I am getting very close (within a day or so away) from ordering a 2006 FX4 Supercrew. My sister works for a dealer in AZ, and can get me D-PLAN pricing. Back when I got my '02 Lariat FX4 SuperCrew, I also took advantage of my other sister's employment with Ford, and got D-PLAN pricing on it as well... it came out to be a good deal.

Well, it seems that MSRP and Invoice prices have gone up significantly since then. For the truck I plan to order, I'm looking at $35,000 or so for the invoice price. Now, according to the dealer, D-PLAN puts the price under invoice - maybe by $1500 or so (he was saying roughly 4%). Does anyone think that I could do better than that? I am hoping that there will be some better incentives around when the truck comes in about 8 weeks from now.

Also - since I am ordering it, I shouldn't have to pay the dealer holdback cost right? *IF* I understand what that fee is, it doesn't seem to apply to a vehicle that was ordered and never actually sat on the lot in inventory.

Other than that, does anyone else have any suggestions for me to look out for when ordering a truck? Since I am using a D-PLAN price, I can't imagine that I'll have much room to negotiate, but there may be a few things I can make sure I don't get stuck paying.

Also, I haven't asked the dealer yet, but a guy at another store told me today that the "Family Plan" pricing would apply to a 2006 as well. He was claiming that I could get the same deal a D-PLAN would get me - so if that's the case, and the offer applies to 2006 models, I won't bother using her D-PLAN number (they get 2 per year if I remember correctly).

Let me know if you have any suggestions for me.

Thanks!

 

My understanding is the D-plan price does not have holdback or advertising and that is the reason for below invoice pricing. Ford comps a dealer for the sale some amount for profit, but I have been told it is relatively small. When using the plan you get all of the available rebates and Ford Credit discounts if you finance. You can always try to get more, but some dealers may tell you to take a hike if you push too hard.

Holdback is part of every invoice and has nothing to do with whether the truck has ever been on the lot. For some dealers, it is the only profit they make. Flooring or interest payments to the dealers finance company or bank will start after so many days on the lot; a sold order usually will not incure any flooring charges and the dealer may a take a little less profit for an order due to no interest charges.

If you have a trade, then you change the game. Shop several dealers with decent service departments and get the best difference price.

 

If you get to dplan price there is NO room to negotiate. The dealer has to sell it too you for exactly the price it says on the invoice. That 4% you are getting off is the holdback you are talking about. Now if they do the family plan on the 06's then that is the way to go. Also check and make sure there are no dplan rebates. Make sure the dealership runs a VINCENT on the truck you want to buy. That will tell them exactly what discounts you can get.

 

As far as I know the Family Plan does not include the 06 F150. I just looked at one the other day and had to use my D-Plan because of it. Right now, you can get D-Plan plus $1500 cash back or financing rates for different terms on the 06 models. I think its 2.9 on 3 yrs, 4.9 on 4yrs. Just check with the dealer. But again, from what I was told the "family plan" for the whole world is only on the 05' model. That is unless you go buy a Chebby


BREW

 

I agree with the rest. I got the D-plan through my brother, and that is a hard line price from what I could tell. However, when it comes time for a warranty (if you choose to buy one), because I was "family", they worked with me quite a bit on the price of the extended warranty. Best of luck.

 

D-Plan price is printed on the invoice and that price CAN"T be altered. The Family Plan or (A-Plan) price is only $100 less than D-Plan. When I sell a vehicle on A,D, or X plan, I turn in the pin # that you get to Ford for re-imburesment. The store still gets the holdback on the unit and most will not negotiate on holdback. Holdback is the money dealers use to offset the cost of flooring (interest on vehicles sitting on the lot) All of the holdback money from the incoming vehicles goes into an account, that is where they pay the flooring bill from. If a dealer breaks even on flooring at the end of the year, they have done a very good job of managing inventory. It's not uncommon to loose money on flooring.

If you can buy on D-Plan it's a great deal. For those that say they got better than D-Plan, I won't call them a liar, but that dealer was really motivated to get rid of that particular unit. If you can find a dealership where they get paid on the holdback, they will sometimes be more willing to negotiate.

Hope this helps.

 

I DONT!! When the these new body style trucks first came out, i HAD to have one! My truck was manufactured Nov of '03. EXACTLY 8 months later, they were giving them away with about a total of $8-10K off sticker prices. Making room for the '05s. I was also on a X-Plan with Ford, and had some other fees removed. If i would have waited a little longer, i could of had a "fully loaded" truck, VS my STX for the same price. Anyhow, i learned from my mistakes, hope sharing them will help some...

 

There's no real negotiating room for D-plan pricing. The dealer could come down more if they wanted, but they may get in trouble for it from Uncle Henry, kinda like how they can't D-plan a dealer transfer vehicle, it's gotta be one they have in stock or one you ordered. They're not supposed to, but it happens, it's just frowned on by Ford. There's an exact formula for it, but approx. 4-5% below invoice plus any available rebates is about right.

 

Wow - Thank you for all of the replies. If for some reason, they extend the Family Plan into the 2006 models (and past the Oct 3rd end date) I will just go that route if it turns out to be a better deal. If not, D-PLAN should work just fine. I realize I am probably not going to get the best deal since I am getting it towards the start of a model year... but it's tough when you need a 2nd vehicle, and there aren't any good '05's left.

Thanks again for the info everyone! I'll post some pics when my truck comes in 2 or 3 months from now... I ordered a Red FX4 SuperCrew - Black Leather Interior, Moonroof, 20" Wheels... Audiophile... stuff like that (a few other smaller options as well). I wish Lariats could be ordered in solid red instead of 2-tone (not that there is anything wrong with that).