I have had so many dealers willing to sell at $100-$500 over invoice either '03 or '04 I wondered if anyone gave a below invoice offer that was accepted.

 

Right know I'm at about $300 under. I ordered mine back on 9/6. By the time it gets here, I'll be eligible for the $500 rebate with AQHA. I also got the $120 filing fee knocked off because we agreed on $300 under invoice plus sales tax. So that should be $920 below??

 

haven't seen too much being sold under invoice around here, I see quite abit at or $250-$500 over.

 

I guess it depends on how good you local dealer's incentives are. Dale Jarret Ford sells 650-700 vehicles per month. I purchased an 03 F150 XLT 2wd Styleside last week from Dale Jarret Ford in Indian Trail, NC. They were offering $6500 off on all 2003 F150's, which would put my truck $2000 below dealer invoice.
The dealer holdbacks and diffence in delivery charges can be used as a bargaining tool as well. If they were invoice a flat $750 delivery fee but the actual charges were $350 - that is $400 built into the price, considering holdbacks are 2-3% and sometimes more...you should be able to easily negotiate $1000 below invoice. High volume dealers can often do much better than small volume dealers - so look for a high volume dealer that is wanting to get rid of all the 2003 inventory. I drove 1.5 hours and got a MUCH better deal than I was quoted from the dealer 2 miles from my house.
Anyway, good luck in your search - I hope you get the truck you want, for what you want to pay.

 

Let's clear up some misconceptions: shipping or delivery charges are the same no matter where you live. And don't let a dealer figure rebates into the selling price when you're negotiating. When we talk about buying so much above or below invoice, we're trying to determine what the dealer is actually SELLING the vehicle for. In other words, how much profit are they willing to settle for. All the incentives should be kept separate so you know where the deal is. Let's say Dealer A is willing to sell for $100 over invoice, less a $1,000 rebate. Dealer B, about 40 miles away, will sell for $200 over invoice, but he's got an additional $500 incentive because he's located in a different sales region (yes, this really does happen). If the rebates are calculated into the price, then it looks like Dealer B is giving you the better deal, but he's actually making MORE money than Dealer A. And what if you decide to take the 0% financing instead of the rebate? Then you're not getting "$6500 off sticker," as Dave Simon suggests. That dealer is going to add the rebate back into his so-called great deal, because it's 0% OR rebate, but not both.

As for what you should pay, I can tell you that we're selling '03s for invoice less $500, less the rebate, and '04s are going for invoice less $200, less the rebate. I hope that helps in your negotiating.

 

1956MarkII,

Great point. I for one would be after the low interest rate since I have no intention of putting money down. So according to what your saying if I bought an '04 for invoice less $200, that's the bottom line before tax and lic., correct? How about doc. fees?

 

Right- you need to determine the selling price because in almost all states that's what the sales tax is computed on. I know of no state that let's you deduct the rebates before figuring the tax (that would be giving up tax revenue!). Doc fees vary greatly from state to state. Here in New York, the land of taxes, the maximum doc fee any dealer can charge is $20. Yes, I said TWENTY DOLLARS. In some states it can be hundreds of dollars. And all your fees (doc, title, registration, emissions test, etc...) should be added AFTER the sales tax is computed. You shouldn't be paying any sales tax on these items, just the vehicle.

 

Okay, so the 03' Super Duty's that are still left have let's say a 4-6K rebate.

If it was me, I'd be shooting for getting the truck at Invoice and then applying the rebate.

I wouldn't let them throw out this big number rebate and then deduct from the MSRP if it was me.

How about you?

 

My nearest dealer told me today that under no circumstances would they sell a truck under invoice.

 

Don't know what the invoice on my truck was but I paid $41263. Thought it was a good deal at the time, was it?

 

How do you find out what invoice is? this is what I think about dealers that screw people.

 

Blownaway,

Try this one. There are others.

http://www.edmunds.com/

 

sinjin...are you gonna look around at other dealerships or have you decided your gonna have to pay more than invoice? Keep us updated.

 

also...what model are you looking for?

 

Nothing set in stone yet. The dealer near my home is fair sized but I can always go to Galpin Ford which I believe is the biggest in the country. I did meet a salesperson I actually am comfortable with at my local dealer (Vista Ford) so I will likely give him a shot if it looks like above invoice is inevitable. I expect to make a $500 under invoice offer to Galpin just to see.

My eyes are getting bigger all the time.

So far the way I'm leaning:

F-350 for payload
Crewcab for seating
Longbed for the larger fuel tank.

Then it gets more difficult.

I liked the PSD I drove but pricey and unproven.
I liked the V-10 but pump pricey, not so bad though.

I would like 4X4 but not sure I'd use it enough.

I don't really want to drive a dually but if I'm thinkin' camper
it would simplify things.

If I had to buy tomorrow or never it would be:

F-350 XLT CC LB PSD SRW FX4 Black/med.flint with doodads

Believe me it will be like you are all there with me, I owe much to this group.