How do dealer allocations actually work? Can’t find a gas F350 CC LB King Ranch like I want it in the northeast. Dealer suggests they should order me one. As a seemingly innocuous interjection (he blew right by the words quickly) they don’t have any allocations but will get it here as soon as possible. Is this the way the process works? I have never ordered a truck before. Been driving Fords and Rams since 1986 and have always been able to find one on a lot. What I am trying to avoid is to place an order and have Ford so lowly prioritize that it takes 4-5 months or longer being locked into the order while the dealers with the allocations keep getting theirs filled. I just don’t know how the process works.

What questions should I be asking? What answers are supposed to make me smile? What answers should make me ask for deposit back and seek out another dealer? Any other advice I should have regarding the process? I understand it takes a while, I just want to make sure I am lessening the chances that my order keeps getting pushed further down the list while dealers swimming in allocations keep rising to the top.

Tomorrow is Thursday. We priced and spec’d it out on the computer today. Is there any benefit to making the last minute edits when they first open and try get it submitted ASAP tomorrow or is it just going to sit around until next Thursday before Ford acknowledges it?

Thanks
thanks

 

I ordered my 250 Lariat on 4/8/19. I picked it up Wednesday 5/5/15/19. Got exactly what I ordered. Id rather order and pay for what I want than settle for someone elses specs off the lot. Unless you can find enough of what you want on a lot.

 

I think Ford takes in orders on a certain day of the week. 10-12% off msrp seems to be fair. ‘Priority’ 10 is the best a private buyer will generally get, and it goes all the way to 40. I think you can make modest changes until the Vin is generated which takes a week or 2.

They shouldnt make you put a deposit.

Took mine about 2 months to come in but I ordered during Christmas shut down. It was priority 10. I believe aftermarket add ons such as bed liner adds time as it has to go to another facility, not too sure about bed covers and toolbox misc you can option. Best to do all that once you get it.

 

Dealer allocation is very important. If the dealer doesn't have an allocation when you walk in to write up the order, the dealer can't order the vehicle from Ford until they are given an allocation. For an example; Ford may allow a certain dealer to order 20 trucks a month, so they do their order so they can fill out their lot inventory. You walk in the same day and write up an order. Sorry, they can't put that in the system until their allocation opens.

You need to know what a dealer's allocation is to better understand how it's going to affect your order. Most of the time, allocation issues don't have a significant impact. They can if it's a high-demand, short-supply vehicle like a GT350, but not normally for trucks.

 

Thanks everyone. The order is in as of Saturday waiting for Ford to “pick it up”. I will give them until the end of the week until I bug them. I requested a copy of the DORA when it’s available. Hopefully I can come up with a PCO.

Grant

 

I can't remember if it was here or some other Ford forum, but a guy did a super long, very detailed write-up on how the build and priority system worked. It's a good read and it sheds light into how a person's build can get bumped to the end of the line if it requires components that are out of stock.

Anyway, one of the points made is that the Priority is not a universal code. It's internal to a dealership. That is, Dealer X Priority 11 doesn't necessarily get slotted ahead of Dealer Y Priority 12. That's not how the system works. Dealer X Priority 11 gets slotted ahead of Dealer X Priority 12. So, if your dealership gives you a priority 10 (best), but gives everyone else a 10, too ... then, it's meaningless and may as well be a 19. It's only relative within a given dealership's orders.

I believe single digits are for special orders and special purpose. Individual people are 10-19. I can't recall if it goes any higher and what those numbers would be for. I got a 19 in mid-Feb and was built in ~6 weeks.

Dealership allocations are more complicated, and it goes both ways. On one hand, it may limit what the dealership can order. On the other hand, it may dictate what the dealership must receive. It's why a dealership probably won't have nothing but high-end stuff and why there may be an oddly placed V6 Mustang on the lot of mostly high-trim vehicles, e.g. It's not clear to me exactly how volume affects this balance, though it absolutely does. It also isn't clear to me how "build to stock" vs "built to order" works with/against allocation.

 

https://www.blueovalforums.com/forum...uling-process/

Here is a good explanation of the ordering process.

 

Thanks. That’s EXACTLY what I was looking for.