Something doesn't seem right (possibly buying an S550)

[BamBam]

I must confess, I am wondering on the edge of good and evil...

My lawsuit with carmax settled and I'm looking at buying a car with $13K down and want it to be in the $400'ish range and have been pre-approved by Ford and by my bank for 2.9% and 3.24%.

When I said I'm wondering on the edge of good and evil, I found out that one of my friends actually works at a Chevy dealership... A few weeks ago I test drove a 2016 2SS 8AT with magnetic suspension and dual mode exhaust... Honestly, I liked it a lot but I can't stand the color.

I ran some numbers yesterday on a white 2017 and as expected, it's pretty pricey... My friend has been patient and honest through it all and explained everything clearly. they will remove in total $3K off the MSRP early next week for me.

But I also really like the S550's and like the idea it's easier to see out of as I have an awkward driveway and garage... So 2 of my friends who have bought 5 Fords and sent a friend or 2 to the same dealership and to the same sales man, They literally have each others cell phone numbers.

Everything seemed to go so quickly, He took down my requirements for an S550...

2016 or 17
GT Premium
New
Silver, gray or white
Performance pack
401A
non recaro's (because fat)
etc...

He had none on the lot but found a silver 2016 with everything I want in a nearby dealership...

When it came time to play with numbers, the sales man told my friends (married couple) to step out... Then he put down some papers and we started talking numbers.

I noticed we're looking at Camaro numbers before my discounts... A Camaro is a $48K car... So I'm trying to make sense of this while staying firm to my $400'ish a month range... After some back and fourth, talking to a manager and more back and fourth, we got to looking for insurance quotes to see exactly how much i'd be paying... At this point, my friends wondered back and as the sales man was on the phone. They start doing their own calculations on how he's coming up with these high numbers because the S550 is on the dealers website for $42,070

Then my friends figured it out and asked for a more thorough break down of how he's coming up with these numbers... The sales man turned red and gave my friend a hard look and left for 10 minutes... Then pulled my louder friend aside and talked for 5 minutes. then pulled me to look at a Ford Flex a few feet away that showed a $3K "market adjustment" he said all cars they sell have this... but he will waive it.

He tried to add $5600 in mark up on the 2016 GT Premium, bringing the price to $47xxx the first time and $46xxx the 2nd time when I talked to the manager.

They got it to $465 a month, but after looking at the contract... they put in $3K for an extended warranty. so it's still $45K which is almost identical to the numbers I was looking at on the Camaro.

I signed everything, got insurance on the car... BUT, I haven't taken delivery of yet since it's on another dealer lot, so I can put a stop on my check and refuse to take the car...

Does this sound normal to anyone? I feel like I'm being ripped off... I'd think there would be more give on the price with a 2016 and I think after catching both attempts at getting $3K and $5K out of me they still might be pulling my chain.

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[SoCalTim]

1st - That post was hard to digest.

2nd - Do you have a window sticker for the car? As a general rule if your total out the door price is close to the MSRP on the sticker, then you are getting a decent deal.

 

[BamBam]

Sorry, it's been a long day and I tend to be overly detailed so I tried to keep it from becoming a novel.

Sticker is $43,070... and out the door is $53,046... crap

 

[Beetlespin]

1st - That post was hard to digest.

2nd - Do you have a window sticker for the car? As a general rule if your total out the door price is close to the MSRP on the sticker, then you are getting a decent deal.

This is what I use. Never purchased a vehicle above the sticker OTD :clap2: Some were much below.

 

[kz]

Sorry, it's been a long day and I tend to be overly detailed so I tried to keep it from becoming a novel.

Sticker is $43,070... and out the door is $53,046... crap

You got to be kidding... $53k for a Mustang ????!!!! (not a GT350) Is it gold plated or something ? You're being robbed. Few thousand dollars below sticker is a regular price for a Mustang, especially in an environment where nobody is buying either Mustangs or Camaros (which is last couple of months - sales went down significantly)

 

[CommyO]

Talking to a couple friends in California with loaded GTs, that actually sounds about right here for OTD with taxes and other fees... which is sad :(

 

[JackBauer]

a little bit more and you could be buying a GT350(outside of the dealer markups). starting MSRP on a 350 is $55k.

the 2016 is already a year old by dealer standards(since 2017's are out)


look at truecar.com or nadaguides.com for what the pricing should be. also watch out for what the dealer may be adding...you could buy ford esp and gap insurance outside of the dealer....theyre most likely also adding their own maintenance package and what not.

i understand you're in Cali but damn, that seems like a lot for a mustang.

 

[BamBam]

So, I backed out... the sales guy was understandably mad and the manager tried hard to get me to go there saying he will take "more than just hundreds off". But at this point I've lost faith in the dealership and would rather spend more for someone who has been genuine from the start.

There's no shortage of Ford dealerships out here although my friend is locking in numbers for me on a camaro now while a beautiful silver over red S550 sits about an hour away... I'll find out during the week.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

So, I backed out... the sales guy was understandably mad and the manager tried hard to get me to go there saying he will take "more than just hundreds off". But at this point I've lost faith in the dealership and would rather spend more for someone who has been genuine from the start.

There's no shortage of Ford dealerships out here although my friend is locking in numbers for me on a camaro now while a beautiful silver over red S550 sits about an hour away... I'll find out during the week.

Glad you got out of it. You should be the one that's mad and that's a good reason to disqualify them but don't be surprised if any salesman tried to pull that crap. Now you know not to fall for it. Even salespeople that try to pull that can end up giving you the best price in your area if you know how to negotiate.

When you go to another dealer, NEVER tell them what payment you need. I understand you have a limit but that can never help you get a better price and it can almost always hurt you getting the best price.

While its very doable to beat an X plan price, if you are NOT skilled enough, just go that route. I think you can still get that by joining the Mustang Club of America. The advantages of the X-plan go beyond the price, it prevents gouging on other fees too. If x-plan is not an option, at least use TrueCar or something like that and absolutely refuse to go higher than the TrueCar price. And start with a lower offer than that. Salespeople will assume customers don't start with their highest they will spend. Its much easier to give a little than to convince them you are the one customer they ever met who didn't make a low offer.

And there is so much more to know to get the best deal.

 

[SoCalTim]

So, I backed out... the sales guy was understandably mad and the manager tried hard to get me to go there saying he will take "more than just hundreds off". But at this point I've lost faith in the dealership and would rather spend more for someone who has been genuine from the start.

There's no shortage of Ford dealerships out here although my friend is locking in numbers for me on a camaro now while a beautiful silver over red S550 sits about an hour away... I'll find out during the week.

As I said previously, look at the sticker price and try to get close to that price out the door

Negotiate hard, and realize that its a buyers market. Be prepared to walk away and you will find they will bend over backwards to get the sale, provided your offer is realistic.

 

[Coconut]

Talking to a couple friends in California with loaded GTs, that actually sounds about right here for OTD with taxes and other fees... which is sad :(

Sorry to say but your friends paid too much as well. Yes, California doesn't get those crazy east coast incentives but you should be able to buy your car for near MSRP, OTD. The very best you can do here in CA is about $3k off MSRP, that's the deal I got for my GT.

 

[CommyO]

Sorry to say but your friends paid too much as well. Yes, California doesn't get those crazy east coast incentives but you should be able to buy your car for near MSRP, OTD. The very best you can do here in CA is about $3k off MSRP, that's the deal I got for my GT.

Correct me if I'm mistaken but isn't OTD including all the taxes and fees? The taxes are generally more than 3k

 

[BamBam]

They called 1 last time and dropped the price of the car to $38k and took out the warranty, so all together taking off $6k. Which really took some thought, but I'm going to see what my friend can have done next weekend before I go an hour out to see the silver over red line (Non recaro) 2017 S550. I think I learned a lot on this one, there was still a lot of give in the price that just took pissing people off to get.

 

[Coconut]

Correct me if I'm mistaken but isn't OTD including all the taxes and fees? The taxes are generally more than 3k

Yes, OTD incluides all taxes and fees. My base GT stickered for ~$33k. I paid $33k OTD ($30k negotiated price, $2600 tax, $400 fees).

It really depends what your negotiated price is. Figure ~10% off is the very best you can get here in CA. If OP's car stickered for $43,000 he should be able to negotiate it to ~$38700, which would be ~$3400 in tax (assuming 8.75%) and a maybe $400-800 for fees, so a bit under $43k OTD.

 

[wildcatgoal]

So, I backed out... the sales guy was understandably mad and the manager tried hard to get me to go there saying he will take "more than just hundreds off". But at this point I've lost faith in the dealership and would rather spend more for someone who has been genuine from the start.

There's no shortage of Ford dealerships out here although my friend is locking in numbers for me on a camaro now while a beautiful silver over red S550 sits about an hour away... I'll find out during the week.

Good! That dealer was f'ing you royally. Name this dealer.

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