I'll be ordering a 2012 F-150 Lariat in the next few days. Since I have x plan, what can I negotiate besides price? I feel as though I'm an easy buyer and could get one of the 8 Ford dealers in my immediate area to give me something for my business.

My thoughts are:

• Drop-in bed liner (but I've heard the Line-X XTRA is much better)
• Extra Warranty
• Oil Changes
• Vehicle Service

Anything else I could be asking for?

 

I too am planning on ordering a 2012 with X Plan. I have talked to a few people that I work with about this and they say the best way to negotiate is with your trade. Don't know if you have a trade or not.

It is a pretty shady thing to do but I was told to tell the dealer you have to get a lot for your trade to please your wife or significant other because they said you payed too much for it when you bought it. So tell them you want your trade-in value to reflect the savings you would have gotten off the sticker price. Get it in writing by telling them you have to get it approved by said person. Then go back later/the next day and bring the paper saying the trade-in value you agreed on and then tell them that you have X Plan pricing as well. They will get very upset but a few of the guys that I work with have done it.

 

I do have a trade in. But it is a 1997 Suburban in fair condition (out of fair, good, and great). I'd be happy if I got $3,000 out of it at a minimum.

I'm not sure I can do what you're suggesting as the two primary dealers I've been working with know I have x plan pricing. Nice suggestion though; a little shady

 

why would a dealer negotiate when they are making a 50$ mini on new car deals at times. When you take x plan or any other close to cost plan they show you up front the numbers, then you take the rebates off of that. All that is left is a few hundred bucks in dealer hold back. They cant just give you those items for free. THe money has to come from somewhere to pay for them. This isnt 1995 where you could barter.

Virtually all dealers show you the dealer cost invoice, showing cost x d and a plan or whatever that brand of car has for employee pricing. They then take the rabates off and give you a total price. Its a buyers market now, the only real mark up you will find is on used cars. Ive been in the industry a long time in both powersports and auto so I know the in's and out's. If by chance your dealer doesnt show you the vehicle invoice, get up and walk out. Its all about volume or moving units vs mark up.

 

Trade and financing

 

I live in a city with a Chrysler manufacturing plant. When we bought our Caliber a couple years back, dealers were advertising Employee Pricing, non negotiable. Price was the price. We made an offer and down payment. Dealer had a challenge getting us the car, so, we asked a pal who works at the plant for a "control number". These are codes given to dealers (employees get 5 pe ryear here, or did), and will get you the REAL employee pricing. Turns out, this control number was 3% more off the advertised employee pricing. Moral of the story, dealers are NOT giving the real employee price.

So, when I went to get my truck, I knew the real employee price was at least 3% less then their advertised price. I got a a liner, bugger, oil change, and another $1000 off.

P.S. Don't fall for the invoice scam. Dealers will NOT sell for invoice, or less than. If they did, they would be out of business. They have salaries to pay, rent, utilities, taxes, mechanics, ... Its well known that there are 2 "invoices". 1 to share with a buyer if it ever come to having to show it, and the real one. You will never see the real one.

Negotiate. Pay cash. Keep calm and try to keep emotions out of the process. ANd be prepared to walk- there is another dealer up the street who will gladly match the price and then some.

 

If you want to negotiate and you want the best price, don't even bother with X-plan. I had it and it did me no good, the better dealers were beating the X-plan price by more than $1000.

Many dealers also offer free oil changes for life as well as a lifetime engine warranty anyway, so not much to barter for there (mine came with these). Some throw in a bedliner with those prices as well.

 

I know I could get a great price with a 2011. I just don't feel I have much of any negotiating room off of X Plan on a special order, first run, new model vehicle. I'd rather focus my time on secondary items, such as my trade in or an extended warranty.

 

X-plan saved me quite a bit. I don't believe anything the dealer shows me. More times than I care to admit while the dealer showed me 'the price he paid for the vehicle' and sitting with a document you can buy in any store or see on the internet and the numbers not jiving it is hard to believe any of them. The 'price he paid' also differs greatly between dealers a couple miles from each other. Moral of the story.........be prepared to walk out, get a little mad and don't believe most anything said. Don't know why is has to be this way but it is the truth. I bought a car from Car Max a couple years ago and this is the way it should proceed..........or am I being naive again???

 

I'm very comfortable with negotiating. In fact, I enjoy it in a sick way. I negotiate million dollar deals as a part of my day job.