At what point does one ask if the dealer accepts X-plan? I joined the MCA about a month and a half ago, but of course it's not valid until late November for me. Can I ask the dealer if he will accept it knowing that I will have the PIN later, or do I actually have to have it activated in order to use it? (Of course, this depends of whether or not the dealer will actually accept it, I understand that part of it.)

 

Find out now if dealer accepts the plan. You will need the pin when it comes time to pay for the vehicle, which sounds like you have time.

 

Dealer needs to know up front that you'll be using X-Plan, and they have full control as to whether or not they'll accept X-Plan in the market we're in right now, so even if you're able to get a pin, you may not be able to use it if the dealer won't accept it.

 

Get the dealer's answer IN WRITING.

 

i believe participating dealers have to accept Xplan if you're ordering a vehicle, they do NOT have to take it on a vehicle already on the lot.

Covid has turned everything on it's head, pre-covid you could frequently shop around and get a deal better than Xplan. The reason I've used it because dealers around here want 1k+ dealer fees that waives.

 

Agreed.

I purchased my F150 around Memorial Day weekend. I was working with a couple of local dealers based on their current inventory. Both initially agreed to provide me with X-Plan pricing and then one backed out. I also called a third dealer who said they were now longer obligated to honor X-Plan pricing. I ended up buying from the one dealer that would still honor X-Plan pricing.

 

I had a similar experience, I bought my lariat powerboost from a dealer about 90 minutes away because they were the only dealer to accept X plan on an F150 on their lot. I also had a dealer closer to me accept it but then add $5K market adjustment to the price so almost a net zero. My advice is call and ask if they accept X plan before you have any further conversations, and ask them to confirm with the manager or GM or whomever is in charge. Every dealer I talked to would gladly order a F150 on X plan and when I cancelled my order because I found one at another dealer they were ok with it because my order would still arrive and they could sell it for msrp+, kind of a win/win.

 

That dealer can't do that. X-Plan gets no adjustment. If they accept X-Plan, and do the plan paperwork, then the deal gets reviewed by Ford. If they added $5,000, they'd get caught and the buyer would get a refund of $5,000. Total BS.

 

Plus you have to be careful when you hear people say they beat X-Plan or whatever. While it is possible to beat X-Plan, in most cases it is suspect when you hear it because the dealer gets money direct from Ford on plan deals versus having to take the difference between their cost for the vehicle and what they sell it to you for.

There are other methods of making up lost income by not taking a plan deal and "offering it for lower" than they can do with a plan deal. X-Plan/A-Plan/Z-Plan, etc, cap certain fees and little things that many don't realize dealers can do to a deal. Doc fees and that are capped on plan deals for example, but not on a non-plan deal.

They can also do "cool" things with your payment plan. For example, if you get approved for 1.9% through Ford Credit, the dealer can add points to the finance rate and they get a kick back for that. This often is seen in "killer out the door deals" that people that buy cars from all manufacturers don't realize. Even coming back and saying you were approved for 2.5% instead of the actual 1.9% is a good chunk of money for the dealer.

Again, not saying this happens to people that say they beat plan pricing. But dealerships have a lot of methods to squeeze out extra cash, and it isn't always obvious, even to the most seasoned car buyer.