"Kanaric" (Kanaric1)
11/14/2016 at 12:17 • Filed to: None
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"Kanaric" (Kanaric1)
11/14/2016 at 12:17 • Filed to: None | 1
| 14 |
So in late 2013 I bought a 2014 Mustang GT.
I had wanted a California Special with track package, those as the only options. The Vegas “Team Ford” dealership said you cannot order that combination and they sold me a car on the lot.
Here I am 3 years later and I see a california special with brembo brakes. I asked the owner if it was the track package, he said yes. I look it up and it turns out I see multiple used cars with these two options. On top of it he paid what I paid for my car.
I had previously owned a WRX. The “meme” of the town was that Vegas dealerships are shit and they all lie. I went to the Subaru dealer here and they tried to sell me the car at a high price and would not order me a car saying they “do not do that”. Since I knew people with subarus they told me to go to socal and buy one there. I did, got what I wanted at invoice.
This time I didn’t have such advice and looked at sites like truecar and USAA to get the price I wanted.
Lesson learned? Do more internet shopping outside of my region. The Subaru dealership experience in Ontario (cali) was vastly superior to the one at Ford in Vegas. The Ford guys were CONSTANTLY trying to sell me shit I didn’t want the entire time like snake oil salesmen. I spent house there refusing them. When I went down there for the WRX they tried to sell me at taking options OFF the car saying they were unnecessary for what I wanted to do with it and “aftermarket is cheaper” for things like exhaust. When I asked if they would void the warranty with mods they said they didn’t do that. They want return customers. Team Ford in Vegas did not.
The difference in salespeople was interesting as well. The person at Subaru was female and very friendly and soccer mom like I guess. The people at Ford, regardless of gender, were typical sales people. The guy who ended up taking care of my business there was like some 70s shady Italian dealership eh der guy who I had to constantly argue with to get what i wanted. Even flat out lying to me about certain option combinations. Looking back at that I should have just walked out however I had THOUGHT from what I saw that I got a good deal so was happy enough.
One of the differences when buying a car is the dealership netowork. Are they nice/cool/friendly who WANT to help you or are they assholes? That’s one thing that you need to look at when buying a car. A Mustang GT might be an amazing vehicle for the price but are the dealership people like this vs how the Subaru people were? Is that worth it? I have not made a return trip to the dealer fortunately so the impact here is minimum. Luckily the car has had 0 warranty repairs needed as well.
Don’t walk into a place with just USAA or Truecar prices. Go to forums and ask people what they got, or read posts about it, and read what the expected dealership experience is. I made this mistake and never will again.
edit: I should mention that the ONLY reason I believed this guy is that I went to the ford configuator on my phone when waiting there and I couldn’t select these two options together, so I thought he was telling the truth.
tl;dr - In 2013 walked in wanting a Track Package California Special Mustang GT. They told me Ford doesn’t offer that combination. Walked out with a car they had on their lot with options similar to what I wanted (aside C/S) for a decent price. Come 2016 I see a Track Package C/S car, I ask him about it. Owner says dealership lied.
Vicente Esteve
> Kanaric
11/14/2016 at 12:26 |
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Through the years I have learned that I know more than any of the salesman who I have talked to know. They treat the job like that, a job, not because they like the cars they are selling.
Get informed and bring exactly what you want to the salesman, and tell them how other people have done it. Doesn’t work? Go somewhere else.
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Kanaric
> Vicente Esteve
11/14/2016 at 12:28 |
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What’s funny is they really didn’t “screw” me. They just didn’t try to help me get what I wanted at all and I suspect they were just trying to clear the lot than sell custom orders.
However the Subaru people in Ontario Cali knew their shit and seemed to like their job and wanted to help their customers.
Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer
> Kanaric
11/14/2016 at 12:29 |
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I live in a college town, with a medical and law school. As such, there are a lot of short-timers, people in town for a short time for school, etc. Every town dealership I’ve dealt with have been shady AF, because if their customers realize they got screwed, they’ll probably be moving in a few years anyway. The old “can’t find your keys, let’s talk some more”...”this is my bottom line price, that suddenly isn’t when I reject it”, all the fun ones. In 2011, used values were up and new values were down, so I thought it would be a good time to get a van we’d been looking at. Got the online value, local place said it was ‘wrong’, place an hour away with a more stable population said that “yeah, it’s worth that, but I’m not willing to pay that for it, because I think we’re in a bubble”. We didn’t make a deal, but 6 months later when I did actually buy, I didn’t go back to the local place.
TL/DR: Yeah, If you live in a place with a lot of short term residents, the car dealers will likely be jackwagons.
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Kanaric
> Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer
11/14/2016 at 12:32 |
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I had not thought of that this way. Two air force bases in this town plus people buying cars with their jackpot money. I’m sure that is a huge factor.
I had a similar experience at a motorcycle dealership and was WELL more informed walking into that and walked out. Bought the bike I wanted for $4000 less having it shipped to me lmao.
haveacarortwoorthree2
> Kanaric
11/14/2016 at 12:33 |
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Although I’m not one to stick up for a dealer, the Ford 2014 brochure specifically says that neither the Brembo package nor the Track Package is available with the Cali Special package (which was equipment group 402A). See page 20 of the link. That also is what I recall being told as I shopped for 2014 Mustangs (ended up buying an RS3).
http://www.ford.com/services/assets/Brochure?make=Ford&model=Mustang&year=2014&postalCode=11101
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Kanaric
> haveacarortwoorthree2
11/14/2016 at 12:34 |
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Hmm, maybe they weren’t being jackwagons then.
That is intersting. This is why I post here I assumed I would get some input like this.
Maybe it’s one of those things you have to push for? Good to know my anger is alliviated.
Chasaboo
> Kanaric
11/14/2016 at 12:37 |
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Throw a wobbly.
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haveacarortwoorthree2
> Kanaric
11/14/2016 at 12:41 |
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IDK. I doubt Ford would allow that combo even with a special order since they weren’t offering it in the first place, but who knows. This is what I ended up buying.
MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> Kanaric
11/14/2016 at 12:49 |
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In defense of Ford, this is the way 1 dealership acted/was managed. This comes down to leadership at the dealer more than it does Ford as a whole. All dealers are not created equal.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Kanaric
11/14/2016 at 12:51 |
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It may have been one of those things where they thought they couldn’t offer it due to location of build for one or the other, and then some time after getting into production circumstances changed or they said “eh, fuck it”. Mutations in how Ford handles special orders for this and that have probably a 60+ year tradition.
I mean, I have a ‘63 Ford that had special interior vinyl color and what may be Mercury paint, because a special order for multiple units came through with enough heft or something. Fucky goings on in the special orders department.
Sam
> Kanaric
11/14/2016 at 16:14 |
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But they were protecting you from the evil Ford and their evil CS+TP combos. They are only working in your best interest! Trust them!
wiffleballtony
> Kanaric
11/14/2016 at 19:33 |
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You could always buy the CS trim and brembos yourself.
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Vicente Esteve
> Kanaric
11/14/2016 at 22:28 |
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Yeah, but you were’t a 100% satisfied customer and a car purchase must be one you are absolutely happy about IMO.
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Kanaric
> wiffleballtony
11/15/2016 at 11:48 |
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I have the track package so I don’t need that. I could convert to CS but it’s just simply not worth it lol