Employee Pricing

[DEFYANT]

What is the deal with this "Employee Pricing" the dealers are peddling? Seems like a fancy way of saying "rebate"

Doesnt Ford use a code like "A plan or X plan" when selling to firends or family?

We are looking real hard at the crew cab 4X4 F150s.

[RCSignals]

The dealers aren't 'peddling' it. the manufacturers are,
In the case of Ford, it is A plan pricing, plus any applicable rebates. The dealer should show you his invoice, which will list on it pricing for A-plan, D-plan, X-plan, etc.
Ford has included some 2006 models as well.

It is for real. Many dealers love it because they are selling vehicles. The ones who typically put on 'dealer added value' or 'market adjustment' hate it.

[DEFYANT]

Doesnt sound like there is much room to negotiate then.

I saw an 06 Mustang GT 'vert w/ a 5K market adjustment. I just laughed!

[RCSignals]

some dealers are doing that with Mustangs. The ones who don't can't keep them on the lot. The ones that do have them around a little longer.

I don't think though that the 'employee pricing' deal includes '05 or '06 Mustangs

[DEFYANT]

No not on Mustangs. I have been following the car since the concept. They are going to make a killing on the new Shelby with "Market Adjustment"

We are looking at F150s. It is a littler early to get a left over, but there are some nice trucks left before the 06s are it.

[Gryphonzus]

Just make sure it is the manufacturers invoice. Some dealers will print up one and say it is the invoice.

[RCSignals]

this special pricing can also be checked on-line at Ford.com. Perhaps not for the exact vehicle you are purchasing, but it will certainly be enough to know if the dealer has forged an invoice.

[Bradley G]

Just inquired at a local Dealership about how it is "working" for them.
Ford followed GM's lead(had to) however notice the rebates are not as large as they were prior to the "employee plan".
Good deals? If the amount of inventory is a measure stick, Indeed!

[rookie1]

Doesnt sound like there is much room to negotiate then.




I get the A Plan(employee pricing) on any Ford product. The nicest part about it is that the dealers have no negotiating power. The pricing comes directly from Ford. Any time I've purchased a Ford product(including the MM) I walk in and sit down with the salesman and ask him what the A plan price is. He opens the book, looks up the vehicle and gives me the price. That's it, no negotiating and no worrying that I got ripped off a year later when I'm driving the car.

[Bluerauder]

What is the deal with this "Employee Pricing" the dealers are peddling? Seems like a fancy way of saying "rebate".
Pricing looks like an 11.3% discount off the sticker MSRP plus some cash back or low financing arrangements. :D

Right now I am chasing a 2005 Freestyle Limited in Dark Blue Pearl to match the Marauder. :rolleyes: Hope I haven't waited too long 'cause the inventory is shrinking very fast.

[fastblackmerc]

I get the A Plan(employee pricing) on any Ford product. The nicest part about it is that the dealers have no negotiating power. The pricing comes directly from Ford. Any time I've purchased a Ford product(including the MM) I walk in and sit down with the salesman and ask him what the A plan price is. He opens the book, looks up the vehicle and gives me the price. That's it, no negotiating and no worrying that I got ripped off a year later when I'm driving the car.
I get the "X" plan price..... walk in give them my ID number, they verify it, I tell them what I want, they locate it, I get all and any rebates available, we talk financing. It's great not having to negotiate..... :D

[DEFYANT]

With the "deals" they are offering, there shouldn't be a better price. After all, we are all getting the "A" plan... Right?

[TheDealer]

"D" plan pricing is the same as "A" plan. Up until a few years ago there was no "D" plan. "D" plan is for Dealer employees. Before we were just like anyone else and hagled for a price. "A" plan is for Ford Employees. "X" plan is for Ford Suppliers but is not as good as "A" or "D" Plan. This is by far the best price you will ever get. It's under invoice. I could never by a car this cheap until "D" came about. You can't negotiate the price. It's the same no matter what dealer you go to. It's set in stone by Ford. So if you are thinking of buying a car, it's for real and you will never get a better deal. I know there are always doubters, but beleive me, I'm never steered you guys wrong, this is the best deal you'll ever get. :beer:

[DEFYANT]

Thanks Ray. It sounds like we are getting the A-plan then.

[TheDealer]

That's correct. It doesn't get any better than that!!!

[ctrcbob]

I purchased my 03 MM used, at a "One Price Dealer". I got it at Mullinax Ford/Mercury in New Smyrna Beach. (They also have a larger Ford dealership in Apopka). They are the next best thing to the Ford A, D and X plans. No haggle. The price is the price is the price. It was a pleasure to purchase from them. I've told friends about Mullinax and they also have purchased there.

In talking with my local Ford and Lincoln/Mercury Dealers, they are all trained to say the same thing. "We could have sold it to you for less". The other thing managers are trained to say is "The one price thing does not work for us". For other Ford cars I purchased, I wanted to purchase more locally, but I won't put up will all the crap, trips to see the manager, etc. etc. etc. As for my 03 MM, I had to choose a dealer who had one in stock. Not easy, as there are so few on the market. I went and looked and test drove one at Ocala Ford, but did not buy there as I did not like their sales methods. The one I got at Mullinax cost me $4000.00 less than the asking price at Ocala, and whats more, it was in better shape.

In the former city where I used to live (Rochester NY) before I moved to Florida, there is a woman who owns two dealerships. She has a Subaru dealership which outsells all others in the area combined plus I was told she outsells all others in NYS and perhaps the country. She also now has a Ford Dealership, and although I don't know how well her Fords are selling, I do know that she is a "One Price Dealer" and people go to her to buy cars at a reasonable price.

[Macon Marauder]

Always buy at invoice or below. That's my rule. Promotions, gimmicks, rebates, X, Y, Z plan - doesn't matter.

I take Ray at his word concerning his dealership. Around here, though, some dealers are advertising "employee discount plus" pricing. You can "save thousands more than employee pricing alone."

Besides: ain't haggling half the fun?
;)

[jerrym3]

"Employee discount plus" sounds like another way of saying "plus factory rebates" and hoping that the buyer isn't aware of Ford's rebate plan so that the dealer looks like he's giving a "special" deal.

[RCSignals]

"Employee discount plus" is a Ford slogan, not a dealer slogan. It just means everyone is getting A plan pricing plus any incentives current for the particular vehicle.

[TheDealer]

Why are some people so negitive?

[RCSignals]

GM started this Employee pricing stuff because they were in big trouble, not moving vehicles, and their dealers had huge backlogs of unsold cars and trucks.
It was slow starting but once people realised it wasn't just a gimmick it worked well, and Ford and DCX started their own versions. (even though Ford with their end of the model year incentives actually had better pricing.)

It worked well for all of them so both Ford and DCX extended until 6 Sep, which forced GM to also extend, even though they hadn't intended to.
When Ford extended, they included some '06 models in the plan, but GM didn't. The other day GM announced it would now include some of their '06s, plus extend until 30 Sep instead of just 6 Sep.

Ford so far seems hard set on ending it on 6 Sep. Does anyone have any inside word if Ford will extend beyond 6 Sep or not?

[TheDealer]

I can't see how the can't extend it. They've exhausted most people who would have been in the market for the next few months. The others are not going to buy if the roll the price back to where they were. I don't know what their next move will be, but I'm sure they're going to have to do something. The gas prices going up is not helping either. I think this country is in big trouble. If cars don't sell, there are a lot of people who work for suppliers that are going to be out of work along with the auto makers and dealers. :down:

[RCSignals]

Personally I think all of the manufacturers need to cut their prices. If they can survive selling them as they have these past months, (and apparently they are making money(, they've shown it is possible.
It's good all around, if people will buy at the lower prices, Dealers are making money, the manufacturers are making money, Assembly plant workers are working and making money, suppliers are working and making maoney......

Just think how many Marauders they'd have sold at A plan pricing or better

[Bradley G]

Acording to Steve Babcock, that's exactly where the projected pricing, was slated for the Marauder.

Actually less, MSRP was slated to be under thirty thousand.
The sticker of Daves' (MI2KWK4U) '03 Marauder was $34495.00.
My '04 was $35,550.00.
$8000.00 profit was not enough for Elana.She had to get 12-13 thousand dollars profit.
Selling a car for huge ammounts less than sticker is nothing more than Manufactures admitting to, over pricing it , in the first place.
That is why the public thinks, buying a automobile is a ripoff!
What's wrong with delivering a good value?$
If it was up to the Factory thier would be no dealerships.They want the sales profit too!

Personally I think all of the manufacturers need to cut their prices. If they can survive selling them as they have these past months, (and apparently they are making money(, they've shown it is possible.
It's good all around, if people will buy at the lower prices, Dealers are making money, the manufacturers are making money, Assembly plant workers are working and making money, suppliers are working and making maoney......

Just think how many Marauders they'd have sold at A plan pricing or better

[TheDealer]

You're correct. Ford tried the retail market. They bought out dealerships. they failed since they have never worked in a retail business before. They can't carve rules in stone. The public won't buy it. You must be flexible in your business. They tried to go by the book. It didn't work.

[DEFYANT]

If I recall, the target sticker for the MM was supposed to be in the 29K range...

35K would be OK for an official "S55" or supercharged MM.

Bottom line:
Mercury did not want to get into the performance market. Yo Ford, dump Elana! For cryin out loud, "Mercury" is the god of SPEED!

[RCSignals]

Yes, people balked at a $34,000 Marauder. It's an interesting thing, people will pay more for other brand names, that are sometimes not as good.

I saw a Chevrolet SSR pickup, it's sticker was in the $48,000 range. People seem to accept that, and I don't understand why. They aren't $48,000 great!

[mongo]

I have been lucky to have been an "A" plan buyer since '88 with Ford.
"A" plan is usually under Dealer Inv. Set price on each car and Ford Motor pays Salesman & Dealership & on top of that, any incentives & discounts. When I purchased my MM, there was a $5,000 incentive on Crown Vic & Grand Marquis. My "A" plan came to about 5,000 & they also threw in $1,000 for going through Ford Credit, so roughly $11,000 off sticker. So when they advertise "Employee Pricing", all of the other stuff goes on top of it. Cars that are in short supply, dealers are at liberty to make extra cash. The Ford Dealership here has a GT40 in the showroom marked up to $240,000. Not exactly the $175,000 it was suppose to sell for. Next yr they will be trying to give Mustangs away. Employee incentives do NOT apply to SVT products. I was told that by my dealer last week when I inquired about the new Shelby Cobra.:(
Mongo

[DEFYANT]

This is off of an internet windown sticker:

"The "Employee Price" price is the amount shown on the line labeled "A/Z Plan" near the bottom of the factory invoice. This Plan price includes advertising, finance costs, transportation, fuel charges and Company administrative fees. "

[Macon Marauder]

"Employee discount plus" is a Ford slogan, not a dealer slogan. It just means everyone is getting A plan pricing plus any incentives current for the particular vehicle.
Ah maybe so, but it's not limited to Ford dealers here. The first time I heard it was in a radio ad for a Dodge dealer in Warner Robins. Then the F-L-M dealer in the same city started in. The Macon Ford store has yet to join in.

Other dealers are also bragging that they can beat "so called employee pricing" by thousands of dollars.

I'm just saying, Ray is on the up and up, but for some dealers this is just another gimmick.

[fastblackmerc]

Why are some people so negitive?
I found that some people aren't happy unless they have something to complain about......