I am ready to pull the trigger, but the local dealer(s) do not have exactly what I want in an 04 FX4. There is a dealer about 500 miles away with a PERFECT truck. Do I take one off the local lot or drive eight hours away to get the right one?

The one I want has two-tone paint, captains chairs, power slider, and reverse sensing. I would be giving up at least one of those options to get one local.

 

Do a dealer transfer if you want to deal local.

 

None of the local dealers will do a trade on a 2004. They want RID of them.

 

Did the dealer locate that one for you or did you seach the Ford inventory sites? I would think you could find one closer than that.
I would probaby give up an option before I did that

 

500 miles in 5½ hours = 90 mph AVERAGE
It's more like 7-8 hours

 

For that kind of $$$ get what you want...... You'll never be happy if you don't.....

 

If the dealer won't transfer then take your money 500 miles up the road and get what you want. Don't compromise or you'll regret it everytime you get in your truck. 500 miles really ain't that far, have fun with it.

 

I would give up one of the options and buy locally. What if you go and get the PERFECT truck and then it is not PERFECT? You will have a much easier time getting any problems resolved if you buy locally. Also, if you spend your money locally, some of it may come back to you because it will be spent locally and taxed locally.

 

Go get what you really want, settling for something else will be regreted later. Your the one who has to be happy and if you already know what you want, well, do what it takes to make that happen.

 

I bought my truck in NC and have been treated great by the dealership in AZ when I had a warranty issue.

Bottom line: Buy what you want, if you settle you'll regret it later.

 

I had the exact conundrum - less about 200 miles.

I made the trip and got EXACTLY the truck I wanted. I decided that I had put so much effort into finding it and this was going to be my baby for the next 5-7 years, that it was well worth the $100 plane ticket.

I worked the price and the interest rate over the phone, so all I had to do was pay and sign. I sold my explorer to Carmax so I didn't have to worry about driving 300 miles only to get screwed on my trade in. I bought a plane ticket from Houston to Austin. Had the dealer pick me up in my new truck, and had my test drive from the airport to the dealership.

This decision has posed one small issue - Getting any possible warranty work done local. I think things will work out if I let the the local dealer know I plan on using them for all scheduled maintainence and build a relationship with the maint. mgr.

I tell you one thing, I am happy as a pig in sh#t with my new truck! I got a great deal and didn't compromise on anything. That means a lot to my piece of mind!

Good luck!

Brett


My baby's Gallery

 

You probably have several dealerships to choose from like I do. If they don't want your business go on to the next one. On my first visit, I explained that I just moved from NC and was looking for a local service dept to take care of things. They treated me as good as if I'd bought it there. BTW...they never asked where I bought it, I offered the info.

Honestly, I've never been treated bad for taking a vehicle to a dearlership that I didn't buy it from. I've moved around alot in the last 17 years so I've done this more than a few times and never had a problem.

 

No way...go 125MPH and its only 4 hours! Blink of an eye, baby!

 

I looked at several, the dealer I had bought my last one off of had an 05 for the same cash as another dealers 04. Problem is the 05 didn't have all I wanted, they searched and found me what i wanted, about 90 miles away. They Dealer traded a new Escape for mine. I had a day off and offered to drive the Escape out and bring mine back, heck they paid me 50.00 to do it.

If you found the truck you want and this particular dealer won't trade, go to the dealer down the road. They don't always trade apples for apples, so the place with the truck you want may take something else your guy has, but you have to find a dealer that will work with you.

Dealers loose a little bit of money if they do this, so they would rather sell you off their lot.

If all else fails if you have any friends that have a used car business, maybe they can get it for you wholesale, just another option. There is a little place not far from where I live that sells a lot of brand new cars and trucks, they do seem to do mostly Ford but I know people that have bought other brands there.

By the way those little Escapes don't run half bad.

 

2 things to think abouty here.
#1 call the other dealership and see if they can get you a better price than your local dealer.
(i had a dealer that had the truck i wanted give me a better price if i bought if from them)
#2 if that dosent work and you decide to dealer trade make sure you find out what its going to cost u for them to go get it.
(my dealer wanted to charge $300 dollars to go get it)

also like the others said get what u want