I’m the proud new owner of a snow-white 2018 GT2 RWD!
I’ll be honest, I was going back and forth with myself on this purchase for a long time after checking out the car and getting it inspected.
It was very clean externally, drove well and was clearly taken care of. But there were a few things underneath that made me pause.
To start, it had multiple previous owners. I’d be the 4th. With 74k on the odo that made me uneasy. Second, it was modified:
- Injen Intakes
- ADD W1 Oil Catch Can
- JUN-BL Axle-Back GT Exhaust
- Drilled & Slotted Rotors + unknown pads
- 275 rear tires
- Assorted minor visual/aesthetic mods (badges etc)
Third, the inspection and walk around revealed a few issues:
- 75k maintenance was coming up
- Brakes buzzed when cold, felt better when warm, but still probably warped.
- Both front fender liners had chunks taken out of them, along with a torn up engine gravel guard. But I hear that this is a pretty common issue with Stingers, particularly the early ones.
- Other minor external defects (small paint chips, cloudy headlights, minor curb rash, etc)
So I sat on it for awhile. Almost two weeks. Test drove other cars on my short list, but they just didn’t feel as fun. They weren’t nearly as practical either. The new K5 in particular felt underwhelming knowing that it was effectively the replacement for the Stinger, and it’d be $10k+ more for an equivalent trim.
While the mods were definitely a liability, they seemed to be installed competently, and they were basically the same ones I’d do myself anyway, so this would save me the trouble of spending the time and money to do it myself.
So after some more agonizing, I ended up back at the dealer, and after a bit of haggling, walked out with that 2018 GT2 RWD for about $19.5k, well under my new car budget.
I love it. After an initial hiccup when the dealer handed it over with a tank full of 87 and getting it replaced with 93, it’s been running like a dream. Coming from an anemic 2010 base-trim SUV, this thing *moves* and is surprisingly agile for such a heavy car. The equipment feels up to date even compared to 2025 offerings too. It definitely feels like a used car, but it’s well-worn rather than worn-out. Got a little character to it.
But I do have a few questions for longtime owners:
- How the hell are you supposed to get under this thing without a lift? The pinch welds are tiny and I can’t get a jack and a jack stand on it at the same time. The side skirt seems to wrap around the bottom of the car so there’s no frame rail to use, and I’m hesitant to put a jack on that plastic bit.
- The car lugs bad when the CC tries to accelerate in 8th at ~1300 rpm. I don’t think it hurts the engine but I manually kick it down with the paddles to stop that noise.
- Speaking of noise, the exhaust is great. Nice and throaty in the midrange with tasteful rumbles on the overrun, but not obnoxious when coming or going when the neighbors are asleep. That being said, the drone on the highway at low rpm grinds on me after awhile. A quick and dirty reading shows 75dB average on my commute at 75mph, peaking at 81 with a min of 65 while coasting. If anyone knows what I’m talking about and has fixed it with a resonator or some other change, I’m all ears.
Oh, and the headliner rattles with the sunroof cover retracted
Glad to join the club, and hopefully this will be a solid & fun daily driver for many years to come!
I’ll be honest, I was going back and forth with myself on this purchase for a long time after checking out the car and getting it inspected.
It was very clean externally, drove well and was clearly taken care of. But there were a few things underneath that made me pause.
To start, it had multiple previous owners. I’d be the 4th. With 74k on the odo that made me uneasy. Second, it was modified:
- Injen Intakes
- ADD W1 Oil Catch Can
- JUN-BL Axle-Back GT Exhaust
- Drilled & Slotted Rotors + unknown pads
- 275 rear tires
- Assorted minor visual/aesthetic mods (badges etc)
Third, the inspection and walk around revealed a few issues:
- 75k maintenance was coming up
- Brakes buzzed when cold, felt better when warm, but still probably warped.
- Both front fender liners had chunks taken out of them, along with a torn up engine gravel guard. But I hear that this is a pretty common issue with Stingers, particularly the early ones.
- Other minor external defects (small paint chips, cloudy headlights, minor curb rash, etc)
So I sat on it for awhile. Almost two weeks. Test drove other cars on my short list, but they just didn’t feel as fun. They weren’t nearly as practical either. The new K5 in particular felt underwhelming knowing that it was effectively the replacement for the Stinger, and it’d be $10k+ more for an equivalent trim.
While the mods were definitely a liability, they seemed to be installed competently, and they were basically the same ones I’d do myself anyway, so this would save me the trouble of spending the time and money to do it myself.
So after some more agonizing, I ended up back at the dealer, and after a bit of haggling, walked out with that 2018 GT2 RWD for about $19.5k, well under my new car budget.
I love it. After an initial hiccup when the dealer handed it over with a tank full of 87 and getting it replaced with 93, it’s been running like a dream. Coming from an anemic 2010 base-trim SUV, this thing *moves* and is surprisingly agile for such a heavy car. The equipment feels up to date even compared to 2025 offerings too. It definitely feels like a used car, but it’s well-worn rather than worn-out. Got a little character to it.
But I do have a few questions for longtime owners:
- How the hell are you supposed to get under this thing without a lift? The pinch welds are tiny and I can’t get a jack and a jack stand on it at the same time. The side skirt seems to wrap around the bottom of the car so there’s no frame rail to use, and I’m hesitant to put a jack on that plastic bit.
- The car lugs bad when the CC tries to accelerate in 8th at ~1300 rpm. I don’t think it hurts the engine but I manually kick it down with the paddles to stop that noise.
- Speaking of noise, the exhaust is great. Nice and throaty in the midrange with tasteful rumbles on the overrun, but not obnoxious when coming or going when the neighbors are asleep. That being said, the drone on the highway at low rpm grinds on me after awhile. A quick and dirty reading shows 75dB average on my commute at 75mph, peaking at 81 with a min of 65 while coasting. If anyone knows what I’m talking about and has fixed it with a resonator or some other change, I’m all ears.
Oh, and the headliner rattles with the sunroof cover retracted
Glad to join the club, and hopefully this will be a solid & fun daily driver for many years to come!
