When Ford revealed the Shelby GT350 Mustang, enthusiasts began foaming at the mouth at the tremendous performance this track-prepped pony car offered. It was car dealers, however, that were were drooling in anticipation more than anybody else, as they knew that these rare and desired Mustangs were destined for huge markups the second the cars hit the showroom floor.
The first GT350s have been arriving at dealers and in customer driveways for a couple of months now, but that hasn’t discouraged some dealerships from continuing to mark prices through the roof. Yahoo Autos found an advertisement from Van Bortel Ford in East Rochester, New York, that had a Shelby GT350 priced at a staggering $149,500, about triple the base price of this track-ready Mustang.
The online advertisement has seen been revised to say merely “Call For Price”, and at first glance seems beyond bonkers to be charging triple the MSRP for a GT350 that lacks the precious “R” package. However, it is one of just 137 2015 model year GT350s, which certainly does add some post-market value to the vehicle. Not a couple of weeks ago a 2015 GT350 sold at Mecum auctions for $115,000, though that’s still about a Mustang GT shy of the Van Bortel’s asking price for its vehicle.
Although the car dealership model has its defenders, Americans are increasingly calling into question the reason why we can’t just purchase a car directly from the manufacturer for a pre-set price. Car dealers aren’t making any friends among the general public, and price-gouging on an American icon seems downright unpatriotic to many.