Ethical conundrum on my 2022 order

[Ohmss]

My wife and I went in to the dealer yesterday to try and upgrade our 2022 XLT hybrid order (placed Nov 21) into a 2023 Lariat hybrid. System was down and the manager had gone home today with the order folders to try and handle them overnight.

Got a call from our salesman this morning that they couldn't make the changes because our truck is scheduled for production! He didn't have the date yet (waiting to hear back). My wife was already warming up to the Lariat luxury features and I was liking the black appearance package addition so now we're questioning our next move.

Do you think it would be unethical to follow through on our '22 order, make a '23 order, and resell the '22 at markup to split the cost difference to the upgraded features we want on a '23? I don't think we'd have any issues on making a sale with the current demand. Also, the '22 is a Velocity Blue which will no longer be offered which might increase demand further.

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[ccmjr77]

go for it...

 

[dlorton0844]

not unethical at all...it's what the dealership would do. At this point, if the vehicle is scheduled then the dealership will receive it. If you don't buy it, they're going to mark it up and sell it to someone else

 

[Ohmss]

not unethical at all...it's what the dealership would do. At this point, if the vehicle is scheduled then the dealership will receive it. If you don't buy it, they're going to mark it up and sell it to someone else

I know the dealerships wouldn't, but I actually do feel guilty at the thought of taking advantage of the scarcity. Thanks for putting me at ease that if I don't do it then they will.

 

[Jmav2152]

If your selling price is reasonable within the market go for it. It gets greedy when you start asking outlandish prices for it.

 

[PDM33]

Do it up! Enjoy the 22 until the 23 is ready. Prices aren't going down anytime soon.

 

[DavesMav]

Good luck. In my state I would have to register and pay uncle sam 6% in sales tax before I could sell the vehicle... that would immediately eat into a big chunk of any potential profit. Not to mention whatever dealer admin fee I would have to eat as well. Unless you don't have to pay sales tax, I don't see how folks are really making that much money to "flip" a Maverick. I think individuals are much more likely to pay a "markup" when buying from a dealership than when purchasing a "used" new vehicle from a private seller. I could be wrong though.

 

[Tirpitz]

I removed the lux package from my 22 XLT in an effort to get it scheduled. That did work and I should have my 22 XLT in Velocity Blue delivered in October.

Before that happened I had put in a pre-order for a Lariat with Long McArthur on the theory that I was going to get rolled over to 23. As my 22 is not exactly the truck I wanted I have opted to keep the 23 order and indeed it was entered last night.

What I will be doing is taking delivery of the 22 XLT and treating it like an extended test drive. If I don’t miss the extra features I will either cancel the 23 order or (if there continues to be a hot market for Mavericks) resell it. If I want the extra options I will sell the 22 once my 23 arrives.

I don’t expect I’ll make much money on the transaction but this way I have a new vehicle in my fleet. If something happens to one of my older vehicles I have a replacement already in the pipeline. If the 22 Maverick proves to be a lemon I have another one on the way. If my 22 dealer tries to add dealer markup I can walk away from the deal. If I find out there will be a PHEV version in 24 I can load the 23 order up with constraints so it rolls over to hopefully get me a private offer on the 24. So lots of options with having that order in place. If I really love the 22 I might just keep both trucks.

I really appreciate what Tim Bartz at Long McArthur has done for the community and I will make sure I’m not doing anything that would impact them in a negative way. For me how I treat them in this business relationship is the only ethical concern I would have.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

I would caution that you are taking a risk- that you can't sell the 22 at a decent price. That risk is low right now but never Zero.

But the repercussions would be that you keep it and drive it and the 23 goes to someone else. So really.....

But my point is don't count 100% on making money on the 22. You never know what's going to happen.

 

[MLowe05]

I personally don't buy into the idea that Maverick values are going to drop significantly anytime soon. They had more demand last year than they could fulfill and by all indications this time they'll close the order banks even sooner. The truck will be in short supply for some time to come.

I sold an XL in June for $12,000 over MSRP - to a car dealership, not an individual. Even after taxes (both state tax and capital gains) and fees, I was still well north of $7,000 in profit. And I got to drive a Maverick for a month and see if I really liked it (I did).

Buy the 22, sell it when the 23 comes. No one can tell you how much you make but I suspect that the chances of you being in the negative at all are very, very close to zero.

 

[James D]

Aaron, is it unethical to buy a stock for $10 and sell for $20? Of course not. Order a 2023 it will take a year. Use the 2022 until then my bet is you will make $5-10k. Don't feel guilty our ecomomy is based on capitalism, just like Carmax and Carvana do when they mark up vehicles to the market rate.

 

[James D]

Another idea Aaron, you may want to keep both like this guy. Spread the miles on each they will last twice as long and protect you from likely price increases every year due to inflation.

 

[jsus]

What's the ethical concern?

If you refuse the 2022, the dealer will sell it, likely with a large ADM. They'll make a huge profit off you giving it up.

If you take the 2022, you have a guaranteed Maverick now. You can do your final calculations on accepting delivery of your 2023 Maverick when you get offers to sell the first after the second is built.

Bottom line, would you rather have a Maverick sooner, even if it's not your ideal truck, or would you rather let the dealer profit off selling it to someone else for more? Doesn't seem unethical to me to take the order as planned, and consider selling it for a 2023 later.

 

[Clock Doc]

As someone who buys and sells previously owned items I would say no it's not unethical to mark up an item that is in high demand. What is unethical in marking up an item is when a storm is coming and you mark up plywood, generators, food and water, etc. just to gouge people. Marking up a new car 10 to 20k by a new car dealer when there is an msrp I see as greedy and unethical. Mainly because there is a relationship between those two business to treat the manufactures customers in a certain manor.

 

[ME4Twaffle]

My wife and I went in to the dealer yesterday to try and upgrade our 2022 XLT hybrid order (placed Nov 21) into a 2023 Lariat hybrid. System was down and the manager had gone home today with the order folders to try and handle them overnight.

Got a call from our salesman this morning that they couldn't make the changes because our truck is scheduled for production! He didn't have the date yet (waiting to hear back). My wife was already warming up to the Lariat luxury features and I was liking the black appearance package addition so now we're questioning our next move.

Do you think it would be unethical to follow through on our '22 order, make a '23 order, and resell the '22 at markup to split the cost difference to the upgraded features we want on a '23? I don't think we'd have any issues on making a sale with the current demand. Also, the '22 is a Velocity Blue which will no longer be offered which might increase demand further.

Not that I want to hurt any more than I already do, but what was your 22 build? Lux and CP360?

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