A Bad Taste In Your Mouth ..... Poor Bronco Owners - The Dealership model ?

[Redneck Garage]

I read this today and realized the model of "going to the dealership" to order vehicles is possibly outdated, I would even say frustrating . Even with the Maverick, I find it sad that some dealers on here are advertising 3% under invoice, 4% under invoice making some of us wonder - hey am I getting the best deal or worse - am I getting ripped off from my local dealer ? ( We aren't getting the best deal obviously ) Why is my dealer not doing that ? Those discount dealers have over 400 orders ( or more ) This then gives them "more allocation" supposedly- Huh ? . - then knowing if you decide to decline picking up your Maverick when delivered as nothing is set until that time, the dealer will mark it up 5K and sell it on the lot .......

While going and buying from dealer stock and "negotiating" which I hate anyway is one sales model - ordering from the manufacturer who gives a msrp AT the dealership then having to then be at the mercy of the dealer AFTER it comes in months or years later in the case of the Bronco - Im trying to understand how this model works in 2021. While Im not trying to be negative about The Maverick - after ordering in August Im not really SURE Ill actually have one. A dealer can make MUCH more money on the truck if I refuse to pick it up so why not turn the tables at the end if they are dishonest - ( not that dealerships are ever dishonest ....... ) - confusing - yes. Possibly causing confusion to a consumer - yes. Ford really doesnt "need" dealerships for anything other than service and parts truthfully and could control the whole sales process - yet the corporation stands back and says well uhh - the dealerships are independent and we cant tell them what to do .... reading this article made me really sad as well as thinking to my self - I wish I got 4% off lol ........ will they try to jack up the price after waiting 6 or more months ? like I said great product however I think folks should be able to be more confident in the sales process as far as their "we want you to order it " model.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a...ting-screwed-by-last-minute-delivery-markups/

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[Shay]

Unless you have a written agreement between you and the dealer at the time of order, they can always try something. I have all my emails saved from pre-order regarding my questions about pricing and assurances by my sales person to use when it arrives if they try anything. In my case if they do, I will be making a nice long detailed video about it for my channel and they know it. Thus I doubt they will be doing anything like that.

This stuff it's bad PR in my opinion as Ford want's to be like Tesla and have ordering online etc. They have a long way to go. The only way we ever get to that point and click, be sure its all good is to eliminate the dealership model all together. State laws for the most part make that impossible.

From what I have seen, your own experience in the reservation and ordering game is 100% dependent on your local dealership, how they are trained, their culture, their good will and their willingness to work on a tommorrow or next month deal. Most don't have the time for you if you aren't on their lot buying now. With companies like Tesla, every customer nationwide gets a uniform experience when they order online that is dependent on one source of people trained and versed in the process - not localized profit center whores waiting for the next mark to walk in.

 

[Down]

Unless you have a written agreement between you and the dealer at the time of order, they can always try something. I have all my emails saved from pre-order regarding my questions about pricing and assurances by my sales person to use when it arrives if they try anything. In my case if they do, I will be making a nice long detailed video about it for my channel and they know it. Thus I doubt they will be doing anything like that.

This stuff it's bad PR in my opinion as Ford want's to be like Tesla and have ordering online etc. They have a long way to go. The only way we ever get to that point and click, be sure its all good is to eliminate the dealership model all together. State laws for the most part make that impossible.

I did the same with my dealer and plan to be a HUGE a-hole if they try to do any backsliding on my deal.

 

[Redneck Garage]

Unless you have a written agreement between you and the dealer at the time of order, they can always try something. I have all my emails saved from pre-order regarding my questions about pricing and assurances by my sales person to use when it arrives if they try anything. In my case if they do, I will be making a nice long detailed video about it for my channel and they know it. Thus I doubt they will be doing anything like that.

This stuff it's bad PR in my opinion as Ford want's to be like Tesla and have ordering online etc. They have a long way to go. The only way we ever get to that point and click, be sure its all good is to eliminate the dealership model all together. State laws for the most part make that impossible.

From what I have seen, your own experience in the reservation and ordering game is 100% dependent on your local dealership, how they are trained, their culture, their good will and their willingness to work on a tommorrow or next month deal. Most don't have the time for you if you aren't on their lot buying now. With companies like Tesla, every customer nationwide gets a uniform experience when they order online that is dependent on one source of people trained and versed in the process - not profit center whores waiting for the next mark to walk in.

Exactly. Enjoy your channel sir I haven't done any Maverick videos on mine yet LOL. Ford would have to overhaul its complete sales model eh ? Thats a uphill climb for sure.

 

[Gabbydad]

I think it’d be kind of cool if the dealers that are on this forum make comments here to put us at ease.

 

[pxpaulx]

I read this today and realized the model of "going to the dealership" to order vehicles is possibly outdated, I would even say frustrating . Even with the Maverick, I find it sad that some dealers on here are advertising 3% under invoice, 4% under invoice making some of us wonder - hey am I getting the best deal or worse - am I getting ripped off from my local dealer ? ( We aren't getting the best deal obviously ) Why is my dealer not doing that ? Those discount dealers have over 400 orders ( or more ) This then gives them "more allocation" supposedly- Huh ? . - then knowing if you decide to decline picking up your Maverick when delivered as nothing is set until that time, the dealer will mark it up 5K and sell it on the lot .......

While going and buying from dealer stock and "negotiating" which I hate anyway is one sales model - ordering from the manufacturer who gives a msrp AT the dealership then having to then be at the mercy of the dealer AFTER it comes in months or years later in the case of the Bronco - Im trying to understand how this model works in 2021. While Im not trying to be negative about The Maverick - after ordering in August Im not really SURE Ill actually have one. A dealer can make MUCH more money on the truck if I refuse to pick it up so why not turn the tables at the end if they are dishonest - ( not that dealerships are ever dishonest ....... ) - confusing - yes. Possibly causing confusion to a consumer - yes. Ford really doesnt "need" dealerships for anything other than service and parts truthfully and could control the whole sales process - yet the corporation stands back and says well uhh - the dealerships are independent and we cant tell them what to do .... reading this article made me really sad as well as thinking to my self - I wish I got 4% off lol ........ will they try to jack up the price after waiting 6 or more months ? like I said great product however I think folks should be able to be more confident in the sales process as far as their "we want you to order it " model.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a...ting-screwed-by-last-minute-delivery-markups/

Unfortunately this is entirely dependent on the dealer you end up using. I'm not sure it directly gives Ford a bad name, but it certainly doesn't help their desire to move to a build-to-order model. As @Shay mentioned, there are also state laws that prevent dealers and brands from truly implementing a direct sales model as well, though I think ultimately this will be the future of sales.

On the side of dealers receiving preferential inventory assignments for being a volume dealer, I think this is a good thing while not really having as much impact as we are given the impression. Why is it good? Because it incentivizes dealers like Chatman, Granger and Long McArthur to push that direct sales and transparent process model that Ford appears to want to move towards. They can use that internally with their dealer relationships to say hey, want to get more inventory? Do things that net your dealership higher sales volumes.

Conversely, I don't think this has much of an impact...at this point in time. With 400 sales orders at Chapman, they are maybe just breaking 1% of the total reservations converted to orders. 1.5% tops. I don't think Granger is into 3 digit territory and Long McArthur is probably somewhere in between. So we get some insight here - the 3 top/most visible online volume sellers are accounting for 3-4% of the total reservations. Lets say they have 750 orders between them. Lets then say that the bottom 750 sales dealers each have 10 orders. Even if assuming Ford could fulfill all of these orders in a month, that would mean those bottom dealers would have 9 fulfillments instead of 10. Obviously it doesn't work this way since order fulfillment will be going on into 2022, but the overall impact isn't that big, just because we see a constant barrage of discussion surrounding the dealers with that sort of sales model!

Ultimately, from a consumer perspective we'd want to see more dealers following this sort of model - it means the best price for everyone, and more importantly competition. Unfortunately in today's market it'll be awhile before anything like that happens.

 

[WasChops]

Unfortunately this is entirely dependent on the dealer you end up using. I'm not sure it directly gives Ford a bad name, but it certainly doesn't help their desire to move to a build-to-order model. As @Shay mentioned, there are also state laws that prevent dealers and brands from truly implementing a direct sales model as well, though I think ultimately this will be the future of sales.

On the side of dealers receiving preferential inventory assignments for being a volume dealer, I think this is a good thing while not really having as much impact as we are given the impression. Why is it good? Because it incentivizes dealers like Chatman, Granger and Long McArthur to push that direct sales and transparent process model that Ford appears to want to move towards. They can use that internally with their dealer relationships to say hey, want to get more inventory? Do things that net your dealership higher sales volumes.

Conversely, I don't think this has much of an impact...at this point in time. With 400 sales orders at Chapman, they are maybe just breaking 1% of the total reservations converted to orders. 1.5% tops. I don't think Granger is into 3 digit territory and Long McArthur is probably somewhere in between. So we get some insight here - the 3 top/most visible online volume sellers are accounting for 3-4% of the total reservations. Lets say they have 750 orders between them. Lets then say that the bottom 750 sales dealers each have 10 orders. Even if assuming Ford could fulfill all of these orders in a month, that would mean those bottom dealers would have 9 fulfillments instead of 10. Obviously it doesn't work this way since order fulfillment will be going on into 2022, but the overall impact isn't that big, just because we see a constant barrage of discussion surrounding the dealers with that sort of sales model!

Ultimately, from a consumer perspective we'd want to see more dealers following this sort of model - it means the best price for everyone, and more importantly competition. Unfortunately in today's market it'll be awhile before anything like that happens.

One of those dealerships you mention here, I had an order with... that Stealership then sent me a revised DORAN with a small markup add on... they claimed it was from Ford - but the DORAN itemized list did NOT indicate the same charge from Ford, it only indicated the add on to the line item for the Discounted off MSRP side of the quote. Needless to say, I am not buying from that Stealership.

Regardless, I now have NO CONFIDENCE at all with the final dealership - waiting to see. Bottom line - I may never own this Maverick FE Rapid Red.... the dream may vaporize at the time of transaction! I hope not, I am TRULY looking forward to this vehicle!

 

[pxpaulx]

It doesn't help that Mike Levine basically said Ford doesn't care what dealers do:

"MSRP is MSRP," Levine said in an email to Road & Track. "Dealers are independent franchises and ultimately the final price a customer will pay for any vehicle is agreed between themselves and a dealer that’s at, below, or above MSRP. If a customer isn’t happy with their dealer experience, our team can help them find a different dealer that’s a better match."

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a...ting-screwed-by-last-minute-delivery-markups/

Telling customers to just go somewhere else when it's nearly impossible to do so with how this process goes is just wild. Yea - let me go wait another year for my vehicle to be delivered just for another dealer to markup the price a week before delivery. Solid PR, Ford.

I get it, but its still ultimately not Ford's fault. They can't simply sever contracts with long standing dealers for...acting like a car dealership. Stinks that it is getting pulled on people that have been waiting so long, but those buyers could have done their research too and/or went with the same dealers we are working with here on the forum that are giving great prices and a seamless process.

 

[pxpaulx]

One of those dealerships you mention here, I had an order with... that Stealership then sent me a revised DORAN with a small markup add on... they claimed it was from Ford - but the DORAN itemized list did NOT indicate the same charge from Ford, it only indicated the add on to the line item for the Discounted off MSRP side of the quote. Needless to say, I am not buying from that Stealership.

Regardless, I now have NO CONFIDENCE at all with the final dealership - waiting to see. Bottom line - I may never own this Maverick FE Rapid Red.... the dream may vaporize at the time of transaction! I hope not, I am TRULY looking forward to this vehicle!

Have to ask - why wait on them? FEs already appear to be held up for whatever random reasons. I suspect that when Ford does get to them, they will get through the whole lot very quickly, regardless of when the order was placed. They'll probably batch schedule the whole lot of them, given they have unique characteristics with the graphics package and additional paint work required...

You now know exactly how you will be treated when the time comes.

Why not just move your order?

 

[WasChops]

Have to ask - why wait on them? FEs already appear to be held up for whatever random reasons. I suspect that when Ford does get to them, they will get through the whole lot very quickly, regardless of when the order was placed. They'll probably batch schedule the whole lot of them, given they have unique characteristics with the graphics package and additional paint work required...

You now know exactly how you will be treated when the time comes.

Why not just move your order?

To clarify - I have moved my order from the "4% discount" thief to a new Stealership.

I asked the new dealership rep to come down off MSRP by $1k - he responded with an allowance of $500 - a little relief off the full MSRP. This dealer is closer to me and will deliver the vehicle to my door at no added cost (I hope that remains true!!)

My other option was to fly to another Dealer up north and take delivery (X% off MSRP) and then drive it home with a variety of stops to visit my sons that live in IL, MO and then TX... then home to FL. I estimated the gas, food, lodging to be about the same cost as the savings (X% off MSRP) overall I hope the FL dealer contacts me before the "up north" dealer and simplifies my transaction and delivery!

 

[dicchicora]

This is my first time doing anything like this. I knew I'd be in the market for a new car, but I was thinking more toward February, but then I found the Maverick. The process for me has been painless so far. Granted, I ordered through my local dealer before knowing about any deals from out-of-state dealers. However, I don't know if I would have gone that route any way. The dealer I am working with has a good reputation, and everything so far has been above board. I'm hoping everything remains above board when it comes time to actually take delivery of the truck.

 

[dceggert]

It doesn't help that Mike Levine basically said Ford doesn't care what dealers do:

"MSRP is MSRP," Levine said in an email to Road & Track. "Dealers are independent franchises and ultimately the final price a customer will pay for any vehicle is agreed between themselves and a dealer that’s at, below, or above MSRP. If a customer isn’t happy with their dealer experience, our team can help them find a different dealer that’s a better match."

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a...ting-screwed-by-last-minute-delivery-markups/

Telling customers to just go somewhere else when it's nearly impossible to do so with how this process goes is just wild. Yea - let me go wait another year for my vehicle to be delivered just for another dealer to markup the price a week before delivery. Solid PR, Ford.

MSRP is, in fact, a 'recommended' price. Dealerships are a separate company from Ford Motor Company. I recently was browsing a Chevrolet dealer's inventory online. I was looking at the Camaro 1SS Convertible in their stock. The description stated "price plus 7,000 for added dealer items." Obviously this dealer thinks Chevy has underpriced their MSRP for the SS Camaro Convertible.

While I would never condone paying over MSRP I would also say that shopping based only on purchase price is also not a good practice for a consumer. If my local dealer (about 2 miles away from my house) was charging MSRP and the other dealer 18 miles away was $1,000 less I would still buy from my local dealer. Why? Over the time of ownership (I had an F150 for 20 years!) that $1,000 is trivial compared to the inconvenience of not having that dealer 2 miles away. I can walk there to drop off/pick up my vehicle, I know the service people by name, and I have successfully talked them into using their commercial lift to service my Ford based motorhome which has saved me well over $1,000 so far compared to the motorhome service bay at the motorhome dealer.

Foster a relationship with a dealer and other intangible things happen. I got invited to the 'exclusive Escape event' that the dealer put on as well. I have also gotten Ford hats and keychains when I was there. It is not just the price of the vehicle in the end!

 

[BARTMAVERICK]

I have 6 Ford dealerships within 16 miles of my home and I chose the one I have done business with before and I trust. They sell at MSRP and that's OK with me. They are small, friendly, family owned and don't have any "surprises" added when you finalize the sale. They care more about their reputation in the community then making a few extra dollars with shady practices.

 

[2cafn8d]

I wish more car companies would do direct sales like Tesla. The sad fact is that in many states, it's prohibited. Tesla has gone round and round for many years with this. Honestly... If I could just go online and order my car, I would have done that from the comfort of my living room. Don't get my wrong, I love my salesman and the dealership I am working with, but it's a matter of convenience to me since I work so much.

 

[Fotomoto]

it’d be kind of cool if the dealers that are on this forum make comments here

How do you know you’re not getting the whole story from a dealer? Their lips move.

See below for yet another example:

One of those dealerships you mention here, I had an order with... that Stealership then sent me a revised DORAN with a small markup add on... they claimed it was from Ford - but the DORAN itemized list did NOT indicate the same charge from Ford, it only indicated the add on to the line item for the Discounted off MSRP side of the quote. Needless to say, I am not buying from that Stealership.

Ford’s idea is compromise where the customer gets the worst of both sales models: they order but don’t actually buy the car from the manufacturer (one step process) and still have to “deal” with a dealer.

f I could just go online and order my car, I would have done that from the comfort of my living room.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I needed to be in the current crazy car market twice this summer. Both times I ended up buying on line (Carvana and CarMax). Yes I paid top dollar but in both cases I got much better selection and service during and after the sale. The total lack of BS combined with the upfront financial transparency is WORTH IT to many consumers.

I love my salesman and the dealership I am working with,

Said no one ever. All kidding aside, you’re a lucky exception to the rule.

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