A May 24th Pre-Order Tale
5/24/04, 11:31 PM
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Okay, as ive said for the last couple days now, im still convinced that anyone who 'ordered' a Mustang before Monday was going to be SOL if they did not follow up with their dealer. I went in personally to my dealer on Friday, attempted to order the Mustang, and got nowhere, because of Ford not having the order bank open, like i said previous, i watched the entire process on the guy's laptop. Put in the codes, the database recognized them, but you were unable to physically place the order; however i did get a 'confirmation' sheet, though there was nothing to confirm, more than likely the case with most if not all who ordered before Monday. But the order could not be sent, because the order bank was not open, Ford had yet to open it to receive orders. He told me he'd look into what he could, was amazed that i had the order guide in my hands, which was the only reason he went ahead and tried it, because i had order codes, just to see if it might take it. He said he'd talk with the lady who did the 'behind the scenes' paperwork at the dealership, custom orders, dealer transfers, etc, and see what he could find out. He emailed me back the next day after talking to someone at Ford in Michigan, about the Mustang, about when Ford would be pulling orders (2 weeks which we knew thanks to KevinB), pricing should be in August sometime, and Job1 was September 7th, which we've known. I emailed him back and told him my gut instinct was that Monday the order bank would open up, and we could get the process going, and told him i'd be coming in that day, if nothing else just to try again.
So today i walked in, paged the dealer ive been working with, and when he came out, shook his hand, said let's go ahead and try it again, if you've got time. He said sure, so we went into the back, sat down, and he brought the database back up. I checked off the options that i wanted, he went into the order process, and we came back fine. Order bank open, and everything in order. Step by step down the order guide through every option that wasn't standard on a GT Premium. After we had finished, he printed off 2 copies of the intial 'confirmation' but still with nothing done. He handed the paper to the lady who did all the work behind the scenes, who then has to take the pre-order to management, to sign off on it. She comes back, they've signed off, they wanted a copy, just because no one's been able to order the Stang yet. She then sits down on her computer, the one directly linked into Ford's database, and puts the codes into the database, sends, and prints out the sheets, same as what we saw before, but actually sent to Ford this time, different type of paper. While she was doing that, my dealer went ahead and copied my DL to have a copy, and started my customer file, he asked how much of a deposit i wanted to put down, we had already said $500, so i stuck with that #, not too low, nor too high, no problem. The lady then makes photocopies of all her official paperwork, not the useless confirmation report, and hands my dealer a copy, and takes one to management. My dealer then write on the bottom of the official paperwork that order taken 5/24/04, with $500 100% refundable deposit on the paper, copies that, and hands a copy to me for my records as well. The only other problem i had to discuss was making sure that they knew i was serious about purchasing the car, that Ford comes in two weeks, says we see these orders, who's actually going to buy it, and i looked into my dealer's eyes and said, i want no problems or issues with this, i want to make this happen. He points to the paperwork, at the written $500 deposit, and tells me, that right there tells me you're serious about the order, and we'll get this done. So all that's left was to go to the cashier, put down $500, get a copy of the cashiers sheet and credit card slip, plus my own copy, a folder for the paperwork ive got, and im all set, Mustang officially ordered, $500 down for a down payment, and i told the dealer id be in touch definitely in the next two weeks to make sure there's no problems when Ford's pulling the orders, to make sure we're all set. A Plan accepted, without issue, and management signed off on it, now when i'll get the car remains to be seen.
The reason im typing this novel is just because i want everyone to see what i went through on Monday. I didn't have any hassles, issues, or problems. I went to all the dealers in my area over the weekend, and this was the one that worked out for me the best. I was told everything from not being able to order 05 Mustangs because they're still making 04s (they stopped 3 weeks ago) to being told that we should check the inventory to see how many 05 Mustangs they had in stock (i was ready to belt this guy in the face, i swear) I have no problems with a dealer not having all the info i have, or knowing what i do, i enjoy it. A dealer has 15-20 makes and models to concern himself with, not to mention used cars and whatnot, it's a hectic process. My problems come when a dealer attempts to act as if they know what they're talking about, or come off as high and mighty. If you dont know, dont talk. I didnt buy a ZX5 because of that very reason, and i got turned off by dealers locally because of the same thing. The dealer i dealt with was upfront about being in the dark to some things, and very open-minded; in turn, i was able to watch him step by step with the process, he was prompt on responding to me and checking things out within his dealership and within Ford, and worked with me every step of the way. I have no doubts that this is going to be a very trouble-free process, in part thanks to being informed, and finding a dealer who wasn't a know-it-all or close-minded, but respectful, punctual, and friendly, and we worked well together to get this done.
I did my research on the car, on the dealer, emailed him ahead of time, told him what i was looking for, and had no problems or issues. The one bump i had was when his manager said i wouldnt be able to order a Mustang until July; the dealer just side-stepped that one and did it himself, and still got his manager to sign off on it. This site and the forums are a tremendous tool and asset to all of us, and im thanking everyone, from Brad to Boomer to Kevin to Decipher to burningman, anyone and everyone who's contributed information, who's gone to the shows and pestered dealers, engineers, who's chased test mules for 50 miles, who's snapped pictures and filmed tape, everyone here has made this a helluva lot easier process for everyone involved. The dealer i worked with was amazed at how knowledgeable i was, and on top of things. I made sure today he knew that they updated the order guide, and told him what was updated, the numbers on the V6 and the removal of suspension package. He checked it out, shook his head, and was just like, "i cant believe how on top of this you are, this is amazing." That's thanks to you guys, and i want you to know that i appreciate everything you guys (and girls) have done to make this 100x easier than what it would have been four months ago before i came to this site. This is just coming from me, but i wanted to let everyone know how easy it was for me, and how grateful i am for everyone doing what they do, what we do, helping each other out, and getting info and pics and video, etc, out to everyone as soon as possible. It's helped me, and it's gonna help everyone else. Just wanted to pass along my thanks, and my tale with ordering, for real, a 2005 Mustang GT that i've been waiting to do for months and months.
Much thanks to everyone, and gratitude that id never be able to express in words.
PS, to anyone who cares, what i ended up with:
T82/140A GT Coupe Premium
SN Sonic Blue
KW Dark Charcoal Leather Sport Bucket
44L 5-Speed Automatic Transmission
14A Active Anti-Theft System
918 Shaker 1000
18G IUP
So today i walked in, paged the dealer ive been working with, and when he came out, shook his hand, said let's go ahead and try it again, if you've got time. He said sure, so we went into the back, sat down, and he brought the database back up. I checked off the options that i wanted, he went into the order process, and we came back fine. Order bank open, and everything in order. Step by step down the order guide through every option that wasn't standard on a GT Premium. After we had finished, he printed off 2 copies of the intial 'confirmation' but still with nothing done. He handed the paper to the lady who did all the work behind the scenes, who then has to take the pre-order to management, to sign off on it. She comes back, they've signed off, they wanted a copy, just because no one's been able to order the Stang yet. She then sits down on her computer, the one directly linked into Ford's database, and puts the codes into the database, sends, and prints out the sheets, same as what we saw before, but actually sent to Ford this time, different type of paper. While she was doing that, my dealer went ahead and copied my DL to have a copy, and started my customer file, he asked how much of a deposit i wanted to put down, we had already said $500, so i stuck with that #, not too low, nor too high, no problem. The lady then makes photocopies of all her official paperwork, not the useless confirmation report, and hands my dealer a copy, and takes one to management. My dealer then write on the bottom of the official paperwork that order taken 5/24/04, with $500 100% refundable deposit on the paper, copies that, and hands a copy to me for my records as well. The only other problem i had to discuss was making sure that they knew i was serious about purchasing the car, that Ford comes in two weeks, says we see these orders, who's actually going to buy it, and i looked into my dealer's eyes and said, i want no problems or issues with this, i want to make this happen. He points to the paperwork, at the written $500 deposit, and tells me, that right there tells me you're serious about the order, and we'll get this done. So all that's left was to go to the cashier, put down $500, get a copy of the cashiers sheet and credit card slip, plus my own copy, a folder for the paperwork ive got, and im all set, Mustang officially ordered, $500 down for a down payment, and i told the dealer id be in touch definitely in the next two weeks to make sure there's no problems when Ford's pulling the orders, to make sure we're all set. A Plan accepted, without issue, and management signed off on it, now when i'll get the car remains to be seen.
The reason im typing this novel is just because i want everyone to see what i went through on Monday. I didn't have any hassles, issues, or problems. I went to all the dealers in my area over the weekend, and this was the one that worked out for me the best. I was told everything from not being able to order 05 Mustangs because they're still making 04s (they stopped 3 weeks ago) to being told that we should check the inventory to see how many 05 Mustangs they had in stock (i was ready to belt this guy in the face, i swear) I have no problems with a dealer not having all the info i have, or knowing what i do, i enjoy it. A dealer has 15-20 makes and models to concern himself with, not to mention used cars and whatnot, it's a hectic process. My problems come when a dealer attempts to act as if they know what they're talking about, or come off as high and mighty. If you dont know, dont talk. I didnt buy a ZX5 because of that very reason, and i got turned off by dealers locally because of the same thing. The dealer i dealt with was upfront about being in the dark to some things, and very open-minded; in turn, i was able to watch him step by step with the process, he was prompt on responding to me and checking things out within his dealership and within Ford, and worked with me every step of the way. I have no doubts that this is going to be a very trouble-free process, in part thanks to being informed, and finding a dealer who wasn't a know-it-all or close-minded, but respectful, punctual, and friendly, and we worked well together to get this done.
I did my research on the car, on the dealer, emailed him ahead of time, told him what i was looking for, and had no problems or issues. The one bump i had was when his manager said i wouldnt be able to order a Mustang until July; the dealer just side-stepped that one and did it himself, and still got his manager to sign off on it. This site and the forums are a tremendous tool and asset to all of us, and im thanking everyone, from Brad to Boomer to Kevin to Decipher to burningman, anyone and everyone who's contributed information, who's gone to the shows and pestered dealers, engineers, who's chased test mules for 50 miles, who's snapped pictures and filmed tape, everyone here has made this a helluva lot easier process for everyone involved. The dealer i worked with was amazed at how knowledgeable i was, and on top of things. I made sure today he knew that they updated the order guide, and told him what was updated, the numbers on the V6 and the removal of suspension package. He checked it out, shook his head, and was just like, "i cant believe how on top of this you are, this is amazing." That's thanks to you guys, and i want you to know that i appreciate everything you guys (and girls) have done to make this 100x easier than what it would have been four months ago before i came to this site. This is just coming from me, but i wanted to let everyone know how easy it was for me, and how grateful i am for everyone doing what they do, what we do, helping each other out, and getting info and pics and video, etc, out to everyone as soon as possible. It's helped me, and it's gonna help everyone else. Just wanted to pass along my thanks, and my tale with ordering, for real, a 2005 Mustang GT that i've been waiting to do for months and months.
Much thanks to everyone, and gratitude that id never be able to express in words.
PS, to anyone who cares, what i ended up with:
T82/140A GT Coupe Premium
SN Sonic Blue
KW Dark Charcoal Leather Sport Bucket
44L 5-Speed Automatic Transmission
14A Active Anti-Theft System
918 Shaker 1000
18G IUP
5/24/04, 11:52 PM
#2
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Congrats! Sounds like you have a good dealer, and one that you will probably return to for future business.
I have found the same thing, hanging out on forums makes you more knowledgeable than 95-99% of the dealers out there.
I have found the same thing, hanging out on forums makes you more knowledgeable than 95-99% of the dealers out there.
5/25/04, 12:46 AM
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I agree, this forum has been my home for the past few months, and I can't thank everyone here enough. Although i dont post often because i dont have much to share, having never been a mustang owner and not being in on any "inside" information, I browse the threads and try and soak it all in. I wont be able to buy the new mustang until mid next year, but thats OK with me because I know all of you will provide sooooo much info about the car and the dealers once it is on showroom floors in October. When I go to the dealership, I know I'll be fully prepared, and I'll have all of you to thank. Keep up the great work! 
5/25/04, 07:42 AM
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Thanks, icwspiker
You seem to have found a good, honest dealership.
I did the same thing on the 17th when everyone said that you couldn't place the order the salesman was so happy to be the first person in the dealership to write up a 05 stang order he did the same for me and we had 2 people try to enter the order and all we could put in was the option codes. No prices were avalable. I left a $500 deposit he told me he would call me as soon as the prices were in and than I was on my way. It is now the 25th and i have called him a number of times to find out whats going on and no prices as of yet......... in fact i'm calling him today to see if anything has changed
I'll keep you guys posted...
You seem to have found a good, honest dealership.
I did the same thing on the 17th when everyone said that you couldn't place the order the salesman was so happy to be the first person in the dealership to write up a 05 stang order he did the same for me and we had 2 people try to enter the order and all we could put in was the option codes. No prices were avalable. I left a $500 deposit he told me he would call me as soon as the prices were in and than I was on my way. It is now the 25th and i have called him a number of times to find out whats going on and no prices as of yet......... in fact i'm calling him today to see if anything has changed
I'll keep you guys posted...
5/25/04, 08:06 AM
#7
Shelby GT500 Member
You got an automatic!?!?! 
Great read, icwspiker. Can't wait for you to inform us of your delivery.
This site is great for info, and I can't wait to take all the knowledge from here and apply it to my future purchase.
Great read, icwspiker. Can't wait for you to inform us of your delivery.
This site is great for info, and I can't wait to take all the knowledge from here and apply it to my future purchase.
5/25/04, 08:27 AM
#8
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
That was a good read. I won't be ordering one (as I pre-spent back in December), but it's still great to see an "Official" order in. Don't forget to let us know how it goes in July.
5/25/04, 03:42 PM
#11
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I wish I could find someone in Atlanta that would let me place an order. So far I have had no luck. The Team Ford dealership just a few miles from my house stills says that orders cannot be placed. I have emailed several other dealerships with no luck.
I am probably going to start contacting some of the dealerships in neighboring cities shortly to see if they are interested in my business.
:bang:
I am probably going to start contacting some of the dealerships in neighboring cities shortly to see if they are interested in my business.
:bang:
5/25/04, 06:54 PM
#12
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B) Great Post.
Similiar exeprience with my dealer last week. Saw dealer Thursday; gave them marked up order code sheet, made $500 refundable deposit, order placed, called that confirmation received Friday. Will go in this weekend to get copy of order. This site has been great.
GT Deluxe T82
Automatic 44L
17" Wheels 64F Wheel options suck and will be replaced
Active Anti-Theft 14A
Front Side Air Bags 43A
Shaker 500 912
Interior Upgrade 18G
Light Graphic Interior 52
Redfire Metallic G2
Spoiler Delete 13D
Calif Emissions 422 not by choice
Similiar exeprience with my dealer last week. Saw dealer Thursday; gave them marked up order code sheet, made $500 refundable deposit, order placed, called that confirmation received Friday. Will go in this weekend to get copy of order. This site has been great.
GT Deluxe T82
Automatic 44L
17" Wheels 64F Wheel options suck and will be replaced
Active Anti-Theft 14A
Front Side Air Bags 43A
Shaker 500 912
Interior Upgrade 18G
Light Graphic Interior 52
Redfire Metallic G2
Spoiler Delete 13D
Calif Emissions 422 not by choice
Glad to hear everything went pretty smooth.
5/25/04, 10:02 PM
#15
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sounds good. congrats to those who placed orders... i am jealous.
I think i will probably get an 05/06 GT or spec ed whatever is available at the time.
That is if i can wait another 18 mos and pay off my jetta... i drive 600 miles a week to work so a paid off TDI would be handy. I wouldnt want to get a GT and put all those miles on it... I'd rather keep it low mileage and be able to mod it instead of making it a commuter.
but then since i work 6 days a week (in summer anyway) i'd have to decide ride the bike on the weekend or drive the stang.... tough choice but i guess ill cross that bridge when i come to it. hopefully
I think i will probably get an 05/06 GT or spec ed whatever is available at the time.
That is if i can wait another 18 mos and pay off my jetta... i drive 600 miles a week to work so a paid off TDI would be handy. I wouldnt want to get a GT and put all those miles on it... I'd rather keep it low mileage and be able to mod it instead of making it a commuter.
but then since i work 6 days a week (in summer anyway) i'd have to decide ride the bike on the weekend or drive the stang.... tough choice but i guess ill cross that bridge when i come to it. hopefully
5/25/04, 10:18 PM
#16
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Greetings all
Now that I’ve put myself through the agony of spending 30 seconds to register, I can finally pipe in, if nothing else, to say thanks to all of you who make this site such a valuable resource. Like countless others, I too have been gleaning the wisdom (for the most part
) from this forum for several weeks, though I’ve regrettably had little in the way of novel information to contribute. I wonder how many other phantom surfers have been using the site w/o registering... 
Today I opened the door to anticipation, as some of you have done already, and many more will doubtless do in the near future. $500 down, T82/140A, IUP, 5 spd. Redfire (simply gorgeous). I’ve got a picture of her on the desktop, so I now I go to sleep happy.
A few quick questions though, as I’m not entirely convinced that the dealer actually placed the order. He logged in to FMC and keyed in the info, but all I went home with was a customer copy of an “order form†with handwritten entries only. Perhaps he thought the system would not accept the order since prices were not up yet. He told me he would contact me as soon as he received a “Dora†(sp? and to what exactly does this clever acronym refer?) so that we could take the next steps. The salesman was really cool, completely honest (if not somewhat embarrassed) about the knowledge discrepancy between me and him (you should have seen the look on his face when I pulled out the order guide, receipts, build/allocation/order dates etc), and nearly as enthusiastic to enter the order as I was to place it. So it’s not an issue of trust. He was simply not up to specs on everything, and even went so far as to ask me to send him an email from time to time with updates on the Stang!
-Did I simply fail to request a printed copy of the order :bang: (assuming there is such a thing), or is it possible that it was never fully placed?
-If he were to officially submit the order, where exactly does it “go†when the send-button equivalent is pushed?
-Is there anyway to confirm that an order, once placed, actually does go through to whatever magical Ford server it ends up in?
Thanks in advance and my compliments to the webmasters for such an outstanding site.
Now that I’ve put myself through the agony of spending 30 seconds to register, I can finally pipe in, if nothing else, to say thanks to all of you who make this site such a valuable resource. Like countless others, I too have been gleaning the wisdom (for the most part
) from this forum for several weeks, though I’ve regrettably had little in the way of novel information to contribute. I wonder how many other phantom surfers have been using the site w/o registering... Today I opened the door to anticipation, as some of you have done already, and many more will doubtless do in the near future. $500 down, T82/140A, IUP, 5 spd. Redfire (simply gorgeous). I’ve got a picture of her on the desktop, so I now I go to sleep happy.
A few quick questions though, as I’m not entirely convinced that the dealer actually placed the order. He logged in to FMC and keyed in the info, but all I went home with was a customer copy of an “order form†with handwritten entries only. Perhaps he thought the system would not accept the order since prices were not up yet. He told me he would contact me as soon as he received a “Dora†(sp? and to what exactly does this clever acronym refer?) so that we could take the next steps. The salesman was really cool, completely honest (if not somewhat embarrassed) about the knowledge discrepancy between me and him (you should have seen the look on his face when I pulled out the order guide, receipts, build/allocation/order dates etc), and nearly as enthusiastic to enter the order as I was to place it. So it’s not an issue of trust. He was simply not up to specs on everything, and even went so far as to ask me to send him an email from time to time with updates on the Stang!
-Did I simply fail to request a printed copy of the order :bang: (assuming there is such a thing), or is it possible that it was never fully placed?
-If he were to officially submit the order, where exactly does it “go†when the send-button equivalent is pushed?
-Is there anyway to confirm that an order, once placed, actually does go through to whatever magical Ford server it ends up in?
Thanks in advance and my compliments to the webmasters for such an outstanding site.
5/25/04, 11:02 PM
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FMCdealer is not where the orders go, so id have serious reservations about that one. Every dealer is going to be different. In my case the woman who handled all that stuff was right next to my guy, he keyed in the codes, printed off some copies, then handed it to her to actually be put into Ford's system. I got basically the same paper he had, but had actually been sent into Ford, and then signed and dated, basically a written contract, should everything fall through.
The order 'goes' to the Ford order bank, along with thousands of others, until Ford physically pulls the orders to be built. That date isnt for a couple more weeks.
DORA, im a little interested in, since i dont 'think' i got one, but now im curious...maybe peeved...
Prices have nothing to do with orders being accepted, and the order bank opened up this past Monday. Prices won't be released until August (i heard, maybe sooner). Prices have yet to be released on the 500 and the Freestyle, etc, and orders are being processed for those cars.
Hope that helps, KEv or someone can answer the DORA question better than me, but im all ears as well. As far as the order being processed and all, the confirmation i got from the dealer last week, before the banks opened, was worthless, but printable. The one i got Monday was sent to Ford, i watched it happen, and same sheet, so take that for what it's worth. Mine was not hand written tho, so if all you have is handwritten notes...you're f'd.
The order 'goes' to the Ford order bank, along with thousands of others, until Ford physically pulls the orders to be built. That date isnt for a couple more weeks.
DORA, im a little interested in, since i dont 'think' i got one, but now im curious...maybe peeved...
Prices have nothing to do with orders being accepted, and the order bank opened up this past Monday. Prices won't be released until August (i heard, maybe sooner). Prices have yet to be released on the 500 and the Freestyle, etc, and orders are being processed for those cars.
Hope that helps, KEv or someone can answer the DORA question better than me, but im all ears as well. As far as the order being processed and all, the confirmation i got from the dealer last week, before the banks opened, was worthless, but printable. The one i got Monday was sent to Ford, i watched it happen, and same sheet, so take that for what it's worth. Mine was not hand written tho, so if all you have is handwritten notes...you're f'd.
5/26/04, 12:20 AM
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Hope you all don't mind a fairly newbe chimming in, but just wanted to say "GOOD FOR YOU". Someone mentioned that they didn't know if they wanted to go through the hassles you did to order their 05, well I have had a lot more hassles than that when I have purchased a new vehicle right off the dealers lot. Sounds like nothing out of the ordinary with what you would expect. I plan on going through this same "hassle" Friday 
Have had 2 local dealers tell me 2 different answers on ordering. One has no idea about anything & the other said to come right in & they will get it ordered for me. Guess some of them just want to get rid of what they have left of the 04's before they try & sell the 05's, I think they will all be sitting with a bunch of 04's they can't get rid of or will loose their tales on them. $$$$
Also would like to say a big THANKS to all that have answered the many questions I have had. I didn't have to ask many as a lot had already been answered, I just spent a lot of time reading through all your previous posts & it has been a world of help. I have been able to keep others informed & they actually think I know what I am talking about.
This chicks got 'em thinking she's car smart.
Aqain, congrats & thanks to all. Wish me luck!!!!
Have had 2 local dealers tell me 2 different answers on ordering. One has no idea about anything & the other said to come right in & they will get it ordered for me. Guess some of them just want to get rid of what they have left of the 04's before they try & sell the 05's, I think they will all be sitting with a bunch of 04's they can't get rid of or will loose their tales on them. $$$$
Also would like to say a big THANKS to all that have answered the many questions I have had. I didn't have to ask many as a lot had already been answered, I just spent a lot of time reading through all your previous posts & it has been a world of help. I have been able to keep others informed & they actually think I know what I am talking about.
This chicks got 'em thinking she's car smart.Aqain, congrats & thanks to all. Wish me luck!!!!