Need advice on a 2008 GT500 w 3.4whipple

Steve2050

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Came across a listing for a '08 GT500 with 3.4whipple. I live near Toronto and have wanted a GT500 since they first came out. Owner claims that the car was imported to Canada back in 2012. He also claims that the car came from N.C. and all the work and tuning was done by Leathal Performance. I called Leathal but they told me that only sell parts, no install or tuning. The seller seems legit but maybe he is misinformed, not sure. The car has all the supporting mods and relativley low miles. The price seems right, also. Clean Carfax. Are there things to look or stay away from in a modded '08 GT500?
 

Oiljunkie

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I’m guessing this is it OP? Something seems off to me....that rubber....with 650+ At the wheels. Its possible this guy is going off of what he was “told” when he bought the car. Definitely worth it to go look if your interested. If you a good judge of character then you might get a better feel for the vehicle and the guy selling it. 2008 Shelby GT500-Reduced Price | Cars & Trucks | London | Kijiji
 

PM-Performance

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The guy probably doesn't know anything about the car other than the person before him told him and before him told him, ect.
Just how this stuff goes. Guys buy cars they don't know anything about or understand and play whisper down the alley.
Carfax is a joke too, don't go by that.
The tires are crap because the guy probably doesn't even get it into boost to know the difference.

I would say if you do not know quite a bit about cars and how to work on them, stay away. If you are comfortable with repairs and diagnosing and can see the car in person before buying, then go for it, but even still that thing is quite high priced if its $30k.
 

cidsamuth

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I'll probably be roasted for this but . . . by pictures alone, that car looks rode hard and put away wet for only having about 34k miles . . . if you can't even bother to detail the car before pictures, or to park it somewhere respectable for pictures, how much attention did you pay to taking care of the car when you owned it?

It's always a risk that you are buying a tired car when you get one that has been modified. But, my assessment is this car was ragged out and now the seller is dumping it. Just my $.02.
 

Steve2050

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I’m guessing this is it OP? Something seems off to me....that rubber....with 650+ At the wheels. Its possible this guy is going off of what he was “told” when he bought the car. Definitely worth it to go look if your interested. If you a good judge of character then you might get a better feel for the vehicle and the guy selling it. 2008 Shelby GT500-Reduced Price | Cars & Trucks | London | Kijiji
Bingo! That's the car. I'm guessing he's going off what he was told. I spoke with him for about 20 minutes, seems like a decent guy and he does have a health issue and needs to sell. His asking price is about $22.5k US dollars. I'm not sure if a car with all those mods can found in the US for that money, let alone the hassle of bringing into Ontario.
 

StrayBullitt

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I can't open the link at work, but sounds like quite a bit of Car for the Money. That would be one I would have checked out first with a buyers inspection. Check plugs, compression check and fluids. If it's the base Whipple kit and running on the Whipple tune, I think they run at 17 psi and tuned on the conservative side. Maybe someone can confirm that.
 

Catmonkey

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I'd spend a few hundred bucks and have a compression test performed before you go further. Car may be fine, but with a big supercharger, you just never know what you're buying or who owned it before him.
 

1 Alibi 2

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I looked @ the engine pic, could be just me, but I don't think a strut tower brace will clear a 3.4, & it looks to have no spacers under it to do so.
My 3.4 sits pretty tall, & that's after a lowering kit was installed.
A rib had to be removed from the stock hood to allow it to close, & I modded to hood blanket also.
30-day-build-update-pics-05-21-2014-011.jpg

Hood-Blanket-Modification-005.jpg
 

Klaus

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Tires tell you everything you need to know about a car and how it has been cared for. They are like checking the blood sugar of a diabetic.

If an owner cannot maintain tires or pay for a set that is suitable to his setup, he cannot afford to properly maintain it or lacks attention to detail.

I would pass.
 

HKusp

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$22.5k US is a solid number for that car. It looks to have been well kept to me. I would have a compression check done on it, but that mileage is low and unless it's been beat on or not taken care of, it should check out. These cars can take a hell of a beating. I DD mine and drive it hard. 135k miles and counting...
 

GNBRETT

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lol geeeez hope u dont see the DR tires on my car cause they're bald...... This isn't a DD its a modified toy. I dont see any nexus between tire wear and lack of attention to detail such as oil changes or basic maintenance.

Tires tell you everything you need to know about a car and how it has been cared for. They are like checking the blood sugar of a diabetic.

If an owner cannot maintain tires or pay for a set that is suitable to his setup, he cannot afford to properly maintain it or lacks attention to detail.

I would pass.
 

PM-Performance

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I'll probably be roasted for this but . . . by pictures alone, that car looks rode hard and put away wet for only having about 34k miles . . . if you can't even bother to detail the car before pictures, or to park it somewhere respectable for pictures, how much attention did you pay to taking care of the car when you owned it?

It's always a risk that you are buying a tired car when you get one that has been modified. But, my assessment is this car was ragged out and now the seller is dumping it. Just my $.02.

So rode hard = has some dirt on the plastic rad panel under the hood?
Put away wet?
The car was clearly just washed for the pics because you can see the tires and grill still wet. Car looks pretty clean from the pics for a black car.

Man, Ya'll act like these should be museum pieces . lol.
 

PM-Performance

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Tires tell you everything you need to know about a car and how it has been cared for. They are like checking the blood sugar of a diabetic.

If an owner cannot maintain tires or pay for a set that is suitable to his setup, he cannot afford to properly maintain it or lacks attention to detail.

I would pass.

I think the problem is ALOT of NON CAR guys buy these things and that is the issue. Some just do not understand the importance of good tires, let alone on a car making 650+tq. lol
They just had some money and bought a GT500 that was cool because it had a bigger blower and never even got into boost with it.
I just don't think people remember that not everyone treats these things like museum pieces and sit in climate controlled bubbles in someone's 8 bay mansion garage.
 

StrayBullitt

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OP everyone has an opinion, I say just cover your ass and look it over thoroughly first and if at all possible have it inspected if you seriously consider it.

My buddy bought a heavily modded 500 and it turned into a nightmare. It's a very long story, but the previous owner said all the right things, buddy bought it site unseen so he couldn't check it out. Car had numerous issues, the motor had gone through hell, it ran good enough to sell, but eventually let go.

I think a simple pull of the plugs and definitely a compression check would have likely revealed issues and saved him a huge headache.
 

Steve2050

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That's $30k
The guy probably doesn't know anything about the car other than the person before him told him and before him told him, ect.
Just how this stuff goes. Guys buy cars they don't know anything about or understand and play whisper down the alley.
Carfax is a joke too, don't go by that.
The tires are crap because the guy probably doesn't even get it into boost to know the difference.

I would say if you do not know quite a bit about cars and how to work on them, stay away. If you are comfortable with repairs and diagnosing and can see the car in person before buying, then go for it, but even still that thing is quite high priced if its $30k.
I work on all my cars, it's the only reason I'd even consider a modded car. The $30k is in Canadian dollars, roughly $22.5k in US dollars. The Canadian
OP everyone has an opinion, I say just cover your ass and look it over thoroughly first and if at all possible have it inspected if you seriously consider it.

My buddy bought a heavily modded 500 and it turned into a nightmare. It's a very long story, but the previous owner said all the right things, buddy bought it site unseen so he couldn't check it out. Car had numerous issues, the motor had gone through hell, it ran good enough to sell, but eventually let go.

I think a simple pull of the plugs and definitely a compression check would have likely revealed issues and saved him a huge headache.
I'll mention this to the seller. I agree that not everyone installs a 3.4 to beat the piss out of it steady, but he bought the car the way it sits. Who knows how the original owner that had all the work done treated it. I'm 53, and I don't drive like that anymore....ok sometimes, lol. If he's not comfortable with the compression test, I'll have to pass.
 

PM-Performance

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That's $30k

I work on all my cars, it's the only reason I'd even consider a modded car. The $30k is in Canadian dollars, roughly $22.5k in US dollars. The Canadian

I'll mention this to the seller. I agree that not everyone installs a 3.4 to beat the piss out of it steady, but he bought the car the way it sits. I'm 53, and I don't drive like that anymore....ok sometimes, lol. If he's not comfortable with the compression test, I'll have to pass.

You are ahead of the game then. I was in the same boat. I bought a HEAVILY modified one against my normal gut feeling, but only because it was done by a reputable shop everyone knows unless they live under a rock and all the documents to prove it.
While it has its things I am not fond of at times, if I didnt want a 10 sec car, and wanted a quick car to just drive, it wouldnt be any issue. Only issues are because I race it regularly, so partially my fault. lol
Guy bought the car not knowing much about them or cars in general and just wanted a cool car. He didn't realize how scary a high HP/TQ car can be and the problems associated with it so he let it go for what I felt like was too good to pass up. So I hopped on a plane and paid cash after I did my homework.

So if you are comfortable working on cars, you can get a damn good idea from a video or two to get there and can to a compression test on the spot before transferring funds. You don't need to go with an independant check unless you are trying to save the trip and think the guy is shady, or just don't mechanically know cars well.
For $22k, if I was looking for a black one and specifically wanted something modded and to race around, I'd give that some serious consideration.
 

cidsamuth

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So rode hard = has some dirt on the plastic rad panel under the hood?
Put away wet?
The car was clearly just washed for the pics because you can see the tires and grill still wet. Car looks pretty clean from the pics for a black car.

Man, Ya'll act like these should be museum pieces . lol.

Settle. I don't claim these are museum pieces, so stop with the hyperbole.

The car does not look "clean" in the pictures. Again, you can tell a lot about how someone took care of a car by how much attention they put into readying it for sale. Compare the seller's pictures to that of 1Alibi2, for instance. Different cars, yes. But, also a different level of care is obvious.

I'd walk away from it, but that's just my opinion.
 

PM-Performance

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Settle. I don't claim these are museum pieces, so stop with the hyperbole.

The car does not look "clean" in the pictures. Again, you can tell a lot about how someone took care of a car by how much attention they put into readying it for sale. Compare the seller's pictures to that of 1Alibi2, for instance. Different cars, yes. But, also a different level of care is obvious.

I'd walk away from it, but that's just my opinion.

I think you are thinking too much about this.
Dude is obviously not a an avid enthusiast. Ad said he has health issues. He is probably an older guy that just wanted a semi cool $20k car.
this is deff not the worst GT500 pics I have seen for a sale ad.
He did clean it and it’s obvious.
Some of these comments are just silly sometimes. That’s all i was saying. like the put away wet comment. Lol. Cmon, it’s a car. You can’t tell me you dry off all your cars before you park them in your garage.
 

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