I'm wanting the '04 F-150 Lariat 4x4 with a few options thrown in. Using Ford's web site, here's the price I came up with (see below). I talked to a dealer and mentioned that I was looking at a total of 3 dealers and I would from one of those 3. He told me "Since you get the X Plan, the price will be the same at any dealer". Now, somehow I just can't believe that if I walked in with this price to all 3 dealers, every one of them would say, "Yep, that's all I can do since you get the X Plan, so $32,035 is your price." Seems like they'd be willing to compete for my business...right? What's your take on this? Will they come down more?...or does the X Plan cut their profits enough that they won't budge?

$34,535 MSRP
- $4,500 X Plan (approximate)
---------------------------
$30,035 Total before tax, etc
+ $2,000 Tax/Title/Etc (approximate)
---------------------------
$32,035 Total (out the door)

 

The price is supposed to be the same, but it depends how competitive the dealers are in your area. We sell everything on our lot at below X-plan anyways, but that's only because all of us Ford dealers in Rochester are out to kill each other off. Go to NYC and you'll be lucky to find a dealer that will even sell an '04 at X-plan. You'll only know by shopping around.

 

Hmmm...I guess I'll just go to the 3 dealers I've picked out that are convienent to me here (in the Cincinnati area) and get a price from them and then see if any of them REALLY want my business...see if they will compete against each other. If I can get away with this truck with a total cost (including taxes, etc) for $30k or less, I'll be happy (and more importantly, so will my wife...lol). I hate to haggle and I REALLY want this truck. I'm not opposed to paying a fair price, but I don't want to be a sucker either.

 

I just got back from looking at the Chevy Avalanche. I'm not in love with the looks of it, but I do like the 4-door and the utility of it. The midgate, the hard cover on the bed and the side storage pockets on the bed are pretty cool. Anyway, I told myself not to rule anything out since I want to get the best truck for the money. Something I wouldn't regret buying in the future. I drove it, looked at it and checked the prices. 2 things that bugged me about it...the ride seemed too 'mushy' (even on the Z71) and the price was way too much. A Lariat 4x4 I priced out with all the options I want is just over $35,000. The Avalanche was around $38,000! And the dealer was even offering a $2,000 under invoice special which he said would maybe make the truck around $33,000 or so. Still, too much for me when I can get a F150 that starts out cheaper, looks better and with a few add-ons, is still cheaper. There's a little apples to oranges comparison going on here since my F150 I priced is a Super Cab, not Super Crew and the Avalanache automatically comes with the 4 doors. But I don't know, I just can't get past how good the Lariat looks compared to the GM products...much better. I'm pretty sure I'll be sticking with the f150 Lariat 4x4 when it comes time to purchase.

 

One thing wierd about the Avalanche. Consider trying to keep warm in the winter at 0-degrees sitting in traffic with the wind blowing from behind and the rea-end opened. Brrrr

BobJonesSpecial

 

I shopped around online via the FordDirect website. I found a pretty basic 03 EB for about 32,000 Xplan. I emailed the dealer for the out-the-door cost with the rebate and TTL. I was quoted something like $31,900. My trade-in was worth anywhere from $1,700 to $2,100, so I was guessing I would be paying $30,000 out the door.

I went to a different dealer and found an 03 EB with about $1,500 more in options. I told them about the one I was looking at from the other dealer. They said theirs has more options and will cost a little bit more. I said if you can get that for me for $30,000 out the door, I'll sign the forms right now.

He did.

I did.

 

Well that gives me some hope then. I've been racking my brain to figure out how to get the options I want and keep it very close to 30k out the door (no more than 30,750 or so). I would like to buy it at this large dealer I've been visiting. So far they have been very nice and I bet they'd deal with me since they are a large dealership and probably wouldn't let me walk away if I was at least being somewhat reasonable in my target price I want to pay.

 

Went to a dealer in my area last night and ordered a Lariat crew cab sticker at $41k+ told dealer that I had the x-plan. Wrote up all the papers and came back with an x-plan price $36k. I said ok but why should I buy my 3rd truck from you? I told them that I could go anywhere and get this price. He asked if I was happy with them and their service department and should remain a customer of theirs. I said yes I was happy and that wherever I bought the truck I could still come here for service. He then asked what it would take for me to buy the truck from them. I said that I wanted the Line-X spray in bed liner. He walked away to talk to the manager, came back and said they would let me have it for their cost $500. I said that was nice but would go to other dealers to see what they would offer. He walked back to the manager again and this time the manager came back with him. He said he didn't want to loose the sale over $500. They sold me the truck with the liner at X-plan price. The whole deal took les than 45 minuets. Now the hard part the wait. Good Luck

 

The x-plan is a nice place to start, but it’s not the lowest price you can get. At least in my area. I just placed an order for a 2004 F-250 4X4. The x-plan price was $30,706. I found this to be true at all dealerships that I went to. My final price ended up being $30,456. I used the spreadsheet found on http://www.carbuyingtips.com to illustrate the cost breakdown. With this tool, I presented the numbers to my first dealership. He came back with a price that beat x-plan by $150. I then took that price to the second dealership. After the standard “I don’t know, let me talk to the manager” speech, they came back with my final price that’s $250 under x-plan. Now don’t be fouled, the dealership is still making money. Remember the 3% holdback. In my case, they still made at least $500. Bottom line is, don’t go into a dealership unprepared. You don’t want to be that person whose sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

 

1) You tell the dealer what you want
2) The dealer calls Ford
3) Ford tells the dealer what the X-plan price is

end of story.

 

Not quite true, Im going through a similar situation Mike_V10 is, Im currently $600 under xplan. I really dont think anyone is going to go any lower, Ill have my 04 X PSD orderd by friday.

 

Joined the conversation late and all, but... just got out of my 2002 Avalanche. When I saw the 04 Super Crew... I just had to drive it. I did. And, I bought it! Thank someone that I got what I owed on the Avalanche. But, after driving the Super Crew for a week and asked to give an honest comparison (mind you I have grown up on GM)... hands down 04 is a winner over GM even with the Avalanche. As far as pricing from dealer to dealer, it is ALWAYS worth it to ask the question. If they want the sale, the just might do whatever...