My dealership required a 2000 dollar deposit

[Criss944]

I used a credit card to pay $1,000 refundable deposit. I pay off the credit card immediately and got a nice rebate, better than 441 days interest sitting in the bank.

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[Jerry Heep]

My Ford and Lincoln dealer both took a $1000 down payment for the Maverick and the Corsair Reserve. They cashed the checks after the orders were placed with Ford and order numbers issued. Up to that point, we could have back out of the order and gotten the checks back.

When the Maverick was delivered, they deduced the 1K from the bottom of the invoice. We figure the Lincoln dealer will do the same thing when the wife gets her Corsair in two weeks.

 

[TomD]

Not sure if Ford headquarters is aware but my local dealership required a 2000 dollar deposit on my Maverick order. In ten days it will be 8 months for my hybrid order with still no build date . I wonder if they will start paying me interest on the 2 grand ?

If you signed a purchase agreement they might have done you a favor. You might be exempt from paying a price increase.
Basically it’s like paying earnest money on a house. They don’t want you backing out of the deal. If you have a receipt don’t worry.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I have no issues making a deposit when ordering... You are asking Ford to build a customized truck for you.... sure if you don't take it, the dealer can sell it... but not instantly... if someone orders a strange truck.

I've seen Black Ecoboost FWD XLTs ordered with a fancy tonneau cover, bed lighting, remote start, coPilot360, and a sunroof... but no 4K tow, no AWD, no rear slider window, no bedliner... a worthless, but expensive rig for my needs... I've seen a number of EB AWDs on lots with no 4K Tow and no rear slider.... if they'd come with those, I would have bought, but they didn't, so I didn't.

If people had to put $1000 down we would have had allot less people ordering extras to flip, or later deciding they just didn't want their Maverick after all. I mean, you're asking Ford to commit to building you a truck, it's not unreasonable to offer them a small incentive to do it. Yes, it does cost the dealer dearly to place your order... they are giving up an allocation... and if you spec a somewhat undeseriable rig, it's more work to sell it if you bail.

 

[IdahoDirtFarmer]

$500 deposit when I ordered. They took it off the total when I picked it up yesterday.

 

[mav_kev]

I gave my dealer my credit card for $500, but they never charged it. I think it's completely reasonable to require a deposit, though $2000 does seem a touch steep. It's dealer's discretion though. Asking them to take on a liability and use an allocation without a little skin in the game is what seems unreasonable to me.

"Yeah go ahead and order this custom spec vehicle for me. Oh you want some sort of financial commitment to indicate I'm serious? Nah I'll take my business elsewhere." See how silly that sounds?

*full disclosure, I was a dealership employee for 15 years

 

[Kristom]

My dealer got a $500 deposit on a hybrid… At MSRP and lower fees because my son works in service there. Switched from a 22 to 23 and still waiting!

 

[RR - All the way]

To me, that would have been a red flag to avoid doing business with that dealer. I see no reasonable explanation for an order deposit on a Maverick, especially one of that amount. I would also like to see statistical evidence that dealers requiring large (over $500) deposits for a Maverick order are less likely to scam you if/when it gets delivered. I call BS on all of it.

Nothing statistical, but I have been on this forum for a while. I do not recall any case of a person who put down a deposit and thus had a signed purchase order ever complaining of paying an ADM. Could be wrong and this may not be statistical evidence, but it is an indicator to me.

It also made it less likely of someone with multiple orders who might take up a dealer allocation ahead of me which then became a dealer sale with ADM.
Looks to me like if a dealer wanted orders refused so he could mark them up, he would encourage orders by NOT having a deposit.

 

[TKranbuhl]

When I ordered my '22 there was a $100 deposit with my credit card. Never did show up on my credit card bill or on the final paper work. 5 months later my truck was delivered with no problems. Love the truck and dealer.

 

[dcs12345]

Asking them to take on a liability and use an allocation without a little skin in the game is what seems unreasonable to me.

"Yeah go ahead and order this custom spec vehicle for me. Oh you want some sort of financial commitment to indicate I'm serious? Nah I'll take my business elsewhere." See how silly that sounds?

*full disclosure, I was a dealership employee for 15 years

An allocation on a vehicle that they know they can sell to someone else for at least a couple of thousand above MSRP in a couple of days.....when they wouldn't have received any if the customer didn't order one. Yeah, that seems like a risk they want to take.

Now, if they wanted to add on a deposit for an extremely undesirable order in a case by case basis...maybe that could make sense. But doing it on every order, that we all know will sell quickly on average, is silly.

Would them getting more orders, which they likely will not have issues selling, possibly improve their allocation allotment for the next go around?

 

[mav_kev]

An allocation on a vehicle that they know they can sell to someone else for at least a couple of thousand above MSRP in a couple of days.....when they wouldn't have received any if the customer didn't order one. Yeah, that seems like a risk they want to take.

Now, if they wanted to add on a deposit for an extremely undesirable order in a case by case basis...maybe that could make sense. But doing it on every order, that we all know will sell quickly on average, is silly.

Would them getting more orders, which they likely will not have issues selling, possibly improve their allocation allotment for the next go around?

To your point, and further disclosure, in the powersports business but same premise, I personally stopped asking for deposits just to take a hurdle out of the ordering process. If the customer bailed, at least we had a unit to sell, otherwise we would have waited 3-4x as long for a stock unit to arrive. We also weren't gouging people on stock units, so there's that.

I guess my point was the expectation of zero deposit and the personal offense taken at the very thought of the requirement is what's silly to me. Requiring a deposit isn't necessarily an indication of an unfair and dishonest dealer. To me, it's just a sound business practice.

 

[SLINGSHOT]

First dealer wanted non refundable $500 deposit. I said NO. Then, they offered to return it in 6 months. I still said NO.
I went to another dealer. Told them I would NOT do a deposit. No problem.
First dealer lost a customer. Tough shit.

 

[Rivers90]

Of 3 dealership's near me none said they needed a deposit. One wanted a deposit form filled out, but they did not need or want the money just signed form to show Ford they really had an order.

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