Missing all docs except title - still purchase?

[Triple Crown]

I found a local car that seemed avail from owners family (he passed away ) BUT they had only title and 2 keys. No other docs could be found, no window sticker or car cover, brochure - absolutely nothing. Would you still purchase or continue searching?

 

[Tomcat]

Depends on price. Google the VIN to see what comes up. Try taking the VIN to your local Ford dealership and have them look up records.

 

[extrap]

Yes, if the car's condition checks out I would definitely still consider it, because 1) original 05/6 Ford GT window stickers may still be available from Ford Show Parts https://fordshowparts.com/collections/vehicles/products/m-0222-mer , 2) car covers and bags are still available, just kinda costly, but not relative to the cost of a GT, 3) having both keys is good, not to mention the title! If it includes the OEM inflator / tow hook, that's good, too. Owner's manual is also still available, if this car doesn't have it. And the OEM battery charger is probably good to have (even though it's junk).

Also, GTs without those things don't seem to be selling for much less, if any, than cars with all of it; maybe it will matter more in the coming decades, dunno. I think buyers value mileage, condition, color and number of prior owners more than those items. It could be that buyers are unaware or just don't care. Or they buy it anyway knowing or hoping they're still available from other sources, or don't view the car as a collector so just don't care whether or not all the additional items are there. Probably other reasons, too.

But definitely do a PPI on it first, by a GT expert if possible. Some are willing to travel, and they can definitely help you avoid making a bad purchase. Maintenance records are certainly nice and probably help sell a car, but they kinda only convey what the car's condition "should" be. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

 

[white out]

Unless the car has super low miles and you are buying to park with future valuation in mind, none of that stuff matters.
Keys & cover are available on eBay. Air pumps are past expiration date and take up valuable trunk space. It's easy to decipher which of the 4 options a car has (lol).

 

[twobjshelbys]

How many owners? Mileage? Condition and type of tires? (There was a famous shelby mustang that a guy put into his basement. Had very low miles. But come to be that all of them were done 1/4 mile at a time...)

 

[QuickSilverShelby]

I bought my 06 GT based on the following criteria:

1 - I was at the stage of life where I could feasibly buy a FGT instead of buying a Ford Explorer for "sensible and responsible" transportation for my wife and 2 kids.
2 - Milage - it had higher mileage (17,000ish miles) and that's exactly what I was looking for so that I could drive the car and not think about the depreciation hit for buying a low milage car and racking up the miles.
3- Reputable selling dealer. I had confidence buying my car sight unseen from a reputable dealer who was located in Arkansas, and I had it delivered to Vegas on an enclosed trailer.
4 - Price. When I bought my car 5 1/2 years ago it was discounted due to the milage on the odo. The car didn't have the original window sticker, original title or any of the documentation we all love. I still bought the car in 2019 because I wanted a FGT I could drive and not worry about adding milage.
These were my top 4 criteria so I went ahead with the purchase.

If it's a car that fits your criterial, I say buy it. Yeah, I wanted more documentation with my car but I wanted the car more. Thank goodness I bought in 2019.

QSS

 

[Triple Crown]

Thanks to all for your input. The car is one owner who did all his work and amassed a large inventory of spare parts. It was recently worked on by the GT garage ($28k) so I have confidence in it mechanically. With 15k miles it is a driver and would be for me too. I am getting the sense that I should grab it regardless of provenance gap.

 

[Triple Crown]

How many owners? Mileage? Condition and type of tires? (There was a famous shelby mustang that a guy put into his basement. Had very low miles. But come to be that all of them were done 1/4 mile at a time...)

Gonna need tires for sure, and has both sets of wheels so I choose!

 

[Twturbo]

Good luck & what colors is it & does it have strips ? all things that effect the value ,i'd check out this Bring a trailer link for an idea of values of what these cars are actually selling for & not what dealers are asking for.They seem to sell about one FGT every week on there https://bringatrailer.com/ford/gt/

 

[AJB]

If the vehicle has a “large inventory of spare parts” as stated they may be worth lots of dollars!
Ajb
Andy

 

[SullGT]

@Triple Crown As having purchased my GT very recently after a very long search, this sounds like the near perfect scenario: local, higher miles (to continue being a driver), one owner, and recently gone through by the GT Garage.

I had similar criteria to @QuickSilverShelby with a couple additions:

• Midnight Blue!
• Lower number of owners preferred
• Most, or least some, of the modifications I wanted already complete on the car
  • All reversable if needed
  • Some of them being high cost to complete but generally no added cost to the later purchaser (me)

Do you have the invoice or description of the work completed by the GT Garage? That would likely be all the documentation needed for me to be interested in the car.

 

[Specracer]

I LOVE paperwork. More the better. With that said, I was looking to buy a rare foxbody (Saleen SSC), in my search, 2 super low mileage cars presented themselves, at the same time, off market. I could not physically get to both to choose so I bought both. Now the point of the story, one car had some minor cosmetic issues, but had ALL of the paperwork, the better car had near zero paperwork. What did I do? I kept the better car. It was a very tough choice.

Buy the right car for you regardless of paperwork, and jump in before the prices soar even more........

 

[PeteK]

If it recently had $28,000 of work, then I would call the GT Garage and ask their opinion of the car for a driver, or go visit them. Given the recent work, that's about as good a PPI as you could get. Do a Carfax check too. Otherwise, if the price is good, I would buy the damn thing. Then drive the piss out of it.

 

[extrap]

If it recently had $28,000 of work, then I would call the GT Garage and ask their opinion of the car for a driver, or go visit them. Given the recent work, that's about as good a PPI as you could get. ...

True! Good point ... I should've thought of that.