Has anyone purchased through "Cars Direct"? They seem to have good prices without much hassel. I wonder if their prices on the 2004's will drop as we get closer to the end of the year and does anyone know if there are any hidden costs dealing with them?

thanks...bob

 

Keep in mind that you're not buying from CarsDirect. They're a referral source for dealers in your area, and you will eventually have to work with one of their dealers to get the truck. The "target" price they quote is based on OVERALL sales in your area; they are not selling the vehicle to you at that price, but giving you an idea as to what you MAY be able to buy it for. I've heard good and bad about the dealers they associate themsleves with, but I do like using CarsDirect pricing because it's always been extremely accurate. Their invoice cost has always been within $5-10 of the actual invoice; heck, FordDirect isn't that accurate!!

 

Hehe, long time lurker, first time posting.

I bought my new F250 thru Cars Direct. I wanted a PSD with a stick, and nobody local would order it. My local dealer spec'd it out, but never placed the order. Out of frustration, I ordered thru Cars Direct. I had to place a deposit and wait approx ten weeks. It was ordered thru a Bay Area dealer about 85 miles away.

All in all, I would say it was a good experience. The commincation was great at first, then once the ordered place, info was hard to get, until one week before arrival. The price quoted was very cheap, but it did change upon delivery. I was took for a $356 one day loan from Cars Direct because I financed thru my credit union. That was a suprise that I didn't find out about until I was at the dealership, and already had my check cut from the bank. At that point, I couldn't back out, 'cause I had put up a $1500 non-fundable deposit. Also, the truck was built as I ordered, and I knew I'd never find another one like it.

So, I ended up driving 160 miles to get a truck built exactly the way I wanted, and after all was said and done, I paid 8 dollars less than my local dealer quoted me on the exact same '04 F250 that they never ordered. My local dealer's price was 300 over invoice, so the prices seem close. Would I do it again? Yep 'cause I wanted an '04, and I had to place the order in early May to insure it being built. I would not hesitate to use Cars Direct again, just next time, I'll ask about the "one day" floater loan they charged.

Good luck.

'04 F250 PSD SuperCab 4x4 6sp

 

I think Cars Direct is a great rescource. I would recommend shopping with a local fleet salesman too. Cars Direct can usually give you pretty close to dealer invoice. They also dont add alot of the other annoying charges that your dealer will. They also will know exactly what incentives are available to a buyer. I have seen Cars Direct strongly reccomended by another automotive site. When they price the vehicle out for you they will give you three numbers, MSRP, or sticker price, dealer invoice and their price. The break MSRP and dealer invoice down option by option. In my opinion if you are giving them more than 200 over dealer invoice than your being ripped. They WILL negotiate with you also.

The only downside that I can see so far from Cars Direct is that they really don't know the product that they are trying to sell you. They are no way as knowledgable as your local Ford Truck fleet salesman would be. So you have to basically know enough to order the exact equipment package that you want. I got into it with them on rearend gears for example. My advice here is to simply have them include every option available to the particular trim model you want then subtract from there.

I have been in the process of trying to order an '05 F350 but now I think I am going to wait for the incentives to come out. Also I want to make sure that the new style dosent have any problems.

 

bcbob1:

Figure out exactly what you want. Go to fightingchance.com and spend the $30 or so dollars on their packet. Read it, read it again, then read the fax attack section one more time, and THEN either use their method or use a slight twist: Request quotes from several places like Autoweb. This will put you in touch with fleet/internet managers by e-mail and phone, the more the better. Deal using in-voice as THE reference point. Use ALL the info from fightingchance when you e-mail back to your first round of quotes. Then, be patient and let the quotes fall. Do not listen to anyone who tells you that an offer you have (or may have) is bunk, just thank them for their advice. You may be surprised at who eventually ends up giving you the best offers. In my limited experience, about half of those managers who aimed high at first, ended up giving the best offers. The rest just pretended to be appalled at my "outrageous" offer claim, which was legitimate, and I just ordered an '05 at that surprisingly low price.

Other than giving them my $30, I have no connection to fightingchance.com.

Good luck!

 

Thank's guys for all the good info. I'm still undecided whether to go for a deal on a late model '04 or wait for the '05's and hope some of the bugs have been eliminated.

 

Lots of work, lots of agravation.

Go to the top of this forum and read the first three sticky posts.

Go the the dieselstop and do the same.

Read all the happy posts form people on both sites that have ordered through Jeff (1956MarkII) in New York state, Bobby Williams in Califiornia, and Cochise in Houston Texas.

They will sell you exactly what you want at $ 200 to $500 below invoice and NOT play any games with ANY hidden fees or other crap. If you are a Ford employee and have A plan this is NOT for you . BUT this deal is as hassel free as X plan and just as cheap. No argument, no hassels, no lies, no BS!

I owe all three of these fellows a case of beer and a Steak dinner if I am ever in their area and meet them.

I was able to collect a dozen testimonials from owners right here. That, and a copy the offers from all three of these guys, was able convince my dealer that if he could not beat these deals that I would make a trip (for $99 Southwest) to NY, or three hours down the road to Houston and get what I want first time.

I got my 2001 V10 Platinum for $700 under invoice with all incentives. I have a 05 F350 King Ranch being built this week for $250 under invoice and will get every incentive that is in place at time of delivery.

Took me less than one hour and absolutly no arguments at the dealer. I love their service department but always loathed the sales department. Three years ago, when I used this method to strong arm them into the first ever underinvoice deal they ever admit to, started a new relationship between the dealer and me. I am confident that for the rest of my natural life I will never have to negociate and argue over a vehicle purchase again.

Only down side with these three fellows is picking you new truck up at their place. On the other hand this is the best way to do it. They don't like to do out of state delivery because they have no control or ability to fix any problems. And the receiving dealer is not making any money on you so they are not motivated to fix problems. Too many chances to tick off good customer, so they want you to come to them and get the perfect truck, with out any damage or problems, good to go, the frist time.

There are many folks here that swear they will NEVER ever buy another vehicle any other way. I personnaly know two of the 03 PSD owners that are TOO happy with Jeff and spend every day busting my chops for not making the trip.

Ford direct will help with options and costs, as will Edmunds, both sites will let you build the truck and see costs for free. Edmunds shows the MSRP, Invoice, and typical costs for your area, Ford just MSRP.

BobbyWilliams has an order guide on line. Jeff will spend countless hours researching and advising, Cochise belongs to the biggest Fleet sales there is and can get trucks FAST. These are the best three men on the planet for FORD and ALL of us SuperDuty buyers!

BTW I was also able to convince my dealer to reduce the cost of my extended service plan significantly because these guys will sell it well below national average and in some cases at dealer cost.

Only thing I wish folks not woud do is pester Jeff, Bobby, and Cochise with endless questions and BS when they know never intend to buy from them. Kinda rude and could cause them to loose too many sales helping all the lookie lou tire kickers. Let your conscience be your guide. Happy shopping

 

bcbob:

Fredvon is exactly right. If 1956MarkII's (Jeff) dealership wasn't 1601 miles from my house, I would have been there already, and as you can read in his sticky post, he has not been able to guarantee flawless delivery (after he does, he may take over the Western world). His prices, knowledge, work ethic, and reputation are excellent.

I did manage to get an '05 F350 6.0 Crew Lariat for >$800 under in-voice but the dollar-saved-to-hour ratio was not worth it. I now have a local dealership that takes me seriously and that may be handy when I purchase a Ltd 6.0 Excursion this winter. I did learn a ton in the process. I played no games, didn't have anything close to an argument, told people exactly what I wanted, and after 8 phone calls and about 12 e-mails over 2 weeks, the process was over, and the person who I purchased from made a very easy, smooth, and fast transaction: 2 e-mails, 2 phone calls, and 1 fax. Total time for that dealership was less than 20 minutes, even if it took 10 to put together the buyers order.

There are some amazing deals available on '04s in some areas of the country right now but for some reason, in my region, dealers were offering better deals on ordered '05s than on '04s (not counting rebates). And now, instead of driving an '04 to work, I'm ticking off the days on the calendar until the '05 arrives, and keep hoping that Ford keeps their rail cars, 18" rims, and brake controllers in good supply.

Either way, it's a fun truck and should be a fun process.

And last, your best resource, in my opinion, is this website. I have yet to find a forum (or any resource for that matter) with more breadth and depth of knowledge, and willingness to share it, than this site, made almost entirely possible by the great group of folks who hang around here and volunteer their time and input.

 

Wow! Fredvon should be getting commission for a testimonial like that! Anybody know of a dealer in Canada that gives this kind of service? Buying cross border for new vehicles is WAY too complicated and US vehicles don't always conform to Canadian requirements.

 

prairie boyCome on down to Texas, plenty of prairies, good lookin ladies, lots of beer and BBQ, Job market is good, weather is great, and Fords are King (though them pesky cheap Dodges are starting to clutter the countryside all leaking and broke) we still do business with a handshake and your word is assumed good unless you show up in a pink volkswagon with a "we are here to take your hand guns" bumper sticker... then you might just get your butt kicked. No really we are a friendly sort and need more Ford owners!

 

Reminds me of next year's "Survivor," entitled "Texas Survivor." CBS starts you off in El Paso, driving a pink Volvo station wagon with 2 bumber stickers. One says, "I hate Bush" and the other reads "I hate guns." They then see if you can make it alive to Houston!

 

Only if you're in the fast lane driving slowly