Our quest this week of buying a new car (Mustang GT) for my wife hit the expected bumps and a few new ones from the dealers. These games are common for all new cars.
We found the car my wife wanted in Fl after doing days of zip code searches for an exact match on Ford build and price. Orlando had an exact match and a Daytona dealer had an exact match but also the B&O sound system.....$1000 more. So the game was afoot for dealing. My wife was going to FL for a week to see her new granddaughter so it should have been easy to buy the car there. My plan was to play one dealer against the other.
First game was getting the initial prices with rebates online......the Orlando dealer after 3 days was a no go on paperwork we gave up on getting an actual invoice to pick up a check from our Bank for financing. The games they played was incorrect taxes by $600 over and they played the stall and did not provide the invoice to cripple our efforts to get a check, I called it to my wife before it happened. Not new to me as the car buyer. They also wanted to keep all the rebates for the financing, I told them they were crazy and Ford would not be amused at them taking my VET rebate or Ford bonus cash. Another "error" on their part. They wanted the financing profits and that is normal, just don't expect them to help you with outside financing. BTW, we thought the Orlando dealer had another offer as they stopped pushing for a deposit and went 3 days with no contact. Today while my wife was in Daytona the Orlando dealer called wanting to know if she was picking the car up in Orlando. I think the higher deal they had fell through....Karma is a bitch even for a car dealer.
The dealer in Daytona also stalled on an invoice even though we agreed on a price. Finally got one but the rate from the bank was not better than adding the $2000 rebate to the sales price for the "O%" Ford financing. We finally got a price $500 under the other car without the $1000 stereo. Accepted price, why not? Cheaper and stereo thrown in free. An hour later with wife on the phone they dropped another $500 out of the blue??? HMMMM? All was well for pick up this morning.
The set up
When she got there she drove the car they set up Sync for her phone, had a full tank of gas, went over the controls and commented that the car was "already" broken in for her. But ......wait for it..... there was errors on the prices on the paperwork that my wife made them correct, almost never have I bought a car where I did not find "mistakes" on the paperwork. Shocking how computers make all those mistakes!
147 miles....WTF?
My wife not really comprehending what they were saying went in to pass a check and take the keys. But she texted me and said the car had 147 miles on it before writing the check. Long story short I asked the finance man why the car had 147 miles on it. After 45 years of buying new cars I found out that "ALL new Fords come from the factory with 50-60 miles on them". I told him he was a lying sack of shit! He then told me the other 80 miles was because "Ford did not deliver new cars to Daytona" the Dealer had to drive them from Jacksonville to Daytona. I told him he was a P.O.S. liar and we walked away from the deal.
Without knowing the truth about who was driving the car I did not want it. Posted a 1 star rating on Facebook and ripped them on the lies about the mileage. Within 15 minutes I got a call from a corporate type guy who wanted to "fix it". End result was he basically admitted even he can't get an answer as to how the mileage got on the car and agrees it was probably joyriding by staff. So his solution is to order a new one, prep it when it comes in and have it trucked to NC where my wife is and delivered to her door. We were promised that in writing Monday............we shall see but I think it will happen. It will cost about $4-500 for delivery but they have enough fat on the bone to eat that for sure. But we wait for 6-8 weeks. The quest goes on and dealers never change..lie cheat and steal. Or more likely "Dewey, Cheatem and Howe"! My wife was completely shocked at the things the dealer tried, she thought the people were wonderful at the dealer. Until all the things I predicted they tried. The mileage excuse is a classic "stupid" lie. Either he was stupid or thought I was or both!
I do get weary of the constant battle to buy a car....but understand it will never change. I think the biggest scam today is the "doc" fee fiasco. On this forum I have seen people refer to it as normal! Some states have laws limiting it to $75 and other states it is the Wild,Wild West with up to $1000. I scratch it off from the get go. Just more games to convince you "everybody pays it". No they don't....just the uninformed.
Hope some of this gives you some things to watch for. Never buy a performance car with dealer miles on it. Especially a Coyote engine!
We found the car my wife wanted in Fl after doing days of zip code searches for an exact match on Ford build and price. Orlando had an exact match and a Daytona dealer had an exact match but also the B&O sound system.....$1000 more. So the game was afoot for dealing. My wife was going to FL for a week to see her new granddaughter so it should have been easy to buy the car there. My plan was to play one dealer against the other.
First game was getting the initial prices with rebates online......the Orlando dealer after 3 days was a no go on paperwork we gave up on getting an actual invoice to pick up a check from our Bank for financing. The games they played was incorrect taxes by $600 over and they played the stall and did not provide the invoice to cripple our efforts to get a check, I called it to my wife before it happened. Not new to me as the car buyer. They also wanted to keep all the rebates for the financing, I told them they were crazy and Ford would not be amused at them taking my VET rebate or Ford bonus cash. Another "error" on their part. They wanted the financing profits and that is normal, just don't expect them to help you with outside financing. BTW, we thought the Orlando dealer had another offer as they stopped pushing for a deposit and went 3 days with no contact. Today while my wife was in Daytona the Orlando dealer called wanting to know if she was picking the car up in Orlando. I think the higher deal they had fell through....Karma is a bitch even for a car dealer.
The dealer in Daytona also stalled on an invoice even though we agreed on a price. Finally got one but the rate from the bank was not better than adding the $2000 rebate to the sales price for the "O%" Ford financing. We finally got a price $500 under the other car without the $1000 stereo. Accepted price, why not? Cheaper and stereo thrown in free. An hour later with wife on the phone they dropped another $500 out of the blue??? HMMMM? All was well for pick up this morning.
The set up
When she got there she drove the car they set up Sync for her phone, had a full tank of gas, went over the controls and commented that the car was "already" broken in for her. But ......wait for it..... there was errors on the prices on the paperwork that my wife made them correct, almost never have I bought a car where I did not find "mistakes" on the paperwork. Shocking how computers make all those mistakes!
147 miles....WTF?
My wife not really comprehending what they were saying went in to pass a check and take the keys. But she texted me and said the car had 147 miles on it before writing the check. Long story short I asked the finance man why the car had 147 miles on it. After 45 years of buying new cars I found out that "ALL new Fords come from the factory with 50-60 miles on them". I told him he was a lying sack of shit! He then told me the other 80 miles was because "Ford did not deliver new cars to Daytona" the Dealer had to drive them from Jacksonville to Daytona. I told him he was a P.O.S. liar and we walked away from the deal.
Without knowing the truth about who was driving the car I did not want it. Posted a 1 star rating on Facebook and ripped them on the lies about the mileage. Within 15 minutes I got a call from a corporate type guy who wanted to "fix it". End result was he basically admitted even he can't get an answer as to how the mileage got on the car and agrees it was probably joyriding by staff. So his solution is to order a new one, prep it when it comes in and have it trucked to NC where my wife is and delivered to her door. We were promised that in writing Monday............we shall see but I think it will happen. It will cost about $4-500 for delivery but they have enough fat on the bone to eat that for sure. But we wait for 6-8 weeks. The quest goes on and dealers never change..lie cheat and steal. Or more likely "Dewey, Cheatem and Howe"! My wife was completely shocked at the things the dealer tried, she thought the people were wonderful at the dealer. Until all the things I predicted they tried. The mileage excuse is a classic "stupid" lie. Either he was stupid or thought I was or both!
I do get weary of the constant battle to buy a car....but understand it will never change. I think the biggest scam today is the "doc" fee fiasco. On this forum I have seen people refer to it as normal! Some states have laws limiting it to $75 and other states it is the Wild,Wild West with up to $1000. I scratch it off from the get go. Just more games to convince you "everybody pays it". No they don't....just the uninformed.
Hope some of this gives you some things to watch for. Never buy a performance car with dealer miles on it. Especially a Coyote engine!