hey guys, like the topic says...im trying to find some good dealerships in my area to scout around for my 00-02 GT! but ive heard iffy things and have expierenced bad things as well from the surounding dealers in my area due to friends/family that have gone thru the pain from these dealers: vacaville ford, green valley ford AKA Ford of Fairfield, wilson-corneilous ford, i just dont trust them from whats happened there....any dealers someone can ACTUALLY recommend for sales AND service if needed? im just trying to find a good honest reliable dealer...its sooo incredibly hard to find 1 these days...and i cant go down to near LA for Galpin ford...otherwise i would! i think theyre the #1 ford dealer

 

when i was looking to buy my mustang, i went to hemborg ford in norco, CA.
There was a nice looking v-6, silver, with the sports package. We decide to take a test drive, and the headlights dont come on!

later on, as we are looking at it, there are dents in the front and rear fascias. hmmmmm...
what took the cake, though, were two things:
when looking at the headlights, my father discovered why they did not come on: they werent even bolted in! he pulled out the whole assembly!
also...

THE MUSTANG EMBLEMS WERE ON BACKWARDS. oh jesus!

this car had obviously been hit. they denied it, but we walked away.

...a few months later, i saw the car on the road. a woman bought it. surprise surprise.

 

i worked in the auto industry for 10 years and in my experience that the ONLY way to get a GOOD deal was to deal directly with someone who can actually do a deal. that would be a fleet manager ( your best bet), or a special finance manager (they do more than bad credit). anybody else you talk to, including a closer/assistant sales manager, is going to have go to the sales manager (they won't deal directly with you unless you personally know them) to get a price and that's when the dance starts. when you deal with a fleet or special finance manager THEY do the deal, they don't have to go to the sales manager to get a price. if you are looking for a new car the fleet manager is your best bet, used, the special finance manager. also remember, you don't have to be a fleet buyer to deal with the fleet manager, they will sell to ANYBODY. on a new car expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $1000 over invoice, and ask to see it. a new model like the mustang is going to be at least $1000 over invoice for at least 6 months. once supply catches up with demand you will be able to get them for $300 over invoice, and this is before any rebates. if you are looking for a used car the special finance manager is your best bet because he will know the inventory a lot better than the fleet manager. expect to pay $500 to $1000 over wholesale book. also realize that some vehicles the dealership will be in way over wholesale book. stay away from those unless it is something you have to have. to be in a vehicle that deep means it had a high recon cost.

 

I did call Galpin Ford and I asked them about pricing and they said that ther are no markups there. Only MSRP, so a good deal might be possible.

 

if you want a good deal on an '05 mustang DO NOT TALK TO A SALESMAN, ONLY TALK TO A FLEET MANAGER. no matter what a salesaman will tell you, HE CAN'T DELIVER BECAUSE HE HAS NO SAY ON PRICE. TALKING TO AND DEALING WITH A SALESMAN WILL ONLY MAKE YOUR TRANSACTION LONGER AND MORE FRUSTRATING. trust me on this, call the fleet manager, tell him what you are looking for, he can give a firm price over the phone and have the paperwork done when you get there. IT WILL BE THE MOST ENJOYABLE CAR BUYING EXPERIENCE YOU WILL EVER HAVE.

the salesman on the phone will tell you that they are selling for MSRP and they probably are, the salesman is still going to negotiate rate and downpayment. fleet managers are not paid on rate so they have no incentive to charge you higher than you qualify for. BTW, I was never in fleet.

 

This depends on the store. In our store the salespeople have the authority to write the deal. We are a one price store. Our fleet department sells over 100 vehicles per month and trust me, they aren't going to talk to a retail customer about a single unit purchase. I will say that in most stores the new car manager or internet manager has more say than the salespeople, but you can't just make a blanket statement. Every store works differently.