Balanced Out, no Ford for you!

[Buyer2021]

It's now obvious that this new world order customer is willing to drive, or even fly, to get their $50-80k depreciating asset. ?

While I did that, and many others on this forum do, methinks that's still a fraction of the buyers today.

I'm that hypocrite who won't buy a car from 'em but would hate to lose the small-town brick and mortar dealer nearest me. Not that I want 'em often but I'm glad they're there when I do.

They are part of a relatively small dealer network that covers a number of small towns around central TX, I honestly don't know if they could fully-adopt the Granger business model and keep all of those dealerships in business. I wouldn't be terribly surprised to learn they could not for a variety of reasons. By the same token I don't know how long they'll survive with the current business model either.

I do know one thing .... I'm glad I'm not in the automotive business in any capacity these days!

(WTH, I'm glad I'm not in any business in any capacity these days! )

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[Snakebitten]

But that small dealership doesn't need the number of sales that a dealership like Granger is generating with their approach.

I agree that this current special order method of acquisition VS the yesteryear inventory selection method is just as foreign to the small dealership as any other, but I would be more than happy to special order from a rural dealership an hour or a few hours from my town rather than deal with the sharks of a large city dealership.

Or put another way, if word got out that you could special order your F150 for Xplan in Eagle Lake Texas, that little tiny dealership would start selling trucks to folks who had never even driven through that one light town in their life. Or it sure seems like it would since the 4th largest city in America is only an hour away and there sure isn't any dealerships there with a current reputation for no post-Covid shenanigans guarantee.

Of course with these new rules, maybe the strategy is off the table now. You're a small town dealership so don't be getting any clever ideas for growing your business.

 

[JohnMcClane]

It's now obvious that this new world order customer is willing to drive, or even fly, to get their $50-80k depreciating asset. ?

I mean, is it depreciating if I ordered a 22 in 21 December that I took delivery of in June and the exact same spec 23 is more than +$15k What I paid for MSRP than what I paid because I flew 600 miles for 4% below invoice?

If anything some of us have experienced an extraordinary event.

“Back in my day I bought a truck that went up in value when I drove off the lot and got a home loan for 1.875”… ‘alright grandpa, lets’ get you to bed’

 

[Buyer2021]

But that small dealership doesn't need the number of sales that a dealership like Granger is generating with their approach.

You may well be correct, I just don't know enough about the respective overheads fo the locations to comment, nor do I have a good feel for how that would work for a small dealer network with multiple locations.

Makes me wonder .... of the hundreds of 'small / small town' dealerships around the country, how many of those are 1-shop / 1-owner situations vs how many are 1-owner / multiple dealership networks of some number or another?

I agree that this current special order method of acquisition VS the yesteryear inventory selection method is just as foreign to the small dealership as any other, but I would be more than happy to special order from a rural dealership an hour or a few hours from my town rather than deal with the sharks of a large city dealership.

Man, I tried and tried to keep my business 'local' and get my local dealer to place an order for the 2022 I eventually ended-up buying from Granger. I showed 'em exactly what Granger was doing and offered to pay a higher sales price if they would come anywhere close to a deal on my 2019 Ridgeline trade in recognition of the tax-break that'd net for me. Bottom line, for reasons never clear to me they just wouldn't do the deal anywhere close to my net deal with Granger even factoring travel costs, sales taxes, etc. So yeah, dollars finally 'talked' and I 'walked'.

It's gonna take a better 'salesman' / educator than me to get them 'over the hump' and into the 'new world order'.

 

[Kodiak]

Man, I tried and tried to keep my business 'local' and get my local dealer to place an order for the 2022 I eventually ended-up buying from Granger. I showed 'em exactly what Granger was doing and offered to pay a higher sales price if they would come anywhere close to a deal on my 2019 Ridgeline trade in recognition of the tax-break that'd net for me. Bottom line, for reasons never clear to me they just wouldn't do the deal anywhere close to my net deal with Granger even factoring travel costs, sales taxes, etc. So yeah, dollars finally 'talked' and I 'walked'.

It's gonna take a better 'salesman' / educator than me to get them 'over the hump' and into the 'new world order'.

I did the same thing. I tried like heck to keep my business local or even "state based" and often I was laughed at. I told them that I want to order and if their monthly allocation was full, I could wait a month or 2 before ordering if that helped them, but that did not matter in the least. The common thread of responses was that the offer I had in my hand (Granger) was not real. They will do me a big favor and not charge me $1 more than MSRP. I am one lucky devil to get their offer and I would be a fool to pass up their deal. I even said if they could do something at all and they said no. MSRP and I am lucky. Granger it is for me and it is real.

I too think gone are the days of pulling into a dealership and looking at 8-10 vultures standing in front of the dealership smoking, and just waiting for pray. My wife and I used to play a game where we would bet lunch on which one of the crew will be the next one in line to come out and get us. If someone got it right, the other paid for lunch.

Now I do not believe that everyone will follow Granger on the pricing but they should look at the Granger operation and business model and infrastructure. They have the tools to make a buying experience great, no matter the price. Even if some local dealers used the Granger model and advertised $xxxx over invoice, or a % over invoice, they could have local buyers lining up and force other dealerships to "clean up" a little.

I hope anyway.

 

[Verdenc]

I also tried to do business local. Nobody wanted to talk about anything other than MSRP and had the same take it or leave it attitude. I ordered through koons though, because much closer and a reasonable drive. That said, I did not get a call to let me know I would not get built if I didn't alter my order to replace tow tech with tow package. If I wasn't proactive in making that change, I'd prolly be balanced out as well.

 

[lacartus]

My deposit was refunded today, so I'm out of the running for a new F150. I'll continue to monitor the used market for PB and other trucks. I have cars.com sending me updates and a few PBs have been reduced ~$5k, but not below the quoted price I had with Koons, yet.

 

[WireHair]

I ordered a PB from a small town dealer at 3K below MSRP on 2/1. Blend date was 8/10 and it's been on chip hold since. How does dealer allocation come into play getting a truck built? I've seen several members on here receive their truck, or their truck is built and shipped that ordered after 2/1.

 

[towpro]

ask them if they will take X plan, than join Mustang club of america, 90 days later your X plan is valid for purchase. (and it takes 90 days to order a new one)

 

[FrankThompson]

ask them if they will take X plan, than join Mustang club of america, 90 days later your X plan is valid for purchase. (and it takes 90 days to order a new one)

Or join EAA. My dealership accepted the x-plan after having it only a week.

 

[Snakebitten]

I got X-plan simply because of a 2 decade relationship with the dealership. They still didn't WANT to do it, and I would have simply purchased elsewhere. I'm convinced that in the long run they did the right thing.

Behind the scenes they admit that they are selling far more trucks than their eerily empty lot would imply.

 

[lacartus]

Thanks for the suggestions @towpro @FrankThompson
How do you get the PIN from either Mustang Club or EAA (Experimental Aircraft Assoc?)

 

[FrankThompson]

Thanks for the suggestions @towpro @FrankThompson
How do you get the PIN from either Mustang Club or EAA (Experimental Aircraft Assoc?)

https://www.eaa.org/eaa/eaa-members...unt-programs/ford-partner-recognition-program

 

[smithbillp]

Got the bad news today. My order from March 2022 has been balanced out, which I'm told means they aren't going to build my 2022 PB. I asked the dealer, Koons, about moving it to a 2023 and I'm told they can't give the forum pricing (5% under invoice) on a 2023. I could buy down the road at MSRP, but it's just not worth it to me. Lesson learned, don't count on a Ford order.

I wish Ford would disclose the order of priority for builds. Why didn't you get yours and I got mine?

I ordered a 22 PB Platinum 701a from Koons on 3/29 and it was completed last week- it's just waiting to be shipped. My Ford incentive at the time of order (0% for 60 months) was locked in also.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Well said.

If you are fortunate to end up with the vehicle you desire AND you aren't smarting from the purchase experience, you can breathe a big sigh of relief.

But if you can then be fortunate enough to NOT get a vehicle that requires you to be at the mercy of the so-called Factory Service Department, you are BLESSED!

As for the post suggesting that the recent changes are to protect the smaller (small town) dealership, while I can see that as one way to look at it, I can't help but consider it much differently:

The new phenomenon, of the vast majority of sales being special order, is actually a great equalizer. Why couldn't the small dealership take the same approach and offer handsome pricing compared to the sharks? Thus selling to customers beyond their natural geological footprint?

It's now obvious that this new world order customer is willing to drive, or even fly, to get their $50-80k depreciating asset. ?

I got lucky with the F150 PB. What's funny is both times when I went to the same Ford dealer I did so without the intention of actually buying that day. Both times I left with a new truck. When I went in was was to see about putting a reserve on a F150 that was in transit but not due in for another two weeks. They just happened to get the PB it in late the night before, and had not even been through initial inspection yet. When it came up that they had it, not only did it have all the options I was wanting but was surprised they would honor my X-Plan pricing on it when most of the other dealerships declined unless I ordered it from them.

The only things I wasn't too jazzed about at first on the PB were the color and not having the sport appearance pack. Since then the Oxford White has really grown on me and no sport appearance package is fixable.

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