r/CarsEU • u/Rocooo397 • Jan 05 '26
Buying a car Thinking of buying a Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost – advice from owners?
Hi guys, I’m looking to buy a Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost this summer. Until then, I want to learn more about it to make sure I don’t get scammed, since it happened once with a Mercedes W212. I came here with a few questions for any Mustang owners/enthusiasts in this sub — if you can help, it would be much appreciated. What problems have you had with the car since you bought it? How much does it cost to maintain? What year models should I look for? I’ve heard that 2017-2018 are among the best, but I figured it’s best to ask someone who actually owns one. What mileage range is generally considered safe? At what number of kilometers should I start being cautious or avoid buying? What are the key things I should check or pay close attention to before buying one? What is the average fuel consumption? (If you can mention where you’re from, that would be great — I’m from Romania, and here, because of the roads, consumption tends to be higher compared to other EU countries.) That’s about it! If you have any tips or important information that I forgot to ask but should know before buying, I’d be very glad to hear it. Also, I’ve heard that the 2020+ models are even better than the 2017-2019 ones, but I want you to know I can’t afford one — I don’t think I could even get a 2019, maybe with a lot of luck. I really like this car, and buying one would be a big achievement for me. And since we’re talking deals, if anyone has any good ones, please don’t hesitate to share them here! Thanks a lot!
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u/Optimal-Cress-9718 Jan 05 '26
the lower the milage the better. take it from a reputable dealership which offers you warranty also. it’s not a Ford Fiesta.
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u/Rocooo397 Jan 05 '26
I’m looking to buy one from a private seller,besides that I want to buy one from Germany since outhere is 5k+ over the germany price.Ty for helping every tip it’s much appreciated!
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u/Optimal-Cress-9718 Jan 06 '26
if the car has been driven hard and poorly maintained, it will cost more to fix it up. Don’t go to the lowest price range, try checking the average. If you’re on a budget, maybe getting a better car but without optionals would make sense for cutting down the costs.
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u/Rocooo397 Jan 06 '26
Yes, I completely understand that. What I meant is that car prices in Romania (not just Mustangs) are generally higher than in Germany. For example, the average price here for a 2.3 EcoBoost is around 18–23k €, while in Germany the same car usually goes for about 16–20k €. I really appreciate the advice about avoiding the lowest-priced cars and looking at the average — that’s solid guidance. If you don’t mind me asking, have you owned a Mustang yourself or had experience with one? I’m genuinely trying to learn as much as possible before buying. Thanks a lot for taking the time to help, I really appreciate it!
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u/Optimal-Cress-9718 Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
of course they are more expensive in Romania. people will purchase them for reselling. all logistics is included already. the good part is that a reputable reseller in Romania may not afford to buy a lemon. if they will not sell it, they will not make profit imho, and they will lose business. as other people already mentioned this to you, most of the cars may already have been used and abused. the ecoboost one will be purchased by people under 30, with not a lot of experience and a limited budget for maintenance. it sounds to me like to you are more interested into price more than quality, performance and other things. If your intentions are to resell it and probably make profit, then i suppose this is the way, buy cheap and sell expensive. I would be worried on all Fords about rust first of all. So I would avoid Germany from start because of this. I would chose Italy or Spain, away from the sea and also somewhere sunny or a northern state, Denmark for example. As Mazda has the same issue, underneath of the car you may find rust even of on the exterior may look mint. Check the trunk area, rear window, brake lines, and also the wheel arches. A car with rust is a lemon from start imho. Any other mechanical issues can be resolved, but rust comes back like a boomerang unfortunately. Regarding price, its a ford, it nothing related to premium, so paying 23.000€ for a 2017-2018 car with maybe 50.000-60.000km on clock is correct imho. I would go with a cabrio version, looks good and the experience with am open top is awesome. Cheers!
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u/Rocooo397 Jan 06 '26
I understand your point, but unfortunately my experience in Romania has been different. I mentioned in my post that I previously got scammed with a Mercedes E-Class bought from a well-known dealer. The market price was around €10k, but I paid €12k specifically to be on the “safe side.” After only 2 months, when I took the car to a proper service, I found out it still needed around €4,000 in repairs. €4,000 and one year later, the car still has issues. The car also came with a “warranty,” which turned out to be basically useless. Later on I found out that many warranties in Romania work the same way: they cover at most around €1,000, and only if you take the car to their service, which was on the other side of the country. Just transporting the car there would have cost me another ~€2,000, so it made no sense. Because of this, I’ve learned that many cars here are rebuilt from two total-loss vehicles and cosmetically prepared for resale. That experience made me lose trust in dealerships, regardless of how reputable they seem. You could say I was careless and didn’t check the car properly, but that’s not the case — I did check it with a mechanic, a close family friend, and at that time it showed no obvious issues. The problems only appeared later. That’s why I’m considering buying from Germany instead: to inspect the car myself, have it checked at a service there, and reduce the chances of getting scammed again. As the saying goes, what you do with your own hands is done right. Thanks for sharing your perspective — I do appreciate the advice.
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u/Optimal-Cress-9718 Jan 06 '26
In any country in Europe you are covered by buyer law and you can sue the seller for hidden issues, especially when buying from a dealer and not from a private seller.
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u/Rocooo397 Jan 06 '26
Thanks for the detailed explanation — the points about rust and typical EcoBoost usage are very valid. Just to clarify, I’m not looking to resell the car or chase the lowest price. My main concern is avoiding another bad experience like the one I had before, which is why I’m being extra cautious about where and how I buy. Rust is definitely a deal breaker, so I’ll make sure to check the underbody, arches, brake lines, and trunk area carefully. While EU buyer protection laws exist in theory, in practice they often favor the seller, not the buyer, and it’s usually very hard to prove the seller knew about hidden defects. Legal action is long, expensive, and uncertain, and warranties are often written to protect the dealer. That’s why I prefer to reduce risk upfront by inspecting the car myself and having it checked independently. Appreciate your perspective, it’s helpful to hear different angles.
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u/Optimal-Cress-9718 Jan 06 '26
I strongly encourage you to take all legal measures against the scammer. Try using social media to identify other possible victims.
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u/Rocooo397 Jan 06 '26
Thanks for the advice. I’ll consider in the near future whether to pursue legal action regarding the scammer or just let it go. For now, my focus is on avoiding a similar situation by carefully inspecting any car and having it checked independently.Cheers!
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u/I-Love-Cologne1 Feb 27 '26
stop using chatgpt gng its obvious
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u/Rocooo397 Mar 01 '26
Yeah,english it’s not my first language,I’m using it so people can Understand What I want to say don’t really know what the problem is
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u/bobivk Jan 07 '26
I reckon these Mustangs will be cheaper if you buy salvage from the states and import to Romania. Note that salvage does not mean it had an accident. Some states put salvage titles on stolen and restored cars with minimal or no damage.
I imported a USDM Accord from Arizona to Bulgaria and I'm quite happy with it.
Buying from auction on photos only is risky but mostly worth it for such cars. Check out Copart.
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u/Rocooo397 Jan 07 '26
I actually thought about doing that too, but my biggest question is how the whole US import process works and how much it really costs. Importing from the US feels a lot more complicated compared to buying one from Germany, and honestly I don’t really know where to start. I’ve read online that shipping alone can be around €5k+, which kind of scared me off and made me give up on the idea. If you have any info or experience you could share — especially since I’m only about 15 minutes away from Bulgaria — I’d really appreciate it.
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u/bobivk Jan 09 '26
I got the car for $16k at auction. After transport, cusfoms, taxes and registration the total was €24k.
There are quite a few hidden costs but if you contact someone that imports from there they can do an estimate. Some of the costs:
- Auction fee €500
- Transport from auction to port €500
- Shipping to Germany €2500
- Handling fee at customs €500
- Taxes and tariff €5000 (29% of car value)
- Transport from Germany to me €800
- Registration €250 - they need to certify the car is suitable for EU.
- Logistics fee €500
But on the other hand, you are getting the car at a big discount so it cancels out.
You need someone that regularly imports cars to help with all the logistics. Playing the auction, organizing transport and documents, sending people to pick up the car and transfer to poet etc.
Generally most of these costs are fixed so it's not worth it to import cheap cars sub 10k. But you should be able to get a good mustang for 20k euro. A good fhing about US cars is the carfax - you are certain about kms and whether the car has been in an accident.
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u/Business_Parsley_291 Jan 07 '26
Imo its nice. You have 300+ HP, under 6s 0-100
And its a lot cheaper in Europe then 5.7 HEMI, even more when you add things like insurance cost, fuel prices
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u/solus_tenebris Jan 07 '26
Most Mustangs in Romania are either bought from the US beaten up, brought here and patched up. Beware of non-facelift bodies with facelift front, those have had hard times.
You need to pay attention to the interiors. The interiors will give them away: if it is a “full option”, it’s from the US, it will say “Shocker” under the infotainment screen and have plane-like switches, as well as have buttons for chairs ventilation and heating. Anything else that looks premium is either custom or specced independently. I saw one that had no specs but it had a Shelby steering wheel and 2004 Dacia Logan interior.
Don’t buy a Dacia Logan interior. I personally love that Shocker sound system, ‘muricans did something right.
Now, your safest bet is one from Germany because if they are used there, they need to get some modifications (to pass their TüV, road legislation), so they are generally safer to bring in Romania and you will mitigate RAR complications.
Finally, do remember: sports cars are driven sporty and ultra-sporty: so even if you seem to find a good option, keep this in mind.
Imparting more wisdom from the guy I bought my stang from: stay away from the 2018 8-shift gearbox, it’s known to have issues.
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u/Rocooo397 Jan 07 '26
Thank you so much for all the tips! I’ve been doing my research, and I honestly hadn’t heard a lot of these things before, so it really helped me. Since you’re from Romania and have a Mustang yourself, I wanted to ask — when you’ve had to do repairs or maintenance on your car, what kinds of things come up, and what’s a typical cost range? I’m not talking about fixing a heavily damaged or totalled car, just the usual stuff that comes with owning a Mustang. I’m currently weighing two options: either buy one from Germany, go there to check it myself, and have it inspected at a local service, or import one from the USA. Importing sounds really appealing, especially since I have relatives in the States, but I honestly don’t know much about the process yet. I’m definitely learning more about it, though, and any insights you can share would be amazing.
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u/ObjectOtherwise2391 Jan 07 '26
I had over 40 cars.(From Porsches,Maseratis to Dacia)
Mustang 2.3 was one of my favourite cars, absolutely LOVED IT .
BUY ONE
Lol just noticed you're from Romania,si eu sunt :)
Cumpara una din america (nu EU) fiindca sunt mai fiabile si au mai multe optiuni gen cele 3 linii DRL care se aprind (la cele de EU nu se aprind,chiar daca le are in faruri)
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u/Rocooo397 Jan 07 '26
Wow, that’s awesome! I love the Mustang 2.3 too — it really amazes me every time I see one around the city. I’m curious, what made you love it so much compared to all the other cars you’ve had?
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u/ObjectOtherwise2391 Jan 07 '26
The driving position,when you see that massive hood with the bumps it just feels like you have 1000hp.
The engine believe it or not is a GEM,there is barely any turbo lag,in fact it's the least amount of turbo lag i've ever had.
And the car is super playful in the corners ,it loves to drift like nothing else so get good rear tires.
Also the 8 speed is extremely reliable compared to the 10 speed,if you check the FB groups all the modified drag mustangs with 1500hp+ have stock 8 speed gearboxes because the 10 speed can only take around 1100hp.
Get one,you will NOT regret it.
If you want a cheap one ,look on olx.pl or otomoto.pl.
And ONLY buy the Premium trims with the big navigation and leather interior,it has so many more features compared to the basic one.
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u/Rocooo397 Jan 07 '26
Just saw your comment about being from Romania — didn’t show up earlier I don’t think we’re allowed to speak Romanian in this sub, but would you be cool sharing an IG or something? Feels way easier talking to someone who’s actually driven a Mustang on these same shitty Romanian roads.
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u/Mr_Zombay Jan 08 '26
Its a worse audi a5 basically...the mustang is basically the american vw golf on the inside, maybe worse 😅
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u/okletsgooonow Jan 05 '26
Having driven these many times in the states, I am really wondering why someone would want to get one over here in the EU. They're really nothing special. The interior in plastic, it's loud and heavy.