buy local or make the drive?

[Jonessw20]

Im currently in the market for a fiesta st daily driver. Hoping to pick one up this saturday actually. I have already talked with a local dealer and test drove a few on their lot. They dont have any in stock that have the recaro package and I really want to get one with it. The salesman I spoke with said he would see if they could find one from another dealer. I have found multiple cars with the package within 3hrs driving distance. My question is, would I be better off contacting the dealers that have the one I want on hand? Or should I let the local dealer try and get one to me? I would assume that if I call a dealer and drive to them I could probably get a better deal compared to making the local dealership get one in. I feel like id loose all of my bargaining advantage after making them get one from someone else. Any one have any experience with the same situation? If you could share how your purchasing went that would be great!

Thanks,
Josh

 

[hot_hatch]

I would think it would be close to the same. May have to pay a few hundred more to have it delivered. Wouldn't hurt to call one of the dealers far away and see if they can get you a deal for driving all the way out there to pick it up? I loooovvvvveee my recaros and all the guys in my area without recaros regret not getting them.

 

[Jonessw20]

I will say that I havent actually sat in the recaros yet, but it seems like most people like them. Other then those that feel they are too tight. Im a pretty skinny guy though. Going to stop by another dealership tomorrow that is close by. They do have a recaro package st, but not the color I want. After that I will probably take your advice and start making calls. Cant hurt to see what they have to say.

 

[hot_hatch]

I just realized you're in Ankeny. You can join our ST group on facebook if you'd like! It's mostly Omaha and the surrounding area but we do have a few members in the Des Moines area, even Sioux City and Sioux Falls. It's OmahaST (MidWeST).

 

[Jonessw20]

Sweet, ill check it out!

 

[StayPuft]

I say go with wherever you can get the best deal on what you want. I live in Chicago and drove 2 hours into Wisconsin for mine bc the deal was better. No regrets

 

[RStolz]

Im currently in the market for a fiesta st daily driver. Hoping to pick one up this saturday actually. I have already talked with a local dealer and test drove a few on their lot. They dont have any in stock that have the recaro package and I really want to get one with it. The salesman I spoke with said he would see if they could find one from another dealer. I have found multiple cars with the package within 3hrs driving distance. My question is, would I be better off contacting the dealers that have the one I want on hand? Or should I let the local dealer try and get one to me? I would assume that if I call a dealer and drive to them I could probably get a better deal compared to making the local dealership get one in. I feel like id loose all of my bargaining advantage after making them get one from someone else. Any one have any experience with the same situation? If you could share how your purchasing went that would be great!

Thanks,
Josh

TL/DR: Bringing a car in from another dealer does not impact price negotiations. It does mean giving up a little control, as you're relying on your dealer to be able to negotiate a trade with the other dealer for the car you want. They will try to get you to buy a car that allows them the most favorable dealer stock trade. Stick to your guns on what you want. It's not your concern HOW they get the car you want, just that they do.

Long Answer:
You don't lose any bargaining power by having the dealer trade for the one you want. At that point the 2 dealers just have to work out a deal to bring yours in and send out something they want in return. Your dealer still gets full credit for a "dealer stock" sale.

my experience was mixed. You give up a little control because you have to rely on your dealer and the other to work out a trade to bring in the car you want. Negotiating on price and everything else is the same as if it were already on their lot.

I went through the ford website and built what I wanted and let the dealer contact me. You get a nice little online discount that way too (the "internet price").

In my case it ended up that my dealer told me what I wanted wasn't available (I later found out it was, they jsut werent able to reach an agreement for a trade), and tried to upsell me on a higher optioned car. I put a deposit down and had them bring in that one, but told them I wasn't happy and was going to look around in the mean time.

It took me 5 minutes to find the car I wanted, 20 minutes away. Turns out my original dealer wasnt entirelty honest with me... I called the new dealer, explained waht I needed and wanted to make a deal happen, and that I already had one deal 75% done. They assured me we'd be able to make that work. I drove out there and in 2 hours had the car I wanted at the price I wanted.

After several weeks and several conversations, the original dealer refunded my deposit and I agreed to spread no ill will.

In the end a dealer trade is just another step in an already (typically) arduous car buying process, and it is susceptible to the same salesman tactics and shenanigans as any other part of the process. If you're prepared, you'll be fine, if not, they may try to take advantage of that.

Moral:
Be ready with printouts or a phone that you can pull up local inventory searches from the Ford website as well as places like cars.com. and don't be afraid to walk if they say they can't get exactly what you want. especially if you can find it on the Ford site.

 

[thaiphoon]

I found from my experience that you can get the best bottom line deal when negotiating with a dealer that has the exact car you want on the lot. When I was shopping for my FiST, most of the dealers around me did not have what I wanted, but instead, tried to push other cars with configurations I did not want, on me. I emailed around and was able to get the best deal, but unfortunately it was ~50 miles away so I figured making a 100 mile drive round trip was worth getting the exact car that I wanted for the best deal.

I would say, if it's worth it to you, definitely make the drive. The only downside is if your local dealer has benefits such as, lifetime car washes, oil changes, etc., it may be best in the long run to pay a little more and buy local.

 

[Jonessw20]

Lots of good info!

I did stop at the other dealership today, so I could see how the recaros actually feel. I liked them as much as I assumed I would. Still couldnt bring myself to like the molten orange. Its not really a bad color. Just alittle too out there for me. The saleman I spoke with was actually someone I met at a local autocross a few months ago. He owns a focus st and was telling me how he feels that the recaros in the fiesta actually feel more comfortable then the ones in his focus.

I did have him look into what he could find for me in the color that I wanted. He only came up with one match within the group of dealers that they do trades with. Apparently not all ford dealers are on speaking terms with each other? He also said they just turned down a trade with that very dealership the exact same day for an Escape. Because of that he wasnt entirely sure they would be willing to deal with them so quickly. Non the less, they sent an email out and he said he would let me know what they say as soon as he gets the reply.

Ill keep the thread updated when I find out more. Thanks for the replies so far!

 

[Jonessw20]

Finally seems as though I have a car locked in. I ended up dealing with the local dealer. We negotiated for a car in Lincoln,NE a week ago Saturday. Then on Wednesday after Memorial Day I was told that the car had sold that Saturday and they just found out. When I was getting the call I thought they were going to tell me I could come pick up my new car and was pretty bummed. They ended up finding one that is still in the factory and getting shipped to Kansas City when finished in a few weeks. I have the option to drive down with the dealer trade driver and drive the car back. A 2.5 hr drive isn't exactly how I want to break the car in, but at least they are letting me drive it so I can vary the speeds and such while making my way home. I'm Looking forward to having a fun daily driver that doesn't need to be worked on all the time!

 

[RStolz]

you won't be disappointed.

switching from a Versa, I was a little surprised by the amount of bounciness and harshness from the suspension at highway speeds, but got over it after an hour or so. Bear in mind that's only in relation to the Versa, which has down pillows for suspension bits.

I don't notice it anymore, and would describe it as confidence inspiring and lively. You can always opt to take county roads instead of expressway to get back. It'd take longer, but would also force you to vary speeds and whatnot. It would also allow you more stop and go, as well as (maybe) a few turns to play with the handling a bit.

 

[MegaBuster]

a few hours in the car may have you second guessing the Recaro's I found them to be pretty uncomfortable until I put a lumbar pillow in the car and now its very comfortable. I had my car delivered at no charge from a dealer 60 miles away and still paid invoice. I walked into the dealer and told them I wanted a car with these options and I would pay exactly invoice for it.

 

[Jonessw20]

I usually end up modifying my daily drivers in order to handle better. Im pretty used to a bumpy ride so im not too concerned with it. Im mostly looking forward to having a car that handles great from the factory and I shouldnt have to work on it (not a 90's import). I have a 91 toyota mr2 that im building for autocross and track days. Its probably alittle less street friendly then the fiesta.

The dealer can get the car to me at no charge. But only if they send someone to drive down with their dealer trade and drive back with my car. I asked about trailering. The price on that is pretty steep and they said they have had some bad experiences lately with that and rarely do it anywmore. They came back with the option of me riding down with their driver and driving it back. Overall I would say that the dealer trade had little to no impact on the price. Other then the few mixups that were had, I had a pretty good experience at the dealership. I think it helps big time when you do your research. He picked up that I knew what I was talking about real quick.

 

[MegaBuster]

Just ask them if they use a service or a lot jockey. If they use a service there is not much reason not to have them deliver it.