Buying Question - Need Advice
#1
Buying Question - Need Advice
Long time lurker.... First Post
I have been considering purchasing a F-150 for the past year and I am at a point where I want to pull the trigger.I have been to the lots and looked at a lot of trucks, visited dealer websites, and visited sites like Car Gurus, True Car, Costco Auto program. Lot's of things going on and many different prices. I understand that some of these prices have all the incentives factored into the "internet" price and I may not be eligible for all of them.It can be a bit confusing. I am looking for some advice.
I am eligible for n X-Plan Pin and I can get a $500 Farmers Bureau rebate. I also see that there a Ford incentives in place thru 7/1 and some dealer incentives as well. Is using X-Plan a good way to go? Can you get all the incentives with X-Plan as well? What about programs like Costco's auto buying program? Or is my best option just to go to the dealership and try to negotiate? Please excuse my ignorance, but I want to get the best deal I can and I have often got caught up in the buying process previously and went with getting the car now emotions rather than thinking things thru so I can get the better deal.
Any words of advice?
Thanks!
I have been considering purchasing a F-150 for the past year and I am at a point where I want to pull the trigger.I have been to the lots and looked at a lot of trucks, visited dealer websites, and visited sites like Car Gurus, True Car, Costco Auto program. Lot's of things going on and many different prices. I understand that some of these prices have all the incentives factored into the "internet" price and I may not be eligible for all of them.It can be a bit confusing. I am looking for some advice.
I am eligible for n X-Plan Pin and I can get a $500 Farmers Bureau rebate. I also see that there a Ford incentives in place thru 7/1 and some dealer incentives as well. Is using X-Plan a good way to go? Can you get all the incentives with X-Plan as well? What about programs like Costco's auto buying program? Or is my best option just to go to the dealership and try to negotiate? Please excuse my ignorance, but I want to get the best deal I can and I have often got caught up in the buying process previously and went with getting the car now emotions rather than thinking things thru so I can get the better deal.
Any words of advice?
Thanks!
#2
I just picked up a nice XLT SCrew, Magnetic on May 31. It was my 4th attempt at a Ford dealership and 2 tries (for practice ) at RAM dealers. Ford currently has a deal with BJs for $1000 off on an F150. Ford, thru id.me, also has a $750 off offer for veterans good thru July 8. I was originally told that the BJs deal was not worth my while because of the Ford vets deal.
Anyhoo, I went to the 4th dealer at noon on the 31st, test drove the one I wanted, and then "negotiated" for 3 hours with the sales rep, finance manager and 2 managers. I had a trade and had a firm Trade + Cash + Finance = Out the door price including taxes, tags, registration, etc number that I held firmly to and finally signed a deal that was, no bs, $14.78 over my number. They had to get something. I'm not sure if the last day of the month story had anything to do with the sale.
I don't know how they finally did it but I ended up getting the BJs membership to do it. I was told by 3 Ford dealers that Ford has strict rules about incentives and rebates and that they audit dealers frequently to make sure they are staying within the rules. I also signed up with Ford Motor Credit to get some discounts, 6.5% interest, but am going to refi with Navy Federal after one payment. The dealer said that Ford would probably penalize them if I did that but who knows?
So I guess the moral of my story is to pick a number and see what you can get on your own. Dealer discounts from MSRP are bigger than any car buying service prices around here.
BTW, I've been buying new Fords since 1968, including one at the legendary Ralph Williams Ford in LA and never saw this trick before. The original offer for my trade was, picking numbers, $20,000 but it was Equivalent Trade because they added the actual number they were offering, $18,500, to the sales tax savings of $1500 I got because of the trade.
Anyhoo, I went to the 4th dealer at noon on the 31st, test drove the one I wanted, and then "negotiated" for 3 hours with the sales rep, finance manager and 2 managers. I had a trade and had a firm Trade + Cash + Finance = Out the door price including taxes, tags, registration, etc number that I held firmly to and finally signed a deal that was, no bs, $14.78 over my number. They had to get something. I'm not sure if the last day of the month story had anything to do with the sale.
I don't know how they finally did it but I ended up getting the BJs membership to do it. I was told by 3 Ford dealers that Ford has strict rules about incentives and rebates and that they audit dealers frequently to make sure they are staying within the rules. I also signed up with Ford Motor Credit to get some discounts, 6.5% interest, but am going to refi with Navy Federal after one payment. The dealer said that Ford would probably penalize them if I did that but who knows?
So I guess the moral of my story is to pick a number and see what you can get on your own. Dealer discounts from MSRP are bigger than any car buying service prices around here.
BTW, I've been buying new Fords since 1968, including one at the legendary Ralph Williams Ford in LA and never saw this trick before. The original offer for my trade was, picking numbers, $20,000 but it was Equivalent Trade because they added the actual number they were offering, $18,500, to the sales tax savings of $1500 I got because of the trade.
Last edited by oldsubsailor; 06-09-2019 at 03:11 PM. Reason: number correction
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VBKen (06-09-2019)
#3
A lot depends on your negotiating skills and knowing what the bottom line is for a particular vehicle. The dealership will only lose money under rare conditions, regardless of how many times they mention needing to keep the lights on. They might take a loss to get rid of a long sitting vehicle from the previous model year. Rarely ever for a current model year in my experience.
X-plan is a good deal. It gives you a straight up price. It also limits what they can charge you for “other things” like dealer fees, doc fee, and special “coating stuff”. If you are inexperienced go look at 2018s, use your X-plan, and ask them for some free maintenance or extras like floor mats, etc.
Can a better deal be had? Of course but it could also be much worse!
Two things to to watch out for when asking for internet advice...truck owners can sometimes fib about their great deals and almost always lie about the mileage their truck gets. (I get 93 mpg btw and can provide picture proof.)
I buy Z-Plan and usually get some stuff thrown in to cover roughly half the kick back, not all mind you, cause they need to, ya know, keep the lights on. Z-Plan is about as good as it gets but I hear about some great negotiators that can beat my deals by thousands!
Also, XLTs usually have the best deals, so don’t compare them to Lariats and up. But on the same page, many options are priced way above invoice, so they have more wiggle room on some options and none on others.
Every man man wants to feel like he got a great deal and took the mighty salesman to the cleaners. If you get such a great deal that the manager comes over and says they can’t honor the deal made, then great job, but somebody might not have a job tomorrow. Haha. Pretty rare, but happened once. P.S. I paid more than originally agreed. I couldn’t believe he agreed in the first place. Good times.
Get the options you want/need and don’t pay for stuff you don’t need/want. Find the best rebates and if they coincide with what you are looking for, then great. For example, they might have the best rebates on a 5.0 with the XLT luxury package. If you wanted a 5.0 XLT but didn’t want/need the luxury package, then the $500 extra rebate is not worth the extra $1200 in options. That’s not getting the best deal for what you want or need. But technically that’s the best deal.
Write down what you want/need. We will help you assess the truck. If you pay a good price and got exactly what you want, then you win. Simple as that. GREAT deals can be had but you have to be flexible and buy something that may not be exactly what you want but something they want to sell.
Good of luck in your endeavors and hope to see you post more and help in any way I can.
X-plan is a good deal. It gives you a straight up price. It also limits what they can charge you for “other things” like dealer fees, doc fee, and special “coating stuff”. If you are inexperienced go look at 2018s, use your X-plan, and ask them for some free maintenance or extras like floor mats, etc.
Can a better deal be had? Of course but it could also be much worse!
Two things to to watch out for when asking for internet advice...truck owners can sometimes fib about their great deals and almost always lie about the mileage their truck gets. (I get 93 mpg btw and can provide picture proof.)
I buy Z-Plan and usually get some stuff thrown in to cover roughly half the kick back, not all mind you, cause they need to, ya know, keep the lights on. Z-Plan is about as good as it gets but I hear about some great negotiators that can beat my deals by thousands!
Also, XLTs usually have the best deals, so don’t compare them to Lariats and up. But on the same page, many options are priced way above invoice, so they have more wiggle room on some options and none on others.
Every man man wants to feel like he got a great deal and took the mighty salesman to the cleaners. If you get such a great deal that the manager comes over and says they can’t honor the deal made, then great job, but somebody might not have a job tomorrow. Haha. Pretty rare, but happened once. P.S. I paid more than originally agreed. I couldn’t believe he agreed in the first place. Good times.
Get the options you want/need and don’t pay for stuff you don’t need/want. Find the best rebates and if they coincide with what you are looking for, then great. For example, they might have the best rebates on a 5.0 with the XLT luxury package. If you wanted a 5.0 XLT but didn’t want/need the luxury package, then the $500 extra rebate is not worth the extra $1200 in options. That’s not getting the best deal for what you want or need. But technically that’s the best deal.
Write down what you want/need. We will help you assess the truck. If you pay a good price and got exactly what you want, then you win. Simple as that. GREAT deals can be had but you have to be flexible and buy something that may not be exactly what you want but something they want to sell.
Good of luck in your endeavors and hope to see you post more and help in any way I can.
Last edited by jcb206; 06-10-2019 at 12:50 AM.
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VBKen (06-10-2019)
#4
Sit back, take some time, and click this link. Might want to start in the middle as there is some really good advice from toptobottom in it. https://www.f150forum.com/f118/just-...4/#post4091234
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VBKen (06-10-2019)
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VBKen (06-10-2019)
#6
Senior Member
The best advice is to read through the thread that is copied by acdii. Secondly do not be in a hurry. Truck prices are all over the place even within the same area so shop price and don’t hesitate to go out of your area. As mentioned make a list of what you want and what you can live with because if you are buying off the lot you may have to settle a little. I ordered a truck earlier in the year and got my truck for 10% off of MSRP plus another $6750 in incentives including a $3000 PCO. The sticker on my truck was $42,270 and I paid $31,100 before any added taxes and fees but this took me about 6 weeks of working a few different dealers. Some dealers will simply not deal so you have to work a few and try to find a high volume dealer.
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VBKen (06-10-2019)
#7
Thanks for all the responses so far. I have been putting together my must have's and trying to rule out what I honestly do not need. I am looking at the post acdii shared... Lot of good info. Looking forward see what I can find. I'm not afraid to travel a bit to get what I want. Obviously the closer to home the better, but if another dealer can do better then so be it.
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#8
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I have heard that buying through Costco is just an ok price if you are the type of person that doesnt like confrontation or haggling, but most ppl say you can do much better if you do your homework and work on the dealer.
The part I hate is when the salesman has to go get approval from their manager and then the finance rep. and back and forth it goes. This is also a "game" they play based on your patience. I think the best advice is to be willing to walk away and not have the mindset that you need to leave with a vehicle. If they are willing to deal furth they will usually contact you after you leave. Not every dealer is willing to negotiate via email, but with my wifes' new Jeep, we decided on a set price and all costs detailed on paper before we even set foot on the lot.
The part I hate is when the salesman has to go get approval from their manager and then the finance rep. and back and forth it goes. This is also a "game" they play based on your patience. I think the best advice is to be willing to walk away and not have the mindset that you need to leave with a vehicle. If they are willing to deal furth they will usually contact you after you leave. Not every dealer is willing to negotiate via email, but with my wifes' new Jeep, we decided on a set price and all costs detailed on paper before we even set foot on the lot.
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VBKen (06-10-2019)
#9
Senior Member
X-Plan plus rebates including Farm Bureau. No negotiating. Beats Costco. Don't waste days or weeks.
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VBKen (06-10-2019)
#10
I suggest deciding on exactly what you want and then contacting the dealership online to let them know what you want and that you will be using an X Plan PIN. Dealers can trade vehicles so, they should be able to find exactly what you want. And if your salesman is decent, they will find one that has been around longer so it has a bonus incentive to move. Negotiating over email is great because it gives you a little more time to think and also gets everything in writing. Since you are using X-Plan and rebates/incentives, you really aren't negotiating on much anyhow. Probably the best price and least headache option you can get.
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VBKen (06-11-2019)