First off.. I apologize to the blue oval . I've bought three new Ford Mustangs in the past 13 years and loved all of them . They were:
1997 SVT Cobra
1999 35th SE GT - 320,000 miles on this one
2001 Steeda Vert
Here's the deal... I have family that retired from Ford and have always bought on A-Plan. I've been trying to buy a new Mustang for the past 3 years or so and the details follow:
Ok, here's my problem... I thought that Ford A-Plan was used to keep employees and family members of Ford employees in Ford vehicles. I realize that they're no longer making as much off the sale of the vehicle, but I'm still buying Ford parts and requiring service on the vehicle. Plus it's a sale for the dealership.
Anyhow, went to a Dodge dealer after the last one - they gave me money off sticker, a couple of grand in Mopar bucks, a fair deal on my trade, and are going to pick up an R/T Classic I want from another dealership about 2-3 hours away.
It just seems crazy as a Ford dealer back in '04 was trying to give away an '04 Competition Orange Mach I that they had to be losing money on. I guess the times have really changed.
My questions are: Am I just out of line here, and expecting too much? Are Ford and the dealerships in a position that vehicle sales don't matter as much as profit per sale? I always thought they wanted more Fords on the road, but maybe I'm wrong here.
BTW: Shelby GT500's are still $2500-$3000 over MSRP at some dealerships
1997 SVT Cobra
1999 35th SE GT - 320,000 miles on this one
2001 Steeda Vert
Here's the deal... I have family that retired from Ford and have always bought on A-Plan. I've been trying to buy a new Mustang for the past 3 years or so and the details follow:
- Tried several times over the past few years to buy a GT500 - No A-Plan and not moving off MSRP, but that's cool as this is a specialty vehicle
- Tried to buy a 2007 Shelby GT with cloth on A-Plan that had been there for a while - Wouldn't A-Plan, but that was cool too, as I bought a 4-Speed '79 T/A instead - That one's a keeper
No luck so far, but I was glad I waited, as the 2011 GT was coming out with a killer engine:
- This vehicle shouldn't be a problem to get on A-Plan as they'll be happy to make a gajillion of them
- I got an idea from KBB what my 01 Steeda was worth on trade and went to a Chevy dealership and talked about an SS Camaro first - They offered a very fair trade, but I really didn't want a Camaro
- I stopped at 3 Ford dealerships - I could tell that none of them wanted to sell on A-Plan, and one said they would not order a car for me or locate one if I used an A-Plan pin
- Two of the dealerships flat-out insulted me on the trade offer - I actually walked out of one of them
- The third dealership said that because I was buying on A-Plan, they had to give me far less on my trade to offset the difference
Ok, here's my problem... I thought that Ford A-Plan was used to keep employees and family members of Ford employees in Ford vehicles. I realize that they're no longer making as much off the sale of the vehicle, but I'm still buying Ford parts and requiring service on the vehicle. Plus it's a sale for the dealership.
Anyhow, went to a Dodge dealer after the last one - they gave me money off sticker, a couple of grand in Mopar bucks, a fair deal on my trade, and are going to pick up an R/T Classic I want from another dealership about 2-3 hours away.
It just seems crazy as a Ford dealer back in '04 was trying to give away an '04 Competition Orange Mach I that they had to be losing money on. I guess the times have really changed.
My questions are: Am I just out of line here, and expecting too much? Are Ford and the dealerships in a position that vehicle sales don't matter as much as profit per sale? I always thought they wanted more Fords on the road, but maybe I'm wrong here.
BTW: Shelby GT500's are still $2500-$3000 over MSRP at some dealerships