Hey guys, been a member for quite a while, read 1000's of post and gathered tons of information from everyone here. Great group, now I have a question for you Pros.

I am a long time Ford Truck enthusiast, owned a Crown Vic, then a 07 F150 SCREW, both are sold. I am drooling over the 2015's F150.

I have seen and just got done reading and educating myslef about Fords X-Plan / A-Plan pricing / Z-Plan / Holdback etc. Its a lot of information. Some of these plans seem terrific!

When I have my funds gathered, I want to custom build my 2015 like many of you have here. My question is how does one obtain a PIN, and for which plan? Is this taboo to ask on the forums? If so please excuse me. Is it something one obtains from a member here in exchange for something else?

I know they (Pins) last 12 months, and you can request 2 a year. If this is something I can achieve I am all for it. If not what is the best way to get the best price at the dealer for one that's made to order and not sitting on the lot?

I am a Costco member and I have heard they go to bat for you, but does it work the same for a custom built truck also?

Sorry for all the questions guys, but I know I am asking the right people.

Thanks everyone.

 

Some dealers don't like to work with custom built trucks, so they make the process difficult. Others seem to specialize in that. Best bet, talk to multiple dealers near you, no matter what A/Z/X plan you end up using.

Some of the Plan PINs are specific to a person, so it's not like some online discount code you can give away to your buddies. I used to be eligible for X-plan, and I requested a PIN, and it was tied to my full legal name, as well as my employment with a specific corporation. There would be no way I can think of to "give" that PIN to anyone else.

 

The company my wife works at is a partner with Ford so we get 2 pins / year. The stipulation is that the pins must be used by someone living in our house. I have a friend who used to work at a Ford assembly plant. He was allowed to give 2 pins away / year. Supposedly the Ford union workers had that deal.

Costco has very good pricing and so do some credit unions. If you are not eligible for a Ford pin then I would try those options first. Also I'm told some buying clubs have deals as well, you may want to check them out. If you know someone who works at a Ford dealer see if they will get you D-Plan.

 

Without getting too deep in details, just use Costco with whatever dealership you like. Even if they don't participate, you can get the pricing from Costco, and I don' think anyone would turn your business down and you're likely to have a better long term ownership experience. You can get a friends and family x-plan pin but it won't be worth it. While someone who knows numbers well could use x-plan to maximize the value of their trade, it's probably not worth the hassle to find someone to give you a pin. If you are ordering expect it to be a 2016, and info isn't really out just yet to order them. Ordering should get you the same discount options as whats in stock, or at least more than worth paying for the options you don't want, and wishing you had the options you did want.

 

If you are a military VET and a member of the DAV then you can get a PIN.

I used X plan once and felt like my hands were tied and I felt like I left money on the table. An X plan or COSTCO is a great solution for the person who hates to negotiate a deal. I was able to negotiate the deal on my 2011 F-150 below X plan pricing.

If there's a trade involved the X plan can work to your advantage. An honest will give you the true value of your trade while still being bound by X plan regulations.

 

Oh, for reference D Plan is what Ford dealership employees get, and Z/A is for Ford Corporate folks. All plans (including X) have Ford paying money back to the dealership to accept the deal, so these aren't numbers that can be negotiated too without the dealership taking a true loss (other than X plan which is still a good deal, but yes, Costco is typically better by a few hundred bucks, D Z and A get much more), such as on a leftover vehicle. As I mentioned, X plan can be good if you have a trade because, depending on the vehicle, there can be some money coming back from ford (between $50-$200 from the deals I've done), plus the difference between X plan and Costco (or whatever number you get). Also keep in mind, the plans are a price, not a discount (you can not take "x plan off of my costco price). Not all rebates are compatible with all plans.

 

I got my 2013 truck on the D Plan and ordered it at the dealership my son works at. It was painless.

 

A plan pricing is for Ford employees and their immediate family members only. Ford Employees get 4 A plan and 4 X plan pins a year.
X plan is the most common and sometimes dealers have better incentives than what the X plan will get you.
A plan takes a decent chunk of change off.

 

We are allowed 2 D Plan purchases per year.

 

Join the Experimental Aircraft Association for 40 bucks. They have a hook up with Ford and you get a pin.

 

NM removed post.

 

i am a veteran and have never received a pin of any kind for a deal.how do i get them

 

You'd have to be a member of DAV, not just be a vet. As was also stated above, you can typically work a better deal anyhow.

 

Join the DAV as a lifetime member, about $200 bucks and get a lifetime of Ford PIN's.

I used it on my 2010 Focus and was a little underwhelmed by my savings. However, it did put a cap on the stupid dealer DOC fees that serve as a profit generator.

When I bought mt 2011, I negotiated old school, convinced the dealer to do away with the DOC fee and we had a better deal than X plan would allow for.

 

Hardly any profit in Focus. When I bought my wifes on D-Plan I would have been better off buying it and using my still valid at the time Mil ID... but I put the company first and did D-plan anyhow. My Fiesta had about $600 from MSRP to D-plan. The high profit margins are on things like the trucks we love here! I don't think the plans give any protection from doc fees, prep fees and other things like that. Some states limit them more than others (hence my constant rambling about not shopping across state lines.)