll probably never own one again. The luxury is outstanding and the driving experience is excellent. The number of repairs, the cost of repairs (always under warranty for me, but I knew better than to keep it past the warranty), the cost of insurance, and the cost of maintenance are not a value. Everyone gets to purchase what they hope to enjoy and no issues with that. But you've simply shown the same bias you argue against. And I love my Mustang. I get to customize it and have fun for much less money in total despite it's initial cost.

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