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If you're willing to wait, ordering a Ford EV online isn't much like buying from a dealer. They're involved, but it feels only incidentally. Of course, if you'r

If you're willing to wait, ordering a Ford EV online isn't much like buying from a dealer. They're involved, but it feels only incidentally. Of course, if you're not willing to wait, the "price" is dealer markup and the usual experience.

dangrossman 5y ago
Ordering online doesn't guarantee you a non-dealership experience. There's no stopping them from adding a $5,000 "market adjustment" to the price of the car you ordered online 9 months prior when you go to pick it up. You cannot force them to sell it at MSRP. This has happened to people that ordered Mach-E's, multiple times.
- istorical 5y ago
  If they change the price last minute can you renege on your side of the deal and get your money back and cancel?
  - amir734jj 5y ago
    Good question. I'm interested to know the answer as well.
  - enragedcacti 5y ago
    yeah but you go to the back of the line for another one at a different dealership who hopefully won't screw you.
  - dangrossman 5y ago
    You'd have only put down a refundable deposit with Ford, which the dealership can apply to your purchase, or you can get it refunded by Ford. You have no contractual relationship with the dealer, nor any ownership interest in the car, which is why the dealership that does now own the freshly delivered car is able to demand more money for it.
  - wlesieutre 5y ago
    Yes, the deposits are generally refundable. The dealer will take your car and sell it to someone else at $10k over MSRP. Someday when supply is less tight they won't have that leverage, but it's a seller's market right now. Some dealers won't do this, but you'll need to put in some work to find them.
  - greggman3 5y ago
    yes but then you're out time. So they lost nothing because they can sell the car but you lost time. This is sort point for me. I once custom ordered a BMW with the exact options I wanted. Made a downpayment. Waited 3 months for it to arrive taking the bus to work and getting rides home from friends. It arrived at the dealer and they sold it someone else and then told me I could order another if I wanted. You can probably imagine the rage I felt.
- snow_mac 5y ago
  sounds like enough of a reason just to buy a Tesla.
  - MBCook 5y ago
    Not all dealers are doing that.
  - dangrossman 5y ago
    Buying a Tesla comes with its own set of problems, like the inability to test drive the car before paying for it, and some of the worst initial quality in the industry -- which means you really should want to test drive it before buying it. Once it's yours, the complete absence of an independent dealer network means you're fully at Tesla's whim for repairing those defects. They will often say "it's within spec" and refuse. Plus, "just buy a Tesla" comes with a price premium that's more than any "market adjustment" at even the shadiest dealer for most other EVs. What buyers of EVs from traditional makes are doing is keeping tabs of what dealerships are applying those underhanded markups and simply not sending their online orders there.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - IgorPartola 5y ago
      This was my thought as well. Tesla doesn’t have a truck. When they have a truck equivalent to the Ford Lightning it’ll be 2x as much and lack fundamental features. That alone cuts Tesla out of a huge market segment. Their sedans are barely price competitive on the low end and quality seems worse than early Hyundais. They have cool features but also seem to not be ideal vehicles by any means.
  - datavirtue 5y ago
    Unless Tesla has no appealing or useful options for you. If I need a little goofy sedan I might take a look at Tesla. I need trucks and real vehicles though. Right now Tesla is coasting on VC and IPO and being early entrant innovator. The bitch slap of truth that is automotive manufacturing and marketing is about to land it's hand. Ford understands that bitch slap better than anyone.
- HWR_14 5y ago
  Ford came down hard on dealers who "market adjusted" preorders, and that practice should have been halted for a while now. I think it even made HN.
zippergz 5y ago
This was not my experience. I put a reservation down on a F150 Lightning, and a few hours later I got a phone call on my cell phone from a pushy sales person at the dealership, trying to convince me to choose something that's available now rather than waiting. I ended up canceling my reservation.

dangrossman 5y ago

Ordering online doesn't guarantee you a non-dealership experience. There's no stopping them from adding a $5,000 "market adjustment" to the price of the car you ordered online 9 months prior when you go to pick it up. You cannot force them to sell it at MSRP. This has happened to people that ordered Mach-E's, multiple times.

istorical 5y ago
If they change the price last minute can you renege on your side of the deal and get your money back and cancel?
- amir734jj 5y ago
  Good question. I'm interested to know the answer as well.
- enragedcacti 5y ago
  yeah but you go to the back of the line for another one at a different dealership who hopefully won't screw you.
- dangrossman 5y ago
  You'd have only put down a refundable deposit with Ford, which the dealership can apply to your purchase, or you can get it refunded by Ford. You have no contractual relationship with the dealer, nor any ownership interest in the car, which is why the dealership that does now own the freshly delivered car is able to demand more money for it.
- wlesieutre 5y ago
  Yes, the deposits are generally refundable. The dealer will take your car and sell it to someone else at $10k over MSRP. Someday when supply is less tight they won't have that leverage, but it's a seller's market right now. Some dealers won't do this, but you'll need to put in some work to find them.
- greggman3 5y ago
  yes but then you're out time. So they lost nothing because they can sell the car but you lost time. This is sort point for me. I once custom ordered a BMW with the exact options I wanted. Made a downpayment. Waited 3 months for it to arrive taking the bus to work and getting rides home from friends. It arrived at the dealer and they sold it someone else and then told me I could order another if I wanted. You can probably imagine the rage I felt.
snow_mac 5y ago
sounds like enough of a reason just to buy a Tesla.
- MBCook 5y ago
  Not all dealers are doing that.
- dangrossman 5y ago
  Buying a Tesla comes with its own set of problems, like the inability to test drive the car before paying for it, and some of the worst initial quality in the industry -- which means you really should want to test drive it before buying it. Once it's yours, the complete absence of an independent dealer network means you're fully at Tesla's whim for repairing those defects. They will often say "it's within spec" and refuse. Plus, "just buy a Tesla" comes with a price premium that's more than any "market adjustment" at even the shadiest dealer for most other EVs. What buyers of EVs from traditional makes are doing is keeping tabs of what dealerships are applying those underhanded markups and simply not sending their online orders there.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - IgorPartola 5y ago
    This was my thought as well. Tesla doesn’t have a truck. When they have a truck equivalent to the Ford Lightning it’ll be 2x as much and lack fundamental features. That alone cuts Tesla out of a huge market segment. Their sedans are barely price competitive on the low end and quality seems worse than early Hyundais. They have cool features but also seem to not be ideal vehicles by any means.
- datavirtue 5y ago
  Unless Tesla has no appealing or useful options for you. If I need a little goofy sedan I might take a look at Tesla. I need trucks and real vehicles though. Right now Tesla is coasting on VC and IPO and being early entrant innovator. The bitch slap of truth that is automotive manufacturing and marketing is about to land it's hand. Ford understands that bitch slap better than anyone.
HWR_14 5y ago
Ford came down hard on dealers who "market adjusted" preorders, and that practice should have been halted for a while now. I think it even made HN.

zippergz 5y ago

This was not my experience. I put a reservation down on a F150 Lightning, and a few hours later I got a phone call on my cell phone from a pushy sales person at the dealership, trying to convince me to choose something that's available now rather than waiting. I ended up canceling my reservation.