NEVER Factory order a Mustang

[nastang87xx]

Agreed on the dealership issue. I ordered my GT350 in the summer of '15 and the dealership processed my order specifically so it would come in the spring of '16. And it happened exactly as such.

Sponsored

 

[jacknifetoaswan]

I have made a $55,000 purchase and Ford Customer Service claim that they have no information at all about my vehicle's build date

False. You have a contract that states you intend to make a $55,000 purchase, unless you gave them $55,000 up front, in which you're not very bright. That contract also typically states that you can refuse delivery for any reason, to include that you just don't want the car any longer. The small amount of money you've put down (usually $500) to 'reserve' a slot in line is consideration to enact that contract, e.g., you cannot have a valid contract where nothing changes hands (real goods or money). Your reservation is a promise of a future slot, with an estimate on when it will be delivered. The dealership has no control over that, and unless they lied to you about having a VIN for a special vehicle (GT350/R, BULLITT, etc), they didn't do anything wrong.

I get that you're frustrated about the lack of communication and progress in this endeavor, but by special ordering, all you did was ensure that at some point in the future, you will the opportunity to purchase a vehicle, usually for an already established price, that is configured in the manner in which you want. The dealership, nor Ford, is not bound to honor that, and has to refund your earnest money if you request it.

I ordered my 2016 GT/PP in late August, 2015, and it was delivered the second week of October, 2015. I had very few issues with delivery, other than it getting stuck in the rail yards in mid-lands South Carolina, due to flooding, but your experience is similar to mine in that the dealership knows literally nothing until the VIN is created, a tentative build date is scheduled, and the order is built and scheduled for shipping. Bear in mind that your car could be built to specifications and held at the factory for months on end, due to issues with manufacturing, or delays in shipment could cause you to receive your vehicle weeks or months late.

JR

 

[Spork3245]

Agreed on the dealership issue. I ordered my GT350 in the summer of '15 and the dealership processed my order specifically so it would come in the spring of '16. And it happened exactly as such.

Yea, I think part of the problem was also the fact that the dealership said 6-8 weeks without realizing, at the time of ordering, the 19s weren't in production yet and Ford was still finishing up 18 orders. Considering that the week of July 9th-14th is when 19s even started to appear at dealerships, it's a safe bet that 19 productions didn't even start until mid-late June.

 

[Nomadic]

Why I'll never understand why anyone has to factory order a Mustang. There's a zillion on the lot around me and you save a ton buying off the lot.
The only car you factory order is something like a BMW, Audi, or Porsche to avoid paying for several thousands in options (as in $10K+) that only ordering can avoid in most dealerships.

 

[Allegro]

You haven't experienced anything like factory ordering from the west coast of Canada. 56 days in transit for my 2018 GT Premium! My dealer was outstanding. After MY18 order banks were closed, they substituted my car for one they already had in the system. Built May 10 and went 'in transit' May 18. COTUS was great up until then. The original June 10th EDD went to June 18, then nothing, then June 28, then nothing, then finally August 1. In reality, I got the car July 13. I have mentioned previously, that for rail deliveries, COTUS appears to be quite useless and should not be relied upon.

What is really annoying is that the factory order system seems to be getting worse. I ordered by first Ford vehicle in 1964. No computers. The dealership sales manager used to phone in the orders to the regional office at the end of each week. I could get a factory ordered car to B.C. in less than 2 months. In 2007, I factory ordered a GT500. It was only 35 days from build date at Flat Rock to my garage in British Columbia. What is going on with factory orders today is a mystery to me, but like others, it crosses my mind that Ford isn't really making them a top priority and secretly wishes they would go away.

For me, factory ordering insures I'll get what I want. Purchasing dealer stock is fine if you're okay with paying for stuff on the car you really don't want and having a color that is your second favorite. The chance of finding a dealer car exactly to your specs is slim. Factory ordering requires patience and financial arrangements that aren't time sensitive to any dates you may have been given. Don't trade-in a car as part of the deal. Sell it yourself.

While the whole factory ordering experience can be frustrating and hard to deal with, the arrival of your car exactly as you want it, will soon make you forget about unreliable COTUS and the weeks of waiting. Love my 2018 Royal Crimson GT Premium.

 

[Zinc03svt]

I always figured I had more negotiating power with in stock unit myself. Sounds like a miserable experience OP.

 

[Allegro]

Why I'll never understand why anyone has to factory order a Mustang. There's a zillion on the lot around me and you save a ton buying off the lot.
The only car you factory order is something like a BMW, Audi, or Porsche to avoid paying for several thousands in options (as in $10K+) that only ordering can avoid in most dealerships.

Maybe where you are, but there aren't a zillion on lots in other parts of North America. Vancouver B.C. is a city of 2.5 million people with lots of Ford dealers, but there wasn't a Royal Crimson GT Premium anywhere when I ordered mine and nobody had one coming.

 

[Spork3245]

Why I'll never understand why anyone has to factory order a Mustang. There's a zillion on the lot around me and you save a ton buying off the lot.
The only car you factory order is something like a BMW, Audi, or Porsche to avoid paying for several thousands in options (as in $10K+) that only ordering can avoid in most dealerships.

Incorrect. You can get the same discounts on ordered cars. The notion that you’d pay sticker just because it’s a custom order is silly, at best. I paid $48k for my $53k+ custom order before sales tax but including tags, title, doc, destination, etc, which means over $6k off sticker. Approximately $5-6k in savings from sticker after incentives is average. Places like Koon’s with $7k below sticker advertisements is after incentives and before tags, title, their ridiculous $600+ doc fee and even before the $900 destination fee - after you add all that in you’re looking at the typical $5-6k discount virtually every dealership will do.
And no, I could not and still cannot find a single Mustang spec’d the way I have mine on any lot in the country - multiple dealerships checked for me prior to me placing an order.

 

[ElAviator72]

Didn't have an issue (other than incessant waiting).

It was the first car I ever custom ordered. My last one (one I bought off the lot) had been totaled in a wreck that wasn't my fault. I got kicked out of my rental the second I settled with the other party's insurance, so I got to drive a long term Toyota Yaris hatchback around until the new car came in (it was the cheapest car I could long term rent-with discounts it was slightly more expensive than a Mustang payment per month to rent).

Ordered it on January 14th, 2016...got it on March 23rd. I knew that the blend date was March 2nd, and I knew when it was shipped out my way by rail. It showed up about a week early from the dealer's estimate (I was on vacation at the coast, about 90 miles away, when my salesman called and said it got here). We drove from the beach straight to the dealership to pick it up (well, after the rental date on our beach house was up)

COTUS wasn't working for customers back then, but the dealer had full access. There was also a Ford Customer Service rep who was active in the M6G forum then, too, who was known to give out updates on customer orders...

 

[jacknifetoaswan]

What is really annoying is that the factory order system seems to be getting worse. I ordered by first Ford vehicle in 1964. No computers. The dealership sales manager used to phone in the orders to the regional office at the end of each week. I could get a factory ordered car to B.C. in less than 2 months. In 2007, I factory ordered a GT500. It was only 35 days from build date at Flat Rock to my garage in British Columbia. What is going on with factory orders today is a mystery to me, but like others, it crosses my mind that Ford isn't really making them a top priority and secretly wishes they would go away.

It has nothing to do with computers or the manner in which dealerships order vehicles, it has to do with the manner in which components are purchased and delivered for installation/assembly, and whatever queuing algorithms that Ford is using to program their ordering schema. In 1964, manufacturers bought components in huge lots, or manufactured them internally, which is why you had plants as large as the River Rouge Plant in Dearborn. Ford literally smelted the materials for their components, stamped or machined them on site, and delivered them to the next building for installation. Now, components are manufactured around the world, and to save on logistical costs, mostly warehousing and inventory, manufacturers use a Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory system, so that the parts show up when they're needed at the factory, with little lead time. This also reduces damages that can occur when they're sitting on warehouse shelves, shrinkage (), etc.

I'd wager that, in addition to the above, they're also using a system that places higher emphasis on dealers that sell more vehicles per year, or specific regions where they want their vehicles to be a focus. How many trucks do you see in Texas? How many convertibles do you see in Southern California?

JR

 

[airfuel]

Ordered mine the beginning of April, arrived July 14th. 3-4 months is the average time frame. Sounds like you had a bad a dealership handling your order. Ford prioritizes Mustangs to dealerships who sell a lot of Mustangs, especially GTs - you need to go to a large dealership with multiple locations that has a high priority with Ford, and one that can put the highest level priority code on your order (IIRC, highest priority number is code 9).

I have many dealers in my area, (Tri-state NY, CT, NJ area)
How does one determine what a high volume dealer is exactly? Any place to look up sales volume?

 

[Spork3245]

I have many dealers in my area, (Tri-state NY, CT, NJ area)
How does one determine what a high volume dealer is exactly? Any place to look up sales volume?

The amount of (new) Mustangs, especially GT Premiums, on their lot is a good anecdotal indicator. Places like John Kennedy Ford in Pa (where I got mine) tend to have 30+ on their lots at any given time.

 

[EcoVert]

Ordered my 15 Convertible in mid febuary and got her in mid may

 

[EcoVert]

Why I'll never understand why anyone has to factory order a Mustang. There's a zillion on the lot around me and you save a ton buying off the lot.
The only car you factory order is something like a BMW, Audi, or Porsche to avoid paying for several thousands in options (as in $10K+) that only ordering can avoid in most dealerships.

Because some of use want a Mustang a certain way that the dealer would have never ordered like my Competition Orange Ecoboost convertible with 50 Year Appearance Package.

 

[ElAviator72]

Why I'll never understand why anyone has to factory order a Mustang. There's a zillion on the lot around me and you save a ton buying off the lot.
The only car you factory order is something like a BMW, Audi, or Porsche to avoid paying for several thousands in options (as in $10K+) that only ordering can avoid in most dealerships.

1) Because you want it in a color other than Black or Grey (no McMansion Rainbow colors for me!)
2) The Mustang is such a customizable vehicle from the factory, it would be a shame *not* to get it the way you want it!
3) Nothing like having "Custom Order" on your window sticker at a car show

Sponsored