So as the title says, i found a 2003 sonic blue SVTF in my local online classifieds.
the good:
-SVT's are rare here and this one has 16,000 miles.

the bad:
-the ad says "european version with 185 hp, 6-speed and limited slip diff."

Now, you know that statement is 75% crap, so that seems weird to me.
I'm going to call tomorrow and ask for price, which isn't listed on the ad either. I'm not sure if it is at a lot or is a private sale. Another thing that caught my attention is that it has a ZX3 front grill [dunno]. It says it's never been in an accident. I might check it out tomorrow.
Anyways, just running it by FF... what do you guys think?
here's teh pic......
http://www.clasificadosonline.com/F/T/DSC05621.jpg

they seem like they have no idea what they have...so check it out in person and if it seems solid...then talk them down and tell them how much hp it really has.....and its not an EAP HAHAH

how much they asking???

That seems very shady. Be careful. Make sure you run a Carfax and an Oasis report on it.

@ dirtbrown
the ad doesn't say. what it does say is it pays 225.. which is incredibly low for a car payment here on the island..
ohh, and i don't think EAP's ever made it to the island.. i've only ever seen or known of about 10 svtf's, and i've never seen a zx5 svt here

@witchcitySVT
i definitely need to run a carfax. it seems fishy, but it could also be that the person selling it is a typical car salesman/ car owner.. completely clueless as to what they have.

@witchcitySVT
i definitely need to run a carfax. it seems fishy, but it could also be that the person selling it is a typical car salesman/ car owner.. completely clueless as to what they have.


thats what im thinking.....you know more about the car...so u can probally talk him down

i'll call him early tomorrow morning.. for all i know, he wants 14grand for it.
i'f i do check it out and it looks good, how do i know if it's really never been in a crash before i get the carfax? anything to look for in that sense?

it has the SVT honeycomb front grill.

it has the SVT honeycomb front grill.
the top grill looks like a ZX3 grill to me.. that's the only pic in the classified

i tried to zoom in on my computer but it was too blurry for me to tell, it looks like the svt grille but it could also be the zetec one. you'll just have to see it in person

i found it strange but oh well.. i'm kind of losing hope on this one because i just noticed the shadows on the floor in the pic and the reflection on the windshield of the little pennants that they use in used car lots. they'll probably want a lot for the car.
i have another good deal on a low mileage SVT but i've held off because it's the same color as my ZX3, which i intend to keep.

That's definitely a non-SVT front grille...

^^my point exactly.. but why would anyone swap an svt grill for a standard one??!!

^^ A wreck.

that's what i'm wondering about. if it's been fixed and looks good, any definitive way to tell it's been wrecked?. i mean aside from carfax.

^^ Man, I don't know - I still have doubts about whether MY car had been wrecked sometime within its first 17,000 miles....

But: an expert (obviously); looking thoroughly for any signs of new paint (overspray, painted vs. unpainted bolts, etc.); or if you have a color-blind friend (seriously), they can allegedly see paint differences between body panels and such very easily...

The non-SVT grille is definitely a warning sign, though (even if it's only a warning of an inconsequential little mishap).

thats an svt front grill. if you do some tweaking with any program you can tell. the turn lights are solid and it has the 4 lines for the honey comb not the 3 of the standard grill

^^ Yeah, you've got a point there - although it looks like horizontal bars to me, the turn lights are definitely solid. Weird. Must be an optical illusion...

EDIT: Yup, I think you're right. I cranked the resolution up in Photoshop and zoomed in. Must be the way the sunlight's hitting the front end that makes it look like horizontal bars in the pic. (In any event, it looks like FOUR horizontal bars - which would be wrong were it a ZX3 grille - so you're right.) And here I thought I was the super-observant one!

EDIT 2: Actually, I looked at a regular Focus grille this afternoon and it DOES have four horizontal bars... Whatever.

I cant stand when people write or say things they know nothing about. european version with 185 hp, 6-speed
It would seriously take 2 minutes to look up the correct facts.

If it was an in a crash, one way to tell is if the door is hard to open. which means the frame was repaired.

I cant stand when people write or say things they know nothing about. european version with 185 hp, 6-speed
It would seriously take 2 minutes to look up the correct facts.

I hear ya. There was recently an obvious non-EAP SVT on D.C.'s craigslist being advertised as an EAP. I wrote to correct him, and this was his laughable response:

<< Hey, thanks for the comments. I've checked this car before posting "European Package." This car was ordered with standard SVT rims instead of the spoked European Rims...only a "taste" preference. The seats are not Riccaro seats because of the side airbags that were put into the U.S. models...and the winter package that is in this car makes for a different heated seat...thus leather and cloth! Those are the only two differences...Audiophile 6 disc in-dash, HID headlamps, traction control, plug for the engine block (plug in to keep warm in winter)...etc. all comply with the "European Package." >>

I didn't bother to respond.

I cant stand when people write or say things they know nothing about. european version with 185 hp, 6-speed
It would seriously take 2 minutes to look up the correct facts.
he can't help himself.. he's a used car salesman. I was very busy today, so i wasn't able to check it out, but i called him. he tried to impress me, telling me how rare and special this car is, how it's low mileage, mint condition, blah blah, etc..

I asked him how much it was selling for and he was giving me the runaround, telling me that depends on credit approval and that I should really come to the dealer and check it out. I told him that on the ad it said $225 monthly payment and asked him how many months are owed on it. He answered with "well for that monthly payment it should be around 4, 4 1/2 years, but i could only really talk this with you if you come to the dealer". Still not a straight answer. I asked him, How much would this sell for in cash?
Anyways, he didn't ever really give me a clear price. It was a conversation of about two minutes, and in that time he asked me to go to the dealership probably 4 or 5 times.I [:(!]HATE[:(!] people like this. The place is a 2 hr+ drive from my house, and i shouldn't have to go there to get simple answers that I can get on the phone [rant]
what an ass.

just remember they need u. u dont really need them, if they r too busy for u then dont give them your 2 plus hrs of driving time.

they just try to reel you into their ghetto dealership so they can try to sell you on a bunch of overpriced crap you don't want.
if the SVT was at the right price, I'd go over there and buy it. and that would be it. but the runaround i got over the phone makes me not want to do business with these people

indeed an SVT honeycomb grill, Zx3 grill has lines through the blinkers. This one is solid. rofl @ 185hp, but you know? maybe it's modded? and they dyno'd it idk.. i LOOOVE ppl who don't know what they have haha. i'd be like DUDE!! it's a FORD FOCUS!!! i'd buy this one over here *points to a zx3* but i want a standard tranny =) haha.

Check the VIN number to see if it is realy a SVT.

P30 Ford Focus, Hatchback, 3-door; SVT

also, another way to tell if it's been wrecked is if there was front end damage and it had to be painted, a lot of places will just mask off the engine bay. So look for body color paint under the hood b the body, there might be sprays on the rubber.

I know what you mean julio...that's what dealers try to do. BUT...when I worked at the dealership I would always ask how far away customers were before I tried to get them in--if they were anywhere over 45 minutes away (actually even less), I'd just have a conversation with them and tell them what they wanted to know, no doubt. That's just stupid--must've been a new guy.

if someone had asked you for a straight price quote, i'm sure you would've just answered the question. trying to be sneaky like that seems too dishonest. thanks for the advice guys.
i might call him back tomorrow. i don't want a 4yr car payment, i want something that i'll be done paying off before i finish studying. so if the car is too expensive, then it's a no go. i really want a second car though so i can tear into my zx3..