Ford CEO Finally Confirms New "Agency Model"

[RedlandRanger]

Hey Rob,

Blinker fluid is on sale at our local Ford dealer! Think I will stock up with a few bottles...

Best,
Phil

I always miss those sales!! And my blinkers are getting really low on fluid too!

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[IdahoRanger]

I always miss those sales!! And my blinkers are getting really low on fluid too!

Just siphon some of the fuel out of the oil and fill the blinker tank. Two problems solved?

 

[SigOris]

Let's give credit where credit is due - where is that Tesla symbol when I need it ?

Mr Farley (aka mini Musk) is not afraid to make waves, good for him and Ford customers. Now the big question is will he be around to implement this.

as requested

 

[Trigganometry]

You're Busted!

Funny story. I named my wife on my cell phone “the warden”. I can’t remember how she saw it but she did. You know, hands on the hips and a puckered face. “So when you changing that on your phone!?” Right on it sweetie! ?

 

[dtech]

Yeah our kids were in grade school wife worked a job and wasn't home till 7 - she set expectations about homework being done, kitchen cleaned etc, I was supposed to enforce but was often lax, wife was type A about it and would go off on the 3 of us - we had recently watched the movie Raging Bull so I nicknamed her the "Bulla" which fanned the flames even more. Occasionally now when being set upon about something I'll say "quit being a bulla"
Excellent movie though - I think De Niro may have won an academy award.

 

[LaBalbe]

Gotta ask.... couldn't she just take her own vehicle?
(Making sure the Warden is not looking over my shoulder.)

She doesn't have one. She only passed her road test in May, 19 years after having passed her theory exam. Yep, seeing as we're in Ontario, that first permit was legally old enough to have a beer with her to celebrate her finally moving on to the next step.

What can I say, she's a city girl to the bone; born & raised. Hell, she can't even ride a bicycle all that well. She only finally got her act together to pass the road test once we moved out of the city a couple of years ago and she couldn't get around to everywhere she needed either on foot or by public transit. TBH, I was pretty sure that the kid was going to get fully licensed before the wife, and who knows, if we had stayed in the city, that might have actually happened.

Me, I love to drive, so it never bothered me that I was doing all of the driving; plus, she's like 8 inches shorter than me, so it REALLY didn't bother me that I didn't have to reposition seats. After I cracked my knee on the steering column a couple of times, forgetting that she'd been the last one to drive, she got in the habit of putting it back more or less where it belongs. My knee is a whole lot happier, especially since it's the one that got blown out years ago. I never considered it before, but since May, I'm kinda wishing that the Ranger came with an option to program different driver seating positions; anyone know if that's an aftermarket option? I might have to boost that to the top of my wish list.

For the moment, she's just doing short trips; grocery runs, and the like, including the infamous Starbucks run. But while the theory permit had a 5-year limit (yes, for those of you who did the math, she was on permit #4), the road permit only has a one-year limit until you have to pass the highway test and get fully licensed.

Pray for me, y'all, I've got to teach her how to merge into highway traffic now.

 

[canyonslicker]

Hey Rob,

Blinker fluid is on sale at our local Ford dealer! Think I will stock up with a few bottles...

Best,
Phil

Isn’t Visine technically blinker fluid?

Asking for a friend..

 

[Friday yet?]

so it REALLY didn't bother me that I didn't have to reposition seats

+1

 

[FunInTheSun]

I'll believe it when I see it but it's a step in the right direction. Ordering a vehicle online or off-line then you pick your preferred dealer. You already having a set price so the dealer it's delivered to is only an agent. There you can inspect and test drive then proceed with the sale without any worry about markups and added costs. I think Ford has seen A LOT of backlash especially with the crazy markups on Broncos and this will hopefully put an end to most of the problems we have buying a new vehicle. Judging from the comments on YouTube many love this idea too.

Does this mean it MIGHT be possible to get a new car deal done in LESS then 6 hours?

 

[AzScorpion]

Does this mean it MIGHT be possible to get a new car deal done in LESS then 6 hours?

I sure hope so Dave. That's about how long it took me to do the deal with my Ranger which was the second longest deal I ever went through. The worst was years ago when my gf at the time was buying a Toyota. I swear we were there all day and every time I started to walk out they'd try and sweeten the deal.

 

[FoD]

No more dealing lol...I like "Ford Agency" better than "Ford Dealership"...

I think you mean that the final name will be something like "Directorate of Citizen Compliance"...run by Fearless Leader.

You vill present your papers for vehicle pleaz....

 

[RedlandRanger]

I sure hope so Dave. That's about how long it took me to do the deal with my Ranger which was the second longest deal I ever went through. The worst was years ago when my gf at the time was buying a Toyota. I swear we were there all day and every time I started to walk out they'd try and sweeten the deal.

Wow - you guys have a LOT more patience than I do. I think the longest it ever took me to purchase a vehicle was maybe a little over 2 hours. My Ranger was 15 minutes when I ordered it, and probably 30 (15 to sign all the papers and 15 to go over the truck with the salesman) minutes when I picked it up. They did most of the credit forms, etc before we even got there so everything was ready to go. When I ordered it, they had the order all ready they just had to get my deposit and ID, etc to submit the order. When we bought our C-Max 6 years ago it was probably a little longer than my Ranger, but not that much longer.

I refuse to waste more time than that buying a car - if they aren't willing to negotiate in good faith, require that many back and forth/"I'm leaving" scenarios, then I'm done - I'll find somewhere else that wants to treat me respectfully.

 

[AzScorpion]

Wow - you guys have a LOT more patience than I do. I think the longest it ever took me to purchase a vehicle was maybe a little over 2 hours. My Ranger was 15 minutes when I ordered it, and probably 30 (15 to sign all the papers and 15 to go over the truck with the salesman) minutes when I picked it up. They did most of the credit forms, etc before we even got there so everything was ready to go. When I ordered it, they had the order all ready they just had to get my deposit and ID, etc to submit the order. When we bought our C-Max 6 years ago it was probably a little longer than my Ranger, but not that much longer.

I refuse to waste more time than that buying a car - if they aren't willing to negotiate in good faith, require that many back and forth/"I'm leaving" scenarios, then I'm done - I'll find somewhere else that wants to treat me respectfully.

Normally I do do but they had the exact Ranger on the lot that I would've ordered in both Lighning Blue and Saber. No one else around had what I wanted so the next step was order one and wait even longer. Plus I was driving my Tacoma and trust me it was worth the 6 hours of haggling just to get out from that truck! ?

 

[Radioman]

Wow - you guys have a LOT more patience than I do. I think the longest it ever took me to purchase a vehicle was maybe a little over 2 hours. My Ranger was 15 minutes when I ordered it, and probably 30 (15 to sign all the papers and 15 to go over the truck with the salesman) minutes when I picked it up. They did most of the credit forms, etc before we even got there so everything was ready to go. When I ordered it, they had the order all ready they just had to get my deposit and ID, etc to submit the order. When we bought our C-Max 6 years ago it was probably a little longer than my Ranger, but not that much longer.

I refuse to waste more time than that buying a car - if they aren't willing to negotiate in good faith, require that many back and forth/"I'm leaving" scenarios, then I'm done - I'll find somewhere else that wants to treat me respectfully.

Exactly.
The last two vehicles I have ordered, the first time I met the salesperson is when I picked up the vehicle.

Some time ago, before I started to order new vehicles on line, a salesman was not working with me and tried to hand me off to another salesperson. I told him to either make the deal or I was walking. I made it out of the showroom and partly to my vehicle when the PA system asked me to return. I guess they decided I wasn't playing their games. They made the deal as I had proposed.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I sure hope so Dave. That's about how long it took me to do the deal with my Ranger which was the second longest deal I ever went through. The worst was years ago when my gf at the time was buying a Toyota. I swear we were there all day and every time I started to walk out they'd try and sweeten the deal.

Hi Folks,

I walk in after finding a Vehicle at Horne Ford in Nogales. I give them my Z plan pin...they pull the vehicle in for PDI and I visit the "closer" who tries to sell me paint protection etc. No dice!" He gives up and I sign some paperwork. Walk out and the salesman walks us to our dripping wet new vehicle and we are gone... Total time spent with all cards face up...about hour and a half to two hours. We usually go next door to Tito's (not my tortoise) for a malted beverage or two until we get the come and get it text... Old vehicle gets a pat on the nose and we drive home in the new vehicle, which is always an adventure as Margie looks at the dash and starts punching buttons (Yes...she is a button pusher to the 1st degree) and we drive home with flashers going..glove box door open heat on in 90° heat.

Okay...early Margie back story. Margie and I are dating but I sort of moved into her condo. Her handicapped daughter and significant other boyfriend Hagen are to travel to the daughters fatther's home in Florida for a winter visit...we get hit with a huge snow storm over night and my poor Escape in the driveway is snow encrusted. We are to drive them on the snow covered roads to Detroit Metro Airport. Me driving with Margie in the front passenger seat and daughter and Hagen in the back seats. We are driving along with Margie looking at the dash to see if she could increase the temperature as she was a bit cold. So she punches the sunroof button which starts to retract...there is no stop until it is fully open...There is 6 inches of snow on top of the Escape and it dunps thru the open sun roof into our laps while I am driving...we have snow everywhere in the front passenger area. I find a parking lot trying to not be totally pissed and we try to get as much snow out of the cabin as possible. Daugher and Hagen are trying mightly to not laugh. It doesn't work and they cannot contain themselves and bust out in laughter. Here I am driving in a snow storm with a lap full of snow and I look over at Margie...all I could do was smile as I knew that I was going to marry her after that stunt...

Best,
Phil

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