How would drop-ship work on an FTE deal? Does it come to my local dealer? My house? How much extra does it cost? I live in central Illinois.

Thanks,
Marc

 

A cargo plane circles your house twice, drops 3 flares to get your attention and then pushes the crate out of the back of the plane. They hope the parachute works and they go home. Then you have to uncrate the truck and test drive it.

 

But what kind of flares do they use?? =)

 

Type of flares unimportant--where you are standing when it lands, is.

Actually, Jeff and Ernie have a listing of dealers who will accept a new delivery for them--one of those will be fairly near your home--you order from and pay Jeff or Ernie, and you pick it up at the designated dealer. Works real slick, good friend of mine just got one here in N. Texas from Ernie.They don't hassle you with hidden or unexpected 'fees' and they will keep you in the loop much better than most dealers whom you would order from locally. Anymore, it is hard to establish a long-term relationship with a local dealer (think AutoNation) and any Ford dealer will do the warranty work if needed.

Talk to either Jeff or Ernie and see how it would work.

 

Maybe Ernie's had better luck than me. I've done two of them, and both were disasters; bad enough that my boss has forbidden me from doing any more. Sorry.

 

Sorry that I assumed it was a simple process. When I think about it more, guess you'd have to find some dealers who didn't resent the sale coming from somewhere else.

This why you are willing to hand-deliver?

 

I assume you're referring to "The Big Easy" trip. Honestly, I'm a pretty soft touch. When a contractor in NO tells me he's too busy to come pick up his truck, I'm not one to argue the point. Let's just say it was my contribution to the Hurricane Katrina cause. And I was the one that got treated to dinner, for a change!

But it was the exception to the rule, of "you-come-HERE-to-get-your-truck."

 

I ordered a new ***** truck for my sister (98) thru my former employer's fleet purchase deal. The truck was delivered directly off the transport trailer at a shopping center right off the NJ Turnpike, where the truck driver could get his rig in and out of easily. They had our phone number and called when almost to the drop-off point so we could meet him. Signed the delivery papers right there.

 

I drop-shipped two Fords to Texas recently, and they went quite smoothly. There's an art to drop ships, though. Both dealerships came recommended to me by FTE members that were local- it never hurts to know who's got a good reputation, and, more importantly, who to avoid like the plague. This can be beneficial to the dealers too- one did a Corvette deal I referred to them shortly afterwards (networking is a beautiful thing).

Drop ship fees run from $150-$500, depending on the dealership. They do the prep/PDI, and usually shuffle the local paperwork for tax and tags. There are a couple of unusual wrinkles to drop-ships that need to be known up front.

1) Deposit on order. Unlike orders that come to us, we do require a deposit for a drop-ship order. My general rule-of-thumb is the deposit amount should approximate the expense to ship the unit from where ever it's going to Oregon if the worst-case happens, and the deal falls through. If the order cannot be stopped/re-routed after the customer cancels, this money is not refundable.

2) Drop-ship units need to be paid for before pickup- be it checks, contracts signed, etc (FMCC and GMAC rules, not mine). Knowing that, any inspection needs to happen before final payment and pickup. Fortunately, with Fed-Ex, the time lag shouldn't be more than 48 hours.

edit:

3) For California drop ships. The vehicle needs to be ordered with California Emissions for California residents. Also- if you're picking your vehicle up in California, but plan on registering it in a different state, you will pay California sales tax! California is unique in this- it's the only state i'm aware of with this tax law. As you can tell, I've been there/done that.
For any other question relating to drop-ships, just pm me.

 

Indiana is another state that collects tax even if registering a vehicle elsewhere. I think they started that because of the RV manufacturers in the state that provide factory pickup.

 

That's good to know- thanks. this cross-border issue can happen when someone lives close to another state, and the closest dealer may actually be across state lines.

 

polarbear-

Do you have any dealerships in Columbus ohio that would be willing to do a drop ship? After reading some post by you and Jeff, I think I might go with one of you for my next F-150 instead of going local. You guys seem very trustworthy and honest. That is the most important thing to me, next to price . Thanks.

 

Just a matter of finding one- I'm sure we can. Alaska and Hawaii are the only places that are almost impossible to drop ship to. Not that that stops me- that's what God made boats for.

 

Polarbear-

Thanks!! I wil keep that in mind when I am ready to get another truck. you will be hearing from me. Thanks again.

 

A 14 months ago i had a transport company pick up my 05 Stang from Jeff in NY and del. to me in South Carolina.....$550....had it del'd to local truck stop which happen to be less than a mile from work....had the cell number of trucker and any time i wanted to know where its at i just called....
More than one way to skin a cat......
Mike