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Shades of things to come with the F150 Lightning at Ford dealerships?? MARKUPS!

RivianXpress

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DuckTruck

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https://jalopnik.com/ford-dealers-are-hitting-bronco-reservation-holders-wit-1847690531

Ford Dealers Are Hitting Bronco Reservation Holders With Last Minute Markups
Thank God so many states have worked with their Auto Dealer Associations to ensure their residents have state-mandated dealership networks to help protect them from unscrupulous manufacturers.

Do you remember that big story years ago about the dealership that reduced the "Interior Protection Package" price from the standard $1,499.99 charge to the $8.59 cost of a can of Scotchgard used to apply this package? Yeah, me either....

https://www.acehardware.com/departm...OsgP_dyVudjG5loHy4RoC4kYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
 

DucRider

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The ability to not be burdened by antiquated business models is possibly the EV startup company’s biggest advantage.
Yes indeed.
But the flip side of that coin is having to build out the network of service centers before they can deliver vehicles. There has been a hint of frustration on this forum about that issue :crying:
 

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Scott

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Yes indeed.
But the flip side of that coin is having to build out the network of service centers before they can deliver vehicles. There has been a hint of frustration on this forum about that issue :crying:
Yes! 100 % true. However, in my experience with VW and my ID.4 the old car companies also have a hard time building out support for EVs. They definitely have the leg up in having a presence everywhere and having a building, but the people at those locations don't know much about maintaining these new cars. They had to coordinate with Germany to do any work on my car.

If the start ups can survive the initial growing pains / ramp up time then the lack of dealers will be an advantage. Going to a car dealer just sucks. That said, I went and test drove a tesla and hated that process too. The guy there definitely assumed everyone who walked in the door was a Tesla fan boy...
 

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Ford's response of 'well you can change where the car is delivered' was a little lackluster.
 

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The idea of having to deal with a dealership and all the idiocy that entails (markups, wasted time, the fact you go cry in a shower and desperately try and scrub yourself clean afterwards) is the biggest drawback to the F-150 for me.

I could make due with the other issues I see with it (charging speeds, no air ride suspension, BlueCruise, etc...), but having to deal with a dealer is what gives me the longest pause on buying from Ford (or any other Legacy automaker).
 

DucRider

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People tend to forget that Tesla stores are "dealers", as are Polestar and Lucid. Rivian will be as well. It is a requirement to get a dealers license to sell vehicles.

People lump all franchised dealers into the same pot, and that is a simplification at best.
There are local "Mom and Pop" franchised dealers that have a single store franchised from one brand, are involved with the community and genuinely care about their customers. There are some stores that are part of a regional/local chain that treat their customers well, are upfront and honest in their communications and dealings.
There are also bad examples of both of the above that look to milk every possible dollar from every transaction. I feel this is a short sighted approach and harms the business in the long run - but I'm likely wrong as this model seems to be becoming more pervasive.

I don't have a lot of experience with manufacturer owned dealerships other than the local Tesla stores. At startup, they were great and seemed to treat their employees well and that was reflected in the consumer experience. That has slipped considerably.

On paper, the "no haggle", "deal with one person" franchised stores should offer the benefits of both the manufacturer stores (set price with no negotiating, lower pressure sales tactics, etc) and the availability of local inventory and widespread service. My personal experience has not been in line with that.

If your local manufacturer owned dealer turns you off for any reason, your choice is to suck it up and work with them anyway - or move on to another brand. With franchised dealers, there are many more options available. One local lady that wanted the Kona EV when it first came out refused to pay the "Market Adjustment" offered by most dealers. She found a dealer in Maryland that would honor MSRP and had it shipped to Oregon.

This sounds a little like defending the dealership model, and maybe it is a little as there are definite advantages to the consumer. But I am 1000% against laws that require manufacturers to operate this way. Let the consumer decide.

The purchasing experience is part of the decision making process. If a customer is choosing between a Model Y and Mach-e (as an example), how they are treated at those dealerships will be part of the decision (they likely have more Ford dealers to choose from than Tesla). Service/support/inventory can also play a part. If the closest service is 250 miles away or wait times to get service are long, it can fall in the con column. Local inventory that you can drive home today can fall in the pro column.

I always get a chuckle from those that rail against the additional markups when supply is short. Those same people are usually more than happy to take - or often even expect - a discount from MSRP as the norm. They want dealers to stick to MSRP when demand is high, but expect them to discount the product otherwise. Tesla avoids this by adjusting the MSRP - sometimes weekly. The MSRP of many Tesla models has gone up this year about the same amount of the "second sticker" at many dealerships. For some reason this seems to make people happier.
 

Scoiatael

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I have a day 1 Lightning reservation as my backup truck if Rivian production is too slow. Stuff like this concerns me.
 

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Blueassassin

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yep sounds about right they were selling the new raptor 12% over sticker when I was going to buy one so I bought something else instead luckily because those have lost so much value its hilarious.
 

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With my F150 and previously with my Gladiator pre-orders I was SUPER selective in regard to what dealer I worked with. I'm in Pittsburgh and I bought the Gladiator from a dealer in DC. The F150 (if I choose to move forward with that) will be purchased from a dealer in Eastern PA. My local Ford dealer is absolute crap when it comes to the sales department, and Moon Township Ford (mentioned in the article) is only 15 minutes away and on the same level.

It's a sad state of affairs when someone needs to travel hours on hours to ensure they get the best deal / feel comfortable with the purchase.

Time has progressed beyond the point where dealers are needed by the average consumer for anything. Titling paperwork can be done online and servicing can be accomplished via mobile service or third party shops.

Dealer networks, for manufacturers are a make-or-break double edge sword. They're a great place to dump excess product in flush times, but the damage they can make to the brand through underhanded, greedy behavior like what is in the article is tremendous.
 

Sgt Beavis

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I have a day 1 Lightning reservation as my backup truck if Rivian production is too slow. Stuff like this concerns me.
Me too. I’ve already discussed with my dealer. They assure me they don’t do markups on orders. Only on vehicles they get in inventory. However, there is nothing to stop them from putting an ADM on a Lightning order.

Folks on the Lightning forums are calling their dealers left and right to get assurances.
 

IPTV65

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I am sure this isn’t one of the value props that come up when the dealerships lobby different state governments about all the value only they can provide! The whole thing is a joke.

Any government “required” non-regulated entity wreaks of improprieties in my opinion.

I live in Washington so yes I am a little bitter.
 

MoreTrout

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With my F150 and previously with my Gladiator pre-orders I was SUPER selective in regard to what dealer I worked with. I'm in Pittsburgh and I bought the Gladiator from a dealer in DC. The F150 (if I choose to move forward with that) will be purchased from a dealer in Eastern PA. My local Ford dealer is absolute crap when it comes to the sales department, and Moon Township Ford (mentioned in the article) is only 15 minutes away and on the same level.

It's a sad state of affairs when someone needs to travel hours on hours to ensure they get the best deal / feel comfortable with the purchase.

Time has progressed beyond the point where dealers are needed by the average consumer for anything. Titling paperwork can be done online and servicing can be accomplished via mobile service or third party shops.

Dealer networks, for manufacturers are a make-or-break double edge sword. They're a great place to dump excess product in flush times, but the damage they can make to the brand through underhanded, greedy behavior like what is in the article is tremendous.
I would have never bothered to read the article if you didn't mention where the dealer was. The house I grew up in where my parents still live is in Moon not 5 minutes from that dealership. They have been lifelong Honda converts and were treated very well by the Honda dealer there. I'll be moving back about 30 min away early next year. The Ford dealer's service department closest to me in SC that is outside of Hilton Head is so incompetent in customer service and communication, that it's hard to believe their level of technical incompetence is even worse than their customer service. I hope that bill passes in PA, but probably won't by the time I move back and get my R1T.
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