This is the reason it will be hard for Ford to compete with Tesla

mixduptransistor

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The higher end makes have taken most of the nonsense out of the dealership experience, probably because the clientele is more sophisticated than mainstream makes. Ford is targeting this same clientele with the Mach E, Bronco and higher trims of F150...so the dealers need to wake up and stop with the games when they are trying to sell $50-80K vehicles.
My dealer also sells Lincoln and has multiple $100k Navigators on the lot. Maybe they don't try to scam the guys that walk in looking for those but I bet they do. Probably more than the people walking in to buy a $28k Escape
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Sadly, I have to agree. My experience so far with a reasonably good dealer - a car identical to my order, down to the color appeared on their lot. So exact I checked the VIN just to make sure! The only difference? The one on the lot was $5K more. The car has now since sold at a nice markup, presumably not to someone who has been waiting a year for their car. If this had been Tesla, I believe they would have gone to people waiting for similar cars (at least, that is what I have heard happening). There is just no incentive for the dealers to handle it that way. I expect this will end up getting better as wait times reduce, but the baggage of the dealer model is going to hamper Ford's ability to innovate and try new things (look at how clueless the dealers are on Ford Options).
I was very much debating back and forth between the MME and Model Y. At one point in September when I didn't feel like waiting and got a good trade offer from Tesla I ordered a Model Y thinking I would see what happened first. It ended up getting ready much faster than I thought and I got the text about 3 weeks later and decided to cancel and wait for the MME. The Tesla salesman that I test drove through called me to ask why I cancelled and I even thought about changing my mind but he said my cancelled order was already rerouted to someone else immediately upon canceling.

The Tesla guy has been super nice and helpful. He still occasionally texts me as I've told him I wouldn't make up my mind until I could test drive the MME. He actually called me the other week to tell me he heard a specific Ford dealer nearby had a car to test... that was it, he didn't try to pressure me or anything, honestly just trying to help me decide. I almost feel bad not ordering it. We'll see if my MME suffers from a loud screen whine as the test drive one did. But as much as I prefer the MME I can't say enough nice things about my Tesla experience.

I do also live 3 miles from the Tesla dealer so if I did have any issues I wouldn't have to go far.
 

mark360

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Ford needs to find a way to get themselves away from the dealership model. That is their Achilles heel. They need need to start doing direct transaction with customers as Telsa does.

Here is my story/situation and what I experienced recently.

I currently own a Tesla Model 3 and have a leased Ford Focus Electric. I have a Mache on order, which should be arriving soon.. My lease is ending soon, and my buyout is low. It seems that there is some positive equity in the leased vehicle that I would like to get.

First thing, Ford doesn't allow trade-in/Sell their leases to 3rd party dealers which most of other manufacturers do. So that being out of the question, I decided to buyout the focus electric and then sell it as I don't want to pay the disposition fee when I can walk away with some money out of this. I am already loosing the state tax by not being able to sell it directly to other dealership.

Ford also doesn't allow buyout of the vehicle directly from them. They ask us to go through the dealerships(stealerships). Now I am far from the original dealer I got the car from, so ford told me to contact any local dealer to buyout the vehicle.

I contacted my closest dealer and they said they can help me with this and I would just need to fill up a Credit Application even though it was all cash buyout. I was skeptical to provide my SSN, but asked them to make sure not to pull the credit. I made the appointment to come to the dealership to buyout and to start with, the person who I talking to was not even there. I emailed him last night to confirm that I will be coming in. He even told me to come in day time to allow inspection and I need to drop it at the service first. So after some time they send me to a different person, who kept on looking for my file. Eventually he finds it and started working on it. It took almost an hour for him to get it papers ready.

One good thing I was to test drive Mache ca route 1 while I was waiting for all this. It is super nice to drive, it doesn't have the pull/acceleration of my Tesla Model 3, but it it way better fit and finish. The road noise is so low compared to my tesla.

After the test drive I noticed, there was a notice board with all the Mache listed that they have or coming for sale with all of them marked up +3K. I mean it a good car, but come on it would gladly get a model y than to pay these dealers this markup. On top of it, this is the same dealer who told me when I was planning to order the Mache that the $500 deposit is non-refundable. I ordered from another dealer. So if they did not refund the customers who ordered these maches from this dealership, they are basically making $3500 on top of MSRP for each one of them. That is where Tesla works well. You know what you are going to pay and not have to deal with middle man. There was a customer there who was interested in the mache and was inquiring about it. They told him, that there is 3k markup on each. So he asked if that would be the case if he ordered online and they said it won't be but they might not get the car till next year. They are trying all their tactics to gouge more money. That person if cross shopping with model y, would just go back home and order it online and get it in a months time without dealing with all this.

Enough of that, coming back to my lease buyout. After a long wait for the finance manager, we go in to buyout my car and while signing the documents I see the total amount due, which was way higher than the payoff balance from Ford Financial. I knew that I would be paying taxes( which is again unnecessary if they allowed selling to third party) but it still did not add up. I asked the manager for the breakdown, and in there i see a $395 inspection fee. I was shocked to see that. When asked what was that, he said let me get the leasing person back to explain it to me.

That persons comes in and tells me it a California requirement. I stated looking into on my phone immediately and did not find anything like that. Then the finance manager comes back and tells me that this the fee for inspecting the car and check if everything is good. I was like, it is my car and I know everything works. He started showing me that he is working here for 17 years and this is common practice. I was still not convinced. I asked him is this same for every dealership? He said it may be little different. I was not even told once about this fee till that last step. I told him to wait till i call my original dealer and ask them about it. When I asked them they were confused about inspection fee and said that they don't charge that. I was on the speaker it front of that manager and he heard that. I told him, why should I pay this fee and it is not even required. So the person lied by saying it a California requirement. I made sure he shreds all the paperwork before I left the dealership. So I wasted my 2 hours there for nothing.

The problem is, why doesn't Ford financial allow me to buy it from them directly? These dealerships are there to rip-off people.

After that I called few other dealers around in the area and 50% of them were asking for $400 to $500 in different names. Either as "Acquisition Fees" or "buying option Fees". It is clearly stated on my original contract that there is no fee associated if I buy it at the term end.

What I am getting at is that I wish Ford would start transitioning away from dealers and start have more direct relations with customers like allowing buyout directly.

It is good that they allowed ordering mache directly from ford, but they should have changed it a bit. Say for example, it a buyer backs out they should have given an option to any new reservation holder with the same model living in same area to get that vehicle. If no existing reservation holder claims it for a week then allow dealership to sell it. A lot more people would have bought Mache if they would have done it differently. I am sure I would not have found 5 Maches in that dealer lot if it was sold to people waiting for it at the MSRP. Demand is high, but these practices might turn people away from a great car.

This just happened, so I apologize for the rant.

There are certainly aspects of the dealership model that seem "sleazy" but the dealership model vastly outweighs the direct to consumer approach. I can assure you as someone who has spent a lot of time and dealt in this industry.

Tesla can never scale to the size of any big automaker due to their lack of understanding of the value a dealership brings the customer. The dealership offers the following advantages over the direct to consumer approach:

  • A local contact who can help support your vehicle service needs in a timely manner
  • A place you can step foot in and talk to the person who sold you your car, your mechanic, etc.
  • A place to trade in your existing car, get fair value for it on the spot without any headache.
  • A place to get many different finance options for vehicles.
  • Often times you will pay what the manufacturer would charge the customer if you were buying direct to begin with. Dealerships pay a wholesale price and oftentimes make very little profit on new vehicles, and have adapted to make the profit in service and parts and trade in/used car sales.
  • A local dealership oftentimes gives back to their local community, through charity, teacher of the year, etc. Their local reputation relies on them doing good deeds and showing goodwill in tandem with treating their customers well.

Those are just a very small list that are the extremely beneficial perks of having a local car dealership and what a company like Tesla lacks. Price is what you pay, and value is what you get. I've been through the Tesla model and quite frankly it's horrible.

I dealt directly with Tesla service, and their direct to consumer buying experience with my Model 3. Let me tell you, if you like how the government operates then you would enjoy the experience of buying a Tesla. They are terrible communicators, the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing, and you have to go to corporate for everything and you always get a new rep each time.

The direct to consumer model for vehicles will fail and only works if there is a dealership owned by a individual who services those vehicles for the manufacturer.

It's also why the most successful fast food restaurants are all franchised owned by entrepreneurs. It's the best way to run a huge business while providing the maximum amount of local customer service through a franchise owner network. (Chick-Fil-A, McDonalds, Hardees, etc.)

I could go on and on. The dealership model is a huge asset to consumers. What we don't need is the corporations getting bigger and bigger and the service/support getting worse since they start dealing direct.

Make no mistake, are there certain scenarios with dealers, exactly like you posted, a problem? Yes. No system is perfect and there will always be shortcomings no matter where you go and purchase a product. Leave a bad review for that dealership and let the free market sort them out. Report them to the BBB for shady business dealings. Report them to Ford. Those should be the exception and not the rule. The good dealerships will get more business over time and put the bad ones either out or looking for new ownership.

I just know with the way Tesla has treated me and others who own their vehicles, they'd be out of business if they were a normal dealership. It's that bad.
 
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deadduck

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This thread finally got me to post.

The first car I ever had, Mercury Capri, used to have steering wheel shake at 35-45 mph on a corner. It did it every single time, yet, somehow dealers could never find a problem. And it wasn't a mild shake, my memory is of it moving significantly in my hands.

My Ford Mustang, fortunately at 35K miles, developed a thump when stopping. I don't remember the technical issue, but basically the frame wasn't bolted down completely. It took 2 trips to the dealer to get it fixed because they half-assed the repair the first time. The car itself was OK, but lets be honest, the 1990's Mustangs weren't exactly top-notch vehicles.

I read on one thread that someone said one of the mustang logos is falling off of their car, and my only thought, was, "it's a Ford alright".

I wouldn't hold the markups against the dealers, try buying a Kia.

I really want to like the Mach E, hell I want one, but all I can think is "why do the two best electric cars have to come from these two companies". I actually think Tesla wants to make a good car, they just can't, with Ford, I think they probably care about this car, but it's hard to change a 100 year history of not doing quality.

Sorry for the downer of a first post.
 

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The choice isn't Tesla vs. Ford here - that is a false dichotomy - there are ways that either model could be done much better.

The dealer model makes me nervous as someone buying my first new car ever (my family going back to the beginning are aggressive used car buyers - bucking that trend for the first time to advance the EV revolution), because it feels like the "choose your dealer" option when placing the order is more "choose the demon you will have to fight in order to take possession of your car".

What will they do? Lie to you about financing options? Not lie about them, but be hopelessly ignorant? Cheat you on paint protection? Cheat you on lojacks? Try to tank the sale so they can add ADM? Try to make you cry with their sob story about losing money on the sale? WTF, I handle financing for $100+ mil asset portfolios and there is less BS.

On the other hand I understand what people are saying about Tesla's problems (one reason I'm not going with them). Will they even respond? Does anyone at all have accountability in the process?

I'll throw out a third option just for discussion. As a lifetime used car buyer (I don't currently own a car with LESS than 200k miles on it), a good local mechanic is a wonderful thing to have. I have a few in the area I trust, I bring them my cars, they make honest recommendations and I let them work, and I'm happy to pay a few bucks more when I know they are treating me right.

To that end, "right to repair" laws gaining popularity in many areas would prevent companies from forbidding third party repairs, require that consumers be given access to necessary firmware updates, etc. Phones are the typical thrust of this type of legislation, but applied to EVs it could help expand growth in third party EV services. There is one here in Boulder, CO that does custom work on hybrids that is well regarded, but many locations could have them if they had access to the information that the manufacturers have. Just food for thought.
 


mark360

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This thread finally got me to post.

The first car I ever had, Mercury Capri, used to have steering wheel shake at 35-45 mph on a corner. It did it every single time, yet, somehow dealers could never find a problem. And it wasn't a mild shake, my memory is of it moving significantly in my hands.

My Ford Mustang, fortunately at 35K miles, developed a thump when stopping. I don't remember the technical issue, but basically the frame wasn't bolted down completely. It took 2 trips to the dealer to get it fixed because they half-assed the repair the first time. The car itself was OK, but lets be honest, the 1990's Mustangs weren't exactly top-notch vehicles.

I read on one thread that someone said one of the mustang logos is falling off of their car, and my only thought, was, "it's a Ford alright".

I wouldn't hold the markups against the dealers, try buying a Kia.

I really want to like the Mach E, hell I want one, but all I can think is "why do the two best electric cars have to come from these two companies". I actually think Tesla wants to make a good car, they just can't, with Ford, I think they probably care about this car, but it's hard to change a 100 year history of not doing quality.

Sorry for the downer of a first post.
Yeah I mean you're sharing old stories of dealerships, and back in the 90s and 80s the dealerships like many business's were ran completely different. Now business has changed especially the dealership model.

You can literally search the exact make and model you want anywhere in the country, find the cheapest price, go to your local dealer who may have a higher price - and negotiate using that as leverage. That is how you price shop now. You can negotiate over the phone with the manager like I have done.

I bought my Ford Raptor brand new for 6k off sticker. I knew I was getting a good price because no other dealer in the country had my exact model cheaper. Plus they serviced the heck out of me and gave me an excellent deal on my Tesla trade in. Gave me more than what Tesla would have paid me direct.

So each has their own story, but I can tell ya the dealership model is very good.
 
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deadduck

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  • A local contact who can help support your vehicle service needs in a timely manner
Who, exactly is this person in a dealership? I've never met this person.
  • A place you can step foot in and talk to the person who sold you your car, your mechanic, etc.
Which means what? I don't get this argument. It's very likely two of those people lied to me, the third, a mechanic, is someone you often never see. The service writer, maybe, can help, but sometimes they're the problem.
  • A place to trade in your existing car, get fair value for it on the spot without any headache.
Fair value if, and only if, you fight for it. You never get anything but low-balled. I went into a dealer, got a price quote on my car from the dealerships website, and they low-balled their own website's quote, and my car in good shape, and this is a place I would recommend.
  • A place to get many different finance options for vehicles.
Edited this. I have had a clean process in the Finance office, when there was some kind of manufacturer special like .9% for 60 months or something. Forgot about that. Any of the other times, there's always been some kind of BS. Like I had said, I feel sorry for someone with marginal credit who will be offered some of those options. It is a service but not one I'd ever want to have to use.
  • Often times you will pay what the manufacturer would charge the customer if you were buying direct to begin with. Dealerships pay a wholesale price and oftentimes make very little profit on new vehicles, and have adapted to make the profit in service and parts and trade in/used car sales.
That's not completely true. but to the extent that it is true, it's the dealer's mess. They created the system, even made the sword, so they can die by it for all I care. And please, what you say can happen, but it's because of some other factor, not the dealers good heart. There's some hidden holdback or dealer special or cars aren't selling and they need to move cars.

The irony is that dealers could hold their margins better without a system that rips people off. But, people are trained now and it's the system. Kudos to Tesla for at least attempting to change the model. At the same time, humans are what they are, and it's not all on the dealers either. The buyers have some fault too for this mess.
 
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mark360

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  • A local contact who can help support your vehicle service needs in a timely manner
Who, exactly is this person in a dealership? I've never met this person.
  • A place you can step foot in and talk to the person who sold you your car, your mechanic, etc.
Which means what? I don't get this argument. It's very likely two of those people lied to me, the third, a mechanic, is someone you often never see. The service writer, maybe, can help, but sometimes they're the problem.
  • A place to trade in your existing car, get fair value for it on the spot without any headache.
Fair value if, and only if, you fight for it. You never get anything but low-balled. I went into a dealer, got a price quote on my car from the dealerships website, and they low-balled their own website's quote, and my car in good shape, and this is a place I would recommend.
  • A place to get many different finance options for vehicles.
Edited this. I have had a clean process in the Finance office, when there was dealer financing. Forgot about that. Any of the other times, there's always been some kind of BS. Like I had said, I feel sorry for someone with marginal credit who will be offered some of those options. It is a service but not one I'd ever want to have to use.
  • Often times you will pay what the manufacturer would charge the customer if you were buying direct to begin with. Dealerships pay a wholesale price and oftentimes make very little profit on new vehicles, and have adapted to make the profit in service and parts and trade in/used car sales.
That's not completely true. but to the extent that it is true, it's the dealer's mess. They created the system, even made the sword, so they can die by it for all I care. And please, what you say can happen, but it's because of some other factor, not the dealers good heart. There's some hidden holdback or dealer special or cars aren't selling and they need to move cars.

The irony is that dealers could hold their margins better without a system that rips people off. But, people are trained now and it's the system. Kudos to Tesla for at least attempting to change the model. At the same time, humans are what they are, and it's not all on the dealers either. The buyers have some fault too for this mess.
I hate it for you because clearly you've had nothing but bad experiences, so in that regard I don't blame you for the way you feel. But certainly if you feel like the direct to consumer approach is better then you should advocate for it. All I'm saying is be careful what you wish for - there are undeniable assets to the dealership that I mentioned and those traits are impossible for a mass market car company to have with direct consumer approach.
 

mark360

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The choice isn't Tesla vs. Ford here - that is a false dichotomy - there are ways that either model could be done much better.

The dealer model makes me nervous as someone buying my first new car ever (my family going back to the beginning are aggressive used car buyers - bucking that trend for the first time to advance the EV revolution), because it feels like the "choose your dealer" option when placing the order is more "choose the demon you will have to fight in order to take possession of your car".

What will they do? Lie to you about financing options? Not lie about them, but be hopelessly ignorant? Cheat you on paint protection? Cheat you on lojacks? Try to tank the sale so they can add ADM? Try to make you cry with their sob story about losing money on the sale? WTF, I handle financing for $100+ mil asset portfolios and there is less BS.

On the other hand I understand what people are saying about Tesla's problems (one reason I'm not going with them). Will they even respond? Does anyone at all have accountability in the process?

I'll throw out a third option just for discussion. As a lifetime used car buyer (I don't currently own a car with LESS than 200k miles on it), a good local mechanic is a wonderful thing to have. I have a few in the area I trust, I bring them my cars, they make honest recommendations and I let them work, and I'm happy to pay a few bucks more when I know they are treating me right.

To that end, "right to repair" laws gaining popularity in many areas would prevent companies from forbidding third party repairs, require that consumers be given access to necessary firmware updates, etc. Phones are the typical thrust of this type of legislation, but applied to EVs it could help expand growth in third party EV services. There is one here in Boulder, CO that does custom work on hybrids that is well regarded, but many locations could have them if they had access to the information that the manufacturers have. Just food for thought.
Speaking in generality -

Often times in a given area there are many local shops that provide excellent value for customers - doing repairs, offering advice, and charging the lowest rates in a give area. There are people who go to those shops because they value those perks.

There are also Dealership shops, certified to work on vehicles under warranty as well as out of warranty repair. It is often that these shops have some of the highest rates while still offering excellent customer service and advice for owners.

Each stay bumping full and service as much as they can take. Because each cater to a specific audience who values either a manufacturer backed shop approach with a ton of customer service or a cheap but great value shop approach.

There are people who take their 10 year old Buick in for maintenance because the dealer they bought it from and where they get their service will give them a "free" loaner car. Do they pay for it? Yes. But they are happy to pay for the added value.

There are people who don't care for that, and go the other route via shops like you are suggesting. Each have their pro's and con's.


TESLA on the other hand charges the highest shop labor rate out of any car or service dealership, and yet have the least value added to customers. They don't do state inspections, is backed up and can't take walk ins, won't plug tires, and can't be called locally. They don't do loaners. You only get updates via text and often times they were wrong. My "Local" Tesla shop (2+ hours away) charges $190/hr for labor and their parts are the most expensive parts. It is literally insane to think they get away with this level of service. Anyone defending this for the price is crazy! I've been through it.
 
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  • A local contact who can help support your vehicle service needs in a timely manner
  • A place you can step foot in and talk to the person who sold you your car, your mechanic, etc.
  • A place to trade in your existing car, get fair value for it on the spot without any headache.
  • A place to get many different finance options for vehicles.
  • Often times you will pay what the manufacturer would charge the customer if you were buying direct to begin with. Dealerships pay a wholesale price and oftentimes make very little profit on new vehicles, and have adapted to make the profit in service and parts and trade in/used car sales.
  • A local dealership oftentimes gives back to their local community, through charity, teacher of the year, etc. Their local reputation relies on them doing good deeds and showing goodwill in tandem with treating their customers well.
- You only need service stations and not dealership.
- Again you can go to a service station for all your car issues. There can be company representatives to handle any other questions.
-For trade ins, have i looked into carvana, vroom , algo etc. It is so much better and easier. You would never wanna trade in a dealership after that.
- In current fintech world, it would be very easy to setup a site cross shop all 3rd party finance/ lease offers for the customers. It would be way easier and you would get the best offers just as mortgage etc
- if there is no middle dealership, companies can make more profit at lower msrp. It benefits both buyers and manufacturers. Also everyone pays the same which is not true in current system.
- i understand that local community stuff, but that could easily be done by service centers as well.
 

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I wouldn't hold the markups against the dealers, try buying a Kia.
Many years ago I went with my dad to a Kia dealership as he was considering buying a new car. We sat down with a salesperson to go over some numbers. He had some sheet that showed MSRP and some completely bogus fees and whatnot that raised the price by several thousand. The salesperson said he wanted to 'work with us' to see how he could bring the price down to MSRP or something close to it. The ADM was framed as not coming from the dealership even though that was exactly what it was.

This was just some random economy Kia, nothing special, not a new model, etc. We walked out right away, it was such a joke. This wasn't some 11th hour charge for a few hundred appearing in the sales contract. We literally asked how much the pricing on some mid-size sedan was, probably had an MSRP around $30K, and the salesperson was inflating it close to $40K as the dealer's opening offer to sell.

The sad part was it seemed like a big part of the clientele were recent immigrants with a limited grasp of English - who knows how many people thought these were normal charges, the salesperson was certainly adept at presenting it that way. Could you imagine paying thousands in ADM for a Kia Optima and thinking you got a good deal because the salesperson lied through their teeth throughout the entire process? Not all dealers are like this, but some do definitely deserve their reputation.
 

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There is too much history and a long legacy with the dealers to completely get rid of them, unfortunately. They also don't want to harm the sale of their other cars and trucks. State laws also restrict direct sales to some degree. Plus people complain of servicing and auto body repair issues with Tesla so maybe the dealership will help.

Ford has tried to make it easier but the pricing and incorporating all financing incentives, x pricing, etc should be straightforward on the Ford website rather than going back and forth with the dealer and some internet salesperson or intern who may not be very knowledgeable. If the dealer doesn't want to participate in this upfront pricing, indicate that on the Ford website, so people will pick a dealer that does participate. That will force more dealers to play ball. Maybe even limiting it to a few dealers first to get the process worked out though it may be too late for that now.

If they want to try and allow dealer to sell some "extras" at the dealership fine, they can at signing but the base price and incentives, taxes, doc fees, registration, etc should be worked out beforehand. You should be able to turn down those extras. The anxieties mentioned on this board would dissipate.
 

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  • A local contact who can help support your vehicle service needs in a timely manner
Who, exactly is this person in a dealership? I've never met this person.
  • A place you can step foot in and talk to the person who sold you your car, your mechanic, etc.
Which means what? I don't get this argument. It's very likely two of those people lied to me, the third, a mechanic, is someone you often never see. The service writer, maybe, can help, but sometimes they're the problem.
  • A place to trade in your existing car, get fair value for it on the spot without any headache.
Fair value if, and only if, you fight for it. You never get anything but low-balled. I went into a dealer, got a price quote on my car from the dealerships website, and they low-balled their own website's quote, and my car in good shape, and this is a place I would recommend.
  • A place to get many different finance options for vehicles.
Edited this. I have had a clean process in the Finance office, when there was some kind of manufacturer special like .9% for 60 months or something. Forgot about that. Any of the other times, there's always been some kind of BS. Like I had said, I feel sorry for someone with marginal credit who will be offered some of those options. It is a service but not one I'd ever want to have to use.
  • Often times you will pay what the manufacturer would charge the customer if you were buying direct to begin with. Dealerships pay a wholesale price and oftentimes make very little profit on new vehicles, and have adapted to make the profit in service and parts and trade in/used car sales.
That's not completely true. but to the extent that it is true, it's the dealer's mess. They created the system, even made the sword, so they can die by it for all I care. And please, what you say can happen, but it's because of some other factor, not the dealers good heart. There's some hidden holdback or dealer special or cars aren't selling and they need to move cars.

The irony is that dealers could hold their margins better without a system that rips people off. But, people are trained now and it's the system. Kudos to Tesla for at least attempting to change the model. At the same time, humans are what they are, and it's not all on the dealers either. The buyers have some fault too for this mess.
I've dealt with crappy dealerships (they got me the first time, but I learned after that), and I've dealt with good dealerships. Once I find a good one, I stick with them. With Tesla you don't actually have that option; if Tesla says "it's in spec" you can't go anywhere else. I had one Dodge dealership try to screw me on a repair, with a different dealership stepping up and making it right. I've bought 5 vehicles from that Dodge dealer that made it right, and directed friends and relatives to them as well. When I looked at Tesla, they offered me $3000 less for my trade than Ford did.

There are sheisters and honest people in exactly EVERY SINGLE HUMAN ENDEAVOR. I'm not sure what you're trying to espouse here since you don't like Tesla with their direct sales model and you don't like Ford's dealership model. Basically you decided to post that you don't like anything. OK, cool. Good for you.
 

salt

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The only real doubt I have about purchasing a Mach-E is having to deal with a dealership. The big one here in SLC demanded I go in to their facility to make a change to my order. Of which none of the people I interacted with were wearing masks over their mouths or noses. I worked at a hospital at the time. They were rude, told me how stupid Ford is for this “online order crap” and that it was a mess. They didn’t ask for ID. All of it could have been done via phone.
Nothing could sweeten the deal of the Mach-E more than removing the dealership out of it entirely. I wish they’d just go away.
 

kikibop

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for example, it a buyer backs out they should have given an option to any new reservation holder with the same model living in same area to get that vehicle. If no existing reservation holder claims it for a week then allow dealership to sell it. A lot more people would have bought Mache if they would have done it differently. I am sure I would not have found 5 Maches in that dealer lot if it was sold to people waiting for it at the MSRP. Demand is high, but these practices might turn people away from a great car
This is such a good idea. I doubt dealers would agree to it though. And of course the dealers have a say in it.
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