After crunching the numbers of various trucks in my local dealer stock, it appears that x-plan is anywhere from 9.4 - 10.9% off MSRP and .10 - .21% off invoice. The general trend is the more expensive the truck, the better the x-plan, but that does not always hold true. So I got a quote on having a truck ordered through my local Ford dealer (sorry Jeff and Polar, I wish you guys were closer to central IL!!):

F150 FX4 4x4 6.5 styleside
- two tone
- FFV
- 3.73 LS
- standard wheels and tires
- standard seats, no flow through
- trailer tow
- 37.5 gallon fuel tank
- fixed rear w/ defrost
- 4" polished stainless running boards

MSRP is $35,765, invoice is $32,212. Dealer claims x-plan is $31,630.87

Seems too good to be true. I went over it on the phone this morning and everything seems to be there, but have not gotten it in writing yet.

Is this price possible/likely to hold?

Thanks,
Marc

 

I've got a 150 in-stock that stickers for $35510, and X-Plan is $31948. So, yeah, something's not right. X should be about $32200.

 

Just a thought, but when I bought my truck using X-plan my local dealer intially quoted me the A-plan price, wasn't until I gave him the pin number and he ran the actual order that the X-plan price came up.

 

I thought of that, but A-PLan would be a lot less than the X-Plan price that dealer initially quoted ($1000-$1500 less).

 

There isn't 500 bucks of X-Plan bonus cash out there that this person might have figured in, is there?

 

He's got MSRP and invoice correct. I've got X-plan @ $32,159.78, A-Plan @ $31,241.00. Remember, even if you get his lower quote in writing, Xplan comes straight off of the invoice. If he screwed up, you're still going to pay the correct price.

 

I would bet they probably left something off even though I went through what I wanted very specifically. I got MSRP and invoice from fordvehicles.com, x-plan is the only number I have gotten from the salesman.

Seems like they can do better. I wish I could give you (jeff) the business, but I am not up for such a long drive.

Also going to look at an 04 F150 FX4 SuperCab that just showed up in the paper (classifieds) tonight. It's loaded with almost every option so it's really an apples to oranges comparison with what I would order. But it's only got 13K miles on it and is supposedly in mint condition. They are asking $25K for it, but I think $22-23K seems more reasonable. Two year depreciation hurts! I don't see many 1 or 2 year F150's around here that have that kind of mileage on them.

So many pros and cons to new vs. used. it's hard to know the right choice. New is more money, full warranty, and exactly the way I want. But the "drive it off the lot" depreciation is depressing. Used is everything I want and more that I don't necessarily need (moon roof? c'mon! =) ), more affordable, less warranty, depreciation will hopefully be not as steep. Whatever I get I will most likely keep a long time, I don't get a new(er) vehicle very often.

Any advice?

 

Well, there's always a drop-ship/courtesy delivery.

I don't know the answer to the new vs. used quandry. Over the years, I've done both. My rule of thumb goes something like this- if it's a high depreciation vehicle (you'd be stunned at what I define as "high depreciation- 40-50% of MSRP in the first year) used is a no-brainer. If it's a low depreciation vehicle (23-30% of MSRP), new can be pretty convincing. Let's remember cars and trucks aren't Real Estate- they depreciate, and at a pretty steep rate for the first few years.

Example- on your X-Plan quote, you haven't figured rebates in yet. Whack off the $2500 rebate, and we're talking about roughly $29,500. Saving $4 to $7K on a two year old vehicle, to me, isn't enough to make it attractive. Considering an extended warranty on the thing will run a couple of grand (and since it's 2 years into a three year warranty, that's worth considering too), financing will be more expensive on a used than a new...... see where I'm going here?

As an aside- if resale is a concern of yours, I'd focus on a Lariat, not a FX4. The book add for a lariat two year or three years later doesn't really take the reality of the marketplace into consideration. a Lariat will be easier to sell, and for more money, every time.

Again, the view from my desk, and my checkbook. Your result may vary.

 

Drop-ship? Interesting. So how would that work? What are the fees like?

My guess is that this 04 I am going to go look at tonight was nearly $40K on the MSRP. Edmunds and KBB both peg it it around $22-23K now, so I would have to consider that high depreciation. I have owned Honda's before this, so this depreciation thing is new to me. =) Just kidding.

I haven't ground through the rebate guarantee issue yet, but does anyone think the $2500 factory rebate or $1000 FMC rebates will go away after April or February, respectively? If I order I may even be able to squeeze in the AQHA rebate if I time it right. That's a potential $4K discount. Now we are down to $27,700 if they go $500 under invoice.

Sales tax is another issue, it will be about another $1000 on a new vehicle over what I would pay on the used truck.

Resale is not so much a concern for me. I like to keep vehicles around (8-10 years at least).

I appreciate the honest discussion on this. I am only indecisive like this on vehicles.

 

Here's why I mentioned Lariat. A Lariat equipped the same way has a MSRP of $36,258 and an invoice of $32,269. And a ton more stuff as standard equipment- that's the leather mac-daddy version, and it's within $500 of the FX4.

re: Rebates. the $1000 bonus cash is supposed to go away after 2/28. Our crystal ball is fuzzy from that point out. If you want to score on that, just grab one out of stock.

 

polarbear and 1956MarkII

Great input on options, resale, used vs. new, where the rubber hits the road stuff. Really helpful info.

Thanks

 

just ask to see the trucks invoice paperwork... they HAVE to show it to you if you are a qualified x-plan buyer......and remember to read all the information you can about x-plan terms, preferrably from Ford's website... you'll see that you shouldn't pay for "advertising" fees and "dealer prep" fees etc...

do your homework, it pays.....

 

Forrest- you're correct except for FDAF. Everyone gets dinged for that- like it or not.