crazyhorse

Which is why I don't have one yet. I'm waiting for that warm Spring day when one of the dealers that scoffed at me when I told them I wouldn't pay over sticker calls me just trying to get MSRP.

Willie

....then when the customers who cold afford 80K never come back after they end up 35K upside down in a single year.

Exactly. And for us peons who have to finance at least part of the purchase, what do you think a bank is going to tell you when you tell them you'll put down $40k on a $45k car, yet you'll need to borrow another $40k??? I think they'll laugh at you extremely hard and long....

Willie

Hollywood_North GT

Honestly, the more time goes by, the less inclined I am to think that these cars are worth either the: a) waiting; b) markups; or c) aggrevation involved when even INQUIRING about them. And as several people have alluded: the Ford stealership experience is pretty much unconscionable North America-wide. The idea that Ford Motor Co. - an organization that is in the fight of its life (staring at its own mortality as I write this) - continues to tolerate lying, cheating, ignorance and arrogance on the part of its dealership network is utterly breathtaking. That there are not minimum universal standards for customer service that franchises must follow to continue operating is unfathomable.

The GT500 is a SVT Cobra with a 90 cent Shelby badge on it - nothing more. The car isn't even assembled by Shelby Automotive (unlike the Shelby GT).

The car's content level certainly makes it a good buy at MSRP - and it's a great car, overall - but add another 20% and it becomes an instant rip-off suitable only for the rich elite and those living in la-la land.

Overall, out of all the Stangs I see out there right now, the "humble" GT still remains the best overall bang-for-the-buck...and the best value for the dollar, IMHO.

JETSOLVER

[quote=BC_Shelby;782370]Honestly, the more time goes by, the less inclined I am to think that these cars are worth either the: a) waiting; b) markups; or c) aggrevation involved when even INQUIRING about them. That there are not minimum universal standards for customer service that franchises must follow to continue operating is unfathomable.
quote]

People are voting with their wallets. I am very close to doing the same.

And re. the red, they used to keep a very tight lid on this with the requirements for SVT dealers(some full line, some not, and all in the top 1% of customer satisfaction ratings). There was also a built-in feedback mechanism in the owners.

All this adds up to the future. And I am not at all certain of the fact that Ford deserves me as a customer anymore. And I helped them move a couple of hundred k of product with my enthusiastic recomendations. I don't do that anymore. Not that it seems to matter to Ford.

crazyhorse

I, too, am growing tired of the BS. They need to get these cars in the hands of their long time supporters - the Mustang Enthusiast.

razor

The number of cars on ebay is going up and the number of cars I can find local is going up, it also seams the dealers are having people back out of deals. I wonder how hard and fast this market bubble is going pop.

Hollywood_North GT

And they actually have the ***** to go to Washington this week and ask the government to "level the playing field," when they're not even prepared to clean their own house.

It's a disgrace.

Some more cynical than I might even call it hypocricy.

1 COBRA

So they allow their dealers to treat their customers like crap, specially the Mustang enthusiasts, then have the ***** to "ask the government to level the playing field".



Guess what Ford, it will be a cold day in hail when I buy any Ford product other than the Mustang.

Say it... T O Y O T A ! ! ! Even if your product is better.

hi5.0

Well, gotta make a "bold move" somewhere.

crispy23c

Amen. Never thought I owuld feel that way, but you can hold out only so long. Pretty disgusted. I'm hoping that winter will put this ADM crap to bed once and for all...and I won't forget who tried to screw me, I have a dealer in mind for any new business, if they treat me right on this.

crazyhorse

Hey Crispy, good to hear (read) from you again. Seems like it has been a long time. I have been much less active on the boards for the simple reason that I am tired of the BS.

Popeye

I'm a 58 year old baby boomer and I wanted a GT500. I missed the first wave when I was young and broke. I could easily pay the cost for a new GT500 with the markup if I wanted to. I'm at the point in my life where toys have reentered the picture. Don't need a car to go to work, got a van, don't need something to haul my junk, got a truck. I want my last shot at something totally for fun. However, I don't like getting taken advantage of so I bought a loaded GT/CS, I have been very pleased with it and have yet to run across another one (I've seen 2 GT500's though). In my case, Ford and Shelby both lost the sale of a more expensive car, If in the future I still want one I'll probably wait for a resale because someone will unload one sooner or later and it'll be for less then what they expected. Ford and Shelby again will miss the sale, probably for a new van and truck also, simple economics, simple customer response. This is the take of other older car buffs I've talked to also have. Ford really does need to pull back on the dealers, there killing their business. Maybe I'll check out a new Challenger when it rolls off the line?

drmustang

Great post. You are absolutely right about Fords retailers are ruining things. I watched these monkeys in this area markup the Terminators and crush the interest level. These cars sat for 12-18 months until the fire sale. The same goons devastated the T-Birds in similar fashion. It is abundantly clear that they have no conception of how to handle a desireable product. They have demonstrated their inability to market exciting, higher profile products that the parent company develops.

blkstang06

These are both great posts! ...the dealers are missing the boat... their tripping over the dollars trying to pickup the nickels and dimes..I get a kick out there new gouge catch phrase adjusted for market value!! ...there doing it with other Stangs besides the GT500, Ray man has a photo posted from a car show he went to, shows a new Salleen MSRP $77.000 then sticker to right adjusted to market value...$84.000 and change !! its amazing Fords dealers are killing them!!! there loosing market share right and left.. posted 1.5 billion dollar loss!! there getting strangled at the dealer lot!

hi5.0

Nothing new, other manufacturers' dealers do the same thing. (Except for those that have the "one-price" policy - Saturn and Scion, last I heard.) In Ford's case, if they want to generate interest and get people to COME BACK, that crap has got to stop. The attempt to make a turnaround must include the dealers and customer service - or lack thereof.

blkstang06

Saturn will be stoping most there one price policy! Spring hill Tenn assembly plant has the plug pulled on it ! will be making the Vue and Sky only very soon at a Georgia assembly plant I think? and my heart go out to all those Saturn employees! my Sister in-law is one! I'm soon to 48 years old I've been buying new, used and trading for 32 of those year's and honestly never seen the dealers so arrogant, out of touch and short sighted as they are now!

crazyhorse

Not only are the dealers hurting sales of the GT500 (and the other mentioned cars), but, they are hurting themselves in the long run.

They get the big pop from an out of state ebay buyer and never see them again. In the meantime, they aggravate the local customers by trying to gouge them. Those are the repeat, long term customers that keep their business alive. I could make a pretty long list of dealers that I will never deal with again thanks to their arrogant handling of the GT-500 situation.

1 COBRA

I have a plan.

I am practicing my strategy in front of a mirror. I will become the most arrogant snob and take them to the cleaners. The thought of waisting their time seems very pleasant, long test drives will be frequent, very frequent. I will rely on their generous knowledge to get familiar with their products... from the designers' table to assembly line's exit, the words invoice and rebates will be emphasized... in every other sentence. And should the ridiculous offer be accepted I'll start signing the check and promptly have a change of heart and back out.

I can always give them a couple of days to sleep on it and call them back with another offer.

Yes, my Mustang comrades, I intend to become very fluent in my new hobby.

nedjrr

A dealer called me today with good news, a Shelby GT 500 for only $15,000.00 over MSRP, I told him "NO", he could not understand my responce even when I stated that the price will get lower after the first of the year, he proceeded to tell me that the collectors tell him that the price will stay high,this only to keep the markup they paid from disappear.

drmustang

The dealers conversations with "collectors" is BS. There will be nearly 50,000 Mustangs produced over the next 3 years with the Shelby name on them. What a collectors item that will be.