Getting ready to make an offer on a new F150 Platinum but need the forum's help in making the best offer.

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 170pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=226 border=0 x:str><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 85pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 4000" span=2 width=113><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.9pt" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 170pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.9pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=226 colSpan=2 height=17>Before Rebates & Incentives</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.9pt" height=17><TD class=xl22 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.9pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17 x:num="47965">$ 47,965.00 </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">MSRP</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.9pt" height=17><TD class=xl22 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.9pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17 x:num="44029">$ 44,029.00 </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">X-Plan Price</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.9pt" height=17><TD class=xl23 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.9pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17 x:num="43228">$ 43,228.00 </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Invoice Price</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 4.95pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=6><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 4.95pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=6></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.9pt" height=17><TD class=xl23 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.9pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17 x:num="1000">$ 1,000.00 </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Holdback (est.)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

As usual, the X-Plan price sucks. I've heard some people offer to split the holdback with the dealer and everyone walks away happy. Rebates/Incentives in my geographical location are $3500 + $1000 w/Ford Credit. With that said, what should I offer?

 

I would have thought X-plan would be better the more money you spend. My XLT was stickered just above 38K and my X-plan was right around 33,800 before incetives and rebates.

 

I always buy at $100 over invoice. This gives the dealer a few dollars of profit plus their holdbacks and co-op. I always order my vehicles to get exactly what I want, so they typically don't want to sell into holdback since the vehicle isn't taking up space on their lot. I also insist on the removal of documentation fees and any other dealer adds.

If you're buying a leftover off the lot, especially one that's been sitting awhile, they may be more eager.

Personally, despite what people say about X-plan being .4% over dealer cost, I don't buy it. I've always done significantly better than X-plan, without an X-plan PIN. And "invoice price" isn't really "dealer cost"...

 

The current X Plan pricing formula is:

With some determination, you can generally negotiate a new vehicle down to invoice, but the X Plan will get you 0.4% below invoice with no haggling. To me, that makes it very worthwhile.

And remember that the manufacturer incentives & rebates are still taken off of that X Plan price. That takes your actual purchase price (with X Plan) down to $39,529.

 

I hate to correct you, but the X-Plan price I mentioned earlier was quoted by the dealer so it is, in theory, well above the invoice price. Now, maybe I need to challenge the dealer's quoted X-plan price. I got the invoice price from www.edmunds.com. Maybe Edmund's is wrong too?

 

From my experience, Edmunds has been dead on accurate. This is in the cases where I could build an exact duplicate. In some cases, they are missing options which obviously throws off the invoice & MSRP pricing in the end.

Ask the dealer for a copy of the price sheet for that truck. If they are quoting you the X Plan price, they should not have a problem with letting you at least look at the price sheet. If you look at it, there should be roughly half a dozen prices printed along the bottom edge--including MSRP, Invoice, and A, X, Z and D Plan prices.

 

Thanks. When I went to Edmunds, I was able to exactly match the truck's options to the Window Sticker MSRP so I'm pretty sure the invoice price is accurate. When using the X-Plan formula you mentioned above...the dealer has some explaining to do! Thanks again for helping out!

 

Sticker on my Platinum was $51,225. I paid $42,000 + taxes/plates, etc.

 

That's nearly $10K off sticker. How did you manage to get that price? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

I was kind of shocked myself. I've bought a lot of vehicles from them for my business, but never felt like I was getting any special treatment. The truck I bought wasn't even on their lot, it was about 150 miles away on a different dealers showroom floor. I suspect there's alot more profit built into that sticker than we think.

 

You still didn't tell us how you did it. X-Plan? D-Plan? How much below invoice? Give it up because I want to know your secret so I can do the same!!!

 

I just told them what I wanted, they didn't have it, called me a few hours later and asked if "Platinum White" was ok. I said yes, they talked to the dealer, and called me back later and said I could have it for $42. I just said OK.

 

I hate to say this, but something is not adding up with that. There is not enough mark-up--even in a $50K truck--to let the dealership willing write off ~$10K. There may be a bit over $5K between MSRP & invoice, but anything significantly beyond that would be cutting into the dealership's profit.

With that being said, I could accept that the truck was $51K MSRP and that the dealer dropped it to $42K IF that was a final price tag after a couple thousand dollars in manufacturer incentives & rebates and/or a possible credit from a trade-in and/or a cash down payment.

 

Deluxe - Here in Texas, there are sales every year on F150 and F250 trucks for $10K+ off of MSRP at multiple dealers...nothing uncommon or fuzzy math.

 

Brother is in IL, just like me so I'm also having a hard time believing the $10K off myself. Like I asked him earlier, show me how this took place. Real math with real numbers please.