Pushed Over the Edge.

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Keep in mind that RWD vs. AWD is fundamentally a different VIN code. So it's not possible to "change" an existing order ... only to cancel and re-order a different vehicle configuration. This is also true of Tesla (the motor configuration is part of the VIN).

Of course Tesla cannot build and deliver a car in two days... when you go the Tesla route you're getting a car that was already manufactured and happens to match what you want. This is completely different with the Mach-E because cars being delivered right now are all pre-orders that were put in a year before the cars were built.

If you do a "Search Inventory" at Ford.com you can find Mach-E's on dealer lots that are available to buy -- typically retail orders where the buyer backed out. But it is a way to get a car quickly.

This is correct.

I think the challenge I have is that if you make a mistake on your tesla order the stores can assist. In fact the minute you place your order you get a text from a matched representative to ensure that you chosen the right configuration. Luckily the unit that I ordered from them had been built the previous week so I didnt have to wait the 2-7 weeks that the site stated, but I did when I ordered my model 3 in January of 2020 and I changed my order at that time from the RWD to the AWD LR with no issue.

The biggest issues that I have with tesla are related to the service center experience, but in my opinion it is one of the only places that they have a deficit.

I want Ford to not just survive, but to also win the volume for the US market I just think they have to figure out who to work within the constraints of the rules of the existing market...unlike tesla. and that is a detriment.
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dbsb3233

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Just one caveat to all this... Buying a vehicle that's been in production for years (like a Model 3) is completely different than buying a brand new model that's had a 15-month order list and is just now starting to roll out to customers.

If the OP were buying a 2021 Escape instead (a more comparable buying example), his buying experience would be 1000x better than trying to get a Mach-E right now. He could likely just drive off the lot with what he wanted same day.
 
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Just one caveat to all this... Buying a vehicle that's been in production for years (like a Model 3) is completely different than buying a brand new model that's had a 15-month order list and is just now starting to roll out to customers.

If the OP were buying a 2021 Escape instead (a more comparable buying example), his buying experience would be 1000x better than trying to get a Mach-E right now. He could likely just drive off the lot with what he wanted same day.
That is true, but the delivery time was not the issue.

I was more put off by the dealer bitching about corporate ford and not being able to properly guide me to where I could update my order. I own a model S, 3, and now a model Y and with all of their faults the vertical integration of the manufacturer and dealer made the dealership experience much simpler and did not pit dealerships against each other with the customer in the middle.

Im a pretty reasonable person and I buy a lot of cars, I just dont think Ford thought this process through. It would have been better if they just sold the car in the traditional manner as opposed to try and build an adhoc tesla hybrid model that pissed dealers off.
 

dbsb3233

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That is true, but the delivery time was not the issue.

I was more put off by the dealer bitching about corporate ford and not being able to properly guide me to where I could update my order. I own a model S, 3, and now a model Y and with all of their faults the vertical integration of the manufacturer and dealer made the dealership experience much simpler and did not pit dealerships against each other with the customer in the middle.

Im a pretty reasonable person and I buy a lot of cars, I just dont think Ford thought this process through. It would have been better if they just sold the car in the traditional manner as opposed to try and build an adhoc tesla hybrid model that pissed dealers off.
True, but I actually meant more than just the delivery timing. I meant the whole buying process too. This whole process is brand new to the dealers as well. It's all kind of a mess right now, from reserving, to converting to order, to finding out the status of the vehicle, to a new leasing program, and a half dozen other aspects to this.

Some of that was screwed up by COVID, but a lot of it was just as you said -- Ford didn't think through (or follow through) with a lot of parts of this buying process. And some of it simply wasn't ready yet. Supposedly there's a whole new online order process in the works that was supposed to be ready already but like pretty much everything in 2020, got derailed.

None of that is intended as an excuse for a poor buying experience. It's only to say that we simply jumped in at a bad time. I have no doubt that a year from now it will be dramatically better. But the people sticking around for the first-year Mach-E's have certainly had to endure a roller-coaster ride. I agree that it would have been better had they simply built the cars and shipped them to dealers as inventory like normal rather than making them special order.
 

Leonard Rae

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Agreed. Please do tell them what happened on Twitter and make it public.

That's embarrassing for Ford and I know it's not entirely in their control, since Dealers are independent, but I wonder how many times this has happened besides your story.
I am lucky my dealer has been cooperative, competent, and proactive for me.

Congrats on your Y!
As with my Dealer, I have been buying Fords and the first Ford I experienced was with my Dad (1967 Mustang) at the same dealer that I have ordered my MME . That is a lot of Fords with very few exceptions.
My dealer here in Chilliwack has been exceptional, they have always answered my questions, gotten back to me when I've LMTC. When I ordered this car back in July (7-9-20) I was told that I could expect to see the car in Mar/21. The car is built and in Transit. Not a bad estimate for a newly introduced, game changing vehicle. If it gets delayed a week or two I know its on the way, I'll still saddle up and ride into the sunset.
Just thought I would share my experience as it is positive, I only hope that the negative experiences are very few and that this is more of an exception rather than the norm.
 


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I just went online ordered a Black on Black Model Y Long Range and it arrived 2 days after I clicked order.
Ah so you got somebody's rejected order. Has the roof stayed on?

I changed my order, just asked the dealership and they took care of it. I had to follow up a couple times, but it wasn't a big deal. However I did that back in July. Not sure when you ordered but I think it's pretty reasonable that once you have a VIN you can't change the order.
 
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Im a pretty reasonable person and I buy a lot of cars, I just dont think Ford thought this process through.
You talk about wanting to switch between RWD & AWD on two different car orders with two different manufacturers. Somehow requiring three attempts in your most recent effort. Maybe it wasn’t Ford who invested too little energy upfront.
 

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That is true, but the delivery time was not the issue.

I was more put off by the dealer bitching about corporate ford and not being able to properly guide me to where I could update my order. I own a model S, 3, and now a model Y and with all of their faults the vertical integration of the manufacturer and dealer made the dealership experience much simpler and did not pit dealerships against each other with the customer in the middle.

Im a pretty reasonable person and I buy a lot of cars, I just don't think Ford thought this process through. It would have been better if they just sold the car in the traditional manner as opposed to try and build an adhoc tesla hybrid model that pissed dealers off.
I'm going to disagree here. At some point the dealers are going to get pissed off and adjust. Thinking back to my former life with a large computer manufacture that's corporate symbol is a piece of fruit, we had to break the news to several resellers that they would no longer be able to sell the product. From the company's point of view the product was not being represented properly. This is going to be the case going forward with Ford. The dealers will piss and moan until they get the message that the customer experience has changed.
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