Ford dealer's all the same ??

[Builder]

Thanks for the replies. It is good to know I am not the only one with these problems. I wonder, in this economy if now is the chance to tell Ford and others change or we will. I have been looking to replace the 97 that I have. I can tell you the blue oval is not high on my list because of their dealers.

I learned all this the hard way.

Price, price, price is all most buyers care about. When buying, I would think carefully about the dealer service dept first, then try to work that dealer down to the best price you can get from them. If you end up spending a little more with them, it's like money in the bank when it's time for warranty work.

I had a great ford dealer and substantial warranty work which they did great with, but they went belly-up and the rest of our local ford dealers suck. Another of several reasons I switched brands.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have had the same problems with dealers of other makes. I guess that is why some say I am brand loyal, but I found a good dealer and bring him about 20 sales a year through friends and customers. I make sure he knows it weekly and in return I have been well taken care of. It really hurt his feelings that my last purchase was another brand but they simply did not have what I wanted.

When you find a good one hold on to them. I am in the process of getting my dads Corvette running and have spent over $2500 on it in the last week. New wheel bearings, new mass air flow sensor ($850) ouch, new battery, new radiator, new intake gaskets, tranny flush, synthetic oil change, rear end gear oil change, and a few other small items. I have a local GM garage, Sam Pierce Chevy, doing all the work and will admit they have been top notch. The best experience I have had with GM. Just hope they are not on the chopping block with the 48 local GM dealers being cut.


Chris

 

[BeeferMan]

mred -

Have you had any experience with Drum Hill Ford in Lowell? I've had limited dealings with them, but all of them have been positive, 'cept one. The one bad time I had really wasn't *that* significant, just annoying. I was dropping off a vehicle for service early in the morning, it was a little after 7:00. The door was open (I mean physically open, not just unlocked) and there were people inside so I walked in and waited for someone to speak with me. They all ignored me until I said something and was greeted with a very hostile "We don't open until 7:30..." If it wasn't a warranty issue I would have walked out.

But I have purchased one used vehicle there, was treated well including for warranty issues, and their parts folks are very knowledgeable and helpful...

 

[pitt_md]

the two Ford dealers in my area I won't do business with. you can't! I've tried. I'm a price guy. when I see something I am interested in buying, I want to know what the price is, the out the door price. neither Ford dealership will give me a flat price. they want you to give them your drivers license so they can run a credit check. I know i have excellent credit, so I refuse to agree to this method. I tell them I do not wish to do payments, I wan't to know the price so I can go get the cash out of the bank. no go. isn't that rediculous?! I have heard there are better Ford dealers to deal with about 40 min away in Columbia and Camden/Lugoff but I have never made a trip there to find out. Maybe I will oneday when I'm shopping again for my next truck. my Chevy dealer is a small dealership with an EXCELLENT salseman I bought from. I wish he could sell me EVERYTHING I ever had to buy from someone. they're a small dealership, and their lack of communication from the desk to the service dept is sometimes very frustrating. all in all, I have yet to find a single car dealership that is perfect in most categories, some stink in ALL categories.

One of the dealers I bought from (3 ford trucks) changed to a no haggle system. I wanted a new F250 and they told me the price is the price. 20 miles up the road is another Ford dealer that had a similar (better equiped) F250 that I could get for MUCH less. Guess who I do business with now.

 

[bbse]

the two Ford dealers in my area I won't do business with. you can't! I've tried. I'm a price guy. when I see something I am interested in buying, I want to know what the price is, the out the door price. neither Ford dealership will give me a flat price. they want you to give them your drivers license so they can run a credit check. .

The reason a Ford dealer wants your license, earnest money, keys, whatever and the reason they will not give you a price is because they use what is called the "10 point sales plan". It is just a nice way to try and beat you up, scam you and take all the money they can regardless of what the car actually cost. Many dealers use it around Nashville. Since I was trained in it, I used to like to mess with them. I would go in, let them waste their time trying to play their games, then tell them I knew what they were doing and make a flat offer. Most of the time I was thrown out or asked to leave. I quit going to dealers. I now just shop for private sales.

 

[dgl24087]

Dealers around me ask for a license to verify that you actually have a legal right to drive, some ask to copy it due to people taking vehicles for test drives and not coming back.

 

[Bird]

Dealers around me ask for a license to verify that you actually have a legal right to drive, some ask to copy it due to people taking vehicles for test drives and not coming back.

Many years ago, it was common for dealers to allow you to take a vehicle for a test drive alone. Of course you were leaving your current vehicle so they were confident you'd be back. But in Dallas, we had a rash of thefts in which the thief would take a vehicle for a short test drive, then return it, but it was usually quite some time later when the dealer would discover that his vehicle longer had a spare tire and wheel in the trunk. So instead of just promptly checking the trunk when the potential buyer came back, they started sending a salesman with the potential buyer on test drives.

So I was actually a little surprised when I took a couple of vehicles for test drives at my local Ford dealer and no employee went with me.

 

[bbse]

Dealers around me ask for a license to verify that you actually have a legal right to drive, some ask to copy it due to people taking vehicles for test drives and not coming back.

There is no legal requirement that I am aware of to have a drivers license to buy a car. I might want to buy 2 or three and just park them in my yard even if I did not have a license to drive them. But what I was trained to do, and I quit because of this and other things like it, was to get your license as part of the close and then the sales manager would find mistakes in the deal to raise the price. It did not have to be a drivers license. They could use your trade-in's car keys, cash, social security card, anything you would not walk out on and leave behind. I asked the sales manager during the training if anyone had gotten violent. He said one guy called the cops so they took his keys and threw them on the roof.

 

[mred]

BeeferMan - yes I have tried Drum Hill Ford a number of years ago. I stepped on to their lot and they asked me for my social security number. I asked why and they said to check my credit. I left. I don't know if the ownership has changed but they have made the Lowell Sun for problems in the past. I am uising a different dealer in Salem New Hampshire.

My Engine light came on again today. Not a big surprise as I did tell them about the TSB. I called the dealer and was told to bring it in Monday and they would see if they could help me out. They also said "the truck is over 10 years old and they might not be able to fix it" I spoke with Ford customer support and asked for a return call telling me what they have done to rectify this situation. No call yet.

 

[BeeferMan]

Some dealers play those games, some don't, if you find yourself in one that does that participate in that nonsense, it helps to disrupt the process however you can. For instance, if I'm going to look at a vehicle at a dealer I'm not familiar with and I've got a vehicle I want to trade, I never take the trade vehicle on that first visit. They don't have a "script" for that situation so it shifts the advantage your way a little. And I didn't even test drive the last used truck I bought (I have driven plenty of F-350s and this one was still under factory warranty) That type of thing totally messes them up. I bought the truck 10 minutes later on one offer that was $1000 less than I was prepared to pay. It's not easy to prevail over a vehicle salesman, you're playing their game. Your best bet is to mess with the rules...