Dealership experiences?

[pyrophilus]

Dealer location: Paramus, NJ:

Who I am : I am a 42 year old successful Asian male, every dealership that I walked into, I did with my brother-in-law, a 39 year old, very successful Asian male.

Recommended: No

Experience:
This was the fourth dealer I called. I called on a Tuesday. A salesman fielded my call. I told him that I saw a Black EB Manual PP in stock. May I have a testdrive? He said that was fine.

I called back a day later, and told him that I am not interested in any other vehicles. He put me on hold, then said that the one I am looking at in inventory is in a dealership that was over an hour away...

He wanted to know if I would be interested in a base v6 manual instead. I hung up. He called a day later to say that, "there was a mistake. He looked into it and it turns out, the black EB PP manaual is in their storage lot near their dealership". I agreed to come in for a test drive on that Saturday.

I called back on Thursday and asked if I could just move the testdrive to that evening as I am interested in buying if I like the test drive. He then said sure. He said that he'd have the car moved from their storage to the dealer lot. He also pitched a line of V6 manuals that they have available. I said no thank you. I told him that I expect to testdrive the Black EB manaual PP. I gave him the stock number and the VIN from the window sticker generator. He said, "I don't even know how you are doing that..." He again said he'd have the car moved to the dealer lot.

He called me back 10 minutes later to tell me, "you know, I had the car moved, and when the general manager saw it on the lot, he asked why it was there and then told me that it was custom ordered for a customer, and so it cannot be test driven". He said that I could put money down and then just order the car I want... I explained to him why I wanted to test drive, and then hung up.

The following week, I got a phone call from a saleslady that said that she understood that my deal with the other salesperson "fell through", and she wanted to know if she can help me get a car. She then said that they have some V6 mustangs that I maybe interested in. I was so angry that I couldn't talk. I calmly explained to her that I am not interested in taking a car off their lot that they ordered "wrong" and couldn't get rid of. And hung up.
I have put their number on Mr. Number app to block it. THey called me four more times.

Summary:
This was supposedly the largest Ford dealer in the area (conglomerate of four other ford dealers). It seems that they are more interested in getting cars off their lots, using a car with high demand to get customers to come in.

BTW, it has been more than two weeks, but in their new inventory, the vehicle that I was interested in is still listed. I don't know about others, but if I special ordered a Black EB Manual PP, I don't think I'd wait over two weeks after it was delivered to the dealership to go get it... Just my two cents...

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[pyrophilus]

I bought my last 3 Mustangs sight unseen never having done a test drive so maybe Im an extreme example :-) But like I said in another post, there really isnt much to know about a RWD V8 car for 30K as far as driving dynamics. It is what it is, always exhillerating and really not much different because its a simple formula. I can totally see how you would need a test drive though for an ecoboost.

But I don't think you are an extreme example. I think many mustang owners are loyal like that. But again, a V8 mustang is the "poster child" of a mustang. But,

A I4-Turbo mustang??? that's all completely new... But if I had owned a mustang, I can still see how someone would order it without reservation...

I for one, if things go well for this lease, wouldn't hesitate on ordering my next mustang (knock on wood).

 

[pyrophilus]

I forget which dealer, but in one of the eight dealers that I was calling, I explained to them that the EB is new, as it is a FOUR cylinder Turbo engine and that was why I wante to test drive it. The saleslady said, "if you are interested in four cylinders, we have some Fusions that you maybe interested in!"

 

[mkenny28]

Dealer location: Paramus, NJ:

Who I am : I am a 42 year old successful Asian male, every dealership that I walked into, I did with my brother-in-law, a 39 year old, very successful Asian male.

Recommended: No

Experience:
This was the fourth dealer I called. I called on a Tuesday. A salesman fielded my call. I told him that I saw a Black EB Manual PP in stock. May I have a testdrive? He said that was fine.

I called back a day later, and told him that I am not interested in any other vehicles. He put me on hold, then said that the one I am looking at in inventory is in a dealership that was over an hour away...

He wanted to know if I would be interested in a base v6 manual instead. I hung up. He called a day later to say that, "there was a mistake. He looked into it and it turns out, the black EB PP manaual is in their storage lot near their dealership". I agreed to come in for a test drive on that Saturday.

I called back on Thursday and asked if I could just move the testdrive to that evening as I am interested in buying if I like the test drive. He then said sure. He said that he'd have the car moved from their storage to the dealer lot. He also pitched a line of V6 manuals that they have available. I said no thank you. I told him that I expect to testdrive the Black EB manaual PP. I gave him the stock number and the VIN from the window sticker generator. He said, "I don't even know how you are doing that..." He again said he'd have the car moved to the dealer lot.

He called me back 10 minutes later to tell me, "you know, I had the car moved, and when the general manager saw it on the lot, he asked why it was there and then told me that it was custom ordered for a customer, and so it cannot be test driven". He said that I could put money down and then just order the car I want... I explained to him why I wanted to test drive, and then hung up.

The following week, I got a phone call from a saleslady that said that she understood that my deal with the other salesperson "fell through", and she wanted to know if she can help me get a car. She then said that they have some V6 mustangs that I maybe interested in. I was so angry that I couldn't talk. I calmly explained to her that I am not interested in taking a car off their lot that they ordered "wrong" and couldn't get rid of. And hung up.
I have put their number on Mr. Number app to block it. THey called me four more times.

Summary:
This was supposedly the largest Ford dealer in the area (conglomerate of four other ford dealers). It seems that they are more interested in getting cars off their lots, using a car with high demand to get customers to come in.

BTW, it has been more than two weeks, but in their new inventory, the vehicle that I was interested in is still listed. I don't know about others, but if I special ordered a Black EB Manual PP, I don't think I'd wait over two weeks after it was delivered to the dealership to go get it... Just my two cents...

Fyi, when you look at the window sticker for these cars they will have their order type down towards the bottom. It will be a series of numbers and the the letters O/T followed by a number. O/T 1 means it was ordered retail for a customer, O/T 2 means it was ordered for stock and has no buyers yet. Also some dealerships put a First initial and Last name of the customer who ordered on the last line under the options. If a dealer tells you that a car was special ordered for a customer and you see it is O/T 2 then call them out on it.

 

[Blacksheep]

Dealer location: Rutherford, NJ:

Who I am : I am a 42 year old successful Asian male, every dealership that I walked into, I did with my brother-in-law, a 39 year old, very successful Asian male.

Recommended: Highly recommended

Experience:
When I did dealer search on Ford website, this dealer did not come up at all. The site even recommended a dealer that was over 2 hours away!

I found it on google banner ad. I emailed the dealer through their webpage. They had a Ingot Silver EB Premium Manual 201A.
I got an email back from a person within 2-3 minutes, saying that they will get the necessary info and call ASAP. 5 minutes after that, a nice sounding lady with hispanic accent called and said that car is available and wanted to know what I am interested in. she proceeded to answer all my questions, and said that the car is available for test drive. I told her my frustrations regarding bait-and-switch from other dealers. She said, "Although I do not work for the other dealers, I am sorry that you had such a negative experience. Let me double check with the managers to make sure the car is available". She said that everything was okay. I made appt to see her in two days.

Wife said, "why don't you just go down there after work today?" I called back, the saleslady said no problem. I drove the 1 hour to get down there with my brother-in-law.

Upon entering the dealership, I was greeted immediately by the receptionist and when we told her that we were here for a test drive, she immediately fetched a manager (john). The manager introduced himself to us, and then he said "rick" will be handling us as he is the "mustang specialist". John said this with a smile (half jokingly I guess).

Rick turned out to be very knowledgeable about the s550 mustang. He even described all the paint to the "subtle" hues that they have. He took us for the test drive. He drove it to the gas station, and he had us check out the car while he was putting gas in it. Good effect as everyone at the gas station was staring at the new silver mustang (it was in the evening) . Talk about making the car feel special. Any dealers out there, I think this is a good ploy during a test drive. letting customers see how others stare at the mustang.

When we talked numbers, he was pretty straight forward. He only made two trips to his manager, second one a longer one. even when we kept bargaining, he didn't need to go back to the manager, I think he had the numbers all set in his head. I guess we could have wheeled and dealed longer, but I was sufficiently satisfied with our deal. so we shook hands on it.

Also, when I told him about my horrible experiences, he too, apologized on behalf of Ford (even though he said he doesn't technically work directly for ford), and promised that he wouldn't pull the rug out from under us.

Summary:
This is a dealer that knows about the cars that they sell. The salesperson was courteous. It was one of the most pleasant car buying experiences I have had. I told Rick that I had decided to walk away from Ford (been buying Nissan since '92, and my last venture out of nissan was Hyundai) but he was the reason why I am getting a Ford. And I do meant it.

If you are interested in the dealership, PM me and I'll be more than happy to introduce you to Rick.

I read the first two of your post. I was gonna suggest Quality Auto mall in Rutherford nj since you're in the tristate area, then I saw your third post. I ordered my 15 GT PP from them. Andy Galea is really pleasant to deal with there. He let me test drive a 15 GT they have there without a fuss. Dealt with him that night, got my car ordered as stock as he said it's the fastest in getting the car delivered. He's knowledgeable with the process and even knew about the factory holiday closing and said I should expect it to delay my order a bit. My order so far has been progressing as expected as checked in Cotus and it even moved up closer. Hoping to get the car early January without a hitched.

I went in the dealer with wife and baby in tow wearing jeans and tims. There was no way of them knowing I could afford the car (successful male Asian here) but they treated me nicely. I said I want xplan pricing, got my ducks in a row, He made two trips to the manager. Bada bing bada boom. That's it we agreed on the price no haggling.

 

[Phlyguy]

I believe between the new 6th generation Mustang that came out as well as the all new aluminum bodied F150 aka the "Beer can", some smaller dealers were overwhelmed with trying to promote sales as well as keep customers informed. My experience with my dealer (he was not my dealer of choice nor of convenience, but dealer due to immediate family loyalty and thought it was the right thing to do...son of the wife's best friend) was pretty awful after the order due to their seeingly low volume business in a very rural area and the manager's "I don't give a crap about you" attitude. The folks HERE on this forum from Ford Customer Service (Thank you Rachel and staff...I owe you a debt of gratitude) really went to bat for me and where the dealer pretty much wouldn't do anything, Ford Customer Service kept me so well in the loop, I knew what was going on throughout the build and delivery process while being deployed over 7200 miles away! Interestingly, when I DID return to the States and take delivery of my vehicle, not only was it absolutely flawless, that particular dealership had had some sort of personnel "Shakeup" and BOY, were they ALL ever so FRIENDLY when my spouse and I walked in to take delivery...different as night and day!!! Will we travel back there to purchase another vehicle? No...too far and once bitten twice shy but I would not hesitate to recommend Rachel and crew for Employees of the YEAR!

 

[FusionGT]

I forget which dealer, but in one of the eight dealers that I was calling, I explained to them that the EB is new, as it is a FOUR cylinder Turbo engine and that was why I wante to test drive it. The saleslady said, "if you are interested in four cylinders, we have some Fusions that you maybe interested in!"

Omg I mean really!? How are these people even working at a car dealership?:shrug:

 

[tsunami]

Dealer Location: St Cloud, Minnesota
Dealer Name:: Tenvoorde Ford
Who I Am: Retired Professor
Recommended: Partial Recommendation
Experience: Very friendly, very accomodating. Test drive of same model I am planning on ordering. Allowed X-Plan ordering. Equivalent final price to other nearby dealers.
Problem...came to ordering and was told that they required a $5,000 non-refundable deposit. 5 to 10 times higher than another other dealer within 2 hour drive. No guarantee that the convertible would arrive before my EAA $750 rebate will lapse. So if the convertible is late, my price just jumped $750, and they could hold my 5 grand for an unlimited period.

 

[Toofarfromjune]

I forget which dealer, but in one of the eight dealers that I was calling, I explained to them that the EB is new, as it is a FOUR cylinder Turbo engine and that was why I wante to test drive it. The saleslady said, "if you are interested in four cylinders, we have some Fusions that you maybe interested in!"

Yeah it sucks when car sales people are not car people.

I've been to one dealership just to have a look in an effort to motivate myself to finally sell the s2000.

It was ford on marina blvd in San Leandro ca. They were nice enough but the first sales guy who came after me proceeded to embarass himself within the first couple of statements. "Whatchu lookin for? We got the v6 mustangs, got the echoboost which is twin turbo..."

I think it was a young nervous newbie.

I told him that Im only interested in buying a GT, so he immediately takes me to the front where they have a magnetic and an ingot gt on display. The magnetic is premium, the magnetic is premium with performance pack.

I am straight forward and tell them right away that i want recaros. They start joking about "Naa man you don't need the recaros, why do you want them?"

"Because I can. I'm a skinny dude."

They laughed and got the keys to the ingot.

I sat in the ingot and took a nice big hit of new car smell.

They insisted we go for a drive but I was honest and said I didn't want to waste their time because I wasn't buying a car unless they had a black on black pp with recaros and no other options.

I told them because it is an unlikely car to find in dealer stock, I am planning to just order the stang, and I will be using z plan.

"Z plan??!!?? We've done x plan but I ain't hearda no z plan!"

"Grandpa worked for ford for 43yrs, now you know about the z plan."

They gave me a card for the guy who does the ordering. Although they were nice enough and accommodating, I think I'm going to visit a different dealer who has higher ratings on yelp and is in a less urban environment.

I got a little bit of the thug feel when dealing with them, and although they were friendly enough id rather deal with more of a professional/mature staff when making an almost $40k purchase. Again I'm sure they are just used to dealing with people who wear a bit more baggy pants than myself and want to try and be on that chill level but the macho homie bullshit is not what I want to experience with buying my first new car. Delt with it at a mopar dealer in stockton and ended up suing them, if I catch even a slight lack of professionalism I'm running the other way from now on.

 

[dude]

pyrophilus, you mentioned the fact you're Asian several times already. I don't think being Asian or with a Korean-sounding name is a reason you are being treated that way.

Many dealers have the inexperienced salespeople at the front lines ready to talk to people who just stroll into the dealer. They usually don't know much and are used to sell the cheap cars, or to people who don't really care about performance. Lots of customers are not as meticulous as we are. I have noticed this again while browsing for new Mustangs recently. You have to find the smarter salespeople in the lease/fleet/internet sales divisions. I was lucky enough to find one guy who knows what he is doing, understands cars, and makes me feel comfortable ordering from him, when I'm ready to order.

The big dealers in my area didn't let me test drive the car, and I'm also presentable and educated, as you likely are. They gave excuses like: "People who buy the car don't want miles on it", or "they are not letting anyone test drive". Well I of all people can buy one. How can I buy one without test driving it? But one dealer (a small one) let me test drive a GT, an Ecoboost, and a V6.

 

[Branden]

pyrophilus, you mentioned the fact you're Asian several times already. I don't think being Asian or with a Korean-sounding name is a reason you are being treated that way.

Many dealers have the inexperienced salespeople at the front lines ready to talk to people who just stroll into the dealer. They usually don't know much and are used to sell the cheap cars, or to people who don't really care about performance. Lots of customers are not as meticulous as we are. I have noticed this again while browsing for new Mustangs recently. You have to find the smarter salespeople in the lease/fleet/internet sales divisions. I was lucky enough to find one guy who knows what he is doing, understands cars, and makes me feel comfortable ordering from him, when I'm ready to order.

The big dealers in my area didn't let me test drive the car, and I'm also presentable and educated, as you likely are. They gave excuses like: "People who buy the car don't want miles on it", or "they are not letting anyone test drive". Well I of all people can buy one. How can I buy one without test driving it? But one dealer (a small one) let me test drive a GT, an Ecoboost, and a V6.

You're right, a lot of the front lines guys are just inexperienced. You also have to remember, most of them are car salesmen, not Mustang salesmen.

Mustangs aren't their cash crop, so the average salesperson sells way more F150's and Fusions than they do Mustangs. I visited a few dealers and at every one I knew more than the sales person. I think when most people are buying a new car, they have a general idea of what they want. I don't think it's normal for a new customer to walk in and say "I want a Mustang GT, 400A, PP, Recaros, and Premier Trim Color Accent Group".

Here's my contribution:

Dealer Location: Indianapolis, IN
Dealer Name: Ray Skillman Performance Ford
Who I Am: 32 year old college educated white guy, walked in wearing jeans, t shirt, and chuck taylors. I like to be comfortable when I'm not in the office and probably look like an 8-year-plan college kid.
Recommended: Yes
Experience: We went back and forth a lot on the numbers. X Plan was set, but they were offering me only a certain amount for my trade. To me, it just wasn't enough. I explained multiple times that if the numbers didn't work, that was fine and I'd just wait to get more equity in my current car. I ended up visiting the dealer two times and exchanged numerous emails before they called me and offered me over KBB value on my trade. Once they did, I told them the exact car I wanted, they found it, and I picked it up two days later.

The only negative interaction I had with the dealer was with the finance department. The guy presented all the "Options packages" I could choose from for extended warranty, tire protection plan, etc., and got real offended when I said I didn't want any of it and just wanted to buy the car. He said he was "shocked" and had never met someone that isn't interested in any of these plans. He was clearly agitated even after I apologized if we had a miscommunication. His face was red and his hands were shaking, I have no clue why he was so mad. I have a feeling he realized half-way in that he acted like an ass to a customer. Luckily rude people don't really bother me, and I drove my car home 20 minutes later.

The thing to remember when dealing with people like this, and people like in the OP's situation, is that every story or situation has two sides. Almost everyone only sees their side. You have no idea how the other person is interpreting your communications or behavior. Most negative interactions are never intended to come off that way, but you can't change perceptions.

Edit: Oh, if anyone wants to know the sales guy I worked with, shoot me a PM. He encouraged me to give out his contact info to anyone interested. They are a massive dealer, so they have a ton of stock.

 

[pyrophilus]

If a dealer tells you that a car was special ordered for a customer and you see it is O/T 2 then call them out on it.

wish i knew about this before. I looked at the window stickers of the cats that were supposedly special ordered (that are still sitting in lot). O/T were all 2's

 

[pyrophilus]

I want to thank all the members that gave their inputs. I sure wish I had some of the info, especially regarding order type codes.

I owned maxima for almost two decades not only for the car but because of the massive support found on maxima forums. I am happy to find that mustang owners are even more helpful and supportive. Thanks again and happy new year to all of you owners and I hope the ones waiting get theirs soon!

 

[Jason Richardson]

Yeah it sucks when car sales people are not car people.

I've been to one dealership just to have a look in an effort to motivate myself to finally sell the s2000.

It was ford on marina blvd in San Leandro ca. They were nice enough but the first sales guy who came after me proceeded to embarass himself within the first couple of statements. "Whatchu lookin for? We got the v6 mustangs, got the echoboost which is twin turbo..."

I think it was a young nervous newbie.

I told him that Im only interested in buying a GT, so he immediately takes me to the front where they have a magnetic and an ingot gt on display. The magnetic is premium, the magnetic is premium with performance pack.

I am straight forward and tell them right away that i want recaros. They start joking about "Naa man you don't need the recaros, why do you want them?"

"Because I can. I'm a skinny dude."

They laughed and got the keys to the ingot.

I sat in the ingot and took a nice big hit of new car smell.

They insisted we go for a drive but I was honest and said I didn't want to waste their time because I wasn't buying a car unless they had a black on black pp with recaros and no other options.

I told them because it is an unlikely car to find in dealer stock, I am planning to just order the stang, and I will be using z plan.

"Z plan??!!?? We've done x plan but I ain't hearda no z plan!"

"Grandpa worked for ford for 43yrs, now you know about the z plan."

They gave me a card for the guy who does the ordering. Although they were nice enough and accommodating, I think I'm going to visit a different dealer who has higher ratings on yelp and is in a less urban environment.

I got a little bit of the thug feel when dealing with them, and although they were friendly enough id rather deal with more of a professional/mature staff when making an almost $40k purchase. Again I'm sure they are just used to dealing with people who wear a bit more baggy pants than myself and want to try and be on that chill level but the macho homie bullshit is not what I want to experience with buying my first new car. Delt with it at a mopar dealer in stockton and ended up suing them, if I catch even a slight lack of professionalism I'm running the other way from now on.

I can sympathize with just about everything you wrote there. That's the major problem in going into a dealership. Yah they'll be happy to order you one if push comes to shove but if you're there in person they are always going to try to push you into something they have on the lot. Hence the "you dont need Recaros" line. Now that just doesnt work for us forum ultra informed types who know our order codes and EXACTLY what we want. Thats why I say its so much easier to call, find an x plan dealer who will order, email them an exact order sheet with every option code on there, and let them work on that. Then you dont have to work with salesmen at all, youre talking to an order manager. And I totally feel you about the ghetto sales people. Sales is just the type of field that attracts that type of personality, thats why I avoid salesmen, and dont go browsing dealerships. Will not buy a major purchase from anything remotely non professional or ghetto. As far as the A Plan, I bought my first Mustang, my 05 GT on A Plan, had a relative work at Ford who put me in as their brother in law. :-) Talkk about a hell of a savings!! You must be loving the price youre getting!

 

[pyrophilus]

I read the first two of your post. I was gonna suggest Quality Auto mall in Rutherford nj since you're in the tristate area, then I saw your third post... ...That's it we agreed on the price no haggling.

Glad to see that my experience wasn't an isolated incident. I developed a rattle (more like buzz) in the left most dash vent during acceleration. WHen I smack the top of the dash the sound goes away for awhile.

I was going to take it into the local stealership, but I think after your post, I may take it back to Quality Auto Mall.

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