Hi All - I'm curious about the process of ordering a vehicle through a dealership. My past vehicles have been bought off the lot, so this is a new experience. What wisdom/advice can you all pass on? How does financing work? When is money exchanged? Is there an ordering window (timeframe)? Also in the middle of a relocation from Orlando, FL to Houston, TX. So could order in Orlando or Houston. THX
I have ordered a few vehicles in the past - 2 of which were "limited availability" vehicles - a 2012 VW GOLF R and now a 2017 Raptor. The process is relatively simple. The problem with 2017 Raptor will be finding a dealer with available allocation AND, in my opinion, a dealer willing to sell you one at or very close to MSRP. Many people on this forum have reported prices from dealers ranging from MSRP all the way up to 10k over. First find a dealer with availability - This is based on dealer size and sales numbers. Very small dealers got no first round trucks, dealers a bit bigger maybe 1 or 2 or 3. I have heard large big volume dealers getting as much as 10 or 15 allocations. My dealer in VT sells about 30 or so vehicles a month and was allocated 2 initial RAPTORS - more available only after initial orders are delivered to clients. Usually to get on the list its either a hand shake or a deposit - i paid a $500 deposit (which of course goes to the price of the truck). 1st round orders are being sent to FORD (im told these next few weeks) and production to begin by mid Sept. I was told 10 to 12 weeks for delivery. Hoping before the snow starts to fly here in Vermont!! I went in, sat with the sales manager, picked which truck and which options, agreed on a price and that was it - took 30 minutes. If you need/want financing it is usually taken care of just before or at delivery. I was told (with good credit) 2.9% should be no problem. Ford is offering some 0% financing but I was told its not available for Raptor. Hope this helps and good luck!!
This was the first time I ordered a new vehicle. Search for the Excel Spreadsheet that has pricing listed, adjust to your liking, and send that to the dealer you pick to order. Several Things Come In To Play and here are the steps I took. 1) How many allocated vehicles did the dealership get, and whether or not they are getting more allocated per month is a big one. If you order, and its not allocated to the dealership, you may find yourself waiting quite a long time. If you are able to get in on an allocated vehicle, chances are you will see it quite a bit quicker. 2) Prior to ordering, negotiate price. Whether that's a % or dollar amount over invoice, or if you'd be happy with MSRP. It seems like most are paying roughly MSRP at this point, so if you find an allocated vehicle @ MSRP, I'd consider it a good deal. Anything cheaper, and its icing on the cake. 3) Negotiate the deposit. This can range anywhere from $0 to $5k. Most seem to fall in the $1k range or so. Make sure you negotiate it as being refundable, unless you are ok with it being a non refundable deposit. 4) Will there be a trade in? Get this squared away prior to ordering. 5) Once you have your final number taken care of, I'd find a local credit union, and go in and talk to them about financing a new vehicle. Make doubly sure you have good credit and the income to finance, and assuming you do, you should be fine. Get an idea on what interest they will likely be charging, and this will give you fire power when it comes to negotiating interest rates later on down the road with the actual dealership. When ordering & financing, I think its a good rule of thumb to have (2) contingencies in place for financing. Get 100% approved locally with a bank/credit union, then head in to the dealership to talk numbers. 6) Once price & deposit has been negotiated, send them the spreadsheet with the options you want. 7) Assuming the dealership accepts it, they will then likely ask for a copy of your Drivers License, and send you a Purchase/Buyers Agreement. On this, you will find the agreed upon purchase price, some fine print garbage, and a signature from the dealership/salesman. 8) If everything looks good, sign the agreement, scan/fax back to them, and call them to give them the deposit. 9) Give the dealership 48-72 hours to come back with your DORA. This shows that vehicle has indeed been ordered, and is awaiting scheduling and in Ford's system. 10) Wait .... Wait .... a little more waiting. 11) Vehicle is Built, Delivered, and is now time to be picked up. I've probably skipped a few steps, but that is the gist of it
