Early Stages of Ranger Shopping! Question on 4x4 vs FX4!

[VAMike]

The reason why they are trying to dump their in stock models is simple, flooring costs.
They had to take out a loan themselves to pay for all those vehicles they have sitting there doing nothing and the interest is eating them up.
When I helped others shop for a new car here in Honolulu, I would point this fact out to the salesperson. When new vehicles arrive at dealerships here, in addition to being prepped and cleaned they are also safety checked (HI state law) resulting in stickers being affixed to the right side of the rear bumper, indicating when this safety check expires. For brand new vehicles this inspection is valid for 2 years, thereafter it's annually.
So if I see a vehicle on the lot in which these decals say 06-21, I know that it's been sitting since June 2019, I use this fact as leverage in negotiating the price. If the salesperson says "Oh, it just came in", I'll know he/she is full of it.
Attached is an image of my '20's safety check (delivered 1/18), it expires on the last day of January 2022.
Of course, you could ask how long the truck has been sitting on their lot and get an honest answer, maybe, maybe not.
Perhaps your location has some means to verify this information?

They put that on the bumper? That sucks.

Sponsored

 

[Charley]

I would have responded earlier but I fell off my chair laughing at the idea that a dealership up charged for filling tires with nitrogen! Seriously? while nitrogen is great at the racetrack due to its inert state, wow an upcharge by the dealer?! Compressed air has worked well for nearly a century, and folks use air compressors when they go off road.

The Ford employee discount is roughly 7%. Sticker is roughly 5% above invoice. Any vehicle on the lot for more than 100 days usually gets a manufacturer rebate.
Any extras that the dealership added, I would cut that listed price by at least 1/3, if not 1/2. I was in that business years ago.

remember you dont have to buy that truck. You are there to purchase, not have someone "sell" you a vehicle. Offer what you are comfortable with, and walk away if they are not.

 

[Mokume]

Another thing. I can't find invoice pricing so I can make a truly informed offer on a truck. I made the mistake of signing up for Truecar.com, believing I was going to get insight on invoice pricing and all I got were 5 billion emails and a few phone calls from dealers trying to sell me trucks in their inventory that weren't even how I spec'ed them on the website.

One of the conditions of using Ford's X-Plan program is that Ford requires the dealer to show you the invoice price on the vehicle, it is from this figure that your actual buying price is determined.

 

[JoedOH]

I drove two trucks, first was an fx4. I felt it was to stiff but could have lived with. Second truck didn’t have the fx4 and I thought the ride was much smoother.

 

[Glocker]

I drove two trucks, first was an fx4. I felt it was to stiff but could have lived with. Second truck didn’t have the fx4 and I thought the ride was much smoother.

Weird thing is I liked the ride of the FX4! It was very truckish!

 

[Mokume]

They put that on the bumper? That sucks.

Yups, it's Hawaii state law that it be affixed there, not too bad with my truck because it's got chromed metal bumpers so they are easily scraped off. Safety check sticker thieves are thwarted because the license plate number and VIN of the vehicle are printed on the sticker itself.
Because 95% of new vehicles have either painted or bare plastic bumpers, a local company markets stainless steel L shaped brackets just for those applications as show here on my beater Honda.

 

[RedlandRanger]

One of the conditions of using Ford's X-Plan program is that Ford requires the dealer to show you the invoice price on the vehicle, it is from this figure that your actual buying price is determined.

I believe (it has been over a year since I did this), but when you go to the XPlan site to configure your build, it will tell you the invoice price. I think I got invoice prices when talking to the Costco program as well.

 

[gfitzge2]

One of the conditions of using Ford's X-Plan program is that Ford requires the dealer to show you the invoice price on the vehicle, it is from this figure that your actual buying price is determined.

Like Jeff said. Here is an example of an AXZ plan invoice. Note that the sticker price is 44540. These numbers may help you with negotiations. Most dealers cant get down to A plan prices for non eligible customers because Ford reimburses the dealer a sum, about 7% for A plan sales. Also know that dealer participation in AXZ plan is not mandatory. There are also other specific rules. Here is just one of them.
The AXZD-Plan Pricing Agreement must identify the AZ or X-Plan price, the price of each dealer-added option, negative equity on vehicle trade, gifts, and any other allowable fees and taxes. A copy of the factory invoice showing the New Vehicle Purchase Program price in the box labeled ”AZ-Plan" or “X-Plan" and a completed, signed copy of the AXZD-Plan Pricing Agreement must be given to the customer.

 

[VAMike]

Salesman said the only way to not have dealer add-ons is to special order or know a dealer ordered vehicle is in transit and catch it when it comes off the truck. One it hits the lot - too late.

"Thank you for letting me know I need to go somewhere else instead of wasting my time."

 

[Mokume]

I believe (it has been over a year since I did this), but when you go to the XPlan site to configure your build, it will tell you the invoice price. I think I got invoice prices when talking to the Costco program as well.

The invoice price for my special ordered 2020 was not made available to me until after the truck was built, MSRP however was available 24/7.

 

[gfitzge2]

The invoice price for my special ordered 2020 was not made available to me until after the truck was built, MSRP however was available 24/7.

I did not have an invoice, but I did know my Z plan price on the day I ordered.
Notice that "dealer service and delivery fee" and the "Sales associate fee" are marked Z plan and not included in the total. These are fees that they try to slip in on most sales. They are not allowed to charge them to AXZ plan customers.

 

[Mokume]

One dealer had Nitrogen Fill on their "Dealer Added" list sticker. Price was $75. Remember... it does include four little shiny green caps!

Salesman said the only way to not have dealer add-ons is to special order or know a dealer ordered vehicle is in transit and catch it when it comes off the truck. One it hits the lot - too late.

Not so with my special ordered '20 Lariat, I made the dealer include a clause on the purchase agreement that absolutely zero options/packages/features were to added to the vehicle when it is landed in their possession locally.
Many people have the misconception that the vehicle is "yours" just because you put a deposit down on it in order for the dealer to place the order, not true.
Until you pay the dealer in full the negotiated price "your" vehicle is actually "their' vehicle and they can do anything they wish with it, even if it includes filling the tires with pure, unadulterated nitrogen or even jello, for that matter.
Knowing this to be a fact is why I insisted that the clause be added to the agreement.

 

[gfitzge2]

Not so with my special ordered '20 Lariat, I made the dealer include a clause on the purchase agreement that absolutely zero options/packages/features were to added to the vehicle when it is landed in their possession locally.
Many people have the misconception that the vehicle is "yours" just because you put a deposit down on it in order for the dealer to place the order, not true.
Until you pay the dealer in full the negotiated price "your" vehicle is actually "their' vehicle and they can do anything they wish with it, even if it includes filling the tires with pure, unadulterated nitrogen or even jello, for that matter.
Knowing this to be a fact is why I insisted that the clause be added to the agreement.

I fully agree. This may seam trivial but....... I have been dealing with the same salesman for many years and many vehicles. I don't want them adding anything anything,

including their dealer sticker to the vehicle. One time when I went to pick up a vehicle I noticed that he had one of those stickers in his hand. The prep department had stuck it on there. He happened to notice it when he saw me coming so he puled it off. We both got a laugh over that. Now it is stuck on the fridge in my garage. That is a better place for it than the paint on my car or truck.
To that point here is how first saw my RS. Still had all its shipping protectors on it.

 

[Mokume]

I did not have an invoice, but I did know my Z plan price on the day I ordered.
Notice that "dealer service and delivery fee" and the "Sales associate fee" are marked Z plan and not included in the total. These are fees that they try to slip in on most sales. They are not allowed to charge them to AXZ plan customers.

Not true Gregg, utilizing the AXZD pricing program does not preclude the dealer to charge for such non-sense as shown on the document you presented, of course taxes and any other government fees you must pay for regardless.
Instead, the language of the plan states that such fees must be listed on the AXZD pricing agreement.
The one and only additional dealer fee I agreed to was $100 for documentation services, the X-Plan contract caps this fee at $100.
Good thing you caught this, they almost bilked you for $500

Quoting from the AXZ program site:

"The dealership may charge any price negotiated (at or above dealer cost) between the dealer and the customer for undercoating, dealer installed options, extended service contracts and other items or services that add value to the vehicle, provided such items are priced separately and listed individually on the retail buyer's order and the AXZD-Plan Pricing Agreement. "

Here's my copy of the pricing agreement:

 

[RedlandRanger]

The invoice price for my special ordered 2020 was not made available to me until after the truck was built, MSRP however was available 24/7.

Now I remember - When I logged onto the XPlan site, it allowed me to login to the Ford site and when I built my truck it displayed XPlan prices, not the MSRP prices. I think it was pretty accurate - I can't guarantee it was 100% but it was very close.

Sponsored