Received a VIN, Dealer will not write up a contract

[Letsgobronco]

Hi all, long time lurker, ordered back in Oct 21, received my vin and build date a couple weeks back. I have been in pretty constant contact with my dealer through out the process, Scheduled to be buiLt the week of 11/28 which I am assuming means delivery to the dealer sometime around Christmas or maybe early January if nothing slips…. That said, I asked if we could write up a contact at this point since we have VIN and I would be more than happy to put down a sizeable down payment and to my suprise, was told “No, lets wait until December”. Not the sales rep but the manager‘s statement. I didn’t push real hard as to why but does that seem fishy to anyone else? Really trying not to be paranoid but I’ve read the horror stories of others losing out their orders due to unethical dealerships. I won’t name the dealer at this point but we are in a small town in Wisconsin and was told verbally multiple times that they do not mark up past MSRP and will not sell it out from under me. What would you do? I get the “get it in writing” however I have no leverage to ask/demand it and worried about pissing ‘em off and creating a problem. I don’t usually use hope as a strategy but feeling like its all I got!

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[swooshdave]

So you never got any paperwork? A copy of the DORA? They never asked for a down payment?

I would go in and say that you want to get your financing set up with your bank and want to get a confirmation on the price. Try to use that as an excuse to get something in writing.

 

[jehines3]

I'm also in a small town and my dealer also did all the same things. I felt uneasy which is more of a point here. Being in a small town and doing business in small circles makes relationships different. Only you can go into the dealership and get a sense of their motivation here. I never got more than a signed DORA that showed the price protection from when I placed my MY21 and MY22 order. We did have a few sticking points on the pickup day regarding the total price protection that involved several calls to Ford and Ford Bronco Marketing specialists. I think the issue here is that Ford has not clearly defined the MY23 price protection program. Did your dealer do the full COVP process for your MY23 order? It's unfortunate that Ford and its dealership network have a perception of being untrustworthy.

 

[Djstang2011]

When I got financing from my credit union, my dealer had to wait until they had the vehicle in their possession before they would give me a buyers order.

 

[GaryB2220]

Contact Ford customer service and have them reach out. Get them involved early so the dealer can't make excuses later.

 

[swooshdave]

When I got financing from my credit union, my dealer had to wait until they had the vehicle in their possession before they would give me a buyers order.

I'm not talking about final financing, maybe say something about how you want to shop around for financing and would like a signed document showing price before discounts and fees.

 

[Djstang2011]

I'm not talking about final financing, maybe say something about how you want to shop around for financing and would like a signed document showing price before discounts and fees.

My dealer wouldn't give me that until the vehicle was in their possession.

 

[Blackcat]

I wouldn't read too much into it. You have a build date a month away (for now) and there's many things that could delay your build and shipment. All could go smoothly and you have your Bronco by Christmas, or all could not and you could have your Bronco in March. Dealer probably doesn't want to do anything until it hits their lot.

 

[HeHateMe]

When I got financing from my credit union, my dealer had to wait until they had the vehicle in their possession before they would give me a buyers order.

They don't *have to*, they choose to...

Mine gave me my PO for my credit union and I already secured financing so I could lock in the rate (2.39%). Mine doesn't arrive until 11/9 (hopefully).

Either way, credit union has also deferred first payment until Feb.

But anyway, I'd use the "my own financing" card... Say you want to lock a rate before they go up, because they are in November...

 

[cpmartin1999]

I'm not talking about final financing, maybe say something about how you want to shop around for financing and would like a signed document showing price before discounts and fees.

yea i agree again here, just a reason to have them give some numbers, your "shopping" around, figuring tax etc, ask if they have dealer prep fee and what it is , you know they usually have a couple hundred for "prep" whatever, anything to make them say "yea, heres the price"... thats the strategy!!

 

[Baddie64]

If they’re sincere about no markups, it should be no problem for the sales manager to put that in writing and to sign it. Just tell them it would put your mind at ease.

 

[raptorusmaximus]

back in feb I put $500 down and my dealer who up a contract with terms ( 5k adm )

 

[Visitor]

If it makes you feel better, I was in a similar situation. I also bought from a smaller dealer in WI who only verbally committed to MSRP. My salesperson had left the dealership as well, so anything in writing was worthless anyway. I had a signed order sheet, but I changed my configuration via email and never got an updated sheet. I didn't even have a reservation, so they took a refundable $100 deposit and nothing more.

They also wouldn't give me a final price until the vehicle was on their lot, despite me asking so I could have a check ready for them at delivery. Not giving me a number delayed delivery for a few days, but they held onto it and sold it to me at MSRP. During those few days, they even had it listed on their website as "available" at MSRP which was concerning. I figured I'd be out of luck. But it all worked out - not a single issue with the transaction.

I can't speak for your dealer specifically, but I hope you have a similar experience. I just wanted to give you some reassurance and an example that sometimes it does work out just fine.

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