Dealers getting in the way

[ab13]

You're assuming the the MSRP stays the same for Dealership model vs. Tesla's Model. You can argue that the MSRP for Tesla is lower since they don't have to give any dealer Hold back and incentives.

Note that Model Y price has increased since it came out. LR model is $53990, but I recall it was about $49990 at first. In fact the estimated price was lower at first, based on this article.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/14/...ncement-price-release-date-features-elon-musk

Edmunds site showing the $49k price.

https://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model-y/2020/

Mach E MSRP price was lowered since it was announced, about $1-2k.

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[Kistra]

I have been so frustrated with dealerships. I have a MME on order but my Bolt buyback is going to be complete before it gets delivered so I have been calling around to ask to get put on lists for customer cancellations. When dealerships have an MME on their website I would ask if it was really for sale versus a mannequin or customer order. I had two dealerships actually just answer my question instead of requiring my full name and phone number before they would answer the question.

And the sales people know nothing about the cars. I went to test drive a local mannequin and was showing the sales guy things about the car instead of the other way around. The only thing he knew how to do was turn on the fake motor noise ?

 

[ab13]

I have been so frustrated with dealerships. I have a MME on order but my Bolt buyback is going to be complete before it gets delivered so I have been calling around to ask to get put on lists for customer cancellations. When dealerships have an MME on their website I would ask if it was really for sale versus a mannequin or customer order. I had two dealerships actually just answer my question instead of requiring my full name and phone number before they would answer the question.

And the sales people know nothing about the cars. I went to test drive a local mannequin and was showing the sales guy things about the car instead of the other way around. The only thing he knew how to do was turn on the fake motor noise ?

Do you have any car buying services you could try, such as AAA or credit union? They might be able to look at more locations and have connections already. I'm not sure anyone has used one for this car though.

 

[MicrobialAng]

I have a question that may have been answered -

I paid $500 when I converted my reservation to an order for my GT (I picked it up last Friday 10/01/2021 & may have been too excited to miss this) the dealer also had me put another $500 down when they accepted my order. I was told that $1000 would go towards the car at purchase and if I didn’t purchase the vehicle I’d forfeit that money. The $1000 was not applied.

Also - this dealership said they did not participate in the Ford Options Program because it was a balloon scam and their customers did not benefit - but I thought the options program was just for the Mach E and this forum has made it sound like a good option and not a balloon program. The dealership didn’t really seem to know what I was talking about when I asked about it.

Any input as to if the Ford Options Program is not a dealership financing specific program or if it is a Ford Corporation plan for the Mach E would be welcome! Also - weren’t the order order fee(s) suppose to apply to the car at purchase?

These may be things to look out for future Mach E owners to be aware of when picking their long awaited car up! It’s very exciting when it arrives!

 

[MicrobialAng]

I was also told my Mach E had been used as a test car and that’s why it had 34 miles on it when I received it…..

It’s fine if that is true - the salesman said that Ford had put 27 miles on it for a track test? I just would like to know if I’m getting yanked around on some details and if I can get proof it was used for that and not the dealer driving it. I had preset my car up on the Ford pass app and was suppose to be able to just proceed with my settings when I got the car - the settings had been accepted without my phone so now I can’t reset them and the dealer won’t give me the access code until the title has been sent to them. I also was told I cannot have the second key or owners manual….until they’ve got the title. So I can’t have the access code, 2nd key (which they may have used) or the hard copy owners manual ( yes - I have the online version and I have read it - but not memorized it).

I’m probably over reacting - but I’m a girl and sometimes feel like I’m not taken seriously or viewed differently than my husband is when he buys a car.

I have a question that may have been answered -

I paid $500 when I converted my reservation to an order for my GT (I picked it up last Friday 10/01/2021 & may have been too excited to miss this) the dealer also had me put another $500 down when they accepted my order. I was told that $1000 would go towards the car at purchase and if I didn’t purchase the vehicle I’d forfeit that money. The $1000 was not applied.

Also - this dealership said they did not participate in the Ford Options Program because it was a balloon scam and their customers did not benefit - but I thought the options program was just for the Mach E and this forum has made it sound like a good option and not a balloon program. The dealership didn’t really seem to know what I was talking about when I asked about it.

Any input as to if the Ford Options Program is not a dealership financing specific program or if it is a Ford Corporation plan for the Mach E would be welcome! Also - weren’t the order order fee(s) suppose to apply to the car at purchase?

These may be things to look out for future Mach E owners to be aware of when picking their long awaited car up! It’s very exciting when it arrives!

 

[physib]

I paid $500 when I converted my reservation to an order for my GT (I picked it up last Friday 10/01/2021 & may have been too excited to miss this) the dealer also had me put another $500 down when they accepted my order. I was told that $1000 would go towards the car at purchase and if I didn’t purchase the vehicle I’d forfeit that money. The $1000 was not applied.

They're correct in this case since it's up to the dealer to refund your deposit when you order. The $500 for reservation is a separate thing. That was paid to Ford and would be refunded when you convert it to an order.

Also - this dealership said they did not participate in the Ford Options Program because it was a balloon scam and their customers did not benefit - but I thought the options program was just for the Mach E and this forum has made it sound like a good option and not a balloon program. The dealership didn’t really seem to know what I was talking about when I asked about it.

That sounds like they don't want to deal with Options. But regardless, it is a balloon plan. Balloon plans could be scams, but I really doubt that's the case here.

Any input as to if the Ford Options Program is not a dealership financing specific program or if it is a Ford Corporation plan for the Mach E would be welcome! Also - weren’t the order order fee(s) suppose to apply to the car at purchase?

It is from Ford, but I'm not sure if dealers are required to work with Options. You could be out of luck if they simply refuse to. And your order deposit should apply to the total.

I was also told my Mach E had been used as a test car and that’s why it had 34 miles on it when I received it…..

That's a thing. I've seen it around the forums, but the cars also had a sticker or a note saying it was used in testing. Either way, I wouldn't stress about 34 miles.

 

[physib]

@hybrid2bev Are dealers required to work with Options if you want to finance through it?

 

[macchiaz-o]

Any input as to if the Ford Options Program is not a dealership financing specific program or if it is a Ford Corporation plan for the Mach E would be welcome! Also - weren’t the order order fee(s) suppose to apply to the car at purchase?

It's not a scam. More likely, the dealer just doesn't understand it properly, didn't want to take the effort to work with their Ford Credit reps to try to understand, or just decided it was better for them in most cases to push other types of financing with their customers. ?‍

It's probably not a big deal in the grand scheme, as long as you are ok with the financial arrangements that you ended up with. I wavered back and forth between paying cash, 0.9% financing, or Ford Options financing. It was a hard choice for me because they are all similar options when it comes down to it.

It’s fine if that is true - the salesman said that Ford had put 27 miles on it for a track test?

That sounds normal. My vehicle had 17 miles or something like that when I picked it up. Now I'm closer to 8,000... I'm not thinking about the 17 anymore.

I had preset my car up on the Ford pass app and was suppose to be able to just proceed with my settings when I got the car - the settings had been accepted without my phone so now I can’t reset them and the dealer won’t give me the access code until the title has been sent to them.

This smells wrong to me. They need to give you the master code. It's a five digit PIN that works on the keypad outside the driver door. If they can't find the physical card that has it printed on it -- that's ok. They can also look up your vehicle's master code in their computer system. Once you've purchased or leased the vehicle, they owe this to you. I don't think the title has anything to do with it.

I also was told I cannot have the second key or owners manual…

Most of us only received one key. Ford officially only provides one key. A few people got a complimentary second key with their non-GT purchases, but I believe their dealer chose to include it in the deal, not Ford. Several GT owners have commented that they received two keys. So maybe it's different for GT but I'm not sure if that's the case, or if it was just a string of eager to please dealers.

A printed manual is not included anymore. However, there should be a much thinner Supplemental Owners Guide that covers the most important items. It's also available as an online PDF, and it's truly just a subset of the full manual. So you've already read it. But that was supposed to be handed to you along with the key fob and that master door combo number.

 

[MicrobialAng]

Thanks so much for the quick reply Physib! So stressful when it comes to actually signing the paperwork!

I received the $500 reservation fee back and then paid the non-refundable $500 fee when I converted to an online order with Ford. The dealership then charged another $500 deposit with them that I was told would be applied for a total of $1000. Neither are showing in my paperwork. Hopefully when I go in tomorrow to ask questions they’ll resolve it.

I’m not to worried about the options program but it was the first I’d heard that dealers weren’t honoring it. And 34 miles isn’t a stressor - just something I wanted to know about. I hadn’t even seen the odometer when they explained it to me and they had basically already voided the set ups I had in the vehicle. I’m still getting a message that I can’t update settings in the Ford app because the primary user hasn’t accepted them. I set myself up as primary user when I I sent the settings. Just confusing- so I really appreciate your input and taking the time to read my post!

They're correct in this case since it's up to the dealer to refund your deposit when you order. The $500 for reservation is a separate thing. That was paid to Ford and would be refunded when you convert it to an order.

That sounds like they don't want to deal with Options. But regardless, it is a balloon plan. Balloon plans could be scams, but I really doubt that's the case here.

It is from Ford, but I'm not sure if dealers are required to work with Options. You could be out of luck if they simply refuse to. And your order deposit should apply to the total.

That's a thing. I've seen it around the forums, but the cars also had a sticker or a note saying it was used in testing. Either way, I wouldn't stress about 34 miles.

 

[hybrid2bev]

@hybrid2bev Are dealers required to work with Options if you want to finance through it?

Required, no. Should they, yes.

We can try to help them along if they are struggling with Options. The contracting system is already set up for them. All they have to do is make sure their internal systems are setup correctly, which their provider can do.

 

[Maquis]

I was also told my Mach E had been used as a test car and that’s why it had 34 miles on it when I received it…..

It’s fine if that is true - the salesman said that Ford had put 27 miles on it for a track test? I just would like to know if I’m getting yanked around on some details and if I can get proof it was used for that and not the dealer driving it. I had preset my car up on the Ford pass app and was suppose to be able to just proceed with my settings when I got the car - the settings had been accepted without my phone so now I can’t reset them and the dealer won’t give me the access code until the title has been sent to them. I also was told I cannot have the second key or owners manual….until they’ve got the title. So I can’t have the access code, 2nd key (which they may have used) or the hard copy owners manual ( yes - I have the online version and I have read it - but not memorized it).

I’m probably over reacting - but I’m a girl and sometimes feel like I’m not taken seriously or viewed differently than my husband is when he buys a car.

My wife used to get treated differently by car dealers, one wasn’t going to sell her a car until she had her husband come into the dealership. As a seasoned business executive, it didn’t take her long to set them straight. That was 20 years ago, one would hope those days are over!
The last Ford I purchased with “extra” miles on it (about 90 iirc), there was a card on the dashboard from the assembly plant explaining that my truck had undergone “extra QA testing” resulting in the miles. It was even hand signed. I don’t know if they still do that???

 

[buzznwood]

Thanks so much for the quick reply Physib! So stressful when it comes to actually signing the paperwork!

I received the $500 reservation fee back and then paid the non-refundable $500 fee when I converted to an online order with Ford. The dealership then charged another $500 deposit with them that I was told would be applied for a total of $1000. Neither are showing in my paperwork. Hopefully when I go in tomorrow to ask questions they’ll resolve it.

I’m not to worried about the options program but it was the first I’d heard that dealers weren’t honoring it. And 34 miles isn’t a stressor - just something I wanted to know about. I hadn’t even seen the odometer when they explained it to me and they had basically already voided the set ups I had in the vehicle. I’m still getting a message that I can’t update settings in the Ford app because the primary user hasn’t accepted them. I set myself up as primary user when I I sent the settings. Just confusing- so I really appreciate your input and taking the time to read my post!

As noted above ford randomly picks vehicles all the time for some testing, you should get a note with the number of miles put on at the factory my mach-e is the second ford vehicle that I have had this happen on dealers should leave it with the vehicle so you will probably find it in the glove box.

The note for my mach-e looked like this, so expect something similar

 

[jheda]

Required, no. Should they, yes.

We can try to help them along if they are struggling with Options. The contracting system is already set up for them. All they have to do is make sure their internal systems are setup correctly, which their provider can do.

My dealer gave me $1000 incentive and 3.25% interest for the ford option balloon plan, is that correct?

 

[Scrannel]

Two links to check out and to think about when dealers "get in the way."

The 'Tesla Effect' isn't inspiring legacy carmakers in the US, and dealers are to blame (teslarati.com)

Tesla has made the EV transition inevitable, but can the big legacy car makers catch up? (thedriven.io)

 

[hybrid2bev]

My dealer gave me $1000 incentive and 3.25% interest for the ford option balloon plan, is that correct?

Yes, looks like FL is a $1,000 state.

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