Zastava_101

Maybe it was MKX.

hi5.0

Includes ADM , destination charge about the same. No new car in Hawaii is safe from that crap - then they "remove" it to make it seem like you're getting a "good deal!" When I was wrangling with a salesman over ordering a '06GT vs. buying one off the lot, I happened to overhear the sales manager talking to the salesman and saying something along the lines of "what is the buyer complaining about? No ADM and an offer to sell one off the lot for under MSRP (he meant $1.00! no typo, no joke!)." Quickly thanked the salesman, since it was the sales manager's fault, and walked out showing the finger. Ford being in the financial shape it is, should be in no position to let this isht go on unchecked.

Hollywood_North GT

+1

Ford corporate needs to understand that the dealers are customers' entry into the world of Ford. If the dealership experience is negative, people will simply blame Ford; not buy the product; and spread the word about their bad experience.

V10

That's BS.

We've been looking at a MKX for my wife. Went to 4 dealers. Two dealers had what she wanted on their lots, but refused to sell @ X plan. They both said all the MKXs on their lots were going for sticker, take it or leave it (at least no ADM). 3rd dealer had nothing on their lot. The 4th dealer will sell me anything on their lot @ X plan, but they don't have a MKX with the color + options my wife wants want in stock. All 4 Lincoln dealers said we could order a MKX @ X-plan.

Anyway both the Lincoln dealers who refused X plan a couple weeks ago called me back yesterday to tell me they were now willing to discount.

Hollywood_North GT

Naturally.

Hopefully, if you DO buy from them, you will be wise enough never to go back to them for service, since they've clearly demonstrated their true colors.

pegasusphototx

Ford loses $24,000 a minute, and Exxon/Mobile earns $76,000 a minute last year. Seems to me Ford needs to go into the fuel business!

-danny

Hollywood_North GT

It's crunch time for sure, and the Big 2.5 don't hold a very strong hand right now, as you will see if you watch this.

kevinb120

Jeez I can't remember the last time we had an 06 stang. November maybe? I think in the winter of 03/04 I had posted our Mustang inventory here for kicks and it was about 125 of them. We have had a lot of trouble keeping more then 35 or so now. I'm getting ready to order a ton of them this week, we are down to 4 or 5 manual GT's.

Mild winter is killing trucks sales lately though. Need some really nasty stuff so people will hate their old cars enough to trade it in. I had two used plow trucks I sold on Ebay this winter, both sold to Colorado, 1800 miles away. The irony is, as the gas prices catch up to low demand and they dip below $2 again, should pick up though. Our numbers are kinda poop right now, most of it is that the new trucks are way down. I think the edge is pulling a lot of interest on the Explorer too. The 500/Freestyle is dead in the dirt right now. One or two creep out a month. And we stock only the bare minimum CrownVic/Freestars(I think about 2 each, would prefer 0)..

One truck that is absolutely flying off the lot here are the new Expeditions. Normal stock 40-65, current stock is about 15...F-series is a little slower then normal, but tons of people are dying to get their hands on the new SD's. I have people actually test driving the only 6.4 I have right now, and its a friggin cab-chassis 450... That motor is a beast, the techs are actually all excited about it, and they hate everything...I wonder how much non-stop talk from Ford about products WAY before release hurt sales. Heck they updated the Expedition site months before release, and everyone knows the 500 gets the D35 and the refresh. I actually get decent traffic on the 500, just not this year's model...

Edge's are moving pretty steadily, faster then the Fusion first did(those are picking up now lately too-awd in particular). We just treat them like normal cars, probably around 3-4% over invoice on average.

kevinb120

Ford also needs to understand that dealers need product that makes enough money for them to pay the light bill. Owning millions upon millions of inventory and paying on acres of prime real estate(in our region a starter town home is $500K/the richest two counties in the country), that having to give away product is not good buisness. Its not like they are jewlery stores that can open a hole-in-the-wall and make 80% margin all day long. Most of the biggest complainers about car dealerships would never in a MILLION years take the deal if they were the owner that they expect to get.

Our VOC dances around 95%, so stop being so negative because something seems expensive to you. And with Ford surveys, they usually score us sooo fairly, on a 1-5 scale, 1 is perfect, 2-5 is a failing score. The vast majority of people I run into have no problem buying a vehicle from us. We don't have any people that I would consider a 'bad' person. Most of the mistakes they make are from trying too hard to make someone happy(i.e. like spending 3 hours trying to locate/confirm the 'perfect' car and the customer gets bored and leaves).

90% of the bad experiences I see are from customers that are dishonest on credit apps, have false or unreasonable expectations(i.e. they just make up numbers in their head, regardless of research; 5k under invoice on the new car, 7k over KBB on their junker, 460 beacon no money down wants $300 a month for a 35k vehicle, ect), or are shopping way beyond their means. I do love it sometimes when a customer is getting $4k off msrp for a new SUV, a $5000 rebate, $1000 over book for their straight-to-wholesale trade-in, and says 'thats all!?' and doesn't even have $500 for a down payment....

To be honest, if I get a 'grinder' with an attitude I will blow them out quickly, its not worth the headache. If I get to the point of a credit app, most of the time they will have 10 recent hits from other dealerships they've been bounced from. I have no problem giving someone a stupid cheap deal, a lot of people have to get it to get out of negative equity situations even if they would of paid MSRP, or an internet savy researcher that knows what they want and its a simple matter-of-fact opperation, or anyone that comes in on a sale price....

The know-it-all grinder takes forever, is never happy no matter what you do, and always leaves a lousy survey. So they can eat a Richard for all I care and go make someone else's day miserable. Funny enough, some people simply take the first offer or buy it for MSRP, get financing and full warranties and packages, and leave perfect surveys. They are usually the happiest customers and often become long-term clients. They like you and the product and just BUY it.

Worrying too much about 'stealerships' and grinding for the sake of grinding makes the sales experience miserable for YOURSELF more then anyone else. When you finally buy a car you can tell us all about your dealer experience, hopefully your salesperson doesn't get a migrane, and you leave a good survey for him being to actually complete the entire transaction.

Zastava_101

Good old times

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PDR-NX9OVI

Hollywood_North GT

That's an interesting watch, for sure. Ford has lots of work to do, and I think Mulally is looking at the right solutions, but he's going to have to get the stealerships under control.

Certainly, Ford is not the only manufacturer with uninformed and dishonest salespeople, but they need to be doing it better than the "other guy" right now.

After 40 years, four vehicles, and dealings with many dealers, I have learned several things:

First, bypass the salespeople and go straight to the sales manager. That way, you avoid all the "back and forth" price negotiation crap with the poor salesperson as the middleman. There are knowledgeable, honest salespeople out there (I've met a few... emphasis on a FEW) who know and love the product, and if you can form a relationship with one of them, that's great. But too often it's like trying to sift spring water out of pond scum (sorry, but it's true), and so often the salesperson is only there for a few months anyway. Talented, professional salespeople are rare...and too many go into it because they just "need a job" and it's an easy one to get. But it's a hard one to succeed at, and so most leave or are "asked" to leave before long.

So barring finding a great, professional salesperson, go to the sales manager and establish your relationship with him or her - which is precisely what I've done over the years.

Negotiate a fair price and get to know the service department and the mechanics from the very outset of the buying process - AND THIS IS IMPORTANT - well before you find yourself in need of them. Again, it's all about relationships.

And for god's sake do the regular maintenance and make certain to go back to the same dealership with which you have nutured your relationship.

These are the responsibilities of an informed buyer.