GT350 as a daily driver?

[Dr Chill]

I don't understand why everyone is so convinced that there is going to be dealer markup on these things. I mean sure, there will be at first (at least at some dealers, hopefully not all), but I don't doubt you'll be able to get at least MSRP within a few months or so. I mean when the 2014 was on the way out, I know of at least one dealer around here that had a GT500 on the lot that they were trying to dump. Was that like a super, super rare exception or something?

I've already contacted 8 dealerships and none were willing to accept a non-refundable deposit at MSRP. A dealer that sells at MSRP will be rare. Capitalism at it's best.

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[RocketGuy3]

Man... I haven't contacted anyone yet (and won't for a while since I'm not even sure I want the thing yet), but if that's true, Ford needs to get on this. This is not a good look. What's the point of an MSRP if you never pay it?

Gawd I hate dealerships. Such utterly worthless (negative value, really) middlemen in today's world.

 

[FPCV8YO]

Man... I haven't contacted anyone yet (and won't for a while since I'm not even sure I want the thing yet), but if that's true, Ford needs to get on this. This is not a good look. What's the point of an MSRP if you never pay it?

Gawd I hate dealerships. Such utterly worthless (negative value, really) middlemen in today's world.

It's true.

 

[ohtobbad]

I told my dealership, if they charge me over MSRP, I will be driving a different style truck the next day I have 5 trucks and buy at least 1 a year, also I send them 20+ clients a year.
But considering they may not be in showrooms til late fall 2015, I could wait until spring of
2016, as not fit to drive here in winter.

 

[Rated R]

I sat in a Kona Blue 50th Edition yesterday. It had a $50K ADM sticker on it :lol:

 

[Hack]

Yep, DD for sure. I live in a cold and snowy winter environment as well. Throw on a set of snow shoes and, provided the roads are plowed, hit the road.

People drive M3s in the snow, why not a GT350?

Yeah, snow tires are really good nowadays. I have a long driveway and with my 2011 GT I just traded I could easily get down it, even on days when I was pushing snow with the front spoiler.

My experience is that sporty cars are actually quite good on snow and ice. They are more predictable as you lose control, and it's easier to bring them back into control. They are made for people to drive closer to the limit of traction. IMO my 4WD plow truck is a lot less safe on a slippery highway than my GT. The only limit to that is when there's heavy snow that's deeper than a foot or so, then you really need 4 driven tires to pull you through.

 

[BlackWidow]

I've already contacted 8 dealerships and none were willing to accept a non-refundable deposit at MSRP. A dealer that sells at MSRP will be rare. Capitalism at it's best.

I am willing to bet you won't find a single dealership in the country willing to make that deal. There is no official information on pricing and/or quantity and it would be foolish on the part of any dealership to do so. Ford may decide tomorrow they are only going to make 350 of these cars (highly unlikely) and then a dealership that made you a deal is now screwed.

Everyone is in such a hurry to run to the dealerships to give them a deposit like it will make any sort of difference when it comes to buying the car. I would much rather wait until pricing and allotments are announced so i could find a dealership willing to give me the best deal.

Man... I haven't contacted anyone yet (and won't for a while since I'm not even sure I want the thing yet), but if that's true, Ford needs to get on this. This is not a good look. What's the point of an MSRP if you never pay it?

Gawd I hate dealerships. Such utterly worthless (negative value, really) middlemen in today's world.

MSRP goes both ways? There are 2015's on dealership lots all around me for 2 or 3k UNDER MSRP. Nobody is forcing you to buy the GT350 at a dealership that decides that want to charge ADM. They have every right to do so if they think their market will support it. It's basic economics, supply and demand. If your dealership wants to make some profit on the GT350 find another dealership. There will always be a dealership willing to work with you, you just have to find it.

 

[Rated R]

I am willing to bet you won't find a single dealership in the country willing to make that deal. There is no official information on pricing and/or quantity and it would be foolish on the part of any dealership to do so. Ford may decide tomorrow they are only going to make 350 of these cars (highly unlikely) and then a dealership that made you a deal is now screwed.

Everyone is in such a hurry to run to the dealerships to give them a deposit like it will make any sort of difference when it comes to buying the car. I would much rather wait until pricing and allotments are announced so i could find a dealership willing to give me the best deal.

How is agreeing to sell a car at MSRP a risk for the dealer? Imo it guarantees they'll make a healthy profit, and establishes good faith with the customer.

I've contacted a dealer who gave me a verbal that I'll be their first order and they'll sell it to me for MSRP. If that deal goes through they're going to sell me a F Series and a Focus ST for my daughter because of the goodwill they will have extended to me.

One of the other dealers in town sold me a Explorer Sport last summer. I've inquired with them via email and several VM's about a GT350. During our negotiation on the Explorer the sales mgr said he would 'hook me up' with a Shelby. Well that same guy won't even give me the courtesy of a call back now. This is also a dealer who has a $50K ADM sticker on the 50th LE car they have in stock. I can walk to this dealership from my office but they're not getting my business now.

 

[RocketGuy3]

MSRP goes both ways? There are 2015's on dealership lots all around me for 2 or 3k UNDER MSRP. Nobody is forcing you to buy the GT350 at a dealership that decides that want to charge ADM. They have every right to do so if they think their market will support it. It's basic economics, supply and demand. If your dealership wants to make some profit on the GT350 find another dealership. There will always be a dealership willing to work with you, you just have to find it.

I agree about finding another dealership, and I understand how the free market works. The problem is that the free market really should be pushing dealerships out of existence or greatly reforming how they work by now... but of course shady @$$ dealership lobbies are fighting tooth and nail to prevent that kind of progress.

Dealerships in their current form are incompetent, dishonest, inefficient middlemen who provide just about ZERO real value anymore (and in fact are a drain on both customers and manufacturers AFAIC). The only thing they're good for is test drives, but there are lower-overhead ways for manufacturers to provide that to customers.

And yeah, MSRP works both ways mainly because there is an unnecessary dealership markup built in. And on top of that, some greedy dealers want MORE money for adding no value? Eeefff that.

... Sorry if this came off a little abrasive. Just thinking about dealerships makes my blood boil these days, heh.

 

[BlackWidow]

How is agreeing to sell a car at MSRP a risk for the dealer? Imo it guarantees they'll make a healthy profit, and establishes good faith with the customer.

I've contacted a dealer who gave me a verbal that I'll be their first order and they'll sell it to me for MSRP. If that deal goes through they're going to sell me a F Series and a Focus ST for my daughter because of the goodwill they will have extended to me.

One of the other dealers in town sold me a Explorer Sport last summer. I've inquired with them via email and several VM's about a GT350. During our negotiation on the Explorer the sales mgr said he would 'hook me up' with a Shelby. Well that same guy won't even give me the courtesy of a call back now. This is also a dealer who has a $50K ADM sticker on the 50th LE car they have in stock. I can walk to this dealership from my office but they're not getting my business now.

It's not a risk, the dealership will still sell a car and make some money, but it's a piss poor business decision. I think people forget that dealerships, at the end of the day, are businesses just like any other. They are looking to make a profit whenever an opportunity arises. Job 1 of the GT350 will be highly sought after just like the GT500 was. For a dealership to waste an opportunity to make a few extra dollars because the market/demand warrants it is foolish. If a dealership can make 10, 15, 20k+ on ADM now vs a couple grand on the next 5 vehicles you MAY buy from them it's an easy decision from a sales standpoint. Yes, there are some good dealerships out there that just want to sell cars at a fair price and create loyal customers but unfortunately, these days, that seems to be far and few between.

If you have found a dealership willing to make that deal I'd get it in writing because a verbal agreement means nothing.

Don't get me wrong, I am by no means advocating ADM is right or that Ford should support such practices. I am just playing the devil's advocate. I think people forget that there is more at play here. Personally, I'd never pay ADM for any vehicle. I have no loyalty to any particular dealership either. I am perfectly fine doing a bit of leg work to find the deal that works for me. Hell, I scraped a deal at one of the dealerships around me and went elsewhere because the salesmen had horrible B.O. :lol:.

At the end of the day a dealership is a business. If they didn't capitalize on the opportunities to make some extra profit when the market supports it we wouldn't have nearly as many dealerships around. Fewer dealerships mean less competition which in turn means a higher probability of ADM on vehicles. Again, this is basic economic 101. The same applies to food pricing, gas pricing, clothing, etc. People need to just relax and understand they have options and stop making a huge fuss about such a trivial topic.

/rant
:cheers:

 

[BlackWidow]

I agree about finding another dealership, and I understand how the free market works. The problem is that the free market really should be pushing dealerships out of existence or greatly reforming how they work by now... but of course shady @$$ dealership lobbies are fighting tooth and nail to prevent that kind of progress.

Dealerships in their current form are incompetent, dishonest, inefficient middlemen who provide just about ZERO real value anymore (and in fact are a drain on both customers and manufacturers AFAIC). The only thing they're good for is test drives, but there are lower-overhead ways for manufacturers to provide that to customers.

And yeah, MSRP works both ways mainly because there is an unnecessary dealership markup built in. And on top of that, some greedy dealers want MORE money for adding no value? Eeefff that.

... Sorry if this came off a little abrasive. Just thinking about dealerships makes my blood boil these days, heh.

It sounds like you have just had some bad run-ins with dealerships in the past. I understand your viewpoint but I think the fact there are so many dealerships is one of the consumers best negotiating tools. We have the ability to pit one dealership against another to get the best possible price. If you take that away Ford could just dictate pricing and there wouldn't be much we could do about it short of boycotting, lol.

 

[RocketGuy3]

It sounds like you have just had some bad run-ins with dealerships in the past. I understand your viewpoint but I think the fact there are so many dealerships is one of the consumers best negotiating tools. We have the ability to pit one dealership against another to get the best possible price. If you take that away Ford could just dictate pricing and there wouldn't be much we could do about it short of boycotting, lol.

Well Ford would still price things competitively because they're not the only one (or remotely close) who makes cars in any given class. That's where they get their motivation for pricing, and that would not change. If they wanted to charge more, they already can. Ford already has a monopoly on Ford Mustangs. All that will change is that they will not have to tack a dealership markup on top of their price, and can add a much smaller markup of just straight profit for themselves, and we all will come out better. When you have dealerships bid for your business, all that's happening is you're getting closer to the price Ford would charge you if they sold to you directly.

It's part of how Tesla is able to offer such an amazing car at such an amazing price. If they had dealerships in the middle, you know that car would be way more expensive. Not to mention all the time and stress it saves not having to haggle.

 

[Sasuketr]

Considering the fuel prices now why not as a DD. I drive my 15 gtpp as a daily and maybe considering the trade in for this beauty in 2 years.

 

[9secondko]

If one wants to store the car and only enjoy for certain events, then it's definitely ok to do so.

But you only live once.

If I buy this, I'll enjoy it every day.

I think the MR shocks will take care of the bumpy ride to a decent degree.

And the engine will likely be streetable enough.

This is the Boss replacement.

It's not going to drive like an experiment.

 

[RocketGuy3]

Considering the fuel prices now why not as a DD. I drive my 15 gtpp as a daily and maybe considering the trade in for this beauty in 2 years.

I wouldn't expect oil prices to stay that low forever.

Gas mileage is my one concern with the GT350. I know it's not really a high priority for the car (or most of its demographic), but it's at least a little bit of a concern for me. If the car can't at least manage to avoid the GG tax, it's going to make it a good bit harder for me to justify the purchase.

But you only live once.

I think the phrase you're looking for is:

"But $*&% it! #YOLO!!!" ;)

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