Matthewmohan
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Matthew
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2020
- Threads
- 8
- Messages
- 147
- Reaction score
- 314
- Location
- New York
- Vehicles
- 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E First Edition Grabber Blue
- Occupation
- Finance
- Thread starter
- #1
First off- I apologize for the long post but I think it is meaningful. OK-Buyer Beware-It is one of those sayings that through the generations has kind of lost its meaning. Like so many of its Latin brothers, the use nowadays has taken on the connotation of an ill omen, but really it’s just a sage piece of advice. Perhaps less biting is the saying “ Knowledge is power”, but really what it comes down to is get as much information as you can. I say this all as a preface to what I feel was the best car buying experience I have ever had and how it had everything to do with the information that this site provides.
I finally got Sonic on Friday after over a year, a really weird year. I made a reservation the day after the unveiling. I had a sub 10,000 reservation number when we thought that meant something. I decided to switch to a Mach Drop car in August and regretted it through the winter but that is behind me. I have my car and I am in love. I have never been happier with a vehicle. But to be honest that doesn’t surprise me. I expected to be happy with the car. All the countless hours of reviews on YouTube and hours, maybe days, of pouring through websites and forums had me more prepared for this car than I was for marriage or fatherhood. What I wasn’t fully prepared for was the buying experience.
As a backdrop, I love buying cars. My wife refuses to go with me anymore. I usually take a day off work when it’s time. I wear certain clothes, I change watches. It’s a thing. I prepare as Sun Tzu has taught me. And I expect this campaign to take at least the day. I have spent 8+ hours at a dealer before. But really all of this preparation is because I am trying to level the playing field. There is an information imbalance in the car buying process that almost all of us face when we buy a car through a dealer. There are incentives, dealer holdbacks, rebates, finance offers. All things that give the dealer an edge. You can try to get all the information but at the end of the day you always walk out thinking “Was that the best deal I could have gotten?” And that nagging feeling sours your dealer relationship over time like a lingering doubt.
This becomes ever more important as Tesla has shown us there is another way. Maybe I don’t have to have that doubt. Maybe the dealer is more trouble than it’s worth? I believe I once posted on this very site that if this car had one weak link it was the dealer process and I still think that is the case for some of us-Unfortunately. And I think that is the real issue. The inconsistency across dealers.
I was first introduced to my salesman Dennis via email when I placed my order in June. I first met him during the Mach e demos in the Fall. That first meeting was very important. We were learning about the car together. It was then I realized the balance of power in this transaction was going to be much different.
Armed with all the information I had gathered over the last year, buying the car was almost uneventful.
I had been calling Dennis every couple of weeks to check in and see if he had any information outside of what the Ford website was showing me. As we got closer to the expected delivery date we had some conversations about financing options. I sent him an email outlining all the info I received on this forum about the X-plan, the $100, the NY state rebates. We had financing and pricing worked out before the car was ever even delivered. I can’t stress enough, being able to email is crucial. You can outline your expectations well in advance.
When I saw my dealers number pop up on my phone Tuesday night I knew it was on. I literally saw Sonic coming off the truck. It was weirdly reminiscent of the birth of my children (Don’t tell my wife I said that). We made a date for pickup on Friday morning. Again, I took the day off. I was ready. I donned my car buying outfit like a knight donning his armor before battle. I had my folder with a hard copy of all my emails, all my independently confirmed finance numbers, all the checklists for delivery from this site, all my INFORMATION... Ready to do battle. And then...nothing. I saw Dennis, he gave me the key, he said there’s the car with a smile on his face. He let me get acquainted with the car by myself for as much time as I wanted. I went through my notes, checking and rechecking. Deliberating how much time was the right amount to time to show I was being thorough but not insane. I walked in, he sat me down with the finance guy, his numbers matched mine to the penny. I signed, I thanked everyone and I was out. 16 months of accumulated anticipation and I was out. No surprises, no battle, no doubt. I bought my car like I buy an iPhone. Which I think is an appropriate comparison.
The dealer model isn’t dead. The good ones will adapt. I know I am happier in the experience and knowing that if I have any problems there is a place I can bring my car that is just 2 miles away. A place where I can talk to people I know and who know me. If you’re on Long Island and are in the market for a Mach-E, talk to Dennis at Hempstead Ford. He treated me right, but Caveat Emptor.
I finally got Sonic on Friday after over a year, a really weird year. I made a reservation the day after the unveiling. I had a sub 10,000 reservation number when we thought that meant something. I decided to switch to a Mach Drop car in August and regretted it through the winter but that is behind me. I have my car and I am in love. I have never been happier with a vehicle. But to be honest that doesn’t surprise me. I expected to be happy with the car. All the countless hours of reviews on YouTube and hours, maybe days, of pouring through websites and forums had me more prepared for this car than I was for marriage or fatherhood. What I wasn’t fully prepared for was the buying experience.
As a backdrop, I love buying cars. My wife refuses to go with me anymore. I usually take a day off work when it’s time. I wear certain clothes, I change watches. It’s a thing. I prepare as Sun Tzu has taught me. And I expect this campaign to take at least the day. I have spent 8+ hours at a dealer before. But really all of this preparation is because I am trying to level the playing field. There is an information imbalance in the car buying process that almost all of us face when we buy a car through a dealer. There are incentives, dealer holdbacks, rebates, finance offers. All things that give the dealer an edge. You can try to get all the information but at the end of the day you always walk out thinking “Was that the best deal I could have gotten?” And that nagging feeling sours your dealer relationship over time like a lingering doubt.
This becomes ever more important as Tesla has shown us there is another way. Maybe I don’t have to have that doubt. Maybe the dealer is more trouble than it’s worth? I believe I once posted on this very site that if this car had one weak link it was the dealer process and I still think that is the case for some of us-Unfortunately. And I think that is the real issue. The inconsistency across dealers.
I was first introduced to my salesman Dennis via email when I placed my order in June. I first met him during the Mach e demos in the Fall. That first meeting was very important. We were learning about the car together. It was then I realized the balance of power in this transaction was going to be much different.
Armed with all the information I had gathered over the last year, buying the car was almost uneventful.
I had been calling Dennis every couple of weeks to check in and see if he had any information outside of what the Ford website was showing me. As we got closer to the expected delivery date we had some conversations about financing options. I sent him an email outlining all the info I received on this forum about the X-plan, the $100, the NY state rebates. We had financing and pricing worked out before the car was ever even delivered. I can’t stress enough, being able to email is crucial. You can outline your expectations well in advance.
When I saw my dealers number pop up on my phone Tuesday night I knew it was on. I literally saw Sonic coming off the truck. It was weirdly reminiscent of the birth of my children (Don’t tell my wife I said that). We made a date for pickup on Friday morning. Again, I took the day off. I was ready. I donned my car buying outfit like a knight donning his armor before battle. I had my folder with a hard copy of all my emails, all my independently confirmed finance numbers, all the checklists for delivery from this site, all my INFORMATION... Ready to do battle. And then...nothing. I saw Dennis, he gave me the key, he said there’s the car with a smile on his face. He let me get acquainted with the car by myself for as much time as I wanted. I went through my notes, checking and rechecking. Deliberating how much time was the right amount to time to show I was being thorough but not insane. I walked in, he sat me down with the finance guy, his numbers matched mine to the penny. I signed, I thanked everyone and I was out. 16 months of accumulated anticipation and I was out. No surprises, no battle, no doubt. I bought my car like I buy an iPhone. Which I think is an appropriate comparison.
The dealer model isn’t dead. The good ones will adapt. I know I am happier in the experience and knowing that if I have any problems there is a place I can bring my car that is just 2 miles away. A place where I can talk to people I know and who know me. If you’re on Long Island and are in the market for a Mach-E, talk to Dennis at Hempstead Ford. He treated me right, but Caveat Emptor.
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