Conflicting information?

[kappaknight]

Not sure which is right/wrong or if there is such a thing. Been shopping for the Limited Ex's in my area trying to find the best deal.

First dealer - not willing to do X-Plan on dealer stock but was happy to custom order one for me for that price if I wanted to.

Second dealer (AutoNation) - claims they can only order so many every quarter so they don't want to order one for X-Plan price since these vehicles are hot. However, willing to negotiate on other, already ordered Ex's from another state and to ship the down to here.

I can see where the first dealer is coming from. Some marketing dollars may have been spent already on promoting the dealer stock so it may not be worth it for them to go near invoice since people will walk in and pay close to MSRP for these. However, I've never heard of such a thing as claimed by AutoNation. Do they really order THAT many vehicles that they are being restricted to the number they can buy?

If true, that's interesting... but as far as I know, there are only like 8 or so large dealer groups in the country and while they are huge, I don't see why Ford would limit the orders to any one group, or smaller dealers provided the sales are coming in the door from whoever picks up the order.

Anyway, chatting with dealer 3 tomorrow. I'm no longer sure what to expect since the first two were polar opposites.

 

[JDJones]

I too had to search a bit for an Explorer Limited on the X-Plan. Found 3 that matched my feature set. First dealer wouldn't sell on the X-Plan so we got up and walked away. Made a few extra phone calls, and with little effort, found a great dealer who was willing to sell me the truck I wanted on the X-Plan. It is possible, supply is not so tight they wouldn't sell the Explorer on the plan, some are just too greedy.

 

[blwnsmoke]

My original dealer was the same way. They would order on plan but not sell from stock. They only had 1 limited and 1 xlt anyways.

 

[SLB8SNK]

GREED GREED GREED... these are NOT that limited or special, not SVT. Any dealer playing the "these are hot" games, walk away and never visit again. These dealers forget what its like when times are slow. Not everyone today has 40-50K sitting in a drawer to spend, they should he HAPPY to sell one at any price. Its all BS, not like supply will not meet or exceed demand. Fools....

 

[KeepTheChange]

Wow...things must be pretty desperate here because I had no troubles with X-plan on an in stock 4WD Limited. We have been stalked by multiple salesmen for weeks now. From what I understand they still make a decent profit with x-plan. I'm sure the tune will be changing in a few weeks...

 

[jeeden]

They have enough of them rolling out of the plants now that in a few weeks they will be begging you to take one of theirs on the x-plan.

Same thing happens with any new "hot" car. See GT500, Camaro, etc, etc.

 

[kappaknight]

I actually just placed an order today with Wade Ford in Atlanta, the dealer I originally went to see. The process was smooth and the sales person said if I change my mind, they're happy to sell it someone else.

The manager also thanked me for ordering through them - knowing that I could have went anywhere with the X-plan but chose them over others. What a night and day difference the right dealership makes.

 

[11Limited]

Kapp,

Just make sure he has allotment and gives you a priority 10.

 

[Loganfilm]

Make sure he shows you the DORA that confirms the order and priority.

 

[Bronze Bombshell]

We bought ours on the Z plan, no problems whatsoever. No pressure, no attitude, just told us they were happy we bought it from them and that they hoped we were totally satisfied with everything (we were). Brought up the "expired" incentives before we could, said they were still good, so no worries there. Their ESP price was excellent too, said they didn't like to gouge people. Said their goal was to build loyalty, and thus repeat business. Will go back next year for hubby's new car, so they win, and we do too.