[Nightowl]

Before placing your order, shop dealerships

I've read a lot on this forum, watched a few maverick specific videos produced by dealers, talked to a dealer rep. over the phone and met face-to-face with a salesman at a dealership. One thing has become especially clear, not all dealerships are equal. So please check out your preferred dealership before commiting to anything. You're not just shopping for a new truck, you are shopping for a dealership as well--one that you may have a long-term relationship with.

I recommend you ask prospective dealerships these questions:

Do you require a deposit?
Do you mark-up the vehicle above msrp or the quoted online price?
Are there any hidden fees at all associated with this potential purchase?
Am I under any obligation to purchase the truck or at risk of owing any money, should I test drive the truck I ordered, and decide I don't want it?

The answer needed to be "no" for all of these questions for me to place my order. I lucked out because the winning dealership was also the most convenient for me

I feel it's unfair for a dealership to make any money off these pre-orders because they are in a no-lose scenario. They know what we know; the Mavericks are going to be in high demand once people start seeing them drive around their neighborhoods. Dealerships may even stand to profit more from selling at an increased total price to a standard buyer as opposed to a pre-order buyer.

My sales rep. was very transparent when I asked my questions. He told me they would have no problems selling the Maverick should I decide to not purchase it which is why they weren't asking for a deposit.

He also asked for my driver's license to photocopy. He said this was a new Ford-mandated policy because so many dealerships were fabricating Bronco buyers just so they could fill their lots with high-demand Broncos.

Hope some of this was helpful! If you reside in King county in the state of Washington, I recommend AutoNation Ford in Bellevue.

 

[TommyBoy]

Dealerships are not "making money" off of pre-orders. A deposit (if required) would be subtracted from your total price or refunded back to you.

 

[Nightowl]

Thanks TommyBoy. In this video, the internet sales manager for Long McArthur Ford warns of shady dealerships:

. If true, some dealerships are requiring non-refundable deposits and marking up pre-order Mavericks 1000's of dollars over MSRP. I just want MaverickChat members to avoid getting any nasty surprises.

 

[TommyBoy]

Thanks TommyBoy. If true, some dealerships are requiring non-refundable deposits and marking up pre-order Mavericks 1000's of dollars over MSRP. I just want MaverickChat members to avoid getting any nasty surprises.

Very aware of this video, and also aware that some dealerships are using practices that others don’t use. Every dealership, EVERY one, is in the profit making business. Even the one in the video. Even mine.

MSRP stands for manufacturer SUGGESTED retail price. Dealerships can price their vehicles at whatever price they feel the market will bear. Notice your gas prices right now? Same principle. There’s nothing in that practice that is unethical.

Deposits are strictly up to each company. Some may not be excited by the potential of the Maverick and don’t want to take a “risk” without a guarantee, although I don’t get that. It doesn’t mean they are “shady”.

Each dealership will get at least one Bronco “demo” unit in the next few weeks. We have to keep it a certain # of days and/or put so many miles on it before we can sell it. Most likely will be the ONLY Bronco we will have in stock to sell for the next year. I imagine every dealership will maximize their profit on this one Bronco. It is the only one we will have for a long time. That’s business. Every business.

Now back to being excited about the amazing Maverick! 😉

 

[Nightowl]

I understand all dealerships are trying to make a profit. I understand what MSRP is and that dealerships can and do frequently ask for more than the MSRP on popular models. I did not say this practice was unethical. In a capitalist economy, retailers of any kind should have the freedom to set prices however they want. I think what I characterized as "shady," (non-refundable deposits on Maverick pre-orders, dealers marking up Mavericks 1000's over MSRP) you might call just an alternate way of doing business? If so, fair enough. Anyway, lost in this back-and-forth is the point I was trying to make.

Before selecting your dealership and placing your online order, just call that dealership first and ask them the questions I raised earlier.
Do you require a deposit? (Is it refundable?)
Do you mark-up the vehicle above MSRP?
Are there any hidden fees at all associated with this potential purchase?
Am I under any obligation to purchase the truck or at risk of owing any money, should I test drive the truck I ordered, and decide I don't want it?

Just as a dealership has the freedom to ask for a non-refundable deposit and can price a Maverick above MSRP, we consumers have the freedom to choose a different dealership to do business with. America!

The dealership I partnered with quoted me a final price $825 below the online build-your-own price. They waived the charge for splashguards as well as the acquisition fee. 😊

 

[TommyBoy]

I understand all dealerships are trying to make a profit. I understand what MSRP is and that dealerships can and do frequently ask for more than the MSRP on popular models. I did not say this practice was unethical. In a capitalist economy, retailers of any kind should have the freedom to set prices however they want. I think what I characterized as "shady," (non-refundable deposits on Maverick pre-orders, dealers marking up Mavericks 1000's over MSRP) you might call just an alternate way of doing business? If so, fair enough. Anyway, lost in this back-and-forth is the point I was trying to make.

Before selecting your dealership and placing your online order, just call that dealership first and ask them the questions I raised earlier.
Do you require a deposit? (Is it refundable?)
Do you mark-up the vehicle above MSRP?
Are there any hidden fees at all associated with this potential purchase?
Am I under any obligation to purchase the truck or at risk of owing any money, should I test drive the truck I ordered, and decide I don't want it?

Just as a dealership has the freedom to ask for a non-refundable deposit and can price a Maverick above MSRP, we consumers have the freedom to choose a different dealership to do business with. America!

The dealership I partnered with quoted me a final price $825 below the online build-your-own price. They waived the charge for splashguards as well as the acquisition fee. 😊

We pretty much agree on the things you mentioned, so I’ll move on. Changing topics: You have several accessories listed on your order. You will get $210 in FordPass rewards that you can use for those accessories…. Save you some cheddar. 😉

 

[Mav-trunklet]

Dealerships are not "making money" off of pre-orders. A deposit (if required) would be subtracted from your total price or refunded back to you.

that’s what my local dealership told me