Having a hard time ordering 2021

[RedlandRanger]

The discount was deeper for my Ranger when I bought it in March of 2019. I don't know if the percentage varies, though.



I don't recall ever seeing anything in the language that said you had to take from the dealer's stock. Hell, if that's the case, I shouldn't have been able to get my Ranger since no dealer in the Bay Area stocked what I wanted. I just worked with Livermore Ford to find what I wanted anyway and they went and got it.

I was working with a salesman on the Costco plan for my order, so they can be an order - like I said earlier, it is very similar to X-Plan, which can be used for orders or for dealer stock purchases.

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[Texasota]

Are you e-mailing back and forth with one specific salesman? If yes, then you need to find a different salesman. If you are talking to multiple people in sales, then it is not surprising there is little continuity in the e-mail exchanges.

I have bought our last four Fords from the same salesman and I have always used e-mail with him when getting ready to order a new vehicle. My advice is to find a good salesman and then communicate directly only with him via his e-mail.

 

[jblc]

Are you e-mailing back and forth with one specific salesman? If yes, then you need to find a different salesman.

Yes, it's with the same salesperson, so there is continuity -- it just seems like emails are lost into a black hole; they seem to ignore.

In the case of three dealerships, I gave up on who i was talking to, cold called the dealership, and talked to someone else -- and they requested I write to them. But, the same thing happened with the new salesperson in each case.

 

[painter1]

Does anyone have tips for getting a dealer's attention and a quote?
Is this normal?

My father used to sometimes remark, "at the end of the day your on your own". That has been my experience with most new car dealers trying to get info !

My advice, find out as much as you can about what you need to know for your possible purchase without the dealer (options, pkg content, msrp's etc). Download the order guide and draft a spec'd out quote request using the order codes and description for body configuration, interior colour, options etc. There's probably some examples of individual's orders online for format or just list them all out.

Then send out your emails asking for a quote. The idea being, staightforward with minimal questions. Maybe a dealer offering online ordering would be more receptive, IDK.

My own experience FWIW, I emailed a dealer who specializes in fleet sales, said I'd bought from him before (which is true but didn't have to be ...) and asked for the '21MY order guide. He emailed back not the guide but a editable pdf with options to select (with msrp pricing). I completed and returned, he sent a quote with discounts and incentives (none of the latter currently). Next would be arrange a test drive from stock, finalise the order and provide deposit. I wish you a similar, easy experience.

Good luck with it.

 

[wanted33]

I think they are trained that way. I've had the same problem all the way over here on the other coast. You may also want to look at TrueCar. You just put what you want in, and dealers kinda fight for you business. But, get ready for a lot of emails. I always try other dealers in my area for quotes, but I wind up right back at the local dealer I've dealt for for nearly 30 years. They have given me the best deal on all the Fords I've bought without all of the horseshit. Good luck, sometimes dealers make it much harder than it should be......

BTW, Ali (painter1) has a great suggestion, and I do exactly that when I'm ready to buy. Do your due diligence. Know more than the salesperson, and get right down to the facts. You can get the invoice price on the truck you want on www.kbb.com. Just fill in the blanks with the equipment/options you want, or the equipment/option on the truck you're looking at.

 

[jblc]

My advice, find out as much as you can about what you need to know for your possible purchase without the dealer (options, pkg content, msrp's etc).
...
Then send out your emails asking for a quote.

Thanks; this is what I've been doing.
My first email lists out ALL the options (both in PDF and in text as well), and I simply ask for a build quote. I know exactly what I want.

It should be simple, but I cannot get to the quote step

Instead, they ask for what features I want; and I keep saying I just sent it and list them out again. Then a few days pass and they ask if I'm still interested in a 2020 they have in stock. I send the features again for a special order request, and the cycle continues...
(This pattern is consistent across three dealerships)

 

[painter1]

Thanks; this is what I've been doing.
My first email lists out ALL the options (both in PDF and in text as well), and simply to ask for a build quote. I know exactly what I want.

It should be simple, but I cannot get to the quote step

"Endeavor to persevere" .
But I know ... it sucks when you're ready to go.

You're gonna need to find the right person. Maybe do the phone call first, chit chat with reception when they are not busy and ask who might help you with a factory order, or ask the sales mgr and cc them in your email thread. Then chat up the prospect and ask, "will you do this for me" followed by the email request ("nice talking with you earlier, per your request, yada yada.").

I mentioned fleet because they may be used to ordering and not have time to waste but that might not be a go for you.

You want a 2021, that's why you are ordering. And/or have specific options in mind. that's just the way it is.

 

[Ranger_Rocks]

After a few emails full of useless unrelated canned replies... then the email nannies step in and it starts all over again. Emails are monitored by sales managers, internet managers, general managers, directors, etc.

They won't stay on topic and address specific concerns.

 

[RedlandRanger]

I got a membership to try this out, thanks for the suggestions.

Here's the result:
"Currently, we have not located a dealership in your area that has met our strict pricing criteria for the manufacturer you selected."

I'm unsure what this means. Are they saying that they don't have any Ford dealer connections in the area?
Does anyone know if there's a less-known method to bypass this and search in a larger area, per some earlier posts?

That was one thing I found out - there aren't a lot of "participating" dealers in the Costco program - at least for Ford. There was only one near me and they were an hour away - According to the Ford website, I have 17 dealers within 50 miles of me - and only one of them participates in the Costco program.

 

[jblc]

That was one thing I found out - there aren't a lot of "participating" dealers in the Costco program - at least for Ford.

Got it, thanks. I'll call them directly and see where the closest participation is.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

I've been trying to get the attention of several SF Bay Area dealerships to special order a 2021 XLT, i feel like I'm talking to a wall with each dealership.
Does anyone have advice?
Details:

1) Due to covid I'd like to get a basic price quote (for a build) over email/phone.
Some dealerships will only talk about ANY details, no matter how minor, in-person. I'm avoiding those dealerships.
I'm fine with signing/etc to be in-person.

2) Other dealerships are open to email / phone, but we've been spinning wheels for weeks: each email reply of theirs is basically asks again what I literally just answered in the prior email two lines below their reply, etc.

Eg: after discussing some build details, the next email is usually something like: "are you still interested in a 2020 ranger? Let me show you what we have in stock", etc.
It's as though the conversation disappears; we're stuck at the first step.

3) I don't think I understand what's going on -- I'm looking to give them money , but I'm having to work very hard to get them to take it


Does anyone have tips for getting a dealer's attention and a quote?
Is this normal?

Should I give up on local dealers, and look further away? (Any non-obvious disadvantage to that?)

Thanks for any thoughts.

The qu

I've been trying to get the attention of several SF Bay Area dealerships to special order a 2021 XLT, i feel like I'm talking to a wall with each dealership.
Does anyone have advice?
Details:

1) Due to covid I'd like to get a basic price quote (for a build) over email/phone.
Some dealerships will only talk about ANY details, no matter how minor, in-person. I'm avoiding those dealerships.
I'm fine with signing/etc to be in-person.

2) Other dealerships are open to email / phone, but we've been spinning wheels for weeks: each email reply of theirs is basically asks again what I literally just answered in the prior email two lines below their reply, etc.

Eg: after discussing some build details, the next email is usually something like: "are you still interested in a 2020 ranger? Let me show you what we have in stock", etc.
It's as though the conversation disappears; we're stuck at the first step.

3) I don't think I understand what's going on -- I'm looking to give them money , but I'm having to work very hard to get them to take it


Does anyone have tips for getting a dealer's attention and a quote?
Is this normal?

Should I give up on local dealers, and look further away? (Any non-obvious disadvantage to that?)

Thanks for any thoughts.

Even though they all show the same Ford oval, there is a huge difference among dealers in terms of quality of workmanship on repairs, commitment to customer service, efficiency, honesty, etc. Just keep looking until you find a dealer that will give you the level of service that you expect and deserve. I found a good one on my second try, which, in retrospect, was pretty lucky....

 

[JHC14]

I've been trying to get the attention of several SF Bay Area dealerships to special order a 2021 XLT, i feel like I'm talking to a wall with each dealership.
Does anyone have advice?
Details:

1) Due to covid I'd like to get a basic price quote (for a build) over email/phone.
Some dealerships will only talk about ANY details, no matter how minor, in-person. I'm avoiding those dealerships.
I'm fine with signing/etc to be in-person.

2) Other dealerships are open to email / phone, but we've been spinning wheels for weeks: each email reply of theirs is basically asks again what I literally just answered in the prior email two lines below their reply, etc.

Eg: after discussing some build details, the next email is usually something like: "are you still interested in a 2020 ranger? Let me show you what we have in stock", etc.
It's as though the conversation disappears; we're stuck at the first step.

3) I don't think I understand what's going on -- I'm looking to give them money , but I'm having to work very hard to get them to take it


Does anyone have tips for getting a dealer's attention and a quote?
Is this normal?

Should I give up on local dealers, and look further away? (Any non-obvious disadvantage to that?)

Thanks for any thoughts.

If you want to understand why the sales personnel act the way they do you have to understand the dealer (owner) to salesman relationship. It is very much a “what have you done for me TODAY“ type of relationship. Selling a car three months from now is NOT as good as selling one sitting here today. The salesperson may not, probably won’t, be there in 3 months. And, you may find another vehicle somewhere else and buy it instead. There is very little incentive to place a special order for the sales personnel. It’s lots of time and paperwork, most likely a small commission (called a minimum) as margins are smaller, and other Customers are there wanting what the commission based sales person can be paid on this week not in 3-4 months.
I understand how frustrating it is to think a $40-50,000 purchase could mean so little the salesperson. But to the salesperson it may be only a $150-$300 sale In commission and a lot of time.
My advice, find a smaller dealership as other suggested Or Ask to see the person in charge of ordering cars for the lot. Often a rare long time salesman or assistant manager. They order all the time so it is quicker, less chance of screw ups and CAN order what you want and notify you when it’s on its way. No “special” order required.
Just a few thoughts from someone who has lived in that world before. Good Luck -

 

[rltriumph]

Just start dealing with the sales manager. They are more concerned with the actual dealership than chasing commissions. Start there. Still can’t understand why its so hard to purchase and have a vehicle serviced. Thought that would be figured out by now.

 

[ProtonDecay]

Where are you in the Bay Area? I am in Santa Clara and just placed an order for a 2021 - ETA is 3-4 months, but I'm OK with that. Price below dealer invoice. Here's what I did:

1) Go onto Ford.com and build your truck - you can save your build.

2) You can then use Ford's dealer finder to find the dealers within reasonable driving distance of your zip, and then select the one(s) you want (one-by-one, but it goes pretty fast).

3) I sent that build out to 10 dealers near me, plus a couple over in the GCV (Madera, Hanford - just because I have purchased from them before).

4) 70% of them called within an hour and said they had exactly my truck in stock and when could I come in to buy it. My build is pretty non-standard, so I would ask them to send me a pdf or pic of the window sticker. Those contacts got ruled out pretty quickly as they gotta make 2020 sales.

5) The remaining 4 reps were gtg and ended up giving me prices ranging from $500 over DI to 1.5% below DI.

At the end of the day, you'll end up talking with the fleet manager anyway, so it might be faster to just call and ask to speak with him/her and then send over the pdf of your build if they're willing to work with you. I've done that before, but did the above for this buy. This approach took just under one week to work through (pm of 20-Nov to am of 27-Nov - T-day got in the way a bit). Maybe 5 hours of applied time - probably about the same as calling 12 fleet managers directly.

Oh, and Costco.com do not have a certified dealer for the Ranger in range - the F-150 dealer is in Morgan Hill, but didn't want to work with me on the Ranger.

Good Luck

 

[JimJa]

Several points:
In '07 I ordered a Volvo XC90 through Costco. First they will check to see if the dealer you are interested in purchasing from is in "their plan." If so, they will want the VIN. I told them I was ordering. BTW, I had previously talked to the dealer about ordering specifically what I wanted. Told the Costco rep to talk to the salesman I was dealing with. Costco was able to get knocked off an additional $3,500 from what the dealer was planning to offer - plus their other bennies, $500 in store credit, $1,000 returned to the dealer which he returned to me (several months after delivery). Costco charged $100 for the deal. I was happy and it went smoothly.

I deal with a small, local dealer in north Iowa. They will order anything I want without questions and my price is always Invoice, although I received an additional discount on the Ranger (ordered in Dec 2018) and Ford was giving $750 off for early orders. Plus another $500 for military (and previous Ford owners). I inquired about financing because sometimes that can save you significant dollars. This savings was not available on the Ranger at the time. The 2017 Escape I ordered was financed through Ford which saved me an additional $1,350 (I paid it off three months later so didn't care about the interest rate). I waited three months because Ford will give the dealer a kick-back after three months.

While waiting for new door locks on the Escape at a San Diego dealer under recall, I happened to see several new F150 Raptors near the showroom. They were marked up $25K. I asked to drive a Focus RS - which they okayed - but it was marked up $7,500. I told them to give me a call when they stopped doing recreational drugs. I purchased a new '18 RS from my Iowa dealer for Invoice and the dealer had to drive 300 miles to pick it up on a flat bed - at no cost to me. When I mentioned the markup to my Iowa dealer his words were, "That's nuts." BTW, all his vehicles have a life-time warranty on all lubed parts of the engine for the original owner.

It is felony stupid why someone will not travel to buy a vehicle at a savings WAY beyond the cost of the trip. For example they could save $30K by flying to Iowa to pick up an ordered Raptor over and above what the San Diego dealer was charging. Or $9K on the RS. They are friendly and up front about any transaction. Being a small mid-west dealer they just can't pull the mark-up think city dealers do. I suspect that is true for most all small town dealers.

My dealer in Iowa has a truck dealership in Las Vegas and I think (operative word - need to ask) an ordered Ranger could be drop shipped at that dealership. He may own a dealership in L.A. (he did at one time but I think he sold it, not sure tho). I am just good family friends with the owner and if you want contact info PM me. I get nothing from any transaction that might come of it.

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