Bekkis

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Well, the first bullet confirms what was already known that May 11 for orders will be delayed.
The second bullet is surprising as I would've expected dealers to have test vehicles before customers start receiving deliveries. It sounds like the first adopters may not get to test drive until they are getting their delivery.
It must be a possibility to return the vehicle if not satisfied with the performance and handling +seats and range.
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eager2own

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It must be a possibility to return the vehicle if not satisfied with the performance and handling +seats and range.
In the US, I expect that folks will be able to get a refund if, upon test drive, one is not satisfied -- although whether the $500 deposit is refundable or not may depend on what was agreed upon with the dealer when placing the order.
The only real downside in those cases is having waited for a car until then when, if test drives were available sooner, one could go ahead with purchase of something else months earlier. . . but certainly not the end of the world.
 

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It must be a possibility to return the vehicle if not satisfied with the performance and handling +seats and range.
If by 'return the vehicle' you mean take it home and then after a few days bring it back for a refund, I'd say that's the least likely of any of the scenarios.
 

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In the US, I expect that folks will be able to get a refund if, upon test drive, one is not satisfied -- although whether the $500 deposit is refundable or not may depend on what was agreed upon with the dealer when placing the order.
The only real downside in those cases is having waited for a car until then when, if test drives were available sooner, one could go ahead with purchase of something else months earlier. . . but certainly not the end of the world.
It's always good to have a backup. ;)
 

Bekkis

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If by 'return the vehicle' you mean take it home and then after a few days bring it back for a refund, I'd say that's the least likely of any of the scenarios.
It’s the way Tesla does it. Seems to trust the car more then Ford then?
 


dbsb3233

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although whether the $500 deposit is refundable or not may depend on what was agreed upon with the dealer when placing the order.
Just a technicality... The $500 reservation deposit we have with Ford now (in the US) is fully (and in fact automatically) refundable.

However, the dealer may want a deposit too when the order is placed. That could be a totally different amount and have totally different terms. It could even be that the dealer is able to transfer the Ford reservation deposit into a dealer order deposit (although I don't think we know that yet).

But technically they're different things.
 

dbsb3233

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A little unfair to hold Ford to that standard as Tesla is the only one that does it. I can't imagine Ford imposing that across the board as it has to deal with a dealer network.
And Tesla does it because they kinda have to when you rely on what's in effect the mail order model rather than the dealership model.
 

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Just a technicality... The $500 reservation deposit we have with Ford now (in the US) is fully (and in fact automatically) refundable.

However, the dealer may want a deposit too when the order is placed. That could be a totally different amount and have totally different terms. It could even be that the dealer is able to transfer the Ford reservation deposit into a dealer order deposit (although I don't think we know that yet).

But technically they're different things.
Correct, which is why I wrote of the deposit with dealer when placing the order instead of the Ford reservation fee. I was focusing on the question of whether a deposit with dealer would be refundable or not, but you are correct that the dealer may or may not stick to the amount of $500.
I personally think that a dealer would have a hard time squeezing more in deposit from folks now given the economic situation (and folks maybe being more likely to drop reservations altogether) and given that folks like me are likely 12 months out from getting delivery of their GTs.
 

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And Tesla does it because they kinda have to when you rely on what's in effect the mail order model rather than the dealership model.
Yes, but in effect that is EXACTLY what is happening with the Mach-E: we are buying a yet-to-be-released product that not only have we never seen let alone touched, no one outside of the manufacturer has.
 

dbsb3233

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Yes, but in effect that is EXACTLY what is happening with the Mach-E: we are buying a yet-to-be-released product that not only have we never seen let alone touched, no one outside of the manufacturer has.
True to a point, although I'd replace "buying" with "ordering" in that. How much of a "buying" commitment that is will depend on the terms of the order agreement. If we can get full order deposit refund after the test drive, I wouldn't really consider that buying yet.

But at minimum, it's a psychological commitment to a vehicle we haven't been able to test drive yet. Part of the price of wanting to be one of the first to get a brand new product. That all reverts to normal once they get some on the lots though.
 

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And Tesla does it because they kinda have to when you rely on what's in effect the mail order model rather than the dealership model.
You beat me to it. That’s the real reason Tesla does that. However, even when I bought my MS in 2017, that policy didn’t exist. So it’s relatively new.
 

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You beat me to it. That’s the real reason Tesla does that. However, even when I bought my MS in 2017, that policy didn’t exist. So it’s relatively new.
I think it came into play when Tesla closed hundreds of its stores in early 2019 to cut costs, and instead focused on online sales without test drives.
Again, that's a difference with Ford, which isn't actually requiring that folks take cars without test driving first. In fact, it's only the very first wave of customers who won't be able to test drive before their delivery.
 

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Again, that's a difference with Ford, which isn't actually requiring that folks take cars without test driving first.
We hope!
 

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There is always another option. There is the very likely possibility that dealers will get 'customers' cars before they get their demo vehicles who have cancelled at the last minute. The dealer might then put that car on as a demo vehicle. When the proper demo arrives they could then sell the other vehicle on. Probably wouldn't make too much of a loss on it. When I ordered my current car Ford finance were offering 0% finance on it as long as it was registered before a specific date. I said to my dealer that I wouldn't be able to afford the car if we couldn't register it in time and he said not to worry, if it came after the date he wouldn't hold me to the order as he would not have a problem selling it on. If customers cars were delivered to dealers and they didn't like it I am sure there will plenty of people queueing up to buy it.
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