ThumperF150
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #1
Too Long, Did not read version:
If you are in So Cal and want to purchase a Ford, save yourself some time, money and frustration and just call Mr. Neil Stone at Galpin Ford. (818) 778-2912.
Long winded version:
In 2021 I purchase a custom ordered Jeep from a large multi-brand dealership. I had done research and heard great things about a specific salesman. I called him and it was all true. He was a great guy and made the process super simple. We did everything via email and phone calls and then I went in and picked up my Jeep when it was ready. If you are interested in a Chrysler product, DM me and I will give you his info.
Fast forward to 2024 and I decided I could not live without a RCSB 4X4 F150. So I stopped by my local dealer and asked about ordering one. Sure, they would be happy to order it for me but they wanted me to pay full MSRP. I understand they need to make a profit but on a custom order vehicle that is basically pre-sold, in my opinion they should offer SOME kind of discount. I ran into this when I bought my Jeep, contact a dealer and try to hand them business and my money and they refuse to budge on price. So I decided to shop around.
I called my Jeep salesman and asked if he could do anything with Ford products. He does not, but he does know the Ford GM and as a repeat customer, he would call over and see what they would do for me. Turns out not much. I could tell he was embarrassed when he called back. The offered to give me $500 off MSRP and they wanted a $5,000 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit. Said they were unwilling to go lower because F150s were such a high demand vehicle. Well if they are in so much demand, why do they need a $5,000 non-refundable deposit. When I purchased my jeep, that dealership did not ask for ANY deposit because jeeps actually WERE in high demand and they knew they could sell it in a day if I backed out. So I passed on that deal as well.
Then I remembered all of the ads I had seen for Galpin Ford up in Van Nuys/North Hills. It's a bit of a drive from my house in Whittier but for the right deal it would be worth it. So I gave them a call, told them what I wanted and asked if they could work a deal with me. Absolutely! They gave me to Mr. Neil Stone. We spoke in the evening, he took my order and submitted it the following morning and then let me know he had done so. NO deposit was required let along a non-refundable one.
Within maybe a hour, two at the most, I received an email from Ford confirming they had my order. After another hour or so I received a second email with my order number, VIN number and planned build week. It was all down hill from there as I tracked my truck's process via the Ford Tracker.
But I still had questions. Probably too many questions. I would want to know something late at night or early in the morning so I would send an email to Mr. Stone's work email. Did not matter, he ALWAYS responded right away, even from home. When my truck finally arrived, I had some scheduling issues in order to pick it up and Mr. Stone suggested we meet at the dealership on Sunday, Father's Day, before the dealership even opened. This was a great idea, it worked into my schedule and he was able to get the deal done and us on our way in just over an hour.
I'm not going to talk price here but I will say, I saved thousands, THOUSANDS from what I would have paid at those other dealers.
Throughout this transaction, Mr. Stone demonstrated himself to be an honest and honorable man, two traits that can be difficult to find in a car salesmen.
I know there are a couple of dealerships in other states that specialize in "below invoice" pricing. I looked into those when I ordered my Jeep and also for this truck. My personal experience has been that they have so much volume that they are pretty slow to respond to requests. Then, after I crunched the numbers and factored in the cost of flight and taxi and hotels there and all the way back to California and gas and the headache to instantly get a smog check and have the vehicle weighed before I can get it registered in California, it is pretty much a wash on the price or actually cost a bit more than buying local(ish) to me.
So bottom line, if you are shopping for a Ford, it's probably worth your time to give Mr. Stone a call. It was for me.
If you are in So Cal and want to purchase a Ford, save yourself some time, money and frustration and just call Mr. Neil Stone at Galpin Ford. (818) 778-2912.
Long winded version:
In 2021 I purchase a custom ordered Jeep from a large multi-brand dealership. I had done research and heard great things about a specific salesman. I called him and it was all true. He was a great guy and made the process super simple. We did everything via email and phone calls and then I went in and picked up my Jeep when it was ready. If you are interested in a Chrysler product, DM me and I will give you his info.
Fast forward to 2024 and I decided I could not live without a RCSB 4X4 F150. So I stopped by my local dealer and asked about ordering one. Sure, they would be happy to order it for me but they wanted me to pay full MSRP. I understand they need to make a profit but on a custom order vehicle that is basically pre-sold, in my opinion they should offer SOME kind of discount. I ran into this when I bought my Jeep, contact a dealer and try to hand them business and my money and they refuse to budge on price. So I decided to shop around.
I called my Jeep salesman and asked if he could do anything with Ford products. He does not, but he does know the Ford GM and as a repeat customer, he would call over and see what they would do for me. Turns out not much. I could tell he was embarrassed when he called back. The offered to give me $500 off MSRP and they wanted a $5,000 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit. Said they were unwilling to go lower because F150s were such a high demand vehicle. Well if they are in so much demand, why do they need a $5,000 non-refundable deposit. When I purchased my jeep, that dealership did not ask for ANY deposit because jeeps actually WERE in high demand and they knew they could sell it in a day if I backed out. So I passed on that deal as well.
Then I remembered all of the ads I had seen for Galpin Ford up in Van Nuys/North Hills. It's a bit of a drive from my house in Whittier but for the right deal it would be worth it. So I gave them a call, told them what I wanted and asked if they could work a deal with me. Absolutely! They gave me to Mr. Neil Stone. We spoke in the evening, he took my order and submitted it the following morning and then let me know he had done so. NO deposit was required let along a non-refundable one.
Within maybe a hour, two at the most, I received an email from Ford confirming they had my order. After another hour or so I received a second email with my order number, VIN number and planned build week. It was all down hill from there as I tracked my truck's process via the Ford Tracker.
But I still had questions. Probably too many questions. I would want to know something late at night or early in the morning so I would send an email to Mr. Stone's work email. Did not matter, he ALWAYS responded right away, even from home. When my truck finally arrived, I had some scheduling issues in order to pick it up and Mr. Stone suggested we meet at the dealership on Sunday, Father's Day, before the dealership even opened. This was a great idea, it worked into my schedule and he was able to get the deal done and us on our way in just over an hour.
I'm not going to talk price here but I will say, I saved thousands, THOUSANDS from what I would have paid at those other dealers.
Throughout this transaction, Mr. Stone demonstrated himself to be an honest and honorable man, two traits that can be difficult to find in a car salesmen.
I know there are a couple of dealerships in other states that specialize in "below invoice" pricing. I looked into those when I ordered my Jeep and also for this truck. My personal experience has been that they have so much volume that they are pretty slow to respond to requests. Then, after I crunched the numbers and factored in the cost of flight and taxi and hotels there and all the way back to California and gas and the headache to instantly get a smog check and have the vehicle weighed before I can get it registered in California, it is pretty much a wash on the price or actually cost a bit more than buying local(ish) to me.
So bottom line, if you are shopping for a Ford, it's probably worth your time to give Mr. Stone a call. It was for me.
Sponsored
