Well the time was drawing near that my FX4 should've arrived at my dealer's lot. So of course I was getting anxious, called my salesman yesterday just to see if he had any news yet. I was bit early on the call as it had only been 4 weeks and a couple days, but still I was courious. He said he'd check on it for me and let me know. So he calls back this morning and said he had some bad news ( knowing my salesman pretty good I thought he was joking around) he said that he had made a mistake on my order and FORGOT the audiophile option. This was the only reason the truck was ordered to beging with, as I've said before they had the exact truck I wanted except for the audiophile. Then he goes on to say that there was a hold on the 18" FX4 wheels. He is offering appologies left and right, then says " just keep this between us bc if you mention it to the owner it's grounds for getting fired". Well my salesman is my cousin and I'm really good friends with the owner, so I won't say anything, but when he said that it led me to believe he never ordered the truck in the first place. Because why would it be such a big deal to the owner if he mistakenly forgot to order the audiophile system? Moreso, when I called 2 weeks ago for a VIN number he said he hadn't gotten one yet. It has really ticked me off, almost to the point of not wanting the truck anymore. He said he would re-place the order and it would be another 6 weeks, so I might as well just wait till around September and get an 05, which might have some of the 04 problems resolved. Oh well, what can a guy do?

Ultramax

 

Salesman called back and said they were willing to compromise, as they still have the original truck i test drove. Said they would paint the lower accent color (dark shadow grey), swap out the chrome running boards with black ones, spray a bedliner in for me. Still no audiophile, so I asked if they would throw in the daystar kit, black tool box, and tint the windows. He said he would talk to the owner and see if they could work all that out.

 

now wait......
first he says, don't tell no-one, cuz it's grounds for dismissal, and now he's talking to the owner to make special compromises? Won't the owner ask "And WHY are we doing this, son?"

Another question......you said it was only WEEKS difference? You asked for a VIN, and he said there wasn't one yet, and suddenly, TWO WEEKS later the so-called ordered-truck shows up on the lot? Doesn't sound quite right to me, but maybe I mis-read something. Maybe they even didn't order it, and knew they had a truck on the way that was quite similar to what you wanted, and were happy to sell it instead.

You ordered the Audiophile......you WANT the Audiophile.....wouldn't it make sense to REQUIRE the Audiophile? Heck, have them put a 6-disc changer in the so-called truck they ordered without it, and have a professional put in speakers and a sub with amps of equal expense to what the Audiophile was priced out to be, at the expense of the dealership.

My $.02

 

yea jc i'm about as confussed as you are. after i placed my order i called back in 2 weeks to see if they had my VIN and cuz said no. so i wait 2 more weeks and call back for any news about my truck. he calls me back and tells me all this about not ordering the audiophile and the delay with the 18" FX4 wheels. is it a tangeld web? YES very much so.My salesman is my 2nd cousin and I'm really good friends with the owner of the dealership. Do i want "cuz" to lose his job? NO even though he did screw up, but if he's some how able to work out this "miricle" compromize I guess I won't kick him outta the family. I agree with you, the owner is going to wonder why he's being asked to give me all this stuff when I've got the truck i want ordered, guess there will be some head scatching during that conversation. Guess i'll see what "cuz" comes up with next, and learn not to do business with family after this!

 

Dude, I think ya got enough trucks already. You can't have another one until you share a little bit

Really though, that sucks. Personally, I wouldn't want the Audiophile system anyway. For what you pay for it you can do better in the aftermarket with some Brahma subs and Lanzaar amp. And have you ever tried to hack into a Ford stereo with factory amps?

Trust me, you'll be better off with the 6cd changer, and adding your own amp and sub box.

 

And by the way, if you do go with your own equipment I have a bit of info that might be useful...

My Alpine sub amps have a plug in for the RUX-4280 remote. This remote controls every feature of the sub amps, and can control up to 8 amplifiers. The remote is an additional $100, but worth it IMO. Parametric EQ, Crossover, Level, Phase, etc. can all be adjusted with it. It makes it nice if your stereo doesn't have sub volume control (ie - factory stereos).

Also, the Lanzaar sub amps come with a remote level control you can mount up from to adjust the sub volume independently of the rest of the system. And these amps are the best bang for the buck in cheap amplifiers.

 

Hey guys just got home from the dealership agian. Thought about the special compromise "cuz" had came with, and decided not to go for it. He has yet to admitt that he just didn't order the truck, but did say today that when he realized he screwed the order up he just cancelled it. Oh well, so I re-ordered again today, but the ford CONCEP page wasn't responding so as soon as it's up and running the order is supposed to be placed. Cuz said he would email me the conformation this time, and also call to let me know when it went through.

I was very ****ed about the whole deal, but anger doesn't really get you anywhere. Maybe he did make an HONEST mistake. Maybe he's also right that by the time my 2nd ordered truck gets in that there will be better incentives/rebates (only time will tell). I almost went with the Lariat this time, but just couldn't get over the black leather with woodgrain and the grille, so I've still got the same truck on order as described in my signature.

2fastlx, I'll be trading in the 2001 SD for this truck, and technically the 97 is my dad's but I've drove it since it was a year old (as long as I kept good grades in school). The 2001 SD is mine however, bought with my money!

Ultramax

 

You wanted a specific truck. If they can't do it, someone else can.

I'd call them with an ultimatum - keep in mind that if you accept the compromised truck, you might not be getting what you really want.

Get the one that you really want. If the salesman is worried, he has every right to be - he screwed up. He needs to fix it.

XXL

 

Good luck, my dealer, who is largest in state and has some pull with Ford is saying 12 plus weeks on orders so good luck !

 

Ultramax.....final suggestion on this one for ya.....

Yup, it was likely an honest mistake by your cousin. Your flexibility says something, but his should as well. Honest mistake, followed up with dishonest communication? Bad choice on his part.
What I'd suggest to you, is that you ATLEAST (if you still plan to buy thru him) request half of his commisions off the sale of the truck to you, in order to be 'satisfied'. He made a mistake, then lied about it to you. He either doesn't take you seriously, or himself seriously.....maybe both. Regardless, if it were me, I'd address it and say......'hey ya know.....I know you screwed up. That's no big deal, cuz I do it to. What I DON'T appreciate is that you failed to be straight-up about it, and you wanted me to hold mum over the issue. THE very fact that I'm even willing to not have this deal burn up between us, says I should very well expect some gratitude from you as well. Howabout we split the commissions you'll receive IF I choose to yet order my truck with you? And you can also fill up my second tank of fuel."

 

Such words of wisdom JC. I can't disagree with anything you've said, as I had the same thoughts today while driving back to the dealership. However, I'm going to wait until the truck gets here to actually find out how much "cuz" appreciates me keeping quiet. I sort of dropped the bait today when I asked if him if he felt guilty, and if he was going to remember how "nice" I was about the whole situation. I think that's fair on my part, however, if he doesn't acknowledge my kindness I'll simply just refuse the truck and go elsewhere or invest my money on something else.

Does anyone actually know if the 18" machined aluminum FX4 wheels are causing delays for these trucks??

 

Hey Ultramax21,you would'nt happen to also be a go kart racer would you,and need a real FX4 to pull a trailer?, Just asking due to your user name being a preety good frame.

 

TN, I used to race a few years back. Was never good, but enjoyed working on the cart and tinkering around with it. Now some friends of mine have built their own track at their house "just for fun" really small dirt high banked oval so I'm glad I kept my frame and motor Will be smelling the sweet smell of methanol again lol

 

They might be causing a delay. My dealer finally wrote me back this morning and said my truck is finished, waiting to get on a train. I have the same wheels as you listed. There is some missing time to be accounted for (in my mind) since he told me a week ago the truck started on February 3. According to his records, it wasn't finished until yesterday. I don't know if I buy that entirely in the age of high-speed construction. I can't believe they have the room in the plants to start 1000 trucks when they know they only have the materials to finish 500 of them on schedule.

My two cents

 

Yeah I don't understand, just like with the DVD system causing delays with the SCREWS. I'm sure I'm about to tick some ppl off, but this is my opinion. I know the F150 is a GREAT truck, hence why i'm buying one, BUT why screw around with supply and demand so much? It seems that Ford is taking a BIG gamble already, as both chevy and dodge are offering exceptional rebates and stuff for their trucks. I know it may be partly due to them trying to CATCH the F150 in sales, but think about it the young ppl of today that buy chevy or dodge TODAY may buy them again in 5 yrs. Eventually the old loyal ford buyers will die off and the young generation will already have became loyal to other manufactures. Then what?