Bad dealings with local Ford dealer your opinions?

Our local Ford dealer WILL NOT give prices on used cars before taking a customer on a test drive and running a credit check, etc. I think that if I was interested in a car and asked for a price first that I should be able to get one without the hassel. Has anyone else had this problem or heard of such a thing? I understand that it's supposed to get you into the dealership and cut down on quoting prices over the phone, but if I am already there and asking for a price, what's the problem with giving it? It seems to me that it's along the same lines as "what do you want for it?" "I don't know. Make an offer" deal.

Just walk away and tell him that you are going to find another dealer..

Yeah ours wants my phone number too...... So, I dont trade there. Last time I bought a truck I got the invoice from the credit union on what I wanted, made out a check for 500 more than the invoice, told my wife at the time that I was going truck shopping and heading east. I was either buying a truck on my deal or when I got to Baltimore I was tearing up the check and coming home. 4th stop, in Mt Sterling, they made my deal.

All the dealers around here have their own websites with prices for all their used inventory posted.On the lots,they all have prices clearly marked with window marker too,never heard of such dealer mistrust towards customer's.It's a given that the listed prices are inflated to allow room to make a cusotmer think they got more for their old clunker than it's worth,or to dicker on a straight sale.

Give them the old horse laugh and walk out. Simple as that. If they aren't yelling prices by the time you're at the door, keep walking.

Rod

I'd call BS. First of all every time they run a credit check on you, it will hurt your credit score and show up on your report. Unless you have a good reason for doing buisness with them I would steer clear. If you have been doing buisness with them for a while and they have something on the lot you really want I'd walk past the sales folks and find some one with their own office.

Dave

I've always thought Ford dealers were a little more shady. Around here we have one called Gurly Leep. They have every brand known to man. I will not even set foot on their lot.

The reason they want your info 1st is so they know how much car you can afford and what they can weassle out of you. THAT's IT. NO other reason to do it. I've walked out on dealers like that and some (most) change their tune right away. The only thing I'll give them is let the "look" at my liecence as a curtacy to prove I can leagaly drive . Thats it. I would think in this economy they'd be bending over backwards to serve you.

Oh yeah. Go to the Dodge/Chrysler dealer. Better cars anyway.

Good luck.

Darn shame there has to be dealers to suck out your wallets. Direct factory sales would let the hot air out of their balloon. If only they would tell the truth. I used to walk away at their first lie. Now I have to give them at least 3 or 4. Dave

I live in a rural area and won't deal with any local dealers. They're obnoxious, pompous asses.

Last vehicle, we drove 3 hours to buy in another state. Had the deal nailed down online and over the phone, all we did was show up and do the formalities.

Saved many thousands of dollars by going to a big dealer that likes to move vehicles.

I bought the wife a new car in 2007 and the next month my son bought a new ranger from the same dealer and I had to co sign for it. We bought these on my fathers Z plan because he is a retired Ford employee. They some how mesed up the paper work and when my took her car to have a option added, they told her they needed the ranger back or the keys, that she was avoiding them. Come to find out, the pin # we gave them was correct and that the salesman didn't realize that the # was good for any vehicle he wanted. I told them off, called the ownerand had the sales mangager fired. Got 6 free oil changes but declined. I now deal with another dealer.

Think I would tell them no need to run your credit, you have financing through your local bank.

Many years ago, I stopped at a dealer and wanted to know the price of a used truck. Wanted to see if if it was in my range. I didn't even want to drive it yet. The salesman wouldn't give me a price until I give him my license. I did but the longer I fumed about it, I moved on down the road. Now days I won't let them get that far.

RUN, don't WALK!

If folks would just do that things would change in a HURRY!

When car shopping never let them run your credit as each time some dealer runs it that lowers your score and can jack the interest rate

My wife and i went to buy a new honda van a couple years ago.I was planning on writing a check and bringing it home.They refused to give me a price,said i had to talk to a negociator and make my best offer.We drove out.

If the price isn't posted in the window, I figure it isn't for sale, and have told dealers that.
I'd walk away..

I'd tell them to forget it because I'd probably be just as ashamed of the price as they are.

Guys Here in Texas our local dealers most generally have a sticker of some sort in the window telling about the car or truck and their Asking price! and if it isn't right there, they will get it pronto. Not a problem in getting an Asking price that I have seen!
Later,
John A.

I've never dealt with our local Ford dealer, but the fellow who leases our farm ground went there with the intentions of buying a new Ford pickup. They didn't have the exact one he wanted, and all they did was try to sell him one they had in inventory. He went elsewhere.

When I was in sales with GM, we did dealer trades all the time to keep a sale. If we didn't have the exact vehicle a customer wanted, we'd get on the computer, locate one and have it within a day or so.

The same dealer is also the local GM dealer, and was notified he will lose his GM franchises next year. That struck me as strange because he's the only GM dealer in the county. At the time, he cried and whined in a newspaper article about how he'd been mistreated by GM. Of course, the news article only stated his distorted side of the story. He built a whole new GM store a couple of years ago to GM's specs, and now he's getting his franchises pulled? Sounds like GM decided they want him out of their sight.

Tell them there's no need to do a credit check cause you have cash. You want a second vehicle because the Hummer is too big to park at the mall. Once they figure you have lots of money, tell them where to go. Remember the movie, Pretty woman, that was classic. Dave

You are right about that. One of the funniest things I ever seen in my life was a sales folks at a mercedes dealer ship. I was in high school and went to a tobacco auction with the guy up the road I was working for. We went to get something to eat after the sale and my buddy for got his wallet but had a $25,000 check so he went to a bank he delt with and just cashed it. Were drive'n round town killing the afternoon and he swung into a car lot. Sales folk came running when he started look at a new sports car. He asked the ol' boy what it would take to drive it off the lot. Guy puffed his chest out and said "If you have to ask what it cost you can't afford it". Buddy pulled the wad of $100's out and said "This will buy one just like it in Louisville, guess it's time for a road trip up that way". I think to this day the guy p'd his pants. He was yelling and screaming for up to stop when we got in the truck.

Dave

Sounds like you havent heard the latest reports on quality and profits.

Must be the only dealer in town, if they can get away with that.

--no price on window = not for sale
--credit check before dealing = take my business elsewhere (may be I am paying cash or financing elsewhere)
--license BEFORE test drive, I am ok with.


Dealers around here have every car with the price well marked.

Used car sales guys are scum.

They want you to drive it, like it then under his breath he says: Its only X dollars, and he expects you to sign your bank book over to him.

The dealer figures that if you ask the price first then you will be turned off and walk away.

I had a dealer treat me like that one time. Went down the street and bought a new car. Then went back to the other dealer and drove around the parking lot.Until the salesman saw me then drove off.

When I go vehicle shopping, I have already done my homework, and I know about what the dealer has paid for a vehicle and what its sticker price should be for the vehicle I am shopping for. Most of that information is available on the internet, if you look. I have no intention of paying sticker price, especially in the market we have had the last number of years. I have bought several new cars by offering a specific amount that is really lowball, and then negotiating a somewhat higher price, always WAY below the sticker and in a couple of cases, lower than I thought the dealer would have had to pay for the car. How could they do that? Dealer incentives, which are more or less kickbacks from the manufacturer to the dealer. It depends on how much they want to sell the particular vehicle how much they will deal.

I kind of enjoy the negotiating game...but my wife won't go with me anymore! If the dealer will not deal, I leave my cell phone number with a signed offer, and leave. Usually the dealer has called me back a few hours later. If they have a counter offer, I listen, but will not offer much more money. Usually they have finally decided to sell me the car at more or less the price I offered, although it might take a day or two. I always pay cash for my vehicles--if you finance through the dealer, they have a huge advantage in negotiating the final price. I also seldom trade in a vehicle, since I have always come out better selling the used vehicle myself, rather than letting it go for the low value they will offer as a trade-in.

It's a little tougher with used vehicles, since so much of their value has to do with the mileage and condition. But there are various "blue books" that give average wholesale prices and retail prices.

I would not mind showing my driver's license, especially if I wanted to test drive a vehicle. It seems reasonable that the dealer know that you have one if you are going to drive their merchandise. However I don't think I would sign permission for them to do a credit check, since I would tell them right off that I would be paying cash for the vehicle I buy. And I would not buy a vehicle from any dealer without driving it--there have been too many times that I decided on that test drive that that particular vehicle was not one that I wanted, for various reasons.

I don't think the dealers have liked me all that much, since they don't make large profits when they sell something to me. But I really don't care what they think of me. I only care about buying the vehicle I want at the lowest cost to me. If one dealer won't give me the deal I want, another probably will, or at least that has been my experience.

So my advice is to go shopping knowing what you are talking about. And make the arrangements to pay for the vehicle in advance, either by saving up the money or by getting approved for a loan from your bank or credit union.

Knowledge is power, and it can save you a bunch of money buying a vehicle. Good luck!

That's a bunch of smoke/mirrors. I used to work for a company that was a supplier to Ford. Ford has their heads as far or farther up their back side as any other company. Including how to engineer a quality car/truck. their interior quality has gone back 25 years. Styling is poor at best (GM styling isn't any better). I figured they'd go out with the other 2. Their only salvation was they cut back long (about 2 years) before the others and played the "we don't need any $ yet" game well to give confidence to the public. Otherwise they'd be Government Motors too... the gamble appeared to have worked.