I've been looking at the prices for new Fords, for a few months. I was considering buying a Focus or Fusion to help out a family friend who is a Ford dealer, and who was having a tough year even before the Wall Street meltdown. Ford has had rebates for as long as GM (gotta keep up with the competition), but now Ford has also (finally?) gone to Employee Pricing.
Unfortunately, unlike GM, Ford isn't being too forthright about WHAT their employee price is. At least until recently, if you went on the internet, GM dealers posted the E.P./Red Tag Price on their inventory so you knew before going to the dealer about what you would be paying. Going to Ford Direct, or to a dealer's website, you are asked to submit pretty much most of your life history (sorry, I exaggerate) before the dealer e-mails you with the price vs what Ford Direct tells you is the MSRP. I guess I should have expected this, after GM announced this week it was "holding on" to rebates sent to customers for a few weeks in order to stay "liquid".
I have only myself to blame for missing out on a chance to get a Fusion, an '09 at that, for a few thousand under invoice. Just glad I don't need that new car....knock wood.
the GM employee pricing isn't that great. It used to be 15%-18% off base price and 18% off options, if you ordered a car.
I can plug into a GM site and get the pricing for the current models. Some of it only runs 10%-11% off sticker. I think you can do better haggling over the price.
Here is the Employee Pricing for building a Solstice: 8% off sticker.
Vehicle: 2008 Solstice
Selected Style: Solstice (Base)
Exterior: Mysterious (black)
Interior: Ebony Cloth
Total MSRP: $24,170.00
MSRP: $23,075.00
Color & Options: $1,095.00
Total MSRP: $24,170.00
GMS Price:*** $22,258.03
2008 Pontiac Solstice Base 2dr Convertible
Save Now!
Pontiac Solstice
$23,075
MSRP Price:
$22,232
Invoice Price:
$22,632
Sales Price:
($1,500)
Manufacturer Rebates:
Target Price: $21,132
Pricing as of 11/19/08 in zip code 29418
cars direct beats employee pricing.. HA!
integraguy wrote:
...to help out a family friend who is a Ford dealer, and who was having a tough year even before the Wall Street meltdown.
Just give your friend $500 in cash. I bet that would do more to help him than buying a car would, especially if you buy that car at rock bottom prices.
Like everything else concerning new car sale advertisement, its a gimmick. I sold for GM, Honda, Ford, and Volvo. In our weekly meetings the boss would talk about how they put an ad on TV this week so expect customers. We never discussed what was IN the ad or what cars were on special. The point of the ad is to get people in the door. Once they're here, we simply sell the cars like we normally do. Its the old bait and switch, but made legal by the fact that the customer doesn't follow through. Nobody comes in and says, "I want the cheap car in the commercial." The commercial just magically brings them in and we sell them a car fair and square... as fair and square as it can be :)
I was recently in the market for a truck and thought I'd price out new ones just for kicks. I was looking at a new dodge with a Hemi. It was a special "free" Hemi upgrade and $8000 cash back. That took the $26k price down to $18k. Of course, their first offer just comes out as $X down and $Z a month... but it was based on the $26k sticker price. And of course they valued my $10k trade at $3500.
...And my employee pricing? Depending on the vehicle, I paid invoice plus a percentage. That's what I did for the only car I bought new. Never again.
ignorant wrote:
2008 Pontiac Solstice Base 2dr Convertible
Save Now!
Pontiac Solstice
$23,075
MSRP Price:
$22,232
Invoice Price:
$22,632
Sales Price:
($1,500)
Manufacturer Rebates:
Target Price: $21,132
Pricing as of 11/19/08 in zip code 29418
cars direct beats employee pricing.. HA!
the gm pricing i used did not take any rebates into account. still 8%??
If I build a 2009 Corvette with some options, this is what I get: 13% off sticker and no rebates are in this price.
Vehicle: 2009 Corvette Coupe
Selected Style: 1LT
Exterior: Victory Red
Interior: Ebony Leather Seating Surfaces
Total MSRP: $52,795.00
MSRP: $49,415.00
Color & Options: $3,380.00
Total MSRP: $52,795.00
GMS Price:*** $45,712.73
I would buy the Fusion WAY before the focus, I HATE the focus.
terrible car
Where are you? As far as I know, we've not started the "employee pricing for everyone".
IF you could get A-plan (what it's called), it's quite good. I wonder if you are getting the "Friends and Neighbors" plan w/o sponsorship- or the dealer is doing it for you....
(BTW, the Focus is a fine car. An improvement on the old one, the one few complained about... but since the grass is greener on the other side of the ocean.... )
Eric
Ford is "advertising" Employee Pricing on FordDirect.com, but they don't tell you what THAT price is....at least GM tells you what it is. I would prefer a Ford the size of a Focus, but until Nov. 18th, the Fusion was a steal. The ones I looked at were the base "S" sedan with 4 cylinder and a manual tranny, and while they were equipped WAAAY better than a Focus, because of a HUGE rebate that ended on the 18th...the Fusion was cheaper than an "S" Focus. This morning, all Ford vehicles had "lost" their huge rebates, and now it looks like EVERYTHING has a $500 rebate....but only if you finance through Ford Credit.
I wasn't waiting for an even better rebate, but the internet sales person I was dealing with was being (unintentionally?) evasive about the price and/or (acting?) ignorant about the $3500 rebate in effect. Her "out the door" price was a few hundred bucks under invoice...apparently, rebates included.
As Gilda Radner's Emily Latella(sp?) used to say:
"never mind..........."
As of 5:30 pm CDT, Ford has further "modified" the FordDirect webpage to show what the Employee Price is. IF, I bought the car today vs yesterday, the price is LOWER today. If I used Ford Credit, the price would be $14, 300 vs yesterday's $15,300
