Dealers are Ford customers, not you.

Bigfeets

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I'm looking for information about the role of dealers in Ford's allocation system. (Me: day 40 of 196-day predicted wait). I realize I am very naive about Ford, dealers, and custom orders.
I was looking at "my dealer" online inventory. No MME were on the lot, but 23 are listed. 15-2021MY are shown as "sale pending", while 8-2022MY shown as "coming soon"). I will be contacting them to see if they will explain what is with this "largess" of MME being "advertised". I'm hoping some folks on this forum can speak to the role of dealers in Ford's MME allocation process.
Do dealers beg for or demand an allocation for themselves to sell from their lot?
Would "sale pending" mean they were likely ordered by customers who have not yet accepted or rejected their order, since the vehicle is still in transit to the dealer? Is it standard dealer practice to "advertise" a vehicle that has been ordered by a customer but not yet arrived on the lot?
Since each of the 23 has a VIN assigned and 2021MY MME are in transit to the dealer, apparently, does that mean that whoever ordered the vehicle has been notified already of this. The dealers are notified by Ford, as well? or does Ford notify only the dealer who is then expected to notify the person who ordered it?

Bottom line, one of the "coming soon" 2022 MME looks satisfactory to me, such that I'd purchase it and forget about the one that's supposedly coming in 23 more weeks. (Because it has a VIN assigned means it's much farther ahead of "mine" in the queue and should arrive much sooner.) I'll try asking the dealer this tomorrow, but I'm wondering what to expect. Will it be entirely up to the dealer and are there any ethical boundaries?
Oh well, just thought I'd ask....
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Most all of those are probably customer special orders, they still show up in dealer stock on Ford's website even though they are spoken for. If you click on the window sticker and see a green background, it's someone's special order. Dealer stock are blue background on the stickers. This means the dealer will get a bunch of calls regarding your car when it comes in.
 

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I'm looking for information about the role of dealers in Ford's allocation system. (Me: day 40 of 196-day predicted wait). I realize I am very naive about Ford, dealers, and custom orders.
I was looking at "my dealer" online inventory. No MME were on the lot, but 23 are listed. 15-2021MY are shown as "sale pending", while 8-2022MY shown as "coming soon"). I will be contacting them to see if they will explain what is with this "largess" of MME being "advertised". I'm hoping some folks on this forum can speak to the role of dealers in Ford's MME allocation process.
Do dealers beg for or demand an allocation for themselves to sell from their lot?
Would "sale pending" mean they were likely ordered by customers who have not yet accepted or rejected their order, since the vehicle is still in transit to the dealer? Is it standard dealer practice to "advertise" a vehicle that has been ordered by a customer but not yet arrived on the lot?
Since each of the 23 has a VIN assigned and 2021MY MME are in transit to the dealer, apparently, does that mean that whoever ordered the vehicle has been notified already of this. The dealers are notified by Ford, as well? or does Ford notify only the dealer who is then expected to notify the person who ordered it?

Bottom line, one of the "coming soon" 2022 MME looks satisfactory to me, such that I'd purchase it and forget about the one that's supposedly coming in 23 more weeks. (Because it has a VIN assigned means it's much farther ahead of "mine" in the queue and should arrive much sooner.) I'll try asking the dealer this tomorrow, but I'm wondering what to expect. Will it be entirely up to the dealer and are there any ethical boundaries?
Oh well, just thought I'd ask....
Many dealers will list every vehicle that is coming in on their website. It generates interest and leads in the event that the vehicle is refused by the customer that ordered it. They likely have a list that you could add your name to that they will go through if/when they have an MME available. It is not uncommon to see ADM on those refused vehicles.
 
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Bigfeets

Bigfeets

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Many dealers will list every vehicle that is coming in on their website. It generates interest and leads in the event that the vehicle is refused by the customer that ordered it. They likely have a list that you could add your name to that they will go through if/when they have an MME available. It is not uncommon to see ADM on those refused vehicles.
So, you think they're all likely spoken for unless a refusal comes up. Is the dealer not obligated to honor the MSRP/dealer price of the original buyer? I was hoping Ford was going to make dealers shape up and not dirty the brand. haha
 


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Bigfeets

Bigfeets

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The subject is kind of weird, was expecting some sort of rant
I'm too early in the game to have a rant. No experience with Ford, or dealers, or ordering a car. The only leverage I've got is money if ethics don't count.
 

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So, you think they're all likely spoken for unless a refusal comes up. Is the dealer not obligated to honor the MSRP/dealer price of the original buyer? I was hoping Ford was going to make dealers shape up and not dirty the brand. haha
Once the car is refused by the person who ordered it the price is between the dealer and the potential new buyer.
 

Neil4Real

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So, you think they're all likely spoken for unless a refusal comes up. Is the dealer not obligated to honor the MSRP/dealer price of the original buyer? I was hoping Ford was going to make dealers shape up and not dirty the brand. haha
I mean, everyone is doing it. If it’s dirtying the brand then everyone (car manufacturers) is in the mud.
 

Neil4Real

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Ford automatically lists all cars coming to the dealer on the dealer website. The dealers I’ve spoken to, said they have no control over it and it does drive them crazy too, especially when the cars are populated sometimes months before they’ll arrive.
Easiest thing to do is to just call dealers. Tell them what you want and if they charge and ADM. when I was calling for my premium AWD extended, all dealers said current ones spoken for. Literally hours later and into the next day, at least 65% called back and said they had a car they were just authorized to sell, buyer either told them they backed out or their 7 day claim period expired to come buy it.
To more address your allocation question: from the dealers I’ve spoken with, and as evidenced by almost all window stickers being green custom orders, they’re really getting no “dealer” cars. Which is why you’ve been seeing a lot of dealers pull shady stuff trying to add ADM on custom order customers when their car arrives. Either the customer agrees or they can just sell it with the markup.
 

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The answers in this thread should know help the OP understand how things work, and that just because a car shows up doesn't mean it isn't already spoken for. There is zero about the Mach-E incoming orders appearing that hasn't always happened for any model, except there are more customer orders than with most models. Even if it's a dealer order, it may be spoken for.

Bottom line for most people - find a dealer that takes X-Plan, doesn't add any extras like etching or other garbage, and order a car and wait. Also get on their list for cancelled orders. And, be on top of things. We got our 2021 by seeing vehicles on the dealer's website, and contacting them immediately. Vehicle was prepped 2 weeks before I noticed it (we were out of town), and was a cancelled order. Don't know what day the order was cancelled, or how many days between the cancellation and when I reached out, but we were not on a wait list, and our order had only been in for a month at that point. Yet we got it, and for A-Plan like our own order, which we also kept on order when that was offered.
 
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Bigfeets

Bigfeets

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The answers in this thread should know help the OP understand how things work, and that just because a car shows up doesn't mean it isn't already spoken for. There is zero about the Mach-E incoming orders appearing that hasn't always happened for any model, except there are more customer orders than with most models. Even if it's a dealer order, it may be spoken for.

Bottom line for most people - find a dealer that takes X-Plan, doesn't add any extras like etching or other garbage, and order a car and wait. Also get on their list for cancelled orders. And, be on top of things. We got our 2021 by seeing vehicles on the dealer's website and contacting them immediately. Vehicle was prepped 2 weeks before I noticed it (we were out of town), and was a cancelled order. Don't know what day the order was cancelled, or how many days between the cancellation and when I reached out, but we were not on a wait list, and our order had only been in for a month at that point. Yet we got it, and for A-Plan like our own order, which we also kept on order when that was offered.
Thanks for the reply. My dealer hasn't yet responded on their listing of 23 MME that are not on the lot. I was not astute enough to do any meaningful research into dealers before I ordered. Now I'm seeing difficulty in changing dealers if problems arise. (I should also say, at this point, I have no reason to change dealers.) I'm just waiting, hoping to be gratified by my good fortune in "randomly" choosing this particular dealer.
While waiting, I'm wondering if the differences in trim package (between Cal Rte 1 and Premium) matter to me, not to mention the pre-Dec 8 price versus the post-Dec 8 price differential. Waiting is a ?
 

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Thanks for the reply. My dealer hasn't yet responded on their listing of 23 MME that are not on the lot. I was not astute enough to do any meaningful research into dealers before I ordered. Now I'm seeing difficulty in changing dealers if problems arise. (I should also say, at this point, I have no reason to change dealers.) I'm just waiting, hoping to be gratified by my good fortune in "randomly" choosing this particular dealer.
While waiting, I'm wondering if the differences in trim package (between Cal Rte 1 and Premium) matter to me, not to mention the pre-Dec 8 price versus the post-Dec 8 price differential. Waiting is a ?
Not sure where in CA you're at, but if you're in the SF Bay Area the Ford Store Morgan Hill sells both online and on the lot MachEs (and all other cars) at MSRP and takes X-plan, which gets you 2% off MSRP. I've had very good experiences with them.
 
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Bigfeets

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Not sure where in CA you're at, but if you're in the SF Bay Area the Ford Store Morgan Hill sells both online and on the lot MachEs (and all other cars) at MSRP and takes X-plan, which gets you 2% off MSRP. I've had very good experiences with them.
Orange County. Around 5 Ford dealers around 10 miles or less. Selected one based on "happenstance". As someone who has never owned a Ford or known a Ford Dealer, Ford salesman, or Ford neighbor I've not thought much about x-plan. About dealer behavior, I'm thinking "virtue untested is no virtue". I have to get there before I can gripe, so I'm just trying to go into it with eyes open. On this forum, some think it is unethical for a dealer to advertise a vehicle that they do not have, but others say either "everybody does it" or "it's okay". I think it's okay, but still want to find out how my dealer gets 23 incoming MME while I'm still 19 on their priority.
 

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23 MMEs incoming and a priority code of 19 have nothing to do with one another. Think of priority codes as being baskets. Each dealer’s customer order is assigned a priority code by the dealer. Dealers assign codes from 10 through 19, with 10 being the highest priority. There could be one priority 12 and 22 priority 19 orders for this dealer of the 23 outstanding orders. ?‍♂?
 
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Bigfeets

Bigfeets

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23 MMEs incoming and a priority code of 19 have nothing to do with one another. Think of priority codes as being baskets. Each dealer’s customer order is assigned a priority code by the dealer. Dealers assign codes from 10 through 19, with 10 being the highest priority. There could be one priority 12 and 22 priority 19 orders for this dealer of the 23 outstanding orders. ?‍♂?
Yep, two unrelated issues there. I did inquire again with "my dealer" if the low priority assigned by them had changed. They said they have no control over the priority 19 assigned to my order. (I've also asked why $1500 deposit when other nearby Ford dealers have $500 deposit requirement.) I've also asked how many orders thru them are unfilled and where do I rank among them. They have only said they have received NONE of the MME they've order for themselves or anyone. In other words, they won't say anything about where my order stands within their purview.

As for the 23 "coming soon" MME shown online as "their inventory", they are not all destined for this dealer (AutoNation Ford Tustin). The specific MME I showed interest in was actually going to another Autonation Ford dealer (50 miles away) and was told such an order swap was difficult and was special order anyway. (I really know nothing about Ford dealer networking or Autonation.) So, they give the impression that they have no role in the "allocation roulette" and I'm left wondering if another dealer would be much better, at least more forthcoming, about this "supply and demand struggle with 2022 MME. If it's true that dealers are Ford's customers and MME buyers are the dealer's customers. Ford is doing a disservice to both with this business model, it seems.
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