Point of view on Mach-E Buyback + Email

[SlicerOnSteam]

NO! run away FAST!!!

It's very close to our nightmare VIN 3FMTK1SS2MMA19742 which was a buyback for HVJB (high voltage junction box). Ford does not take this seriously and does not actually factory repair the buyback, they contract out the repairs.

All Mach-E's can be a lot of trouble and definitely not worth the risk, especially on an island. Just look around at threads on here and you'll find Mach-E's with touchscreens that crash and reboot while driving, constant front camera errors, emergency braking errors, safety recalls, phantom breaking, adaptive cruise speeding up when it shouldn't, BlueCruise vaporware, Public Charging vaporware, etc.

There's no rhyme or reason to even basic toggle settings in the touchscreen being saved and retained properly. It might be a bug we triggered when we set up driver profiles but we expected a product that expensive to basically function.

The sensors and cameras in Mach-E are nothing special, the same shoddy stuff as in other Fords. My wife actually didn't care about the sensors or adaptive cruise, but she could not escape the nightmare of never ending error messages. And YES! we took it in for warranty service and the same errors persisted along with new ones! You can see some of the same errors on gas powered F150 trucks here:

There are reports on here of Ford refusing repairs without charging $1000+ on sensors and cameras while still under the 100,000 mile warranty because the 36000 mile warranty is passed.

Features such as 1-pedal drive on the 2021 models are still being completely broken by recall updates in 2024!

Make sure you factor in the cost of all the gas you'll need to buy for your loaner while the Mach-E is in a service center for "module updates" - that's a whole lot of fun right after you invest in level-2 charging at home.

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[zvez]

Personally I'd pass on it.

 

[JrodWalsh]

All, thanks for the input. I’ve decided to pass. Much appreciated!

 

[Mjtee2]

Our 2023 is 2 months old and has spent almost a month in the service department at our local dealer. Looks like we are stuck in a loop: Ford proposes a “fix”, dealer tries it and no luck so far. (Electronics: autopilot, charging) At least the dealer has been providing us with Mach E loaner cars.

Unfortunately, If this goes on much longer, we may be dealing with the Lemon Law ourselves. . .

 

[Mach-Lee]

NO! run away FAST!!!

It's very close to our nightmare VIN 3FMTK1SS2MMA19742 which was a buyback for HVJB (high voltage junction box). Ford does not take this seriously and does not actually factory repair the buyback, they contract out the repairs.

All Mach-E's can be a lot of trouble and definitely not worth the risk, especially on an island. Just look around at threads on here and you'll find Mach-E's with touchscreens that crash and reboot while driving, constant front camera errors, emergency braking errors, safety recalls, phantom breaking, adaptive cruise speeding up when it shouldn't, BlueCruise vaporware, Public Charging vaporware, etc.

There's no rhyme or reason to even basic toggle settings in the touchscreen being saved and retained properly. It might be a bug we triggered when we set up driver profiles but we expected a product that expensive to basically function.

The sensors and cameras in Mach-E are nothing special, the same shoddy stuff as in other Fords. My wife actually didn't care about the sensors or adaptive cruise, but she could not escape the nightmare of never ending error messages. And YES! we took it in for warranty service and the same errors persisted along with new ones! You can see some of the same errors on gas powered F150 trucks here:

There are reports on here of Ford refusing repairs without charging $1000+ on sensors and cameras while still under the 100,000 mile warranty because the 36000 mile warranty is passed.

Features such as 1-pedal drive on the 2021 models are still being completely broken by recall updates in 2024!

Make sure you factor in the cost of all the gas you'll need to buy for your loaner while the Mach-E is in a service center for "module updates" - that's a whole lot of fun right after you invest in level-2 charging at home.

That vehicle had the HVBJB replaced 3 times so far.

 

[zvez]

Our 2023 is 2 months old and has spent almost a month in the service department at our local dealer. Looks like we are stuck in a loop: Ford proposes a “fix”, dealer tries it and no luck so far. (Electronics: autopilot, charging) At least the dealer has been providing us with Mach E loaner cars.

Unfortunately, If this goes on much longer, we may be dealing with the Lemon Law ourselves. . .

I'd pursue lemon law sooner rather than later, but you can also approach about a buyback which seems to be less involved.

 

[HalifaxDC]

Keep in mind your resale will suffer because of the buyback.

You’re definitely going to have to give us some numbers on the “deal” to help decide if it’s worth it.

Sounds like the typical HVBJB failure which is somewhat common so not a huge concern.

But I would wonder why anyone would consider a used 2023 when NEW 2023s are super cheap and qualify for a tax credit.

At $30k, I might be tempted to buy that car, but definitely not more. And even at $30k I would still get a new one instead.

Why? Because a new select is $35k and a new GT can be had for $42k-
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/new/s...2990&zip=34205#listing=371891387/NONE/DEFAULT

New 2023s do not qualify for the federal tax credit if you purchase one.

If you lease a new 2023 from Ford, on the other hand, you do effectively get a $7,500/8,500 price discount from Ford. The $8,500 lease discount, plus 1.1% APR on a 39-month lease, is the way to go.

 

[HalifaxDC]

Why? Because a new select is $35k and a new GT can be had for $42k-
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/new/s...2990&zip=34205#listing=371891387/NONE/DEFAULT

That $42K offer isn't real, if you want to purchase the car. It almost certainly includes the $8,500 lease rebate, and at best, only appplies if you lease the vehicle. I also suspect (although I'm not certain of this) that it includes a few other "discounts" that only a certain portion of the population will qualify for (veteran discount, first responder discount, etc.).

Their "Buy Now" price on this vehicle is nothing special ...

https://www.ford.com/finder/vdp/3FM...ource=SH-f93490ae-feaf-965e-a171-d18eff34eeb8

 

[fpavlo1]

I would stay away. It will be nothing but problems and you will regret it. I had a 2021 that got bought back. It was purchased by another dealer that thought they could fix it. I don't think you can be sure what the history is. If the deal is too good to be true it probably is. Your support in Hawaii is probably less than what we have in the continental US. The reason it was bought back by Ford was that the dealer could not fix it. Without any other details I would not touch it.

 

[Mach1E]

That $42K offer isn't real, if you want to purchase the car. It almost certainly includes the $8,500 lease rebate, and at best, only appplies if you lease the vehicle. I also suspect (although I'm not certain of this) that it includes a few other "discounts" that only a certain portion of the population will qualify for (veteran discount, first responder discount, etc.).

Their "Buy Now" price on this vehicle is nothing special ...

https://www.ford.com/finder/vdp/3FM...ource=SH-f93490ae-feaf-965e-a171-d18eff34eeb8

Call and find out. But there are a bunch advertised around that price around the country.

Would be illegal in pretty much every state to advertise a lease discount as a purchase price without disclosing it as such.

Could be a demo. There are HUGE discounts from Ford on those right now (up to an additional $10k off sticker plus the $3k rebate).

 

[HalifaxDC]

Call and find out. But there are a bunch advertised around that price around the country.

Would be illegal in pretty much every state to advertise a lease discount as a purchase price without disclosing it as such.

Could be a demo. There are HUGE discounts from Ford on those right now (up to an additional $10k off sticker plus the $3k rebate).

This is the auto industry we're talking about, it happens all day every day in most states. I don't need to call to know. If a demo, then that's possible, but in this case I doubt it's a demo, it's most likely a misleading offering.

I bought a new GTPE three weeks ago, after shopping around intensively for three weeks before that, almost purely on price (as long as it was the exact model/specs/color that I wanted), so all the gimmicky pricing and tactics are fresh in my mind.

 

[Mach1E]

This is the auto industry we're talking about, it happens all day every day in most states. I don't need to call to know. If a demo, then that's possible, but in this case I doubt it's a demo, it's most likely a misleading offering.

I bought a new GTPE three weeks ago, after shopping around intensively for three weeks before that, almost purely on price (as long as it was the exact model/specs/color that I wanted), so all the gimmicky pricing and tactics are fresh in my mind.

Oh for sure they play games.

But advertised pricing is as straightforward as it comes from a legal standpoint. Big time no no to post a price (on the car, in an ad or online) and not honor it.

Outside of typos, they cannot do that without serious legal problems as well as problems from the manufacturer.

I spent 8 years in a former career doing automotive advertising.

FWIW, that GT isn’t a one off. There are dozens listed in the low 40s across the country.

 

[HalifaxDC]

Oh for sure they play games.

But advertised pricing is as straightforward as it comes from a legal standpoint. Big time no no to post a price (on the car, in an ad or online) and not honor it.

Outside of typos, they cannot do that without serious legal problems as well as problems from the manufacturer.

I spent 8 years in a former career doing automotive advertising.

FWIW, that GT isn’t a one off. There are dozens listed in the low 40s across the country.

Misleading prices are advertised ALL THE TIME, with seemingly few repercussions.

Any Ford dealership that's REALLY interested in selling their car at a discount will list their best (or close to their best) price on the Ford national "Buy Now" service (I provided you the link for that car), because that is where serious internet buyers, who are shopping around nationally, will go to check the no-bullshit price for each car. Here, you will see the included options, any dealer discount or premium below/above MSRP, the Doc fee (if any), and any of the typical bullshit add-ons that dealers like to include (extended warranty, Lojack, dent and ding, window tint, etc.).

Virtually every dealer will offer the standard Ford promotions (discounted MSRP, retail discount, lease cashback, low interest rate financing), so to differentiate, a buyer would concentrate on the Dealer Discount/Premium, the amount of the Doc fee, and what the additional bullshit add-ons are (if any). You won't see many of these fees listed on the CarGurus price, nor will the CarGurus price give you a detailed breakdown of the price calculation, like they do on the Ford Buy Now site.

If the Buy Now price on Ford's website is not competitive, internet shoppers will typically move on. Many will not even bother with the seemingly "Too Good To Be True" prices that you see on CarGurus, AutoTrader, etc., because they usually don't pan out.

 

[HalifaxDC]

Oh for sure they play games.

But advertised pricing is as straightforward as it comes from a legal standpoint. Big time no no to post a price (on the car, in an ad or online) and not honor it.

Outside of typos, they cannot do that without serious legal problems as well as problems from the manufacturer.

I spent 8 years in a former career doing automotive advertising.

FWIW, that GT isn’t a one off. There are dozens listed in the low 40s across the country.

Check "View Pricing Summary" and then "Details" using that link. You will see a line for "Dealer Adjustment". If the dealer really and truly wants to sell this car at, let's say, a $10,000 discount, above and beyond the promotions that Ford nationally are offering, they would adjust this Dealer Adjustment to show -10,000.

But they don't. That means that either their internet guy is completely incompetent (because it's quick and easy for the dealers to change the amount of Dealer Adjustment), or (more likely) they're not really selling the car with a $10,000 dealer discount.

https://www.ford.com/finder/vdp/3FM...ource=SH-f93490ae-feaf-965e-a171-d18eff34eeb8

 

[HalifaxDC]

Check "View Pricing Summary" and then "Details" using that link. You will see a line for "Dealer Adjustment". If the dealer really and truly wants to sell this car at, let's say, a $10,000 discount, above and beyond the promotions that Ford nationally are offering, they would adjust this Dealer Adjustment to show -10,000.

But they don't. That means that either their internet guy is completely incompetent (because it's quick and easy for the dealers to change the amount of Dealer Adjustment), or (more likely) they're not really selling the car with a $10,000 dealer discount.

https://www.ford.com/finder/vdp/3FM...ource=SH-f93490ae-feaf-965e-a171-d18eff34eeb8

On the other hand, if you check the dealer discount on this GTPE, you will see that they specify they are offering a dealer discount (Dealer Adjustment) of - $2,500, above and beyond what Ford nationally are offering:

https://www.ford.com/finder/vdp/3FM...ource=SH-60b79892-99dc-ad8e-5e29-e8b62bc6a321

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