FYI...The link doesn't work cause there's a comma in it.....Great site though.

http://www.flatratetech.com

 

Sorry about the fumble fingers for the link.

Take Chap's advice. I'd deal w/ a fleet dealer anytime, or a smaller dealer. These guys will NOT jerk you around. Their business is not based on volume, but rather personel service (the smaller guys). A good fleet dealer sees you as one more sale in thier volume, true, but will tell you the straight dope.

We have Lithia Dealerships around here, and they have a horrible reputation w/ old timers. They have bought out a bunch of independents, and will "do what it takes to get you into a new car" (lie, cheat, & steal) to try to make a sale. A common practice is to get your keys to look over your trade & then not be able to find them when you are ready to leave. They tried that once with me. My reply: "You have 30 seconds to get them to me or I call the cops & file a grand theft auto charge" while reaching for my cell. We've had them "sell" trades before actually completing the paperwork on a sale. Auto nation is in the same mold. There are several of them over a vast area, and they don't care what lie they tell you to get a sale. With these guys, keep a firm hand on your wallet, and remember, BUYER BEWARE. If you don't see their blood on the dealership floor, they got the better deal.

I'm also fortunate, in that we have a couple of GREAT Ford dealerships around here. Mock's Ford is just the total reverse of a Lithia or AN. They are a home town dealership in business for the last 60 years. I think the newest guy on their sales staff has been there 12 years. The Service department is great, & Mrs Mock calls to see if you have any complaints. Some deal now a days, huh?

 

Just went to flatrate & searched for the post I was recalling. found it here: http://flatratetech.com/ubb/ultimate...;f=15;t=000213

Boy, those guy don't hold anything back. Look at a few of thew other posts as well..

 

I guess i've been thinking a large dealership could afford to sell for less than the small guys. I hadn't talked to Cochise yet, but i'm feeling like it might be the thing to do.

I can remember at some point thinking that building and ordering the exact truck I want (in spite of the waiting for it to come in) was going to be fun, but now...i'm ready to get it ordered and be done with it. This really isn't much fun at all. You gotta have eyes in the back of your head with these guys.

Y'all have helped me out tremendously with the knowing-what-to-order part-- at least now i'll understand what's under the hood and what I can expect out of the truck. But, I still have to walk into the dealership and settle on a price and get the thing ordered...i'm afraid those guys are gonna eat me alive.

Not looking forward to that at all.

Maybe i'll print this entire thread and take it with me.
"...No, no, no Mr. Salesman! I know that there's a Rebate Protection Program, see TwoBallsLeft said so right there....!"

 

FM Lookin4a250
But, I still have to walk into the dealership and settle on a price and get the thing ordered...i'm afraid those guys are gonna eat me alive.

Go over to www.kbb.com and build the truck you want. Then print it out. It will give you both the MSRP price and the Invoice price. You can then take it into the dealership with you. You can buy these vehicles for Invoice Before incentives are deducted. If you shop around you can even get them for a couple of hundered below invoice before incentives.

The only additional things to pay for are, Destination ($795), Fuel charge, tax & title, and no more than $100 maximum for document fees (Some dealers charge as little as $20 for doc fees). Any other fees they try and tack on tell them no way.

Before you sign on the dotted line have the dealer show you the actual Invoice for the truck you are buying, if they won't show it to you then don't buy from them. Also when you order it have the dealer give you a copy of the VOC and priced DORA.

If you want the FMC ESP then shop it on the internet, you can buy it from any FMC dealership, even over the telephone after you purchase your vehicle. The price varies widely so shop the ESP.

Good Luck

 

See if someone can get you an x-plan pin. W/ that the x-plan price is not negotiable by the dealer (higher anyway). You said they could get you "lower than x-plan". If that is true, its a good deal. Have them show you the invoice. MSRP, invoice, x-plan & a-plan are all printed on it. Ask them to show you the x-plan & a-plan. If they don't or are reluctant, get up & walk out. If you have an opportunity to talk to the sales MANAGER, tell them what low-down, dirty-rotten, sneak-thieven, CALIFORNIAINS you think they are (Sorry guys, if they were in Califorina I'd call em New Yorkers or some other equally heinous place like Portland ), and tell em you can do better with a REAL Texan outfit like Lone Star Ford, that will deal honestly & in good faith.

Cut your best deal first w/out mentioning any trade. Set your finance up with a good local Credit Union. After you have agreed on price, incentives, bonuses & whatever else you can get subtracted, talk trade-in & if it breaks the deal, WALK. Also - do not sign a deal that says you will take delivery no matter what happens. They own the the rig until you take delivery, and if intrest rates go up, the truck doesn't have everyting its supposed to, is damaged, whatever, its still theirs & your trade is still worth what it was when you order the truck, I don't care how many miles you had to put on it, or that it took 3 mos. for delivery, that trade is still what it was when I ordered it!

I know its hard to do sometimes, but always be prepared to walk away form the deal if it don't feel right. Its your money & YOU are doing them an ENORMOUS favor doing business with them, not the other way around.

 

Viodoubletow, i got my change interval numbers from the manual for the F150 5.4 I had before and the 2003 PSD I have now. But I still change oil on my PSD every 5000Mi.

Lookin, don't feel bad about burying the Z71, I've had 4 of them, and every one has been on the end of a ****** rope from time to time. The only bad thing is that sometimes the Fords couldn't get to them to pull them out. That's when the John Deere comes in handy.

 

Well, just ordered mine again.....what a great experiance...man, it's amazing the differance between dealers. They even threw in the hood blanket, glove light, 15k hitch and a touch up/wax kit. I got everything I wanted and then some and didn't even have to ask....whoo...hooo!

Got the Rebate protection...they just wrote it on the order that I'm garenteed 1500.00 as a min....

 

Lots of good comments here on the F250 5.4L 6.8L etc. Have had 2 5.4L Expeditions, one with 3.73 and another with 3.54's. Both pulled about the same surprisingly but not well in OD with the 3.54's. Then came an Excursion with the V10, about a mile per gallon difference (less) average on the road and well worth driving the Excursion. Best was 16 or so with the 5.4 and 14 plus with the Excursion but both overall averages were less though. The V10 way outpulls the V8, but the gas mileage drops more with the V10 to about 8 where the 5.4 would run 9-10 witht the same load but would get there a day later. Bought another Expedition in December for communting/work and a Harley F250 PSD for the weekend pulling, expensive way to solve the problem but the first half is tax deductable - yah right! If you are going to pull much of anything with your truck - get the V10 at a minimum if you really want to be happy, suck up the loss in MPG cause it isn't going to cost that much more. The 4.10 are no question better, but on the road when you kick her down she'll wind up good but won't set your head back. I know the Expeditions and Excursions are heavier than the respective pickups but overall I think the performance comparison is similar. Just another opinion.

 

One more comment - I don't think the 5.4 in the F250 is the same as they are putting in the new F150's so the HP and Torque are still lower in the F250's. So be careful if you drive an F150 and then order an F250!!!!!!!!!

 

OMCUSNR says:

"Also - do not sign a deal that says you will take delivery no matter what happens."

Where on the deal is this specified? I'm always leary about dealership paperwork?

I've heard the same about purchasing off the lot when financing through the dealership (not usually a good idea)--don't take delivery of the truck until your loan paperwork is approved-sometimes they will write a ridiculously low interest rate, process your trade-in, send you home with the car and follow up in a few days with the formalized paperwork and a much higher interest rate/payment. Then they won't let you out of the deal and claim that the trade-in has already been sold. This used to be the scam used on people with poor credit by unscrupulus dealerships.

Any comments?

Thanks,
Carl

 

Went into the local Chevy dealer to order a new DuraMax. They didn't have what I wanted or could afford. I put together the truck I wanted & fine tuned it so I could afford it, IF INTREST RATES DIDN'T CHANGE. Got down to putting it on paper, & the sales guys says "you're taking this truck no matter what, right?" I said contingent on intrest rates. They said we can't do that. I said bye!

 

Traitor....

 

Well, I didn't actually buy a DMax. See my sig. The only reason I was looking at one was cause of the lying stealer. Said they'd give me 2K over what I owed on my trade. When I told 'em I qualified for GM Supplier (X-Plan) & wanted 2k for trade, well then it was a different story, and was I trying to rob them blind...

Again, if you don't see the sales manager writhing on the floor in agony, its not the best deal you can get.

 

Hey Lookin'

I haven't been by the site for a while. How is it coming with the hunt for a rig?? I hope I didn't scare you away from getting one. Just want to make sure you don't get taken for a ride.